Enough

COAST FIRE THRESHOLD · United States

Can You Retire on $1M in New York?

The honest math. Standard FIRE assumptions, cost-of-living data from our New York guide, and the caveats most retirement calculators skip.

The Answer

Not quite — would require cuts

At the standard 4% rate, your withdrawal would fall short of local cost of living by a meaningful margin. You'd either need to accept a lower lifestyle than typical here, or look at a lower-cost city.

At 4% rule, you have

$3,333/mo

Local cost of living

$4,500/mo

Monthly buffer

-$1,167

Below local baseline in New York

Your budget falls below New York's typical baseline cost. You'd need to cut across categories (smaller apartment, less dining out, basic healthcare) or consider a lower-cost city.

See which categories could flex — and which cities fit your budget better.

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What $1M Actually Generates

Withdrawal StrategyMonthly Incomevs Cost of LivingHorizon
Conservative (3.25%)
Wade Pfau's horizon-adjusted rate for 50-year early retirement
$2,708-$1,79250+ years
Moderate (3.5%)
Pfau-Kitces research for 40-year FIRE retirement
$2,917-$1,58340 years
Standard 4% Rule (Bengen)
Classic Bengen/Trinity 30-year safe rate
$3,333-$1,16730 years
Aggressive (5%)
Trinity Study showed ~83% success over 30 years; more reliable for shorter horizons
$4,167-$333~20 years

Based on William Bengen's 4% rule (1994) and horizon-adjusted extensions by Wade Pfau and Michael Kitces. See Safe Withdrawal Rate by Age for details on choosing your rate.

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Where the $4,500/month Goes in New York

Rent (1BR, city center)
$4,350
Groceries & food
$600
Utilities
$120
Transportation
$50
Healthcare
$150

Numbers are for a comfortable solo lifestyle. Couples typically run 1.5× these costs; families with kids 2–2.5×. For full lifestyle data, see the New York city guide.

The Full FIRE Number for New York

If you want to retire in New York using the standard 4% rule with a clean 30-year buffer, your FIRE number is:

$1,350,000($54,000 annual × 25)

You have $1,000,000. That's $350,000 short.

For a 40-year early-retirement horizon, multiply by ~1.15–1.25 (use 3.25–3.5% withdrawal rate instead of 4%).

What Taxes Would You Pay in United States?

United States taxes worldwide income.

Full United States retirement tax guide →

What This Analysis Doesn't Include

Your actual tax drag

We assume baseline SWR. Your real post-tax income depends on account mix (Roth/traditional/taxable), Social Security, and where funds are held.

Healthcare pre-Medicare

The healthcare line uses local averages. US expats pre-65 often face much higher costs; EU and Thai retirees often much lower.

Sequence of returns risk

A 4% rule works historically — but not if your first decade has bad returns. See our sequence risk guide.

Currency & visa

FX swings and visa renewal requirements change the math for non-nationals. Research the specific visa pathway to United States before committing.

Build your personal retirement plan — free

These are generic assumptions. Your plan depends on your actual portfolio, expected returns, tax situation, Social Security, healthcare needs, and timeline. Create a free account to save your plan, track progress over time, and get AI coaching tailored to you.

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Other Amounts in New York

$500K in New York

Lean FIRE

$2M in New York

Regular FIRE

$3M in New York

Chubby FIRE

$5M in New York

Fat FIRE

$10M in New York

Fat FIRE+

Where $1M Goes Further

New York might be too expensive for your number. These cities have significantly lower cost of living — the same portfolio stretches further.

Ahmedabad

$800/mo

Bhopal

$800/mo

Bhubaneswar

$800/mo

Bishkek

$800/mo

Chelyabinsk

$800/mo

Chittagong

$800/mo

Go Deeper

FIRE Calculator

Set your own return, SWR, spending, and any of 300+ cities.

The 4% Rule Explained

The research behind the number — and where it breaks.

New York City Guide

Full cost, visa, safety, climate, and lifestyle data.

Safe Withdrawal Rate

Model your sustainable retirement paycheck.

Cost-of-living data sourced from Numbeo, government sources, and research; tax data from state/country sources with per-page provenance. Educational content only — consult a fiduciary advisor before acting on any retirement plan.