Retirement is provided by the state here so it’s not something I have to plan for.
Again, just to reiterate, the original post was using 2k/mo as the absolute minimum and the point I was trying to make is that a few Ks a month is a reasonable living in way more places that people realize.
But I suspect a non negligible % of people here on HN have a distorted view of the world and how much living cost.
[1]: Typical supermarket job in Austria: https://jobs.aldi-hofer.com/hofer-karriere-at/job/Linz-BACKB... The advertised salary for 21 hours/week of 1330€ is paid 14 times per year and comes to a total income of ~15.7k€ after taxes. If you make 24k€ a year as a self-employed person, you will have to pay ~400€ taxes + 6.5k€ pension + health insurance leaving a total of ~17k€ after taxes.
Even when you're young and single, it behooves you to think about retirement; it's sooner than you think.
You need a safety net in case something happens, leaving you unable to work for a long time.
If you support a family, you have to think about things like education funds for the kids, and what happens if you suddenly die.