From Ramen to Retirement: How Much Bitcoin Do You Need to Stop Work?

Working until you die isn’t a great plan. You need some free time at the cryofreeze end of your life to have fun and reward yourself for all the working years. The goal is to be in the deep end of a drinks package on a cruise ship with your wrinkly mates and not have to worry about funding your obnoxious new lifestyle.

If you are reading this with young eyeballs then you are in luck, you have more time to start a plan. If you are reading this with older eyeballs, there’s still hope for a boat bender at the end of your story. So hold tight as we show you how to work it out.

How Much Bitcoin Do You Need to Retire Comfortably?

Retirement planning is evolving, and Bitcoin is emerging as a possibility for securing financial freedom. With its potential for and its perception by some as a hedge against inflation, the crypto kids are wondering how much they need to retire if they start to HoDL now.

Using insights from a Bitcoin retirement calculator, we can estimate how much Bitcoin you might need to achieve a comfortable retirement. This will be based on your age, retirement goals, and Bitcoin’s projected growth.

And let’s just state here that these are projections only. A lot can change in a short period of time. Aliens could arrive and take all our political leaders away (fingers crossed!), war could break out and send all asset prices right into the bin, and the dinosaurs could be resurrected and eat us all. Nothing is certain in this world.

Bitcoin could also just fall out of fashion and have absolutely no value. Nobody has a crystal ball that shows the future. But here, we are guessing tomorrow based on what we know today. So here goes.

Bitcoin’s Role in Retirement

Unlike traditional investments, Bitcoin’s price has historically followed a , driven by its fixed supply and growing adoption. This makes it an attractive option for long-term wealth preservation, especially for those planning for retirement.

Want daily massages and cocktails beside a gaudy tropical pool? Want to travel to Burning Man to smell other hippies? Want to live off grid in a tiny home with seven cats? You have to be realistic here with what your lifestyle will cost. You can’t have a Bitcoin life on a budget.

By using a , you can estimate how much Bitcoin you need to sustain your desired lifestyle in retirement.

How Much Bitcoin to Retire?

The calculator considers several key factors:

Your current age and Bitcoin holdings

Your starting point, including how much Bitcoin you currently own.

Bitcoin price growth

Projections based on historical trends, using the power-law model.

Monthly Bitcoin investment

Regular investments through buying with a regular schedule (called dollar-cost averaging) until retirement.

Retirement expenses

Your desired annual spending, adjusted for inflation.

Inflation rate

Typically set at around 7% annually to account for rising costs over time.

Retirement Timeline

The age at which you plan to retire and your life expectancy.

These inputs help determine whether your Bitcoin holdings can cover your expenses from retirement until the end of your life expectancy. And with AI doctors coming online, which are than actual doctors, you could be living a long time! You want those adult diaper years to be good years!

How Much Bitcoin Do You Need?

Let’s break down how much Bitcoin you might need to retire if you want to live on an annual income of US$100,000, adjusted for inflation. This is based on your current age and planned retirement year. These estimates use a conservative power-law model, assuming Bitcoin’s price grows steadily but at a lower-end projection. More or less, this is a fairly optimistic projection for Bitcoin’s price growth.

Age 25, Retiring in 2030

You would need approximately 4.52 BTC to retire in five years with an inflation-adjusted US$100,000 annual income. In early 2025, Bitcoin prices were around US$93,000 per BTC. This equates to roughly US$420,000.

Age 45, Retiring in 2030

You would need about 4.28 BTC, or approximately US$400,000 at current prices. This slightly lower requirement reflects the shorter time horizon compared to a 25-year-old. That is, a 45-year-old retiring in 2030 (at age 50) may have a shorter expected retirement period (like say 30 years, until age 80) compared to a 25-year-old (retiring at age 30, potentially needing 50+ years of income). A shorter retirement duration requires less total capital, reducing the BTC needed.

