It depends also of your lifestyle : if you can't leave without buying expensive stuff, going in vacation in French Polynesia and skiing in Aspen, the safety net should be $100k or $1m. If you can leave in a cheap neighborhood, cook your own food, reading books and HN, doing cheap sport like running or cycling, $10k can take you a long way. The revenue and/or lifestyle of your significant other is also a huge factor.