Brisbane retirement costs up while savings remain below average

A couple looking to achieve a ‘comfortable’ retirement in Brisbane will need to spend $55,100 a year, while those seeking a ‘modest’ retirement lifestyle will need $31,677, according to the latest figures from the ASFA Retirement Standard. See Table 1 for a budget breakdown.

These figures are up by 0.7 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively on the previous year’s figures, which indicated a couple needed to spend $54,733 a year for a comfortable retirement and $31,416 a year for a ‘modest’ retirement lifestyle. In comparison, the increase in the All Groups Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Brisbane was 0.9 per cent over the year.

Retirement costs in Brisbane are slightly lower than the national average in the June quarter 2012. The national figures indicate a couple looking to achieve a ‘comfortable’ retirement will need to spend $55,213 a year, while those seeking a ‘modest’ retirement lifestyle will need $31,760.

While the costs of retirement are slightly lower in Queensland, the average Queenslander will find achieving a comfortable lifestyle in retirement more challenging than the average Australian due to their lower average superannuation balance.

ASFA has estimated that a couple would need around $510,000 in retirement savings and a single person would need around $430,000 to support a comfortable standard of living in retirement, assuming home ownership and receipt of a part-Age Pension. In comparison, the average male aged 60 to 64 in Queensland had around $166,000 in superannuation in 2009-10 while the average 60 to 64 female had only $84,800. These average balances were lower than for Australia as a whole, for which the equivalent average figures were $198,300 and $112,630.

Retirees benefited from price falls or only modest price increases across a range of important components of retirement budgets. Over the year, food costs fell by 3.4 per cent, in part due to a decrease in the price of bananas and more favourable growing conditions for other fruits and vegetables. Clothing and footwear costs fell by 0.1 per cent over the year and communication costs rose by 0.8 per cent, while recreation and culture costs fell by 1.3 per cent.

On the other hand, health costs rose by 3.2 per cent over the year, with increases in health insurance costs playing an important role. Of most significance however was the rise in electricity costs which increased by a substantial 5.8 per cent over the year to 30 June 2012. However, this increase was lower than the national average increase of over 10 per cent.

Retiree households on average have somewhat different spending patterns to the rest of the population. Along with generally owning their own home outright (so cost increases for housing are less important for retirees), they don’t tend to spend much on education services. In contrast, food, health, transportation and recreation spending form a large part of retiree budgets.

However, especially over the longer term, it is not unusual for the effects of the various differences to largely cancel out.

Table 1: Budgets for various Brisbane households and living standards (June quarter 2012)

The figures in each case assume that the retiree(s) own their own home and relate to expenditure by the household. This can be greater than household income after income tax where there is a drawdown on capital over the period of retirement. Single calculations are based on female figures. All calculations are weekly unless otherwise stated.

The ASFA Retirement Standard is an initiative of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) benchmarking the annual budget needed by Australians to fund either a comfortable or modest standard of living in the post-work years.

It is updated quarterly to reflect inflation and provides detailed budgets of what singles and couples would need to spend to support their chosen lifestyle.

Modest lifestyle in retirement

Better than the Age Pension, but still only able to afford fairly basic activities.

Comfortable retirement lifestyle

Enabling an older, healthy retiree to be involved in a broad range of leisure and recreational activities and to have a good standard of living through the purchase of such things as: household goods; private health insurance; a reasonable car; good clothes; a range of electronic equipment; and domestic, and occasionally international, holiday travel.

More information
Costs and summary figures can be accessed via the ASFA website.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Pauline Vamos, CEO, 0433 169 342

Rebecca Glenn, GM Marketing and Communications, 0416 170 439

Megan McDougall, Media and Communications Coordinator, (02) 8079 0849

About ASFA

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) is the peak policy, research and advocacy body for Australia’s superannuation industry. It is a not-for-profit, sector-neutral, and non-party political national organisation whose aim is to advance effective retirement outcomes for members of funds through research, advocacy and the development of policy and industry best practice.