Age 65, Retiring in 2030

You’d need around 3.94 BTC, as the immediate retirement reduces the time for price appreciation to work in your favour. A 65-year-old retiring in 2030 (at age 70) is expected to have a shorter retirement duration compared to younger crypto bros and crypto sisters.

Age 5, Retiring in 2075

For a child today, only 0.63 BTC might be needed by 2075, thanks to Bitcoin’s projected long-term price growth.

These figures highlight a key point: the earlier you start, the less Bitcoin you’ll need over time due to its expected appreciation.

For comparison, five years ago in May 2020, when Bitcoin was around US$9,000, you would have needed 44.4 BTC to achieve the same US$400,000 portfolio value. Today, that requirement has dropped to just 4.28 BTC for a 45-year-old planning to retire in 2030.

Why Bitcoin for Retirement?

Bitcoin’s appeal for retirement planning lies in its scarcity and potential to outpace inflation. With only 21 million coins ever to be minted, Bitcoin is designed to resist the devaluation that fiat currencies often face. It doesn’t mean that will definitely happen. But that’s the genius of its design that has a lot of people fascinated.

In the best-case scenario, Bitcoin’s price could continue to grow significantly, especially as institutional adoption increases. For example, if Bitcoin reaches US$1 million per coin by 2035, as some analysts predict, the 4.28 BTC needed for a 2030 retirement could be worth over US$4 million, providing cushy financial security.

However, other analysts predict Bitcoin to fall back to US$50k, and some even lower again. Like any other investment, whether that be property or traditional assets like shares, nothing is certain and what goes up can come down.

Also, timing matters. The earlier you invest, the more you could benefit from Bitcoin’s compounding growth, if that happens. Waiting too long could mean needing to buy at much higher prices, reducing your purchasing power. As the saying goes, “time in the market beats timing the market.”

But… What’s the But…

Despite Bitcoin’s potential, many investors hesitate to include it in their retirement plans. Some rely on traditional financial advisors who may view Bitcoin as too risky or speculative.

The cold harsh truth is that like most investments, Bitcoin could literally go to zero for whatever reason, without warning. You could end up living in your kids’ garage, being babysitter to the grandkids to cover your rent.

On the positive side, those who feel that Bitcoin has long-term potential can start accumulating now, even in small amounts. Dollar-cost averaging, which is buying a fixed dollar amount of Bitcoin at regular intervals (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) can help you stack BTC over time.

For instance, a 45-year-old investing US$500 monthly in Bitcoin until 2030 could significantly reduce the total BTC needed for retirement.

On CoinJar, there is a product called “recurring buy”. It’s a way to set up your CoinJar account with a credit card or debit card to buy Bitcoin (or any other crypto in the app) in a regular pattern so that you don’t forget to save for your future. And you can stop it at any time by pressing a few buttons. It’s convenient to set up and easy to cancel.

Plan for Your Retirement Now

Retirement planning with Bitcoin doesn’t require a fortune. You could potentially secure a comfortable retirement in the future, assuming Bitcoin’s price continues its historical upward trend.

Here’s how to get started: Set Up Recurring Buy on CoinJar

1. You’ll need to download the CoinJar App, register and verify your identity first if you are a new user.
2. Fund your account by hitting the “deposit” button. Link a credit card or debit card. Once done, then navigate to the “Home” tab and click the “Buy” button directly.
3. Choose Bitcoin as your asset and enter the amount you wish to invest per purchase. Tap the “one-time” setting, and a dropdown menu will display. Select “Recurring Buy,” then proceed to “Review Order.”
4. In the “Review Order” section, you can set the frequency. This can be weekly, every fortnight, or monthly. Finalise the schedule and save your preferences. Now, you are investing in your future by what’s called

Final Brain Nuggets

Bitcoin may not be the speculative asset some say it is. It could be a potential path to financial independence. Which is especially delicious when you are old enough to be sick of working and feel a strong need to go spend the winter in Norway. In a hot tub. Drinking Akvavit.