Number format: this calculator uses German notation throughout — a comma is the decimal separator and a dot groups thousands. “1.234,56” means one thousand two hundred thirty-four euros and fifty-six cents. The figures come from German tax law, so they are shown the way German authorities write them.
Daily luxury
Small amounts barely register — but over decades they add up, and invested they would have earned interest on top. This calculator sets the two side by side: what you spend, and what it could have become. The table shows year by year how far the two paths diverge. The point is not going without, but seeing the order of magnitude.
After 30 years
151.887,20 €
is what you would have if you had invested 6,00 € per day instead of spending it. Over that time you spent 65.700,00 €.
| This habit costs | 6,00 € | per day |
|---|---|---|
| per month | 182,50 € | |
| per year | 2.190,00 € | |
| Spent over 30 years | 65.700,00 € | Total of the amounts |
| Of which interest if invested | 86.187,20 € | 5,00 % per year |
| Difference | 86.187,20 € | invested instead of spent |
Closing value after Year 30: 151.887,20 €
Values as a table
| Period | Invested | Spent |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 2.240,89 € | 2.190,00 € |
| Year 2 | 4.596,43 € | 4.380,00 € |
| Year 3 | 7.072,48 € | 6.570,00 € |
| Year 4 | 9.675,22 € | 8.760,00 € |
| Year 5 | 12.411,11 € | 10.950,00 € |
| Year 6 | 15.286,98 € | 13.140,00 € |
| Year 7 | 18.309,98 € | 15.330,00 € |
| Year 8 | 21.487,64 € | 17.520,00 € |
| Year 9 | 24.827,88 € | 19.710,00 € |
| Year 10 | 28.339,02 € | 21.900,00 € |
| Year 11 | 32.029,78 € | 24.090,00 € |
| Year 12 | 35.909,38 € | 26.280,00 € |
| Year 13 | 39.987,46 € | 28.470,00 € |
| Year 14 | 44.274,19 € | 30.660,00 € |
| Year 15 | 48.780,23 € | 32.850,00 € |
| Year 16 | 53.516,81 € | 35.040,00 € |
| Year 17 | 58.495,73 € | 37.230,00 € |
| Year 18 | 63.729,37 € | 39.420,00 € |
| Year 19 | 69.230,78 € | 41.610,00 € |
| Year 20 | 75.013,64 € | 43.800,00 € |
| Year 21 | 81.092,38 € | 45.990,00 € |
| Year 22 | 87.482,11 € | 48.180,00 € |
| Year 23 | 94.198,75 € | 50.370,00 € |
| Year 24 | 101.259,03 € | 52.560,00 € |
| Year 25 | 108.680,52 € | 54.750,00 € |
| Year 26 | 116.481,71 € | 56.940,00 € |
| Year 27 | 124.682,03 € | 59.130,00 € |
| Year 28 | 133.301,89 € | 61.320,00 € |
| Year 29 | 142.362,76 € | 63.510,00 € |
| Year 30 | 151.887,20 € | 65.700,00 € |
Year by year
The bar shows how far the two paths diverge — barely at first, clearly later. That is compound interest.
| Year | Spent | Invested | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.190,00 € | 2.240,89 € | 50,89 € |
| 2 | 4.380,00 € | 4.596,43 € | 216,43 € |
| 3 | 6.570,00 € | 7.072,48 € | 502,48 € |
| 4 | 8.760,00 € | 9.675,22 € | 915,22 € |
| 5 | 10.950,00 € | 12.411,11 € | 1.461,11 € |
| 6 | 13.140,00 € | 15.286,98 € | 2.146,98 € |
| 7 | 15.330,00 € | 18.309,98 € | 2.979,98 € |
| 8 | 17.520,00 € | 21.487,64 € | 3.967,64 € |
| 9 | 19.710,00 € | 24.827,88 € | 5.117,88 € |
| 10 | 21.900,00 € | 28.339,02 € | 6.439,02 € |
| 11 | 24.090,00 € | 32.029,78 € | 7.939,78 € |
| 12 | 26.280,00 € | 35.909,38 € | 9.629,38 € |
Showing 12 of 30 years
- Calculated with 365 days per year; the amount is invested as a monthly instalment of 182,50 € (the annual figure divided by twelve).
- The assumed return is an assumption, not a promise — price swings, costs and taxes are not modelled here. For the tax on investment income, use the compound interest calculator.
Terms used on this page
Each term has its own page with a plain-language explanation, the technical detail and a worked example.
- Assumed return (Renditeannahme) — The annual growth assumed for an investment — an assumption for the calculation, not a promise about the future.
- Flat-rate tax on investment income (Abgeltungsteuer) — A flat 25 % tax on interest, dividends and price gains; the bank withholds it, which settles the tax.
How the figures are calculated
Two paths, the same amount
The calculator sends one amount down two paths: as spending, which simply adds up, and as a savings instalment with compound interest. The difference is the actual subject — not the spending itself.
365 days, monthly instalment derived from the annual amount
A daily amount is multiplied by 365 to get the year, and that annual figure is divided by twelve. Not daily amount × 30 — that would lose five days a year. Leap years are left out: the calculator compares orders of magnitude across decades, and a leap-year model would suggest a precision the assumed return does not support.
Example: 6 € a day over 30 years at a 5 % return
| Total spent | 65.700,00 € |
|---|---|
| Invested it would come to | 151.887,20 € |
| Difference | 86.187,20 € |
The difference is larger than the total spent — that is compound interest. The point is not going without, but the order of magnitude.
What this calculator does not cover
Pretending to be complete is the costliest mistake a financial calculator can make. These points are deliberately absent — either because they need details this page does not ask for, or because they cannot be substantiated in general terms:
- Inflation. The figures are nominal. In thirty years a euro is worth less than today.
- Taxes on investment income and product costs are not deducted.
- The return is an assumption, not a promise — and over thirty years every deviation weighs heavily.
Related calculators
- Compound interest calculator — the same savings plan with every setting
- Gross to net — how much gross it takes to have this amount left net