Here’s the New Magic Number Retirees Say You Need Saved To Retire in 2026
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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As living costs continue to rise, so does the amount of money you’ll need to retire comfortably. A recent Clever Real Estate survey asked current retirees how much they believe you need to retire well in 2026 — and it’s $244,000 more than they said you would need in 2025.
Here’s a look at how much retirees believe you need to retire in 2026, and why it’s increased so dramatically.
Why Retirees Think the Required Nest Egg Has Jumped So Much
If you’re planning to retire this year, retirees say you should have a pretty healthy nest egg. According to the retirees surveyed, new retirees need, on average, $823,800 in savings and investments to retire comfortably in 2026. That’s a significant increase from the $580,310 figure they estimated for last year.
“The most likely reason the number jumped so dramatically from 2025 to 2026 is another year of continued inflation,” said Nick Pisano, data writer at Clever Real Estate. “Retirees may have been able to wave off price increases as temporary in the past, but with prices still rising after a half-decade, many might have conceded that this might be the ‘new normal.’
“Therefore, they’re also adjusting their expectations about how much their peers need to retire comfortably.”
The Gap Between What Retirees Have Saved and What They Think You’ll Need
While retirees say you need around $824,000 to retire comfortably, the typical retiree has just $288,700 saved. Fewer than 1 in 4 (23%) had a half-million or more saved when they retired.
“One reason the average retiree we surveyed had a substantially lower amount saved is that, on average, they’d been retired for over a decade and had likely spent down a significant portion of whatever they’d saved when they retired,” Pisano said. “However, it’s also likely that there’s a bit of both wishful thinking and caution on the part of current retirees.”
Some may assume other retirees are living a more active — and more expensive — lifestyle, traveling or engaging in pricey hobbies.
“This is a relatively common image in pop culture and media, so retirees might assume their peers are spending more than they do themselves,” Pisano said. “Alternatively, they might be a bit cautious about the amount they think others need to retire if they’ve struggled with adjusting their budgets to cope with rising prices in recent years.”
With rising prices reshaping expectations, many Americans may find themselves rethinking what a “comfortable” retirement looks like in the years ahead.
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