![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/retired-budgeting_iStock-154918901-e1661892581334.jpg\")
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GOBankingRates’ editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines<\/a> and our products and services review methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n 20 Years<\/strong> Trusted by<\/strong> For the average retiree, spending tends to be relatively modest, given that many people do not have enough retirement<\/a> income to support lavish spending. Only half of retirees feel like they built a large enough nest egg, according to a Transamerica survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet that leaves a good chunk of Americans who can comfortably spend in retirement, especially considering that spending tends to decrease as you age. Still, even for those in the upper-class<\/a>, spending in retirement isn\u2019t necessarily lavish, especially for those who enter into their 80s.<\/p>\n Looking at the Big Picture<\/p>\n Retirement often means that you\u2019ve had time to finish paying off big-ticket items like a house and cars. And even for those who are well-off<\/a>, sometimes day-to-day spending decreases, such as if you\u2019re not actively traveling as much in your 80s versus your 60s, for example.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Indeed, 50% say that their spending has decreased in retirement, versus 39% who say it stayed the same, and only 11% say it decreased, according to Transamerica.<\/p>\n More specifically, only 3% of retirees spend over $7,000 per month, and just 1% spend more than $10,000 per month, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n In comparison, among the highest quintile of earners across ages, average monthly household spending is around $12,508, according to the Consumer Expenditure Surveys<\/a> (CE) program from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n This suggests that a tiny portion of retirees spends as much as the average upper-class household does, although the average upper-class retiree still likely spends more than most seniors.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What Spending Looks Like at Age 82<\/p>\n Data on spending at age 82 is limited, but we can estimate this amount by analyzing CE surveys.<\/p>\n First, we can use the CE data on spending based on income levels, although this does not break down by age. As mentioned, those in the highest quintile spend approximately $12,508 per month per household, which is about 94% more than average. We can then apply this 94% increase based on what the CE surveys say about spending in different age brackets.<\/p>\n For those in the age 55 to 64 range, average household spending is about $6,948 per month. From 65 to 74, the average dips to about $5,429, which is approximately a 22% decrease over 10 years. Similarly, spending declines about 19% for those ages 75 and over<\/a>, where the average per household is around $4,419.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n So, while the calculations are imperfect, given in part because the CE surveys do not break out spending per age beyond the over-75 group, we can approximate that spending falls somewhere in the realm of a 2% drop per year, based on the observed downtrend starting at age 55.<\/p>\n Thus, if we take the approximately $5,429 in monthly spending of those ages 65 to 74 and assume that represents the midpoint of age 70, we can apply a 2% decline until age 82. That results in average monthly spending of around $4,163.<\/p>\n If we then apply the 94% increase in spending that applies for the highest-quintile earners versus the average (although this does not take age into account), that results in monthly spending of $8,078.<\/p>\n So, while the math is far from perfect, this likely is on the right track, given that it has some overlap with the spending amounts suggested by the EBRI survey.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the limited data available suggests that upper-class retirees spend significantly more than the average retiree, but spending is still often much lower than it would be for the average upper-class person.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.gobankingrates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/icon-20.svg?webp=1&quality=75\"){kind=icon}
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