What's the minimum amount that comes to mind when you hear "good salary"?
Posted by Equivalent-Ad-2373@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 746 comments
With the rising cost of living it feels like a "good salary" means something different to everyone, especially depending on where you live. What's the minimum that comes to mind for you?
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
45k is probably minimum for me for a good salary. I don't understand how people are putting such high numbers!! Am I just mega poor??
dinotoxic@reddit
£45k considered good? Thats barely above average, so surely that’s just average?
ancientestKnollys@reddit
Anyone above average is to some extent doing well.
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
Unfortunately, people are being indoctrinated into accepting average as good. Britain still has too much of a Dickensian mentality. Visitors from more affluent European countries always comment on this.
glasgowgeg@reddit
Average is comparatively good if you've historically been below average.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Good means average... It means enough to live on, enough to enjoy life on, enough to put a little aside each month so you can go on holiday... etc etc. I don't need the newest car or the biggest house or whatever
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
> Good means average...
Yes, I think I see what the problem is here
> It means enough to live on, [...], enough to put a little aside each month so you can go on holiday... etc
Yes, as we saw in the calculation above you have exactly minus £98 pounds to put aside each month.
Look, I don't mean to sound unpleasant or anything, but please, please, don't try to pretend these amounts are "good". Maybe they are good for Bulgaria or Moldovia or something, but they are really not good for the UK in 20226.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
And I make a lot less than the amount I said was good...
glasgowgeg@reddit
Median salary is about £38,356, so it's about 17.3% above average.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
39k is average. £500 extra a month may not sound like a lot to you but that would be huge for me
angrypolishman@reddit
45k would be great in Sheffield for what its worth, I think age and location should probably be disclosed for an answer to the op question to be valuable
mctrials23@reddit
People live in different cost of living areas. Around here, 4 bedroom houses start at around £600k for something with a loft conversion. Your average 4 bed detached is £800k+
Similar houses in other parts of the country might be under half those prices. A good salary around here is probably 70k plus with both people earning that.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Damn fair enough, my house was 180k
TumTiTum@reddit
If one person earns £50k for a family of 4 it's going to be tight.
If two people earn £25k for a family of 4 you're going to have much more headroom.
Individual/family circumstances make a big difference, as does the point at which you are in your career. Comparison is the theft of joy etc etc, don't beat yourself up because you're not there yet, or assume other folk are doing better based on a single headline figure.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Yeah that's a good point, I don't have anyone to support so I guess that's why a lower amount would be 'good' for me
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
Also, because you probably define a "good" lifestyle as a spartan, very constrained lifestyle!
I would be genuinely interested to see your breakdown of spending on a 45k salary. That's about 35000 after tax and NI, right? So that's about £2900 a month.
What's your rent/mortgage?
Fixed Bills (leccy, phone, council, insurance)?
Travel costs?
Food bill?
Leisure expenditure?
Do you ever go on holiday?
Pension contribution?
Savings?
What passes for "good" in today's Britain?
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
I currently make £28k a year and it's enough to get by. It's 'fine' but not good.
Electric/gas £141 Council Tax £154.55 Water £33.39 Wifi £32 Mortgage £657.33 Interest Free Credit Repayments £50 Entertainment £30 House Insurance £215.84 per year = Car Insurance £421.35 per year = Life Insurance £15.80 Groceries £100
=1267 per month Which leaves around £500 to split between leisure and savings
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
Fair enough, but please note that the very reasonable sum you give above is £1851.26 and not 1267 as you state.
Which means that with your car already paid off, no petrol and no holidays that leaves you with erm... about minus £98 pounds to spend on leisure and savings.
As you say, it may be fine, but it's certainly not good.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Did you divide the yearly ones by 12? My calculation got 1267 but idk I may have done it wrong... Besides yearly things are probably a little cheaper still than paying the same monthly because the money saved accumulates interest across the year. You are right that I forgot to include petrol though.
But also that's with my takehome pay of ~1750 per month. 45k is almost twice that at 3k per month. If I had that I would be doing pretty well for myself
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
No, I didn't, sorry about that.
I still think it's cripplingly low, but the main thing is what you are happy with, so if you're happy, I'm happy 😄
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
I'm not happy!! 28k is a sucky salary!
shadow_kittencorn@reddit
It also depends massively where you live - a new starter in London on 28k, paying over £1k on accommodation and travel alone is going to struggle vs someone in a cheaper area with a mortgage.
Lottiepop420@reddit
If you're single you need to earn a lot more than someone in a couple for the same kind of QOL though, with tax thresholds etc
mrturtle101@reddit
Why is two people earning £25k better than one person earning £50k?
Particular-Bit-5153@reddit
Tax thresholds mean that two people earning 25K gross means the household gets more in total than one person on 50K gross.
ajl987@reddit
Yeah exactly. Past the £50k mark the UK really does take so much of your money. I got a 4% payrise recently and saw so little of it actually come back to me. Literally worked out to be like £70 a month.
tMoohan@reddit
I pay a tax rate of 41% above earnings over £28k! It's crazy
mirembe987@reddit
Yeah I earn just under the threshold from my main job. I do freelance work on top of it and it’s barely worth it financially due to 40% tax plus student loan so basically 50% tax overall after 50k
Own-Jeweler3169@reddit
Can't you just put into your ISA or pensions or something to reduce your income to be under the 50k tax bracket?
perhaps you can buy back shares from your company, or sacrifice salary into pension, etc.
mirembe987@reddit
It’s my freelance work that makes me over the 50k tax bracket. And putting into pension does still cost more than the tax saved in the end
Own-Jeweler3169@reddit
Really? Even doing over contributions to get you below 50k?
I'm torn between putting into my pension or not, just turned auto enrolment age, but it seems pointless locking away money until im basically 67+, I understand there are contributions that compound, but my retirement plan will be based off entrepreneurship (sounds cliche but i am working on it currently), + with other responsibilities and about to be cosigned onto a mortgage, I think the cash would be better off.
I put into my stocks ISA, but I dont see much of a point in the LISA or auto enrolled pension - what do you think? I make pretty good money for my age and qualifications, but nothing outrageous.
ElusiveQuant@reddit
AVC to get yourself back under 50K? i watch all the higher ups around me taking their 90K a year jobs and turnign every other bit of payrise and bonus into a Pension contribution
Lottiepop420@reddit
Not sure if it's fixed yet, but if you have kids you are worse off earning 52k than 50k or something similar due to losing child benefits. The advice used to be to put anything over 50k into your pension to keep the child benefit, until you get above 60k
ajl987@reddit
So went from £56k to £58.5k, so the salary sacrifice may help but I also need as much money as I can get right now (getting married). But of that £2.5k when you take in tax, national insurance, and student loan, something like 60% of it goes, which is just a joke.
We talk about small business owners all conveniently listing themselves as earning that £13k threshold, but honestly, I can’t even fully fault them with how much gets taken. There’s little incentive to overperform.
DirkVanDamn@reddit
They have made an improvement in that now it tapers between 60 - 80k, rather than 50-60 of previous years. Each £200 over 60k you pay back 1%
Indecisive-Gamer@reddit
Well no, the only thing effecting this would be their tax free allowance. Tax threshold is above 50k so 45k would be on the same tax. It's just the personally allowance. Personally I think single people should get an increased threshold to match couples but eh, it'll never happen.
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
If your married this has no effect to my knowledge because you minimum money earned before paying tax, so you allowance is 24k ish if your the sole worker rather than 12k
Silly-Industry1527@reddit
I don't think that's true.
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
Read comment below, why have I been downvoted lmao
mousey76397@reddit
It is indeed, if you earn 50k and your spouse in unemployed then you can use their tax free allowance, you just have to tell HMRC thats what you want to do. Does mean that if your spouse gets a job it will be immediately taxed.
Technoloddite@reddit
'Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner. Your Personal Allowance is the amount you can earn before paying tax.
This reduces their tax by up to £252 in the tax year (6 April to 5 April the next year).'
SofaChillReview@reddit
Also just add some other parts, mortgage rates/deposit is much easier when you can have two people. The lenders get two people for repayments, and look more reliable
ultraboomkin@reddit
On £25k x2, your tax free income is £25000. On £50k x1, your tax free income is £12500.
SirMemesAlot95@reddit
Taxation. If 2 people are working both get to benefit from the 12.5k (or however much it is), then pay their tax on whatever left. Meanwhile 1 person, only gets the 12.5k, and then pays taxes on the rest.
That's the main reason around these incomes.
Dean_Learner77@reddit
Keep in mind that if one partner isn't working, you can claim 10% of their tax allowance if you're married or in a civil partnership. This reduces your taxes by £252 a year, not a lot but worth doing. A lot of couples forget to do this.
You can also claim back up to four years.
https://www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance
thecrius@reddit
I earn roughly 115k. Highly specialised, closing in 30 years of experience and keeping up to date with standards, regulations etc. Sole provider in my house with 2 kids, one in uni. Wife cannot work due to health issues. We barely make it every month because the take home is roughly 60k.
Two people earning 45k could afford the same lifestyle with more free time then me and less stress as surely also be more relaxed as it's not all on one of them.
I'll never understand why taxes on income are not calculated per household and I don't mean it as "raise it for those who have more people working" but the other way around. I bust my ass all day, all week, all year and on top of that get fucked by the taxes to pay. I don't even want to think about single parents for example.
Not looking for guidance btw, I have a financial advisor recently check my situation, I'm already doing all I can, the only advice he had was "go under the 100k trap" which is hard when you have a need for money to pay for all the expenses (wife health, kid in uni, the other one having a promising trajectory at school but it means paying extra to give them more chances with extra curricular).
harryFF@reddit
Two personal allowances so you end up with more money.
SeoulGalmegi@reddit
One person's not hanging out all day just spending money 😉
OneCatch@reddit
This. My wife recently returned to work on a modest salary and I was shocked when I did the maths on what my pay rise would have to be (as someone on the edge of the 100k tax trap) in order to match the additional take-home pay she's now bringing in.
Now, obviously, I recognise that I'm in a very privileged position and I'm certainly not complaining about it - higher earners should pay more proportionally - but doing the maths certainly made the abstract knowledge of the tax trap much more tangible to me!
flyte_of_foot@reddit
Completely ignoring the fact that the single £50k household has a free adult to wrangle the children. As soon as any kind of childcare is required the extra few hundred is going to disappear fast.
