TL;DR
FIRE at the median UK income requires a high savings rate (40-50%) and modest spending. It's harder than for high earners, but not impossible — the math works out if you can hit 22-25 years of accumulation from a young start.
In short
Median household income FIRE typically aims for £20-25k/year of retirement spending, which needs a £700-900k portfolio. From a 30% starting savings rate, that's roughly 22-28 years. Going to 40-50% savings rate cuts it to 15-20 years, which is feasible if you prioritise housing and transport cuts.
We're working on a full deep-dive for this article — including historical data, charts, and worked examples. In the meantime, you can run a free simulation to explore the underlying numbers yourself.
Frequently asked questions
- What if I'm starting at 35 with no savings?
- Tighter but still feasible. 50% savings rate from 35 with £0 gets you to a £600k portfolio (real) by age 55, supporting roughly £21k/year in retirement.
- Does FIRE in London work at median UK salary?
- Much harder. London housing costs alone often eat 35-40% of post-tax median income. Most London-based FIRE seekers either move further out or earn well above median.
Stress-test your own FIRE plan
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