How much could downsizing actually free up for you?
Compare staying home with buying a smaller home, moving to a land lease community or a retirement village. See how much cash each move could free up, and what it would mean for the way you live. Most people are guessing, and the real answer often surprises them.
Find out before you sign anything, not after.
See it before you start
Here’s what your free result shows you
This example is for a couple, but the calculator works just the same if you’re single, or helping a parent. It uses your own numbers.
- A couple, both Age Pension age
- Home worth $900,000
- $180,000 in savings and super
Stay home
Cash freed up
$0
- Keep the home and neighbours you know
- No moving, selling or stamp duty costs
Weigh up: your money stays tied up in the house, and upkeep grows with age.
Smaller home or apartment
Cash freed up
$192,500
- Less cleaning, garden and upkeep
- You own it outright, with no exit fee
Weigh up: stamp duty and strata levies add up, so check the building’s records.
Land lease community
Cash freed up
$367,500
- A low-maintenance home among people your own age
- Often a clubhouse, pool or bowling green
Weigh up: you own the home but not the land, and site fees rise over time.
Retirement village
Cash freed up
$267,500
- Social activities and a ready-made community
- Maintenance and gardening often included
Weigh up: an exit fee is usually taken from your entry price when you leave. Check the contract.
What this example shows: moving to a land lease community could free up about $367,500 for travel, family or a safety buffer. But every move also changes your Age Pension and your running costs, so it pays to see the full picture before you decide. On a decision worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, $49.95 to see what each move really leaves you with is a small price to pay, and it could help you spot costs you’d otherwise miss.
- FreeCash each move frees upAll four options side by side, with your own numbers.
- FreeYour Question SheetThe questions to ask any agent, village or community, emailed to you.
- Retirement Move Report · $49.95Your Age Pension and feesWorked out for each option, year by year, in your online report, with an Excel copy to keep.
- Retirement Move Report · $49.95Use it again and againSee how long your money lasts, then re-check your numbers every time you get a new quote, as you do your research.
Free, about 10 minutes. We’ll email your full comparison so you can come back to it. The Retirement Move Report is optional: a one-off $49.95 with a 14-day money-back promise, yours to keep and use as often as you like.
Example assumptions: both partners are Age Pension age and homeowners; $40,000 in contents and car; 2.5% selling costs and $10,000 moving costs; smaller home or apartment $650,000 plus about $25,000 in stamp duty and buying costs; land lease home $500,000 with site fees of $230 a week; retirement village entry price $600,000 with service fees of $150 a week. Figures rounded. This is general information only, not financial advice. It doesn’t take your personal circumstances into account.
Wherever you are in the journey
The Retirement Pathway Calculator
Compare staying home, a smaller home or apartment, a land lease community and a retirement village side by side, with your own numbers. In about 10 minutes you’ll see how much cash each move could free up, and what it means for your lifestyle.
Downsizing
Thinking about a smaller home, a land lease community or a retirement village? Understand what actually changes, for your money, your lifestyle and your independence.
Around 123,000 Australians have used the government’s Downsizer scheme to add up to $300,000 each from their home sale straight into super, tax-free.
Downsizer contributions — ato.gov.au ↗ Read the full guide →Retirement Income
Make sense of the Age Pension, superannuation drawdowns and what your income really looks like once work stops.
More than half of Australians aged 65 and over receive the Age Pension (56% in March 2025, AIHW). Most people don’t fund retirement from super alone.
Age Pension rates — servicesaustralia.gov.au ↗ Read the full guide →Staying in Your Home
Practical guidance on help at home and simple changes that make it easier to stay comfortable and independent.
Government-funded help at home is now called Support at Home, following recent reforms.
Support at Home — myagedcare.gov.au ↗ Read the full guide →Three steps to real clarity
Answer a few simple questions
About your home, savings and income. Rough figures are fine. Add your email at the end and we’ll send your full comparison.
See what each move could free up
Staying home, a smaller home, land lease and a retirement village, side by side, with what each one offers your lifestyle.
Walk in with the right questions
Take your free Question Sheet to any agent, village or community manager, or adviser. Want your Age Pension, fees and how long your money lasts? Get your Retirement Move Report for $49.95, with a 14-day money-back promise, and use it again every time you get a new quote.
Free guide
Not ready to compare options yet? Get your affairs in order first.
Leave It Sorted is a plain-English guide to the paperwork that matters most, whatever you decide about where to live.
- Wills and powers of attorney, explained simply
- Joint tenants vs tenants in common: why it matters for your home
- Super nominations and what happens to your property
- A checklist so your family knows where everything is
General information only, not legal or financial advice. Please speak to a qualified professional about your own situation.
Why I built Launchup
When I was assisting my elderly parent with where to live next, I couldn’t find clear, plain-English information showing what each option would actually leave them with. So I researched it and built the calculator I wish we’d had.
Martin Claus, founder
Built for people making a real decision, not a sales pitch.
We don’t sell property and we don’t take commissions. Every figure is grounded in the same Age Pension, assets test, income test and Rent Assistance rules Services Australia uses, kept current as those rates change. This is a planning tool, not financial advice: for a decision this size, we always recommend speaking with a licensed financial adviser alongside what you find here.
Age Pension, deeming and Rent Assistance rates, checked against the official published figures.
The comparison and your Question Sheet cost nothing. We just ask for your email so we can send them to you, and we never sell your details.
If a term needs jargon, we explain it in the same breath. No assumed prior knowledge.
What could your home free up?
Find out in about 10 minutes. It’s free, and we’ll email you your full comparison.