Jemima_puddledook678@reddit
That’s true in certain parts of the country, but it’s regional, I’m very far in the North of England and £40k is very much a great wage here, that you could comfortable raise 4+ children on.
mirembe987@reddit
Which part of the north? Would be really hard to raise children on that in my part of the north
Temporary-Subject239@reddit
This also depends. It’s something I’ve noticed and has to do with lifestyle creep.
Many households have two incomes but occasionally only one due to childcare preferences or other reasons.
With two people on 25 or even 30k, you have more, but you also usually have two cars, two car insurances, two fuel costs, because they earn more, they get a bigger mortgage = higher mortgage payments. Also more likely to have more kids, the more disposable income you have.
In the end a household with one income of 50k may be saving after all outgoings similar to 25-30k, especially as they are less likely to experience lifestyle creep due to only one salary.
Ragingdildo3@reddit
Tell that to Becky on universe credit with 6kids 🤣
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
How much would someone have to pay you to have six kids though? It’s not like it’s a walk in the park.
Ragingdildo3@reddit
It’s not even a mean comment but I know someone called Becky who has 6 children and is on universal credit and all her kids are on pip (they are not mentally or physically disabled just have adhd) so I’d say Amit what she gets tbh 😂
turtleship_2006@reddit
"not disabled, they just have a disability"
And saying "just ADHD" says you know nothing about it and how it affects people.
I also struggle to believe all 6 of them have it.
psychoticboydyke@reddit
I grew up with my single mum and 2 brothers, she was on UC, when she sent me her statements when I applied for a bursary at sixthform I saw we were recieving about 1.3k a month
Eddie_F_17@reddit
Rebeccas everywhere have been catching strays since 2015 😩
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
Times have changed. Cost of living has more than doubled the last few years.
45k was good about 10 years ago. Now it's tight. Consider this: what does "good salary" mean practically?
Nice house to live in? 2k a month. Decent vehicle? 500 per month after ins, servicing, etc, etc. Decent healthy food - not any old garbage? 500 a month. At least one good holiday a year (if it's a "good" salary, you should have two!) 3k+, i.e. 300 per month avg. Activities, hobbies, nights out? 200 at least if you're having a good life. Other bills, leccy, phones, council tax etc? 200. Pension contrib? 500. Notice I don't even include private health care.
That's 4200 a month without allowing for ANY savings. IOW £50k after deductions, for what used to be called an OK middle-class lifestyle.
Patar31@reddit
Sorry but those are ridiculous figures. 2k for rent/mortgage? Where do you live zone 1 london? £500 on car payments each month? Are you driving a 26 plate bmw? These are grossly inflated figures. You can half those figures and have a very nice house and a very good car.
davus_maximus@reddit
Agreed. That guy lives on another planet, where renting cars is the only way.
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
I wasn't talking about renting. I was talking about buying, insuring and running.
Yes, my "other planet" is the context of a good salary. I thought that was the question.
But let's hear your breakdown. A good but not super-luxury car. Insurance (without a garage, since your rent is so cheap). Two tanks of petrol a month.
£??? on your very affordable planet?
davus_maximus@reddit
Buy cars outright in brackets you can afford. My expensive 2021 BMW was £9500 from my savings. Insurance is about the same as the VED cos I'm careful and never had a claim. Leasehire and PCP are just a way to line someone elses pockets. They're financial suicide. I also do mad shit like mortgage my house (£620, currently) and avoid all debt and subscriptions everywhere possible.
I eat well with wife & child on about 50 quid a week, lots of fresh veg and 1-2 takeaways per month.
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
If it works for you, that's great, bully for you.
However, if we are talking about what is a good salary, you might have to lax up some of your excellent discipline. A good salary does not mean wait until I've saved up to buy a new car outright, not for most people.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
You don't buy a car monthly, you buy it with savings... My car cost £13k, has what amounts to £50 a month insurance, and hasn't broken down yet....
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
You can rent a nice house for £1000 a month? Where? That's practically what they charge in an HMO these days, hu8ndreds of miles away from London!
A new s5 BMW will cost you upwards of £700 per month WITHOUT insurance.
Maybe you haven't looked recently, the figures are not inflated at all.
Besides, the question is "what is a good salary?" not what is a "scraping by salary, with no savings and no holidays and an old banger?"
gareth1229@reddit
Everyone has a preferred location, lifestyle, ambitions and goals. This a relatively personal question. Let me shoot it back to you in a way that might give you a different perspective. It’s not my intention to be aggressive. “I don’t understand how you expect everyone to live within your standards when there are so many ways to look at life and the world.”
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
We unnecessarily restrict quality of life for the majority of the people in the world to raise the QoL for a very small number of people to ridiculous opulence
soltonas@reddit
my salary is 45k and i consider myself poor. I would probably say good salary 75k+, but not in London.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
My salary is 28k and I feel poor... If I nearly doubled my salary I think I would be pretty happy ahaha
SeoulGalmegi@reddit
You'd be happy until you'd adjusted and had lifestyle creep. Then you'd start looking enviously on those on 80k, who find it a burden taking the family on a decent holiday while keeping up the mortgage payment and wish they were on 120k. And I tell you, those people are suffering, too.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
No I wouldn't... You don't know me. It sounds like those people need some perspective
SmugDruggler95@reddit
I went from 28 to 40 in past couple years and its night and day.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
jealous!!! I really don't want to have to go into management to get there... expertise is so undervalued here
SmugDruggler95@reddit
Yeah well its not enough to work a job i hate, but its changed my life drastically.
Tough one, ive been lucky.
nomadic_weeb@reddit
If you aren't living in London and feel poor at 45k, that's a spending issue and not a salary issue
Daveddozey@reddit
Yes. 40% of full time earners earn more
https://www.statista.com/statistics/416102/average-annual-gross-pay-percentiles-united-kingdom/
60k at least fir “good” in my view. 27k is “bad”.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
yeah so if 60% of earners are earning LESS than that, then surely that is 'good' for most of the population...
No_Scheme5951@reddit
Agreed, some of these numbers are insane, and the kind of salaries even professional jobs that require degrees will never get to.
And if you don't have a degree, even 45k can be unachievable for most.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Fucked up... I do have a degree but yeah this is so weird
noodledoodledoo@reddit
Depends where in the country you live. It wouldn't feel financially comfortable to live alone in London on £45k for example. But go a bit north to a city in the Midlands and £45k is pretty nice.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Yeah exactly I'm a single midlands gal and I make 28k for specialised graduate work lmao so 45 would be a huge step up
Militant_Worm@reddit
Lmao I was going to say 30k-35k
redditmember192837@reddit
There are a lot of idiots who don’t live in the real world
Morazma@reddit
Lots of people earn >£100k and far in excess of that. It doesn't make them idiots for having standards relative to that.
OddlyDown@reddit
Not many, as a percentage.
religionisanger@reddit
The question isn’t about percentages or averages though. It’s saying what do you think is a good salary.
So if you consider your living standards, what is a minimum requirement for that standard of living. If you’re happy eating baked beans and living with your parents then a smaller salary feels like a lot, if you need to pay £1600 for swimming pool maintenance each month then perhaps a much larger salary feels like a lot.
You’ve overcomplicated a simple question.
OddlyDown@reddit
My reply was to “Lots of people earn >£100k”. They really don’t, as a percentage. Absolute numbers are fairly meaningless when the vast majority of people don’t know anyone who does.
Morazma@reddit
What point are you trying to make? I used the same phrasing as the person who I responded to.
religionisanger@reddit
Sorry, I wasn’t aware that only a single reply per comment was allowed, my sincere apologies.
Not_Winter_badger@reddit
Maybe because 50k as a solo earner in the south east can’t buy a home.
Short-and-paranoid@reddit
This is the problem. Shelter is a basic survival need and people can’t afford to have their own. Most people that think they have their own are really still borrowing. Even if you do own it outright, you still have to pay for permission to do what you want with it, is it really yours?
EvilTaffyapple@reddit
Or people living in London trying to raise a family as a solo worker?
merdeauxfraises@reddit
Nah, we just can understand that average, lovable, comfortable and good salaries are all different figures. The post isn’t asking what “above average” or “not minimum” is.
ajl987@reddit
Really depends on location. Down south 45k for a household can be tough. My last job I was on 46k and for my 2 bed apartment while living quite modestly, stuff got really tough really quickly with all the expenses that pile on. Currently I’m on £58k and have way more breathing room and feel comfortable but don’t feel like I’m swimming in money when I take into account my mortgage, living costs, commute into work, car, etc.
coltoncruise81@reddit
Cries reading the replies with my First and Masters and £27,500 a year 😭
Behold_SV@reddit
£75k up north, £125k+ London
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
That's not a 'good' salary, that's an incredible salary
Charming-Clock-3651@reddit
Is it though? 75k today is 55k in 2015 and 125k today is the same as 85k in 2015. I don't feel like people in 2015 would call 85k an incredible salary, let alone 55k. Inflation has been pretty sever and people's expectation have not caught up.
glasgowgeg@reddit
Closer to £89k, not £85k.
Haunting_Hour_4556@reddit
One of the common trends for a while on the UK Personal Finance sub was seeing people saying things along the lines of "I recently got a promotion to a £50k job after years of training, overtime, and taking on more responsibility. But my life feels the same as it did on £40k a couple of years ago, am I doing something wrong?"
Other than forgetting about inflation, not really. In fact, due to the frozen tax brackets you'd potentially feel even worse off.
justaneditguy@reddit
Yep. I was lucky enough to get a few big salary jumps early in my career (5 years ago now). But because of that, and the fact the industry I'm has just taken hit after hit (the film industry still has rough 50% less staff than 3 years ago) and wages are actually decreasing due to the number of people out of work. So my wage hasnt increased since then and now it definitely noticeable
FlowRoko@reddit
That and the vast majority of Brits think we are far wealthier than we actually are. They don't realise that essentially everybody is substantially underpaid in the UK vs rest of the developed world except minimum wage roles since we have an increasingly ridiculous minimum wage.
Top-Car-808@reddit
This is the best comment on this entire platform.
Basically most people do not understand inflation at all. They think its something theoretical.
Sorry_Camp_5180@reddit
These are middle earner salaries.
You don’t make much money after tax considering you’re responsible for subsidising the lives of everyone else around the country.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
How can that be a middle salary when average is 39k per year for full time workers??
