Calculator · Guide
How much Bitcoin do I need to retire?
It depends on three things: what you spend each year, how fast you assume Bitcoin grows, and how long your retirement lasts. Here is how to turn them into a number of BTC.
Short answer: multiply what you spend in a year by 7 to 14, then divide by the BTC price on the day you retire.
At $80,000 per BTC, retiring today on $60,000 a year for 30 years takes about 5.3 BTC if Bitcoin grows 20% a year, or 10.3 BTC if it grows 10%.
1. Start with what you spend
Retirement math starts with spending, not salary. Add up a normal year: housing, food, health care, travel and the tax you will pay when you sell Bitcoin. If you plan to retire in a cheaper city or country, use those costs.
Use today's dollars. The calculator raises that amount with inflation every year until and during retirement, so you do not have to guess future prices.
2. The growth rate decides almost everything
While you are retired, you sell some Bitcoin every year and the rest keeps growing. The faster it grows compared with inflation, the less you need on day one. This table shows how many years of spending you need at retirement, with 3% inflation:
| BTC growth per year | 25-year retirement | 30 years | 40 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | 20.9× | 23.7× | 28.6× |
| 8% | 15.4× | 16.7× | 18.5× |
| 10% | 13.0× | 13.7× | 14.6× |
| 15% | 9.1× | 9.3× | 9.5× |
| 20% | 6.9× | 7.0× | 7.0× |
| 30% | 4.8× | 4.8× | 4.8× |
Same rules as the calculator: spending rises 3% a year, the portfolio never falls below 2 years of spending, and it ends with at least 3 years left over.
For comparison, the classic 4% rule for stocks and bonds asks for 25 times your spending. Bitcoin plans need less only because they assume much faster growth. If that growth does not come, the number climbs quickly: going from 20% to 8% more than doubles it.
3. Turn dollars into Bitcoin
The formula is short:
BTC needed = yearly spending × multiple from the table ÷ BTC price when you retire
Retiring today on $60,000 a year for 30 years:
- At 10% growth: $60,000 × 13.7 = about $822,000, or 10.3 BTC at $80,000.
- At 20% growth: $60,000 × 7.0 = about $420,000, or 5.25 BTC.
If you retire later, each Bitcoin is likely worth more, so you need fewer of them. But your spending will also have grown with inflation, and the years you keep buying add to your stack. That is what the calculator works out year by year.
4. Three examples
All three use $80,000 per BTC, 3% inflation and a life expectancy of 86. The calculator uses the live price, so your results will move with the market.
Age 30, just starting
Holds 0.05 BTC, buys $500 a month and wants $50,000 a year in today's money.
At 15% growth they can retire at 51 with about 0.59 BTC, worth around $895,000 by then. At 8% growth the same plan reaches retirement at 72.
Age 40, steady stacker
Holds 0.5 BTC, buys $1,000 a month and wants $60,000 a year.
At 15% growth they can retire at 55 with about 1.5 BTC, worth around $980,000. At 8% growth: 70.
Age 50, catching up
Holds 2 BTC, buys $20,000 a year and wants $80,000 a year.
At 10% growth they can retire at 67 with about 4.2 BTC, worth around $1.7 million. At 8% growth: 71.
5. Stress-test your number
- Try a lower growth rate. A plan that only works at 30% a year is a bet, not a plan. Check that it still works at 8% to 10%.
- Plan for crashes. The model assumes steady growth, but Bitcoin has fallen more than 70% several times. A crash early in retirement hurts most, because you sell more coins at low prices. Keeping one to three years of spending in cash lets you wait out a drawdown.
- Diversify. Most planners suggest Bitcoin as one part of a retirement portfolio, alongside other investments and an emergency fund.
- Keep your keys safe. A retirement stack deserves a hardware wallet and a tested backup.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 BTC enough to retire?
Not today, but possibly later. At $80,000 per BTC and 3% inflation, a 40-year-old who holds 1 BTC and spends $40,000 a year could retire at 49 if Bitcoin grows 20% a year, at 54 at 15%, or at 67 at 10%.
Why do I need less than with the 4% rule?
The 4% rule assumes a stock and bond portfolio that grows a few points faster than inflation, so you need about 25 times your spending. If you assume Bitcoin grows much faster than inflation, the portfolio keeps growing while you spend it and the multiple falls to 7 to 14. That is also why a lower growth rate raises your number so quickly.
Does this include taxes?
No. Enter the yearly amount you need including the tax you will pay when you sell Bitcoin, which depends on where you live.
What growth rate should I use?
Nobody knows Bitcoin's future growth. Returns tend to shrink as an asset matures, so plan with a rate you would be comfortable living with, such as 8% to 15%, and check that the plan still works at the low end.
Find your own number
Enter what you hold, what you buy and what you spend. The calculator finds the earliest age your Bitcoin can pay for the rest of your life.
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