"Is ₹1 crore enough to retire?" was the classic Indian retirement number for a generation, and it still comes up constantly. It was a lot of money when the question was first asked. The tables below come from Bhavitta's own engine, the same one the app runs: 10,000 simulated market paths for each figure, in rupees, for a couple who stop working at 45, 50, 55 or 60 and need the money to last to 90.
How much can you spend each month on ₹1 crore?
The largest monthly spending, to the nearest ₹1,000, at which ₹1 crore lasts to 90 in at least 80% (or 90%) of paths. Health insurance is paid on top of these figures.
| Stop working at | 80% chance | 90% chance |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | ₹15,000 | ₹10,000 |
| 50 | ₹18,000 | ₹13,000 |
| 55 | ₹21,000 | ₹17,000 |
| 60 | ₹25,000 | ₹21,000 |
₹25,000 a month is ₹3 lakh a year, which works out to a 3% withdrawal rate. That is lower than the 4% often quoted, because the premium grows faster than prices. By 90 it is about ₹1.6 lakh a year in today's money, so the corpus pays for more than the monthly figure alone suggests. Download this table (CSV).
What chance does ₹1 crore give you?
The share of 10,000 market paths in which ₹1 crore lasts to 90, by monthly spending and the age you stop working:
| Monthly spending | Stop at 45 | Stop at 50 | Stop at 55 | Stop at 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹30,000 | 40% | 48% | 57% | 70% |
| ₹40,000 | 19% | 23% | 31% | 41% |
| ₹50,000 | 7% | 9% | 13% | 20% |
| ₹60,000 | 2% | 3% | 5% | 7% |
| ₹75,000 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
Even the frugal row falls short. On ₹30,000 a month, ₹1 crore reaches 70% from 60, still under the app's 80% bar, and from 45 it is worse than a coin toss.
How much does a pension help?
A couple stopping at 60 with ₹1 crore, with and without a fixed ₹15,000-a-month pension from 60. The pension is in fixed rupees, like EPS or many employer pensions, so it buys less every year.
| Monthly spending | ₹1 crore alone | With ₹15,000 pension |
|---|---|---|
| ₹40,000 | 41% | 66% |
| ₹50,000 | 20% | 39% |
| ₹60,000 | 7% | 19% |
| ₹75,000 | 1% | 4% |
With the pension, the largest monthly spend at 80% rises from ₹25,000 to ₹34,000. A ₹15,000 pension adds only ₹9,000 to what you can spend, because it doesn't rise with prices: by 75 it buys about half what it did at 60.
Is ₹1 crore enough in any Indian city?
Instead of a monthly figure, these use the app's resident cost of living for a comfortable couple in each city, including rent, and that city's inflation:
| City | Couple's cost a month | Stop at 55 | Stop at 60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | ₹1,07,500 | 0% | 0% |
| Bangalore | ₹80,600 | 0% | 0% |
| Delhi | ₹75,300 | 1% | 1% |
| Goa | ₹75,300 | 1% | 2% |
| Hyderabad | ₹69,900 | 1% | 2% |
| Pune | ₹64,500 | 3% | 4% |
| Chennai | ₹64,500 | 3% | 4% |
A typical big-city lifestyle with rent costs two to four times what ₹1 crore can carry. The couples for whom ₹1 crore can work spend far less than these estimates: usually a paid-off home, a smaller town, and a pension or rent coming in.
How much do you need for ₹30,000–₹50,000 a month?
The smallest corpus, to the nearest ₹5 lakh, that lasts to 90 in at least 80% of paths:
| Monthly spending | Stop at 55 | Stop at 60 |
|---|---|---|
| ₹30,000 | ₹1.30 Cr | ₹1.15 Cr |
| ₹40,000 | ₹1.65 Cr | ₹1.45 Cr |
| ₹50,000 | ₹2.00 Cr | ₹1.75 Cr |
For ₹75,000 a month and up, Is ₹3 crore enough? has the same table for stopping at 40 to 55.