Mynameismikek@reddit
No it's not, and people really need to start realising just how badly paid we've become. Inflation adjusted, that 75k is only \~2x what I started on fresh out of school with sod all qualifications. Once you factor in how much the tax burdens increased take home is closer to to 1.5x.
RealWalkingbeard@reddit
Really? What actually makes a salary good? I have some frames of reference. In 2016 I was on £21k and living in Forest Gate, London. In 2019, I was on £32k and living in Bristol. Now I am on a bit shy of the £75k, but living in a European capital with comparable costs to London.
In 2016, I rarely went out, sometimes borrowed money from family, occasionally was late with rent, had to save for essential stuff like shoes and didn't save a penny in general.
In 2019, I went out a bit, but just to the pub. Rent was on time. I could usually get new trainers or jeans when they were needed. If I needed something smarter, I would need to save. When I moved, I cashed in shares in my company, because I had no other savings.
Now, my rent is very high, but on time without fail. I don't own a lot of expensive clothing, but I never have a problem if I really need something. I don't save enough, but a little, and if I were as concerned as I should be, it would be fine to cut down on going out. I pay off £400 a month from my student loan.
What I still lack is decent savings. I don't make enough to save for a house deposit - flats start around £500k here and houses about £800k. I have a state pension, which would be generous if it holds up until I retire, but nothing else. I have a few grand in the bank, but this doesn't really go up continuously.
I don't think that anything in my life is outrageous, even if I could eat out less often. I've gone up in earnings, and this has translated to better lifestyle. I'm at a point where I actually would save greater earnings, because I don't feel that I'm lacking in day-to-day materials. But I am not yet making those savings, which are important in the long term. Therefore, I think my income is OK, but not good and definitely not great.
I think those other numbers are about right.
strolls@reddit
I would love to see a full breakdown of your spending. I post a lot in the UK personal finance subreddit, and people often find they spend a surprising amount on groceries, eating out and takeaways. Phones are another surprising expense. But getting a coffee on the way to work, or lunch next to the office - little things like that can easily add up to hundreds a month.
Obviously you say you're not in London, but the costs are comparable. In London you can afford to buy a flat if you're earning £75,000. But you do have to make sacrifices and commit to saving. You could have a 5% deposit for a £500,000 flat by saving £700 a month for 3 years, for example.
flyte_of_foot@reddit
When people on these kinds of salary say they can't afford a flat, what they really mean is they can't afford a flat in the exact area they want to live.
CarpeCyprinidae@reddit
You can get a good flat in NW9 (Colindale-Burnt Oak-Edgware) for 300-310k currently.
May be further out than most people would care to be, but thats only 30k to save for a 10% deposit and base salary required 60K for a mortgage of 270K at 4.5 multiplier
Perfect_Top_4556@reddit
My biggest spend is tax. I’m on 150+
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
If you're in a place with expenses like London then 125k would be very good, like the post above says. 75k is only incredible in areas where housing and bills aren't so high
thecrius@reddit
For a single person living alone?
Sure. For a household in which that single person is the only one working? That's barely decent.
terryturbojr@reddit
I think where one is in life and location greatly affects the answer to this question.
If you look at every earner in the country £125k is pushing a top 1% salary.
If you look at 45-54 year old men in London it's probably around a top 20% salary, so 1 in 5 earn it. Which feels 'good' but not ridiculous.
MisticalMulberry@reddit
It’s a good salary for them
Taredar@reddit
I'm surprised you're the only one to say that. This is my take as well, I'm not sure how 50k, which is what most people put, can be considered a good salary, not with the current situation.
IdealLife4310@reddit
I mean i've just bought a bigger house, own a car, and have some disposable income left every month, and I've only just moved up to 40k a year (Have been on 30k up to this point)
I'd be very comfortable on 50k a year. People are just bad with money, and try to live well beyond their means
Taredar@reddit
It also depends a lot on where you live, how big your house is or what mortgage deal you managed to secure. It depends on a lot of things.
But you're right, managing your budget is fundamental but money literacy is not something you're taught, you either self learn or know about it from people around you.
Off topic: we almost have the same avatar and I was confused when reading your reply at first, I was like I didn't write that 😂
louisejanecreations@reddit
50k is top 20% so a massive amount of people would never get anywhere near that salary so it feels a lot more like a good wage and that people would have made it if they reach it. Rather then 75k that would be seen as completely unachievable to a lot of people.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
I make 50k and after tax, pension, student loan and all my bills are paid then I’m lucky to save a couple hundred.. at most. It doesn’t go far at all. I’m not even in London.
IdealLife4310@reddit
You're bad with money then
SeventySealsInASuit@reddit
Yes but that's you having a budgeting problem. Most families get by on slightly less than that between two earners.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
We don’t have a budgeting problem, we just aren’t “swimming in cash” despite having strong household income.
louisejanecreations@reddit
I don’t disagree and over the last few years bills are getting so high that everyone is struggling. But for people who are on less have the same/similar bills with nothing at the end would see 50k as a good wage as they would be able to save a small amount.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
Absolutely and I do get that. To be fair, for me, the main factor has been kids.
My wife and I both earn between 50-60k each so the household income is good.
But because we have had 2 kids, we’ve bought a bigger house, now need 2 cars, use more food and utilities etc.
Without the kids we’d likely feel pretty well off! Just shows that everyone’s circumstances are different in life.
IshnaArishok@reddit
That's defo the main factor. Me and my wife are both on about that and we always have plenty to save at the end of the month even with nights out and not being thrifty, but we don't have any kids so that'll massively change how tight the budget feels.
louisejanecreations@reddit
Yea definitely and that not long ago you only needed 1 wage for this and for the extras maybe a part time wage. People now struggling on 2 wages or being only able to afford shared accommodation as a working adult is crazy.
But yea children are soooo expensive
Llama-Bear@reddit
Ah yes but you’re not allowing for the fact that the vast majority of salaries in the UK are rubbish, so being at £50k doesn’t make it good.
Also how many business owners take a salary that magically reflects the personal allowance and then take the rest as dividends or BIK benefits meaning that they skew the salary figures but enjoy total remuneration which is much higher?
Main-Collection-2647@reddit
Wow I had no idea 50k was top 20%.
I live alone, drive a 2012 142k mile Mercedes c class that I own outright, make 75k and certainly don’t have a TONNE of cash. I do however live in Hertfordshire and work in London so it’s all relative I guess.
louisejanecreations@reddit
Yea I thought it would be way higher. The wages are so compressed.
Main-Collection-2647@reddit
Thing is I lived in America on a L1 visa:
This was like 3 years ago:
bread - about £4 after taxes, toilet rolls about £10 for 8 to 12 rolls Eggs - like £4 to £8 after tax, deodorants - £4.
Internet for basic unlimited is £100+. Sure the websites say £50, you call - you hear “we are your only provider,” in a city lol.
A sim is £65 or so. Just a sim.
Medical was 260 every 2 weeks, if I needed to use the doctor I still paid upto 1k out of pocket, after which insurance paid 40% contribution, I paid 60%… only did it become covered at 5k. Costs were stupidly inflated - The medical provider charged 18 dollars for a “un recovered pen.” A biro. Yes I took it with me, genuine mistake 😂
Rent in NYC is $3000 to 4000. San Francisco even higher.
Then you look at your “six figure salary,” and you go “OH.” I think after all is said and done, no matter where you’re at - the grass isn’t really much greener.
Taredar@reddit
I always imagined that to keep the same standard of living in the USA, you'd need around 2,5-3x your salary, mostly of the potential medical bills 😂
Main-Collection-2647@reddit
Yeah I honestly think in the end it takes as long as the NHS just they have 99 trips to fill up the actual wait time,
like 2 weeks in: visit to have a prep session of “what to expect”
4 weeks in: visit to take some measurements and bloods
6 weeks in: validate same again ^
8 weeks in: consultation for any questions and to sign papers, physical papers
10 weeks in: 15 min zoom with specialist
…. Lol.
Taredar@reddit
Coming from France, I think that the UK is a good middle ground, wages are higher, but so is everything else and you do have a healthcare system that is not going to ruin you.
Main-Collection-2647@reddit
How’s France? It’s always felt like a wealthy country but at the same time when I visited with work they had those meal vouchers / meal cards which we only do when the economy really needs a boost lol.
“Eat to help out,” the programme like right after / during Covid lol.
Ironically, I know very little about France despite it being literally right there.
Taredar@reddit
They have much stronger labour laws and having strong unions really helps.
The meal cards/vouchers are actually part of your benefits, it's deducted from your payslips but depending on the company, they will cover from half to 2/3 of the face value.
Another great benefit is that companies will reimburse half of your public transport subscription. (nothing if you drive to work though)
But yeah, salaries are lower. Overall, I'd say that London is about 25-30% more expensive than Paris, but I had a 60% pay increase when I started here so I'm happy. 😁
Main-Collection-2647@reddit
Oh no you have rights and I can’t let you think otherwise!
The UK employment system looks like a thin layer of statute, but it sits on a very thick, centuries old body of common law. If you read the Employment Rights Act 1996, UK workers appear to have quite limited protections. The reality is most of the heavy lifting is done by judges, not Parliament.
The most important unwritten right is the implied term of trust and confidence. It’s not in your contract. It’s not in a statute. But it exists because the House of Lords said so in Malik v BCCI in 1997. What it means is the employer and employee have to operate in a way that’s never calculated or likely to damage the relationship of trust. If behaviour does, the employee can resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal. What counts as a breach is enormous. Humiliating someone in front of colleagues. An unjustified disciplinary because the manager doesn’t believe you. A false accusation. None of it is written down, we see it through case law.
There’s other implied terms too. A duty to provide a safe system of work, which predated health and safety statute by a long time. A duty to take reasonable care of employees including mental health. A duty not to conduct business in a corrupt manner.
The Employment Rights Act, Equality Act, Working Time Regulations, all they do is set a minimum floor. The meaning is almost entirely judge made. If a judge has consistently ruled a certain way and it’s stood the test of time, that’s the law. Not what’s on the paper. Rights can also become contractual through custom and practice. If an employer has consistently paid an enhanced redundancy package or granted a benefit over a long period, it crystallises into an implied contract term. Even if the written contract says otherwise. Even if the employer never intended it.
The problem is line managers and HR business partners operate on a mental model that’s a few decades out of date and three to four layers too shallow. They think in terms of contracts, policies, handbooks, because those are the documents in front of them. The implied terms, case law, custom and practice are invisible unless you’re trained to look.
