If you’ve scrolled through finance Instagram lately, chances are you’ve seen this everywhere:
“You need ₹10 crore to retire comfortably in India.”
Sounds scary, doesn’t it?
But pause for a second — where is this ₹10 Cr number coming from? Is it legit? Or just another viral reel designed to trigger fear?
As someone who has been investing across asset classes for nearly two decades and advising NRIs & global Indians on financial planning, let me tell you the truth:
👉 You may not need ₹10 crore to retire — and for many people, that number is not only exaggerated but completely irrelevant.
In this post, we’ll break down:
- Where the ₹10 Cr figure came from
- What you actually need (based on YOUR lifestyle)
- Realistic examples of retirement with ₹3 Cr, ₹5 Cr, and ₹10 Cr
- A smarter framework to calculate YOUR freedom number
Let’s bust some myths.
🧨 The Origin of the ₹10 Cr Retirement Myth
This magic number didn’t come from SEBI, RBI, or any official financial body.
It’s mostly driven by social media creators, influencers, and sometimes even well-meaning CAs — who assume:
- Monthly expenses of ₹2 lakh
- 30+ year retirement span
- High inflation
- Conservative returns post-retirement
The math checks out only if you want to:
- Maintain a ₹2L/month lifestyle
- Never work again
- Never adjust spending
- Rely only on interest/SWP from a large corpus
But real life doesn’t work like a fixed Excel sheet.
So let’s take a step back.
🧾 What You Actually Need Depends on 3 Core Variables:
1️⃣ Your Monthly Expenses
Your lifestyle is the biggest driver.
- ₹40K/month in a Tier-2 city = ₹4.8L/year
- ₹1.5L/month in Mumbai = ₹18L/year
So first, calculate your actual needs, not someone else’s.
2️⃣ Your Retirement Age
- Retiring at 40? You’ll need to plan for 40+ years.
- Retiring at 60? A 25–30 year horizon is realistic.
Early retirement needs bigger corpus + return planning.
3️⃣ Expected Returns (After Inflation)
Assume a real return of 3%–5% post-retirement.
You’ll be investing in a mix of:
- Debt (SWP from mutual funds, annuities, senior citizen schemes)
- Equity (for growth)
- REITs or rental income
💡 So How Much Do YOU Really Need?
Let’s use a simple formula:
Retirement Corpus = Annual Expense × 25
This is the 4% rule adjusted for India (assuming 5–6% post-tax return, 6% inflation).
🧮 Realistic Retirement Corpus Examples
| Monthly Expense | Annual Expense | Corpus Needed (×25) |
| ₹50,000 | ₹6,00,000 | ₹1.5 Cr |
| ₹1,00,000 | ₹12,00,000 | ₹3 Cr |
| ₹1,50,000 | ₹18,00,000 | ₹4.5–5 Cr |
| ₹2,00,000 | ₹24,00,000 | ₹6–7 Cr |
✅ So unless your monthly spend is ₹3L+, you do not need ₹10 Cr to retire comfortably.
🔁 Bonus: What If You Have Passive Income?
Many NRIs and Indian retirees continue earning even after retiring:
- Rental income from property
- Dividends from equity funds
- Freelance/consulting work
- YouTube, digital products, courses
So if you have ₹50K/month coming in, your required corpus drops dramatically.
🔓 Smarter Retirement Strategy for NRIs
If you’re an NRI planning to return to India someday:
- Preserve foreign currency in FCNR/RFC accounts to beat INR depreciation
- Use SWP from mutual funds (instead of living off FD interest)
- Maintain equity exposure (~20–30%) even after retirement
- Use goal-based withdrawals — not just age-based
- Don’t retire blindly — transition gradually by reducing active work
🧠 Your Freedom Number Might Be Lower Than You Think
Let’s say:
- You want to retire with ₹1L/month lifestyle
- You already have ₹50K/month rental income from 2 flats
- You only need ₹50K/month from your retirement corpus
In this case:
- ₹50K × 12 = ₹6L/year
- ₹6L × 25 = ₹1.5 Cr corpus is enough
✅ You don’t need ₹10 Cr. You need a custom plan.
🧭 Final Thoughts: Don’t Get Scared by Random Numbers
Social media thrives on shock value.
But retirement planning is deeply personal.
So instead of chasing ₹10 Cr blindly, ask yourself:
- What kind of life do I want post-retirement?
- What’s my burn rate?
- How much income will I still have?
- Am I planning emotionally or strategically?
🎯 Want Personalised Help?
- 📞 Book a 1-on-1 consultation with me: https://calendly.com/investingwhizz
- 📹 Watch my full video breakdown on retirement myths on YouTube – NRI Whizz
- 📘 Download the Retirement Planning Toolkit (coming soon – join the list!)
📝 Written by Prateek Kumar,
Founder of NRI Whizz, financial educator, investor & independent content creator.
I help NRIs and global Indians plan smartly across borders.
📌 Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only. Please consult a certified financial planner before making retirement decisions.