What the numbers assume
- A couple with no further income (except in the pension table). The corpus is everything they hold the day they stop working.
- Monthly spending in today's rupees, rising with Bangalore's inflation of 5% a year (state CPI-Urban). Health insurance comes on top: ₹40,000 a year today, rising 10% a year.
- Returns from the app's Balanced India Monte Carlo preset: 9.5% a year on average, 13% volatility, all in rupees. 10,000 trials per figure.
- Survival means the balance stays above zero in every year to 90, not just at the end. 80% is the bar the app uses for "ready".
- EPF, PPF and NPS count inside the corpus. If part of it is locked until 58 or 60, the liquid part has to carry you until then.
- No tax in retirement. Add a tax rate to the retirement stage in the app if your withdrawals will be taxed.
- City tables use the app's resident cost of living for a comfortable couple, including rent, and each city's own inflation rate, instead of a monthly figure.
What changes the answer most
- Owning your home. At this budget rent can take a large share of the spending. Without it, ₹25,000 a month covers far more.
- A pension or rent. Any income that arrives every month shortens the stretch the corpus has to cover alone. One that rises with prices is worth much more than a fixed one.
- Health cover. The premium rising 10% a year is a large share of a ₹1 crore budget. Employer or government cover that continues after you stop work changes the picture.
- Working a few more years. Each year adds to the corpus and takes a year off the stretch it has to last; stopping at 60 instead of 55 adds about ₹4,000 a month.
- Where you live. The corpus-by-city guide gives the number each city needs, and retiring in a metro, then moving shows what a later move saves.
Common questions
Is ₹1 crore enough to retire in India?
For most couples, no. ₹1 crore supports about ₹25,000 a month from 60 with an 80% chance of lasting to 90, plus health insurance, and less if you stop earlier. A typical big-city cost of living for a couple, ₹64,500 to ₹1,07,500 a month including rent, needs two to four times as much.
How much monthly income can ₹1 crore give?
About ₹25,000 a month in today's money, rising with inflation, for a couple from 60; ₹21,000 from 55, ₹18,000 from 50 and ₹15,000 from 45. Those keep an 80% chance of the money lasting to 90, with health insurance paid on top.
Is ₹1 crore enough to retire at 60?
Only on very modest spending. On ₹30,000 a month it lasts to 90 in 70% of paths, on ₹40,000 in 41%. With a fixed ₹15,000 monthly pension, ₹40,000 a month reaches 66% and the safe level rises to about ₹34,000.
Is ₹1 crore enough to retire at 45?
No, unless you spend very little: it supports about ₹15,000 a month from 45 at an 80% chance. On ₹30,000 a month it lasts in 40% of paths, on ₹50,000 in 7%.
How much do I need to retire on ₹50,000 a month?
About ₹2 crore if you stop at 55 and ₹1.75 crore at 60, for an 80% chance of lasting to 90, with health insurance on top. ₹40,000 a month needs ₹1.65 crore and ₹1.45 crore.
Is ₹1 crore enough for a single person?
These figures are for a couple's monthly spending, but the engine only sees the spending, so a single person spending the same amount gets the same answer. On ₹25,000 a month from 60, ₹1 crore has an 80% chance; enter your own figure in the app to check yours.
Run your own number
- Set the currency to INR at the top of the app. New plans start with Indian defaults: resident cost of living, city inflation and the Balanced India return preset.
- On the Start tab, enter your age, savings, income and city. To use your own monthly figure, open the city stage on My Plan and type your yearly spending.
- Add Health insurance, EPF, PPF, NPS and any pension from "Add a life event".
- The Projections tab shows your chance of lasting to 90, the earliest age you could stop at 80%, and a savings slider to try your own corpus against your own spending.
Find your own number
Free on iPhone and Android. No account; your plan never leaves your phone.