So we see a line manager going for a “quiet word” with an employee. In many ways that’s actually disciplinary, because you’re triggering procedural unfairness later. A performance improvement plan designed with an exit in mind is a breach of trust and confidence, yet we see it all the time. That’s why people put on performance plans and then exited usually receive a settlement when they contact ACAS. Even probation, that we can let you go for any reason, true for unfair dismissal, entirely untrue for discrimination, whistleblowing, or asserting a statutory right. Managers act on documents and org charts. The law operates on the relationship and the conduct. The two diverge substantially, and this leaves an enormous gap for tribunal claims.
Ultimately, European employment law makes it very hard for a company to fire you. The UK doesn’t do this. They can get rid of you. But when they do, you’ll very quickly find you have the ability to engage ACAS and negotiate a settlement, and if they don’t agree, the tribunal more than likely will. The EU means they can’t get rid of you. The UK means they can get rid of you easier, but you have much quicker access to a settlement payment.
If they treat you bad, get your £15 to £50k :) don’t leave it on the table.
Charming-Clock-3651@reddit
I don't think 50k is the top 20%, seeing as the average salary in London is now about 50k. I suppose it's possible that the rest of the country is way poorer than I thought, though
louisejanecreations@reddit
I checked a few and they seemed to be 20-15%. Wages are so compressed and London does have higher wages other counties don’t even when rent and other costs are similar or not far off London prices.
Taredar@reddit
Here's a link to a 2025 survey
https://www.statista.com/statistics/416102/average-annual-gross-pay-percentiles-united-kingdom/
I wasn't able to find the same one for London. So yeah according to this one, ~60k put you in the top 20% now.
louisejanecreations@reddit
Thanks for sharing the link. Not too far off then and top 10% at £76k is really mad. I always think of that as around £150k but really not the case
Taredar@reddit
It is a mad world out there. Growing up, going through Uni, after my 1st permanent job, I had to constantly reevaluate what a good income is. If I told my 20 y.o. self how much I make today, I'd probably loose my shit 😂
Taredar@reddit
That's a fair explanation, I didn't thought in terms of percentiles but rather my perception of the cost of living, mortgage, inflation, energy crisis etc...
I'm close to the 90th percentile and do not feel as well off as I should be.
rising_then_falling@reddit
Genuine question - why do you think you should be feeling better off?
I ended up in tech and am still baffled by how much I earn. I work less hard than many people on my half my salary through blind luck. I don't feel guilty about it - not least since I live on my own and have a lifestyle only similar to couples who each earn half what I do. But nor do I feel remotely entitled to it, let alone more.
Taredar@reddit
Like I said, being in the 90th percentile, a few years back, that was enough to just go on holiday 2-3 times a year, go out, buy stuff without really being careful about how much things cost, etc...
Now don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware that I can afford to do more than what most people can, but all in all, I need to be careful when I want to buy some stuff and check my bank account.
I always think about how my dad was able to take care of a family of 4 on 22k and how I told myself that I would have succeeded professionally if I managed to make as much as him. I now earn more than 3 times what he made and I don't think I'll be able to support a family of 4 with the same quality of life he did.
steeleyc@reddit
You're complaining about checking your bank balance before you buy "some stuff" there are people going to food banks dude. Think about that.
Taredar@reddit
Like I said, I'm aware that I'm privileged and lucky. The point wasn't me complaining that I need to be careful, the point was that I need to be careful EVEN being in the top 10%, which is bonkers.
Statistically speaking I'm upper middle class, the reality is I don't feel like it, that's the disconnect I was trying to explain.
I'm complaining that things got so out of hands and the economy is so fucked up that the 90th percentile is not rich, they're comfortable.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
Sorry, but why is that relevant?
There’s poor people and rich people all over the world. It’s just how things work.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
Why don’t you feel entitled to the money you earn? Why shouldn’t the top 10% of income earners in the country feel well off?
Would you say that the bottom 10% shouldn’t feel poor? Why shouldn’t the opposite feeling be valid?
louisejanecreations@reddit
Yea it’s definitely difficult over the last couple of years and salaries aren’t really catching up as they should be. I think it would be rate for anyone to feel as comfortable compared to a few years ago.
I do think it’s pretty mind blowing that the top 20% of earners only earn 25k more than minimum wage. It really should be much higher and the wages more staggered. But at least in my field frontline workers are around min wage, managers around 28-30k and area managers are about 35-40 K. It’s madness.
ldn-ldn@reddit
Just because most people earn less than £50k doesn't mean it's a good salary.
louisejanecreations@reddit
No perhaps not. But the question is subjective not factual. If you’re on £25 and in a HMO because that’s all you can afford on 50K you’re more likely to be able to afford a 1 bed. So 50k would be seen as a good salary
MJS29@reddit
I think another element is how you get to that salary.
3 years ago I was on 32500, then long story short got a pay rise to £40k but was underpaid for what I was doing so left.
Started a new place on £42.5k, 3 years later I’m on £73k and should be getting another 4-5% maybe more this week.
I still live within the means of being on 45-50ish, the rest goes straight in my savings, investments etc. I save about £1k a month + pension, and company share schemes. (though sometimes dip into it). This is because it was such a quick increase I was used to living a certain way that i was happy with
So how you come about the salary over what time frame can also play a part
Taredar@reddit
Yes, you have to include your living standards as well, that's an important element to your perception. 2 households on the same income, but with different expenses will not feel the same way.
MJS29@reddit
Absolutely, also no children is a huge difference for me… but that’s about to change and it’s another reason I’ve got used to not spending the extra money. That’s maternity pay sorted while she’s on less too
MojoMomma76@reddit
Yeah. Household income for us in London is £150k, two adults and no kids, and we struggle to save. Both have good pensions though… which helps as we’re in our late 40s and getting to peak earnings over our careers. It’s also much less than when I was doing a corporate job - I earn about 75% in actual £s than I did in 2020 and inflation has run wild since then. It’s uncomfortable and I know we have a high household salary in comparison to most.
Cost of living means living standards and nice things like going out and holidays are things which now need to be carefully planned for rather than something which just happens.
I have no idea how two adults earning the average salary of £29k and living in this city can possibly make ends meet. And I cook from scratch, we don’t eat out, don’t buy expensive gadgets or clothes and have a 20yo car so I can drive to my elderly housebound parents 60 miles away once a month to give them a day out.
flyte_of_foot@reddit
Well you're spending it somewhere. We lived in London with a similar income and easily saved 1/3 of the take home. 1/2 if we really pushed it.
spik0rwill@reddit
Haha sure man. You have it real bad.
MojoMomma76@reddit
I’m not suggesting we do. At all. What I was trying to say, if you’d read my post, was that I thought people with lower salaries were in an impossible position.
oktimeforplanz@reddit
50k in central Scotland has been incredibly comfortable for me. We don't really need my partner's income to be able to get by.
That said, we've not got kids and don't intend to have any.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Because it’s more than most earn!
nomadic_weeb@reddit
If you need £75k to feel comfortable up north then you're fuckin awful with money lol
Westgateplaza@reddit
Not everywhere up north is cheap - Cheshire, Edinburgh and parts of the West Midlands have high house prices/COL
NIgooner@reddit
Not really. Try living in Edinburgh, basically London prices up north.
Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit
This is the answer. Very area specific
MJS29@reddit
£75k puts you about top 6-7% on the UK btw
Behold_SV@reddit
That’s what many people are delusional about. Consider people having other forms of income not only wages. There are many self employed/business owners/share owners/landlords etc.
vibes000111@reddit
Because of the weird tax bands the £100k-£140k range feels kind of compressed and people end up taking home £100k and putting the rest in their pension to avoid the 60% marginal tax rate at £100-£125k.
jazzyb88@reddit
There's going to be A LOT of £100-125k earners retiring with big pensions in the next 20-30 years, that is if they get allowed to retire without some rule change on pension withdrawals. Utterly crazy how this has not been addressed for decades 😂
superjambi@reddit
Correct. The difference in monthly take-home pay between 100,000 and 125,000 is about £500. Which isn't nothing I guess, but its not much in the context of a 25% pay increase.
chincheckmcgee@reddit
125 is too high a minimum for what should be considered good. Absurdly so
flower_four@reddit
My husband earns over 100k. We have 4 young kids and I don’t work. So when you consider kids clubs, an expensive school district, holidays during term breaks, some savings for safety this is a mediocre and even tight life we don’t even give ourselves pocket money and are mindful about eating out or ordering in . We have a 2 bedroom house which was 425 k - which is definitely far from big enough for a family of 6. It has been mind blowing that this is the reality of a 100k job in London. Our biggest expense is that I don’t work which is the choice we are making while our kids are little which most don’t have the luxury to do even if they want to. But yeah I agree that a good salary is more in this range especially once you have kids 😱
merdeauxfraises@reddit
I second this
heyitsed2@reddit
I'd say that's bloody good, not just good. But I guess it's relative to what you're on now and what your lifestyle is like ¯\(ツ)/¯
BeaumarchaisApu@reddit
I think in general I’d go along with this
TimenyCricket20@reddit
Relative to the mount of work involved. It seems the less obvious it is what someone does for work the more they are paid. Corporate bullshit jobs are high paying whilst jobs that benefit society as a whole are woefully underpaid.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Expertise is also woefully underpaid here. Scientists are paid so badly. Like the average professor salary today is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago. There are senior scientists tidy advising government and international policy earning around £40k.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Literally... So ridiculous. I'm a scientist protecting national food security and health and we get barely over minimum wage
JBF1nanc3@reddit
Unfortunately, it just doesn't make money, and therefore can't pay you fairly for it.
Law, finance and tech are good examples of industries that pay well, purely because they make a shit ton of money. Rightly or wrongly this is capitalism.
TimenyCricket20@reddit
You mean people that were furloughed in Covid? The people that when pushbcones to shove they're told "stay home you dont actually matter to society" those people?
JBF1nanc3@reddit
Are you referring to employees in law, tech and finance that were furloughed during Covid? Or those in scientific fields? I don't have the data but would assume those in scientific fields were more vulnerable during that period.
TimenyCricket20@reddit
Law, tech and finance. Feels harsh for law but they shut the courts during covid which is causing the shambles we’ve seen recently.
JBF1nanc3@reddit
Fair enough, and makes a lot of sense for law now you've said it.
