FIRE Number for Los Angeles, United States
United States
Sunshine, Beaches, and the Entertainment Capital of the World
Los Angeles offers FIRE retirees 284 days of sunshine, world-class beaches, and a creative energy found nowhere else. The sprawling metropolis demands a car, which adds cost, but rewards with incredible ethnic food diversity, hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, and a laid-back lifestyle that makes every day feel like vacation. California's state income tax hits portfolios hard, but the weather, culture, and outdoor access create an undeniable quality of life.
Lean FIRE, FIRE, and Fat FIRE for Los Angeles
Needed to retire here is the portfolio that, in a historical backtest, would have lasted your retirement at your chosen confidence and length. Status is the verdict for your portfolio. The 4% rule benchmark is shown underneath each figure for reference only.
Enter your real monthly healthcare cost and we'll use it across all lifestyle tiers — handy for VA/TriCare (enter 0) or when your ACA cost differs from our estimate.
| Lifestyle | Needed to retire here | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lean FIRE | $1.86M | $6,200/mo |
| FIRE | $3M | $10,000/mo |
| Fat FIRE | $8.4M | $28,000/mo |
Cost of Living Breakdown for Los Angeles
All cost and FIRE figures assume a single adult.
Lean FIRE Lifestyle
$1.86MA modest apartment in Koreatown or the Valley, well away from the beach. You need a car, which eats into an already tight budget, and California's high state income tax reduces your effective spending power. The tradeoff is year-round sunshine, excellent cheap ethnic food, and free access to beaches and hiking trails. You cook most meals at home and keep entertainment costs low by taking advantage of the outdoors.
FIRE Lifestyle
$3MA spacious apartment in West Hollywood or Santa Monica, or a small house in Venice. You dine regularly at well-regarded restaurants, drive a decent car, and take weekend trips up the PCH to Santa Barbara or out to Joshua Tree. At $10,000 a month you are living comfortably in a good neighborhood with real breathing room for entertainment and travel. California taxes remain a factor, but the quality of life is high.
Fat FIRE Lifestyle
$8.4MA large home in Bel Air, Brentwood, or beachfront in Malibu with a pool and guest house. You have a housekeeper, a cook who comes in several times a week, and a nice car. You dine at top restaurants frequently, travel first class, and support local arts institutions as a donor. This is comfortable, established wealth in a city where the weather and outdoor access are hard to beat. Even at this budget, California taxes take a significant share.
Retirement Confidence
The 4% rule is a great starting point. Here we go a step further and test your plan against real market history.
Enter your portfolio on the homepage to backtest a retirement in Los Angeles against market history.
Backtest detail
How this is calculated
This is a real historical backtest. We run your plan through every retirement-length window in US market history (1871–2022): a 75% stock / 25% bond portfolio, rebalanced annually, with withdrawals raised each year for that period's actual inflation. The success rate is the share of those historical start years in which the money lasted the full length without running out.
Your confidence level sets the bar: at Balanced (90%), a survival rate of 90% or more reads "You can retire here", within 10 points below is "Close — worth a closer look", and lower is "Not quite yet". The same level sizes the "Needed to retire here" target. Retirement length also drives it — early retirees planning 40–50+ years see lower survival than the 30-year baseline.
Healthcare, Visa & City Overview
UTC-8 (PST) / UTC-7 (PDT summer)
USD
English
64°F / 18°C
200-1000 Mbps fiber available via AT&T and Spectrum
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — 25 min from downtown; Burbank (BUR) — 20 min from Hollywood
Frequently Asked Questions About Retiring in Los Angeles
What is the FIRE Number for Los Angeles, United States?
The FIRE Number for Los Angeles ranges from $1.86M (Lean FIRE lifestyle) to $8.4M (Fat FIRE lifestyle). A FIRE retirement requires a portfolio of approximately $3M, based on estimated monthly costs of $10,000 and a 4% safe withdrawal rate.
How much does it cost to retire in Los Angeles?
Monthly living costs in Los Angeles range from $6,200 (Lean FIRE) to $10,000 (FIRE), covering housing, dining, groceries, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and utilities.
What is healthcare like in Los Angeles for retirees?
Healthcare in Los Angeles costs approximately $775 to $875/month depending on coverage level. Covered California bronze plan, community clinic visits for routine care.
What is the weather like in Los Angeles?
Mediterranean with dry, warm summers (25-35°C) and mild, occasionally wet winters (10-18°C). Sunshine 284 days per year. The average temperature is 64°F / 18°C.
How safe is Los Angeles for retirees?
Moderately Safe — varies widely by neighborhood; many areas are very safe with typical big-city awareness needed
How Los Angeles Compares
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