Coast FIRE Calculator
Find out when you can stop saving for retirement and let compound growth do the rest. Coast FIRE means working just enough to cover current expenses while your investments grow to your retirement number.
Your Information
Assumptions
Real return: 4% (investment return - inflation)
Your Coast FIRE Numbers
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Your Path to Coast FIRE
What Can You Spend Each Day?
Once you reach Coast FIRE, you still need to cover monthly expenses. Use our FIRE Daily Budget Calculator to see exactly how much you can spend each day while hitting your savings goals.
Track Your Coast FIRE Journey
BUDGT helps you stay on track with a simple daily budget. Know exactly what you can spend while building toward Coast FIRE.
Try BUDGT FreeWhat is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE (also called Coast FI) is when you've saved enough money that, even without any additional contributions, your investments will grow to support your retirement by your target age.
Once you reach Coast FIRE, you can "coast" — work in a lower-paying job, go part-time, or pursue passion projects. You only need to earn enough to cover your current living expenses. Your investments handle retirement on their own.
The Math
FIRE Number = Annual Spending ÷ Safe Withdrawal Rate
Coast Number = FIRE Number ÷ (1 + Real Return)^Years to Retirement
Real Return = Investment Return - Inflation
What Coast FIRE Unlocks
Career Flexibility
Take a lower-paying job you actually enjoy. Go part-time. Start a business without the financial pressure.
Location Freedom
Move somewhere with lower cost of living. Your reduced expenses mean less income needed to coast.
Time Abundance
Work fewer hours. Spend more time with family, on hobbies, or traveling. Your time becomes yours again.
Stress Relief
Know that retirement is handled. The psychological weight of "saving enough" lifts once you reach your coast number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Coast FIRE and regular FIRE?
Regular FIRE means you have enough saved to retire now. Coast FIRE means you have enough that your investments will grow to your retirement number — you just need to cover current expenses until then. Coast FIRE typically happens years before full FIRE.
Why does a younger person have a lower Coast FIRE number?
Time is the key ingredient in compound growth. A 25-year-old has 35 years for their money to grow before retirement at 60. A 45-year-old only has 15 years. The longer the time horizon, the less you need today because compound growth has more time to work.
What is "Barista FIRE"?
Barista FIRE is essentially the same as Coast FIRE. The name comes from the idea of working at Starbucks (or similar) part-time to cover expenses and potentially get health insurance benefits. Both terms describe the phase where your investments handle retirement and you just need to cover current costs.
Should I stop contributing once I reach Coast FIRE?
You don't have to, but you can. Any additional savings will either let you retire earlier or with more money. Many people in Coast FIRE choose to redirect their savings to experiences, education, or passion projects instead of additional retirement contributions.
What are the risks of Coast FIRE?
The main risks are: (1) sequence of returns — poor market performance early in your coast period hurts more than later, (2) lifestyle creep — letting expenses rise when you're no longer focused on saving, (3) healthcare costs if you're in the US and leave employer coverage. Consider building a buffer above your exact coast number.
Why do you use 7% returns and 3% inflation?
7% is a conservative estimate for long-term stock market returns (the S&P 500 has historically averaged ~10% nominal, but we use a lower number for safety). 3% is the historical average US inflation rate. The real return (4%) is what matters for Coast FIRE calculations. You can adjust these assumptions in the calculator.