I suppose it really depends on the sector, my profession (financial planning) was unscathed as people and businesses needed financial advice more than ever!
I would assume tech start ups were very vulnerable and that more established firms faired better (highly dependent on their services/offering no doubt!). Tech focussed on food delivery and fitness at home probably flourished, for example.
purplepoaceae@reddit
Scientists at my company continued to work on site all through COVID, whereas scientists in academia were out of the lab for up to 7 months, it depends.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Sounds like we should do something about that...
TimenyCricket20@reddit
Expertise that can make one company owner or a bunch of shareholders a lot of money is rewarded with cash hand over fist. Expertise that benefits society at a while is seen as worthless.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Literally... Why is it like this? Why does everyone have to become managers if they don't want to get paid like shit??
Particular_Good_8682@reddit
I think 50/60k plus you are doing pretty well for yourself
Daveddozey@reddit
Average salary for a 40-50 year old is £50k
Cearball@reddit
Where?
Carlstonio@reddit
Honestly, I'm on just short of 50k salary, and I have to skip meals sometimes when I don't have enough money. I was on my last loo roll this week before payday arrived yesterday.
kaja6583@reddit
You might be terrible with money, then.
I know plenty of people around me on 50k with whole families, and people on way less then you, who arent struggling and skipping meals lol
ultraboomkin@reddit
Sounds like you need to manage your money better, because £50k is plenty to live on. Unless you’re paying £2000+ on rent, you should be able to live on £50k
ToyotaComfortAdmirer@reddit
I think this also depends on outgoings. If you’re in a profession like the military for example, and you start off on £27/34k (using the pay scale for the army’s trades, some of which you enter as a lance corporal, thus the higher salary) it may not seem good at first until you factor in:
-You don’t pay rent aside from council tax
-Your pension is contribution free
-Help to buy schemes
-Learning credits which allow you to gain free education after several years of service either within or after leaving the military
These perks make that salary far more attractive as you’re saving far more a month than someone who earns quite a bit more but has to factor in those expenses. It becomes even more compelling when you realise that combat arms are only a minor proportion of the military’s personnel and that most are behind a desk fulfilling functions that keep them far away from a front line.
GroupCurious5679@reddit
I remember back in the day when local overseas allowance was added to that salary, plus cheap fuel vouchers and tax free cigarettes/tobacco. Bank balance was looking good.
2Nothraki2Ded@reddit
Just to open this out a little bit, salaries are important but the total package and benefits can be worth a lot more. The army package you describe above is really good, but similar things exist in the private sector. Especially when you start to add in pension contributions, shares, health insurance etc. Salary is just one aspect.
ToyotaComfortAdmirer@reddit
But for an entry level job with few qualifications required for most roles, I’d argue that the military offers far better benefits than anything comparable to it with the equivalent level of education or experience.
2Nothraki2Ded@reddit
Sure, but most entry level jobs don't require you to kill people.
ToyotaComfortAdmirer@reddit
Reread my original comment. Most roles in the military aren’t combat-oriented, you aren’t killing anyone working as a chef, driver or clerk.
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
Depends how bad you are at your job.
Taredar@reddit
That's part of the training, you also need to strengthen your gut microbiome as much as your combat skills. 😂
2Nothraki2Ded@reddit
Sure, but most entry level jobs don't require you to leave your friends and family and fly half way around the world to serve food to occupational colonists liberating middle eastern countries of their oil.
Distinct-Image-8244@reddit
Where does your tax go?
2Nothraki2Ded@reddit
As with everyone in the UK it mostly goes towards pensions. Then it's split between a whole bunch of categories. Why do you ask?
teerbigear@reddit
You can't really do much about that can you? But that doesn't mean you should devote your career to it.
No_Pea-1@reddit
Neither do most army jobs.
2Nothraki2Ded@reddit
Does everyone who joins the army complete basic training?
SeoulGalmegi@reddit
Check if Nestlé are hiring!
Own-Jeweler3169@reddit
That's true, also no companies of a normal size offer shares, only really the big companies where there are tons of oustanding shares.
appletinicyclone@reddit
It's a difficult one because it's rarely about defense of kingdom except in some abstracted drawn out "should we even really be there?" sense so it's hard for people to see pursuit of it for the benefits acquired in the same way people look at say train drivers or something. That's not even including the whole opinions on what people are supporting or doing or where they are going.
Plus the constant focus on the poorest being pushed into thinking it's an adventure when a lot of it is a slog.
We are coming into an era now though with the threat of Russia in Europe where like military might get more PR and back that kind of honour based duty aspect to it, not because the politics has improved but purely just from a self interested aspect of defending Europe from another big dictator.
Atm the pr for the military is a bit like the equivalent of saying you want to be a traffic warden except being a part of logistics chain where people who are awarded tickets for improperly parking sometimes die
It's a hard sell to most people by saying "but think of the benefits!"
But it'll change probably just because of the Russian aggression leading back to the world war 2 Churchill mentality and honour and duty being back in vogue again.
HeinousAlmond3@reddit
Disagree. I did 20 years and although at times it was a slog, in the main it was fantastic. Only left because there was more money available outside.
Special_Artichoke@reddit
I work a job for a company I dislike but the bonus is ~24% and pension is 21% with only 6% coming from me. Equivalent roles are like half that. Salary roughly the same. They've got me by the bennies!
Sguigg@reddit
Golden handcuffs! I work ai pretty much the best paying business in my field by some way, and that makes any move hard...was approached about a similar role recently but it entailed a 40% pay cut, which makes staying an easy decision irrespective of any frustrations.
banxy85@reddit
Yes but that's not a real world example and therefore just serves to muddy the waters here
feckarse-drinkgirls@reddit
Thought you didnt pay council tax if you lived on base
ToyotaComfortAdmirer@reddit
I might be wrong here, but I’m sure it’s like £60 per month or something tiny like that. Like I’ve been told by ex soldiers that you do pay something to do with tax, but it’s absolutely minuscule in comparison to your income.
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
So there’s two main charges for soldiers in accommodation. CILOCT is the equivalent of council tax and is barely anything for single soldiers, couple of pound a month.
The accommodation charges (rent) vary with the grade of the accommodation. The lower end of the scale could be £30 a month, the better accommodation could be up to £100 a month. And it really is luck of where you’re based that determines the grade you end up in.
ToyotaComfortAdmirer@reddit
Cheers mate, better than anything I could’ve stated.
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
You don’t technically pay council tax in any military accommodation. You pay a Contribution in Lieu of Council Tax while in the UK. It’s a subsidised rate that gets taken directly from pay and then the MoD gives it to local authorities. So you could argue it’s still council tax with extra steps.
toughtittywampas@reddit
Depends on where you live and work. 50/60K in Liverpool is a good salary. 50/60K in London is pretty average and you're probably in a house share.
collapsedcuttlefish@reddit
Literally if you have to pay to commute into London 60k is more like 30k. Moved to a 40k job closer to home and literally have more money. The train fares are disgusting.
ToughFruit1720@reddit
Depends where you live 35k goes further outside London than in the city
louwyatt@reddit
Depends on whether they're dating someone and where they live
Two minimum wage employees working full time earn a combined income of almost 50K, while not having that many more expenses.
Living in rural Wales is going to be a LOT cheaper than living in London.
iloveboobiesss@reddit
Not in London
Haunting_Hour_4556@reddit
That's about my level too, having been on it as part of a double-income couple (wife earning similar) with one child, living in the SE outside London.
With this amount you can generally do what you want day-to-day within reasonable bounds without worrying too much about the cost, while also putting away a good amount in savings every month. We could also do a few nice holidays every year, a bit of work on the house, and replace things when they break. If you are smart with your savings, you can also build yourself up a buffer so that the shit doesn't totally hit the fan if you're out of work for a while.
It's not an amount where you can do everything you want all the time or buy a Bugatti, but if you have somewhat reasonable goals or desires then they're not too far out of reach if you focus on them.
This can of course depend on your bills. If you have massively overstretched on your mortgage then maybe you don't have as much fun money, but hopefully at least you enjoy the bricks and mortar.
Obviously if I was the only working parent and had 2 pre-school kids and lived in London I might feel a bit different.
bettsdude@reddit
Agreed and I think 30-35k is a livable wage, with being sensible of course.
WhatsTheStoryMG_1995@reddit
10-15 years ago yes
Toon_1892@reddit
Nobody whose primary source of income is X £ for Y hours every week can be considered anything other than getting by.
An employee on a "good salary" of £250k has more in common with the minimum wage worker than they do the multi-millionaire who could stop working today and whose business could run itself.
Cearball@reddit
60K plus
Normal-Internal164@reddit
It’s all relative. To a lot of people, £30k a year would be the holy grail
merdeauxfraises@reddit
You mean for part time?!
Normal-Internal164@reddit
No I mean a lot of people would be very happy with a £30k a year salary. FULL TIME. There is a large population of decent people doing low or under paid jobs out there.
merdeauxfraises@reddit
£30K in the UK right now is by no means a good salary. Even those getting minimum wage right now will say you’re just virtue signaling “for the poor”. Classic internet behaviour, but what you’re saying is completely unrelated to what this question is asking.
Shkrimtare@reddit
It's way more than I earn, so to me 30K would be a good salary. Anything over 60K sounds like dreams of avarice from my position.
SKScorpius@reddit
How can it be way more than you? If you work full time, minimum wage then you earn ~£25k.
Shkrimtare@reddit
I'm self employed and I work through agencies. I take what work there is but there usually isn't enough, and the agencies set the rates and take a big cut. I spend a lot of time travelling between locations, and that's not paid when it's under a certain distance, so for 3 hours (1h there, 1h work, 1h back) I might only get £20, which works out as a lot less than minimum wage. You also can't get UC top up payments if you're self employed. Last tax year was an unusually bad one, tbf, but I only earned about 15K.
SKScorpius@reddit
With all due respect, the conversation was about people working full time.
Also, why on earth are you still doing that job?
Shkrimtare@reddit
I work full time when the work is there.
As for why I'm still doing it, I do ask myself that 😂 But it's a specialised, skilled job that helps people (I'm an interpreter) and that I'm very good at. I also appreciate the flexibility and the occasional (paid) travel around the country, seeing new places. Yes, I could earn more working in Lidl, but I think I'd be miserable. That's the trade-off.
I spent last year applying for jobs in the third sector where I could use my skills (not just language skills - I also have a good degree and various other qualifications) but nothing doing.
