Relocation by Numbers
FIRE Calculator

FIRE Calculator, Financial Independence by Location

Calculate Your FIRE Number, Years to FI, and How Moving Changes Your Timeline

Enter your income, spending and savings to see your FIRE number and age, then compare how a move could change them.

Assumptions updated: October 2026. How taxes are modeled is explained below the calculator.

See methodology and data sources
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Estimates the portfolio you need to cover your full lifestyle at your chosen withdrawal rate, with the spending adjusted for inflation each year.

FIRE at age 61 · 31 years away

Calculator inputs
Enter your income, spending, and investing assumptions.
ABOUT YOU
SAVINGS AND INVESTING
Using defaults: filing single, 401(k) 8%, moderate returns, 4% withdrawal, 2.5% inflation. Saving is estimated from your after-tax income less spending.
How moving could change your timeline
Geography may be one of the most powerful levers in a FIRE plan. Same income, same returns, different cost of living.
Annual: $48,000
Starts equal to your spending now, so a move shows no gain until you enter what you expect to spend in the new place. Pick a state or enter your own figure.
MOVE IMPACT
Current FIRE age61
FIRE number after move (at that age, future dollars)$2,580,008
FIRE age after move61
Same timeline
Show dollar amounts in:

Example results from sample inputs. Change any field to see your own numbers.

Your FIRE milestone

At your current pace you could reach financial independence at age 61, in about 31 years, around 2057.

FIRE Number
$1,200,000
Based on 4% withdrawal rate, in today's dollars (spending grows with inflation).
Years Until FIRE
31 yrs
Est. FIRE year: 2057
Estimated FIRE Age
61
Savings Rate
28.0%
$59,460 est. net · 25.9% tax rate
Progress to FIRE
6%
$75,000 invested · Projected under these assumptions: FIRE at 61

FIRE at age 61 · 31 years away

How this estimate works
Estimates the portfolio you need to cover your full lifestyle at your chosen withdrawal rate, with the spending adjusted for inflation each year.Returns use your selected volatility preset. Inflation and salary growth compound annually, and take-home pay is recalculated each year through the tax engine, with pay growing at the salary-growth rate and the tax brackets, deductions and 401(k) limit indexed to inflation. Each year's saving is added as twelve monthly end-of-month deposits. This is a planning estimate, not financial or tax advice.
Assumptions behind this result

Replace sample values with your own numbers. Planning assumptions are the site's starting estimates; change them in the settings if you have a view.

  • Age30Sample value
  • Annual gross income$90,000Sample value
  • StateNYSample value
  • Monthly spending now$4,000Sample value
  • Invested portfolio$75,000Sample value
  • Withdrawal rate4%Planning assumption
  • Inflation2.5%Planning assumption
  • Salary growth3%Planning assumption
  • Investment returnsmoderate (7% then 5.5%)Planning assumption

Planning assumption · Sample value. Planning assumptions are the site's starting estimates, not quotes or forecasts. Sample values are placeholders until you enter your own.

Where to go next
  1. Step 1
    Compare a move

    See what a city or state change does to rent, taxes and take-home pay.

    Compare cities →
  2. Step 2
    See the FIRE impact

    Rank cities by how much sooner they could get you to FIRE.

    Best cities for FIRE →
  3. Step 3
    Plan it in detail

    Model withdrawals, taxes and Social Security year by year (Beta).

    Complete Retirement Plan →
Decision engine

Your fastest path to financial independence

You're currently projected to reach your goal in 31 yrs. Here are the changes that would get you to financial independence fastest.

Biggest lever
Raise savings rate to 38%

A higher savings rate means more capital compounding every year, the most direct lever on any FIRE timeline.

Estimated improvement8 years sooner
What would move the needle most

1. Raise savings rate to 38%

8 yrs sooner

More of your income working for you sooner.

FIRE age
53
Years to FIRE
23 yrs

2. Lower spending by 10%

6 yrs sooner

A smaller target means compounding has less ground to cover.

FIRE age
55
Years to FIRE
25 yrs

3. Add $5,000/year to investments

3 yrs sooner

More capital compounding each year builds a meaningful head start.

FIRE age
58
Years to FIRE
28 yrs

These are planning estimates, not guarantees. Small changes in return assumptions, taxes, and future spending can materially change the result.

Frequently asked questions

Location changes two of the biggest drivers: taxes and spending. A lower-cost or lower-tax city can increase how much you keep and reduce how much you need.

How the FIRE calculator works

Your FIRE number is based on how much you spend each year and your withdrawal rate. The most common starting point is the 4% rule: divide your annual expenses by 0.04 to estimate the portfolio size needed to support that spending.

But location changes the math. This calculator estimates after-tax income using federal tax brackets, FICA, filing status, optional 401(k) contributions, and a state-specific tax model. It then compares how different spending and location assumptions may affect your timeline to financial independence.

What changes your FIRE timeline most

Annual spending

Spending is the core driver of your FIRE number. Lower spending reduces the portfolio size you need.

Savings rate

The more you can invest each year, the faster your portfolio compounds toward financial independence.

Investment return assumptions

Growth assumptions matter, but they should be treated as planning estimates, not promises.

Location

Moving to a lower-cost or lower-tax location can reduce both your FIRE number and your years to FI.

Who this calculator is best for

This calculator is most useful for people who want to understand how income, spending, investing, and location work together in a financial independence plan.

It is especially useful if you are comparing cities, trying to lower expenses, or testing whether a move could bring your FIRE date closer.

What this calculator includes, and what it does not

Included

  • FIRE number estimate
  • Years to financial independence
  • Projected FIRE age
  • Location-based tax and spending comparison

Not fully modeled

  • Every tax edge case or deduction
  • Sequence-of-returns risk in full detail
  • All future spending changes with precision
  • Investment outcomes with certainty

This is a planning tool, not a guaranteed forecast. It is most useful for comparing scenarios and understanding directionally how your choices change the math.

Explore more FIRE and relocation tools

Compare other FIRE styles, explore city-to-city moves, or browse more tools across the site.

Relocation ComparisonsExplore HubBest Cities for FIREBest States for FIRE

Planning estimate only. Not tax, legal, or financial advice.

Sources and limits

Tax figures come from IRS and state government publications (2026 rules, checked October 13, 2026). Written and maintained by Relocation By Numbers. Sources and limits reviewed October 13, 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us in the feedback box below. Full methodology

Sources

Savings, returns, inflation, spending and withdrawal rate are your assumptions.

Not included

  • Taxes use a simplified state-specific model, not a filing-ready return.
  • Wages only: no self-employment, investment, capital-gain or other non-wage income.
  • Standard deduction only; no itemized deductions, tax credits (dependents, education, earned income and others) or alternative minimum tax.
  • Single and married-filing-jointly only; no head of household or married filing separately.
  • Planning estimates, not guarantees; taxes, assumptions and future spending can change the result.

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