Normal-Internal164@reddit
Precisely my point
Normal-Internal164@reddit
…oh and classic internet behaviour is using god awful phrases like “virtue signalling”
merdeauxfraises@reddit
No, that’s just media literacy, basic knowledge of sociology and basic understanding of behaviours and intentions.
Normal-Internal164@reddit
Jesus wept
Normal-Internal164@reddit
I’ve answered the OP’s question honestly. End of correspondence with you.
Morazma@reddit
In the UK? That's only just above minimum wage.
BoopingBurrito@reddit
It's quite a bit above minimum wage from the perspective of someone on minimum wage.
When you're earning in the mid 20s, an extra grand a year makes a real, noticeable difference to your pay. Going from 24k to 30k feels huge.
hasnca@reddit
I've recently gone from 25k to 29k (32k including almost guaranteed bonuses). It's my no means good pay, but I feel a hell of a lot more stable and comfortable now.
Well until inflation creeps up again...
troubledlogic@reddit
We are currently a family of 4 living off one income (35.5k) not including bonus + OT per month and we live comfortably.
acomaf@reddit
Minimum wage is like 26.5k a year depending on weekly hours though isnt it? I'm an apprentice on NMW and I get £26.4k for a 40 hour week
BoopingBurrito@reddit
Many people are paid for 37 hour weeks, rather than 40 hour weeks. So for them minimum wage turns into 24.5k.
And then, of course, you have different minimum wages by age. The top rate only applies over the age of 21.
For 18-20, it's £10.85 per hour. Which is about 20.9k on a 37 hour week.
And apprentices in they first year of apprenticeship are only entitled to £8 per hour, which turns into 11.5k.
SeventySealsInASuit@reddit
In practice most people on minimum wage struggle to find full time positions.
Even assuming they do have full time work that still represents about a 10% pay rise which is obviously very significant. It takes you from having nothing left over each week to having an extra £100 you can start to spend or save.
champion_soundz@reddit
The difference between minimum wage and 30k is almost 500 a month, that's a considerable increase in quality of life for most of us
Chevalitron@reddit
Yeah it's basically the difference between owning a house and not owning one for a lot of people. It will feel like a big improvement even if it's not much more money overall.
Jemima_puddledook678@reddit
It’s about 20% above minimum wage. That’s not insignificant, and will go a long way if you’re on that sort of wage.
MiniCale@reddit
It depends on the hours 26.5k is 40 hours on minimum wage so if they are saying 30k at 38 hours it’s like £2.50 above minimum.
No_Candle2537@reddit
Still relative. Someone earning 30k must seem very well off compared to someone only getting £300/m UC (assume no housing costs for either party)
Morazma@reddit
Right but that's like saying a baby who earns £0 would love to earn £30k. It's a ridiculous comparison. Somebody who doesn't even work obviously doesn't have a proper standard of what a good salary is.
No_Candle2537@reddit
But if that same person goes into work, they would likely see that salary as a good one. The point is if you're used to having less and your cost of living is low, it feels like a much better deal.
Morazma@reddit
I get your point but they have the option to take any minimum wage job and earn close to that anyway so really their perspective comes mostly from the fact that they do nothing.
No_Candle2537@reddit
Or people who are in unpaid work, like caring for disabled family. It's a bit more than 300 for that, but still a very low amount for a 24/7 job - there are definitely plenty of circumstances where 30k seems like a good deal
bisexuwheel@reddit
Well said, thank you. I am on UC due to ill health and recently added up what I get overall annually, including the housing benefit element that's taken directly out, and it came out to around £16k/pa. It's incredibly hard to make ends meet with that but I'm still luckier than a lot of folk.
I was in work as an NHS healthcare assistant (so not particularly well paid) for several years before this and find it quite frustrating when people talk about benefits claimants as if they don't understand what a good salary is! I'm capable of simultaneously understanding that £30k, depending on area/family circumstances especially, is a low wage and not considered "doing well" at all, while also knowing that amount would significantly improve my standard of living.
drenreeb@reddit
I earn less than 30k. In fact my household income is around 55k with 2 people.
We have 2 cars, we own our house (mortgaged), we go on holiday each year and a couple of weekends away.
We eat really well, have nice furniture etc. looking at these comments I genuinely just think people don't know how to budget. We have a great life.
30k would be enough. I think wealthy people don't really have a grasp on what they spend their money on.
Gangsta_Gollum@reddit
Yeah but you’re not talking 30k are you, you’re talking 55k...
martin_81@reddit
£55K with x2 personal allowances so paying a very low rate of tax compared to a single earner on £55k.
Full-Measurement4927@reddit
Single earner takes home 39k or something, but after council tax and whatever other bullshit realistically around £35-36k. UK has pretty high taxes. People go on about Scandinavian countries but when you side by side it the UK is actually not that far behind, and what do we get in return.. not a great deal.
yetanotherredditter@reddit
The UK has high taxes for high earners. It has very low taxes for low-average earners. The income tax base is incredibly narrow, and very reliant on a small group of people to fund it. This is mostly due to the personal allowance. Really, this should either be reduced, or the tapering should start much earlier than £100k.
Full-Measurement4927@reddit
I don't think 50k can really qualify as a high earner these days, and if you earn anything over that your marginal tax rate goes up to 38% or something. You are right in that the low income bracket pay virtually nothing towards the burden and yet are the loudest when it comes to tax policy. Funny that.
angrypolishman@reddit
40%+NI+increasingly often 9% student loan
Fucked marginally basically
jazzyb88@reddit
Yes exactly, the personal allowance should be halved and a 10% and 30% band should be introduced. Then the £100k cut off can be addressed so benefits taper. Give higher earners a cut in tax and tax more at the middle to bottom. No one wants to hear it but it's the only thing that makes sense.
angrypolishman@reddit
Whats the cut-off for middle for the record? The threshhold for 40% is a meager 50k, which in any other context I would consider quite middle.
yetanotherredditter@reddit
Yep. Unfortunately people get furious when you suggest giving higher earners a tax cut, even though it would only be a cut from an unreasonably high level.
jazzyb88@reddit
And then you also incentivise earning more, right now, when you hit a certain level it's pointless taking that promotion. You could also argue that more people chasing a higher wage will force wages up. The tax system actually becomes progressive again instead of slightly progressive and then a big cliff edge
gtripwood@reddit
The tapering is terrible, we should be abolishing that. There’s no incentive for people to aspire. People get jealous of high earners and it’s very sad. We should be celebrating those who want to achieve more. If we were collectively earning more through working harder (granted we need more opportunities too) then we’d all pay more tax.
Now, the way we spend the taxes in this country is a debate for another day.
Perfect_Top_4556@reddit
My partner retuned to work after an extended mat leave now kiddos are a bit older. I earn 150. Partner earns 50ish. For me to earn 50, I’d have to earn an extra 80+, bringing me to -220/230 earnings, which is the very limit in the UK for non CEO roles (I’m in sales).
This is obviously very hard, involves months, maybe years of interviewing and 2 years ramp on sales pipeline.
She got a 50k job in a handful of applications and is now very settled.
The tax difference is remarkably stupid even though the money goes into the same bank account. The kids have to go to wraparound care, etc.
But we will retire several years earlier and pay 100’s of thousands less in tax over next 10 years.
Shrug, the uk system is broken
flyte_of_foot@reddit
And to get all that I bet you spend everything, right? It's fine if you're happy to live paycheck to paycheck and want to work forever, some of us don't.
thecrius@reddit
The irony of talking about people not knowing how to budget when you have 55k within two people (which means a lot less tax pressure).
Unbelievable.
LI5897@reddit
Perhaps it may feel enough for now. However what about the future? Do you contribute substantial amounts to an ISA or LISA each year to supplement your pension.
I want a good retirement and not be sat home not being able to afford anything nor working full time until state pension age.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
Try having two kids and come back when you’re paying out more than 2k a month in nursery fees and 3300 a year in council tax, because you moved so the kids could have a bedroom each
ldn-ldn@reddit
Do you max out SIPP every year? Do you max out ISA every year? No? Yeah...
Mac4491@reddit
Every comment so far has mentioned a salary higher than what I'm on.
I wish I was on £30k.
TheCookieMonsterYum@reddit
Minimum wage with free coffee or tea and free parking.
VolcanicBear@reddit
I'd probably go with 50k or so, depending on location.
Slanahesh@reddit
Just to mess with your mind £50,000 in 2020 is equivalent to £64,700 today.
Imadeutscher@reddit
Now im depressed, thanks
SpaceTimeCapsule89@reddit
What's £12,570 in 2020 worth today? I'd like to know what our personal allowance should be. This is the thing that has annoyed me the most. We've been frozen in time for years and labour will continue it for years to come.
Dazzling_Music_2411@reddit
It depends what you're talking about. If it's, say, baked beans, then the difference isn't that huge.
If it's rent, motor vehicle insurance, or semi-luxury items then the difference is huge.
If it's computer chips then the difference is indecent.
fuzzerino@reddit
Our personal allowance is already one of the highest in Europe, no chance that should be going up with how few people are net contributors atm.
SpaceTimeCapsule89@reddit
They should be tackled then instead of consistently penalising those who are working more than 20 hours a week.
fuzzerino@reddit
If you’re working full time but still taking a full personal allowance amount then you’re not really getting penalised, you’re doing pretty well income tax wise compared to your peers in neighbouring countries.
Its only really the high earners getting penalised in the UK.
SpaceTimeCapsule89@reddit
Where are you getting that information from?
Let's use Ireland as an example since that's a neighbouring country. We will also use £30k/€30k as an example to keep it simple.
They don't have a tax free allowance, instead they get a tax credit of €2k a year for single people and €4k a year for married couples. This means whatever tax they owe is reduced by that amount. So a single person would pay €4k a year in tax and a married couple €8k a year in tax. However the married couple don't both have to be working so if just one of them is earning or one earns significantly less, they still get the €4k tax credit meaning the household pays €2k a year in tax (if only one is working and earning €30k) compared to the UK where the household would pay £4k a year in tax.
If you're single in Ireland you are slightly worse off by a couple of hundred pounds a year but a married couple are better off. We have a measly 'marriage allowance' here which only saves a married couple £250 a year.
If you actually dig into the real figures, as a nation we are not taxed less than our European neighbours. We also have significantly worse childcare schemes where even the funded hours still result in the parents paying around £1,100 a month or more for a full time space at a private nursery.
Every year the personal allowance is frozen, we pay more and more tax and get hit at both sides. We're paying more tax but the cost of everything is rising. If you're lucky enough to get a payrise, the frozen personal allowance is eroding the value of it. If you don't get a payrise which many haven't been getting, you are worse off year after year. It can't be justified. Not everyone is on minimum wage so raising that doesn't solve the issue that many people are being paid the same as they were 4 years a go and paying the same amount of tax but the cost of everything has gone up 30% or more.
mata_dan@reddit
Yes in purely financial balance. But ultimately means the country is set up more for encouraging potential of much higher earnings via favourable conditions for business or industries like finance, or subsidising people who don't earn enough - gouging the middle.
mata_dan@reddit
Exactly yeah, people earning in that range are paying less tax than other countries that typically have better services for people earning in that range (or overall lower cost of living to account for it because policy is not leaving them out as much in the overall balance for how the nation is run). This makes sense and if there was more revenue from them we'd be able to suit the country better for them, but now we are kind of trapped because there would be a lag before policy changes nudged the economy enough to compensate for higher tax there.
bannana-llama@reddit
Hugely depends on location. I‘d say 50k-60k in a lower cost of living area, but more like 100k in London.
Mogwaispy@reddit
If it makes you feel better you should go back and inflate the personal allowance from 97/2010 to today. In 2010/11 the allowance was £6,475 which today is worth £10,192, so even with it having been frozen for years we're still getting more tax free than back then.
ProperPsychology1@reddit
According to the BoE inflation calculator, £16,271.
jazzyb88@reddit
The BoE has a lot to answer for when it's primary remit is to control inflation and it has failed miserably ever since the 2000s basically
mirembe987@reddit
That’s crazy when you put it like that
ajl987@reddit
That’s CRAZY. And then people’s pay hasn’t gotten me up much and cost of goods have gone up. The last 5 years really has strangled so much out of the average UK worker.
veryblocky@reddit
Sigh…
Personal_Lab_484@reddit
After tax that’s a really limited amount. If in London it’s barely enough for a bed and some beers each weekend.
VolcanicBear@reddit
Yep, the most expensive part of the country wasn't in the locations I was considering when I considered it to be alright.
Personal_Lab_484@reddit
I’d still not be delighted on that in Liverpool. 1k for your own place. 600 or so for car and bills. You have what a grand left over? That’s “good” to you?
Lommy95@reddit
£1,700 or so after rent and bills. Yeah that’s not bad at all. If you have a partner who’s also working and contributing it becomes significantly better.
Brizzledude65@reddit
Outside of London, I agree with that. There are areas of the UK where that will give you a pretty good life, others where you’d be getting by.
Bongodsaw@reddit
About 50% more than minimum wage
ekitikitaka22@reddit
Probably £45k+, me and my partner are aiming for this each. No kids, live up North and our lives would be very comfortable with £90k household income
d_o_uk@reddit
Outside of London, 65k plus
Scared_Implement3913@reddit
It really depends on how much training/studying you've done, 30k is very good for someone who has no education or training qualifications above GCSEs/A levels, however 40k is disappointing if you've done a degree(s) or several years of training and have a pretty big responsibility in your job.
yieldbetter@reddit
60k plus I live in Essex up north probably 47k
Terrible-Bad-9002@reddit
Round where I live 40 something k maybe? Once you hit the higher tax threshold it's pointless.
Electric-aura3000@reddit
Anything over £40k
Jaded_Ad_6658@reddit
People in the U.K. are conditioned to believe that 40k is a good salary. It’s actually quite shocking. Inflation and min wage put bed to that ten years ago. And even then, 40k wasn’t that good.
I mean a lot of perspective comes in to it, but what opened my eyes 20 years ago, was a friend in LA earning in a month, what I earned in a year. Even with free healthcare (NHS), I’d rather earn what he was earning and pay for my healthcare.
BeaumarchaisApu@reddit
Depends what the work is! I saw someone a while back saying that a prison officer was a really good salary. I was expecting something like £70k-£80k to be a ‘really good salary’ for that job and it was about £38k. Which I thought was not a good salary for what the job involves or could involve.
Special_Artichoke@reddit
Yeah if I'm gonna have cum thrown at me then it's six figures minimum. Otherwise I'll stick with excel and emails
Lupo1@reddit
Steady on, Clarice
spacefrog_io@reddit
you can have cum thrown at you AND get paid?
inspectorgadget9999@reddit
You could have added something about SUM rather than CUM, but it's too late
Otto1968@reddit
I KNOW! normally I'm paying them
sock_cooker@reddit
And to think I do it for a couple of gin and tonics and a Marlborough light
Curious-Anywhere8567@reddit
This made me laugh out loud 😂
Breedy321@reddit
*have done it
Thomasinarina@reddit
I used to work in a prison. My first week there, a prisoner fishhooked one of the officers’ eyes and he’s now partially sighted.
Special_Artichoke@reddit
Christ almighty. I'd not have come back!
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
What a terrible day to have eyes
Both for us Redditors and the unfortunate prison officer
pineappleshampoo@reddit
It’s all relative tbh. I grew up assuming NMW was my limit and earning any more than that just wasn’t possible for someone like me. So I def see salaries that others would consider to be lower as decent.
KitchenDefinition153@reddit
It's 38k base but basically unlimited overtime so good number of prison officers earn more than that sometimes significantly
XSjacketfiller@reddit
It is probably the highest Administrative Officer grade salary in the civil service (these aren't a whole lot more than 25,000) so that's a fair few people who'd consider it to be quite a bit.
Lottiepop420@reddit
They're all private sector, Serco etc.
Designer-Computer188@reddit
The person who thought that was good must be an 18 year old still living at home in a northern town
Jemima_puddledook678@reddit
You act like that’s ludicrous, but there are places, more often in the North, where £38k actually is a really good wage? Why is that something to laugh at?
abfgern_@reddit
It is well above the non-graduate median, it's not a bad salary, for the qualifications it requires
Full-Measurement4927@reddit
Important to note that it doesn't require any 😂
TimboJimbo81@reddit
I’ve heard the P&P package can be substantial
jmabbz@reddit
I'd say anything over £45k outside of London (£55k in London) is when you cross into good salary territory. Bear in mind the median salary right now is about £39k so if you earn more than that you are in the top half of earners.
Logical-University59@reddit
100k comes to mind, but I'm in London and a lot of my friends are doing very well so I am biased.
Puzzled-Hedgehog4984@reddit
£50k minimum, more like £60k+ if you're in London or the South East.
NathanBrazil2@reddit
if you are single, no kids and live in a rural area, 75k will get you by. if you have kids, a mortgage, daycare , 2 cars, your household needs to make 200k to get by. it all depends.
HistoricalCold4299@reddit
How long is a piece of string? What someone considers a good salary depends on where one lives and their outgoings.
Up north, I'd probably say £35-40k+. South, I'd say £45-50+. London, probably like £60-70k+.
Mountain-Orchid-140@reddit
Personally I would say "Good" from an economic standpoint was a combined household income equivalent to a single earner on £100k.
That could be: - a single person on £100K, - two people on £43K, - a main breadwinner on £70k and a partner on £19k part time.
You could live anywhere in the country and not struggle too much, and outside London could have a decent standard of living and chance of establishing long term security.
romeo__golf@reddit
The median full-time salary in the UK was £39,000 in April 2025. Assuming this has gone up a touch to around £40k I'd say anything north of that is a good figure.
I'd say the difference is when you say someone "earns well" which in my mind puts them above-average. That's going to be a £60k+ salary.
For context, I'm in the low-£70ks and my immediate social circle are around the same level or higher. My close friends are software developers, a company director, an air-traffic controller, and a retail HR manager. I'd assume I'm to the middle or lower end of the group in terms of earning, but would consider us all to be "doing well".
cheflifecdf@reddit
I'm on 32k, I'm a manager in a mid level hospitality business. so more than that would be good.
Lollygagger105@reddit
Most people I know are on 25-35k. I don’t know what cloud cuckoo land most of these answers are coming from
HistoricalCold4299@reddit
I come from an environment where earning 40k is considered to be "doing well for yourself" (although that was a few years ago, mind). A lot of people at my school came from the poorer part of my town and, similarly, went on to work lower-paying jobs.
So many people on Reddit get upset whenever anyone dares suggest they think 40k is a good salary, but for these people...it genuinely is. If you've been in an environment like mine, you get conditioned into thinking that earning above the median is something that only the most academic can achieve.
faponlyrightnow@reddit
Genuinely insane, I just got a job at £31k and am now the highest paid in my family, despite starting a career way later.
£75k??? £55k??? Where the hell are these magic jobs? My friend is a goddamn dev ops engineer and he's only on £45k.
I feel like we're living in a different world from some of these commenters.
Raphon69@reddit
junior dev ops engineer £45k is about right
Ambitious_Mango5983@reddit
It's very dependent on what sector and city you work/live. I work in London and I'd consider 125k+ a good salary. I was making 60k in my first year of graduating which was good for someone of my age nationally but sector-wise, I was still very junior.
No_Pea-1@reddit
What did you do when you got out of uni?
fingertipnipples@reddit
60k is more than my entire household income! We're up north though, where the living is cheap.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
I’ve got several colleagues and friends who make more than 30k a year (gross) just in bonuses and you’d never view them as “rich”
RealWalkingbeard@reddit
What do they get for that? Are they secure and in quality homes which are big enough? Do they have a reasonably secure pension? Do they have to save for necessities like clothes? What about problems paying for a sudden car repair?
Does what most people you know earn really have anything to do with what is a good salary? 35 hours per week of minimum wage is £23k a year. £25k is so bad that even the Tories, who aren't too keen on the minimum wage, still thought it should be illegal to pay someone much less.
A good salary is something that's enough to get you everything you need and a lot of what you want, as long as it's not too far-out, with some wiggle room.
fingertipnipples@reddit
Seconding this. 75k up north someone said. I think we must run in different circles!
Jcw28@reddit
As a northener who has gone from 45k to 85k in the last 3-4 years I can confirm that 45k was comfortable then, would be still okay now, and that anyone who thinks 75k now would only be 'comfortable' is insane. It's more than enough for most people, unless you've got a ridiculous mortgage, no partner and several kids to support.
I think household income of 50-60k would make the average person or couple up north comfortable, outside of some major city centres.
vanguard_SSBN@reddit
Well for a start, how old are you? How large is your social circle?
I know plenty of people on NMW. But I also know quite a few on six figures.
Lollygagger105@reddit
Who me? Dare you even ask a lady her age?! Jokes. I’m in my 50s. Most people I know who are not work colleagues work in health, social care, education, and other public sector jobs. Natural selection of friends I guess. Those who are self employed include hairdresser, counsellor, business owner. Out of those, the business owner is the richest, but pays himself £30k per year. I believe this whole “how much you earn etc” debate is partly influenced by how much you’re willing to work solely for a salary, or whether you choose to earn enough to get by (sadly, pretty much nobody these days) plus how much you believe in working for a cause and /or job satisfaction rather than a profit (e.g. health, social care, education, etc). Just my opinion. I worked for an American company for a while (in the UK) and would just seethe every day at doing basic bitch work for the lazy arsed managers who’d swan about chatting golf course banter and claiming not to know how to sort their own spreadsheets. Not for me!
SemtaCert@reddit
That's an absolutely terrible salary for a manager.
Lollygagger105@reddit
I think too there’s a big difference between working in hospitality/ services/ health / social care/ public sector, and working simply to make money, usually mostly for somebody else, who chisels off a slither for the workers making them rich.
DanBronze13@reddit
I’d say with the uk average hovering around 38k, 50+ is “good”
goimpres@reddit
It really depends on where you are, but 45-50k feels like the sweet spot where you can actually start saving and not stress about bills.
confusedcraftywitch@reddit
I would consider 40k as good. 50k plus would be excellent. 30k is just enough to survive and less is fuck all.
gothmog149@reddit
Everything is relative.
I'm 40, single, and own my home outright with no mortgage, and have few expenses - so i'd be more than happy with £50k a year.
My brother has a wife and 3 kids, with a 25 year mortgage - anything less than £100k and he's struggling.
Advanced_Ad5504@reddit
275K/yr
No-Championship9542@reddit
250k probably if PAYE
Mysterious_Fox_8058@reddit
I used to think that people earning 40,000 were so rich and that I would never reach that. I now see it as pretty average. But it's not really about salaries, it's about the cost of everything else going up and salaries not catching up.
Automatic-Use-6714@reddit
40k plus is a decent salary - as in you can live without fear of starvation and afford a few luxuries. It wont support a family alone though
60k plus or a houshold income in excess of 80k is needed to run a family and feel like you have a ‘good income’.
But everything is relative.
Used to be on 40k. Got along fine
Now on 75k with household income of 125k - i just have a bigger house and car so lifestyle is relatively the same.
pandorasparody@reddit
People throwing out numbers without accounting for taxes and loss of benefits is really something to witness.
abyssal-isopod86@reddit
In this economy? £50k+
az22hctac@reddit
“In 2025, around 10% of Brits earned £72,150 or more, placing them in the top 10% of earners. To be in the top 5%, you needed to earn at least £87,012 per year.”
IvySinclairee_@reddit
I think 50/60K is V good, Inside London 70/80K. Wish we had salaries like the Americans...
Expensive_Hobby@reddit
Recently heard my mum describe 30k as a great salary and I thought how much times have changed, it just really isnt much nowadays
Electrical-Park-3685@reddit
48k sounds good... 4k a month..
Laumac8D@reddit
Yeah but after tax it’s more like 3k
drenreeb@reddit
The things I would do with 3k a month
Laumac8D@reddit
After a mortgage payment, utilities, food, travel etc, it really wouldn’t go very far.
Zestyclose_Prior_330@reddit
45k is decent, 50k is good, 60k is really good. Anything below 45k (including my own wage) feels like not quite enough anymore.
angrypolishman@reddit
Past 50k an increase of 10k really doesnt hit your pockets much lol, you need like 1.6x the increase gross to feel the same net increase
I pulled that number out my ass, might be more than 1.6x, struggle to imagine it being meaningfully less.
Derridas-Cat@reddit
It’s funny you say the jump from 50-60k goes from good to really good. The reality is you’ll see very little difference in your monthly pay cheque between the two.
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
Depends on your outgoings. I recently went up to £30k and I feel pretty well off. I assume anyone earning more than this is either minted or has high overheads.
drivingagermanwhip@reddit
£20k more than what I'm making
Beautiful_Ad_6259@reddit
70k+ for London would be the minimum, especially for single people as life is way more expensive then. For people with student loans that's circa £4000 annualy off that income returned for repayments so you are realistically looking at 66k before tax and pension deductions. It's not as much as it sounds
SirRobinBrave@reddit
I’m currently a little over £30k, and having been on close to minimum wage for a few years this feels pretty comfortable, even when renting. But I’ll feel more relaxed after another promotion, putting me at somewhere between £38k and £45k.
suenosdarason71@reddit
30k, anything below is poor!
ElusiveQuant@reddit
£24K minimum is when this is shit becoems this is okay
Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit
I live near Cambridge, anything above £70k starts getting to good salary range.
When I started working in 2007, that benchmark was probably £40k.
throwawayacrosstheci@reddit
M4 corridor junior professional - £60K gross exc. benefits.
5-10 year experience plus certs - £80K gross exc. benefits.
Funky_monkey2026@reddit
60k, but if you are the only earner with 3 kids that's a pittance.
NGBoy1990@reddit
Good Salary, anything more than me
More serious answer, above £60k, but depends on the full package (benefits, pension etc imo) everything should be considered as a whole
Icy-Belt-8519@reddit
A bit above average I'd say, which I believe is 35k? So maybe 38k up
OurSeepyD@reddit
Median salary is now ~£39k. Inflation has been high!
RealisticL3af@reddit
is this average of all ages? i would like to know what the average for someone in their mid 20s
Follow_The_Lore@reddit
I think average for mid 20s in London is like 52k - London wages are v high
RealisticL3af@reddit
jesus me and my friends are all underpaid then.
OurSeepyD@reddit
No, people will typically earn more as they get older and take on more responsibility etc.
betterland@reddit
fuck me I earn far less than that on full time in London. so depressing 😭
WriteandRead@reddit
£39k is for full time workers only. Including part time it is approx £33k.
WriteandRead@reddit
£39k is for full time workers only. Including part time it is approx £33k.
Icy-Belt-8519@reddit
Oh, damn, up my answer a bit then! Lol
Regular_Number5377@reddit
Problem is the average salary in the country is too low, so even a bit above that is still not really a ‘good’ salary, even if you are slightly better off than the majority.
ConsciouslyIncomplet@reddit
Currently on £70+, I consider this is be an ok salary. A good salary for me would be £100k.
jimmy011087@reddit
Depends where you are and the context of the job. Anywhere upwards from £30k could be “good” I’d say. Imagine some supermarket job or local govt job in a small town, decent annual leave and pension and less than 40 hours is “full time” then you can live a decent life. Go to the city and you’d need to up that to £50k before “good” applies
Wiggles_21@reddit
£35,000
I don't know anyone my age who earns more than £35k (I'm 27)
Follow_The_Lore@reddit
This is so crazy to me, I’m the same age as you and half my friends earn more than 150k.
Different social circles I suppose.
Wiggles_21@reddit
I don't know a single person in my life who earns over £90k.
I'm up north though if that makes a difference.
ogapexx@reddit
The reason I asked is because I’m in the midlands and everyone I know earns at least £55k and a few are on 6 figures. I’m myself just short of 6 figures at 23 but I am in technical pre-sales for cybersecurity. I have been working since starting an apprenticeship as a dev at 17 tho.
mirembe987@reddit
Really?! I suppose it matters what kind of circles you’re in. I have friends earning in the range of minimum wage all the way up to £150,000 in city law
Wiggles_21@reddit
It probably does, yeah. I grew up quite working class. But my husband went to a very good university and many of his friends were privately educated and obviously come from very well off families - still none of them earn higher than £35k. (Except a friend of a friend who got a job through family, actually)
I'm sure they will eventually earn more, some of his friends are doing PhDs, but right now £35k seems to be the ceiling without more experience/older people leaving the job market.
mirembe987@reddit
I’m similar in that neither of my parents had degrees etc but I went to a very good university. I went into the charity sector so whilst I’m not doing badly I’m not on a massive salary whereas I found a lot of friends at uni who went to private school went into highly paid grad jobs in order to maintain the lifestyle that they had growing up
ogapexx@reddit
What field are you in?
Wiggles_21@reddit
My highest earning friend has a civil service job. I also know train conductors, teaching assistants, book translators, booking managers, technical support staff, and a couple with varying office jobs (or retail), none of them above £35k.
The TA is quitting to work at Costa because it pays more and she simply can't afford it any more even though she loves the job
its-me-or-the-blues@reddit
The scarecrow profession isn't the highest paying out there i'll grant you
ConversationNo4100@reddit
I'd be surprised if he had his computer in a field.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Real...
f8rter@reddit
£100k
nomadic_weeb@reddit
This isn't America my dude
f8rter@reddit
I know
Just telling you what I think a decent salary is
nomadic_weeb@reddit
And what you think is delusional. The figure you've thrown out isn't just "decent", it's SIGNIFICANTLY above average and usually only paid to directors in a company, which leads me to think you've never had a job before
f8rter@reddit
Just talking about what I expect for my skills and experience
chief_bustice@reddit
Cope again, I'm afraid. I first broke over £100k as a senior manager, and that was five years ago in the North West. Directors in my industry start at £150k plus.
High salary jobs are out there, but they require niche and in demand skills.
Follow_The_Lore@reddit
lol any consultative job in London with more than 5y experience will earn over £100k
chief_bustice@reddit
£100k isn't even a impressive salary by American standards.
nomadic_weeb@reddit
You need to look up what the average salary in America is then, as well as exchange rates, because you're WILDLY incorrect lol
chief_bustice@reddit
You're wrong. The income distribution in the US skews towards higher salaries. The median income is higher, but the mean is much, much higher.
nomadic_weeb@reddit
I'm not. Median HOUSEHOLD income in the US is roughly $80k (£59k), and the mean personal income is around $64k (£47k), so I actually take back my stance from before - even in the US anyone stating 100k when asked what a good salary is is fuckin delusional cuz that's WELL above average
chief_bustice@reddit
You are ignoring the fact that UK incomes typically fall into a very narrow band.
To be in the top 20% of earners in the UK, you need to earn £48k. For the US, the top 20% make at least $117k (adjusted gross income). In other words, one in five US tax returns have an income of at least £100k. In the UK this is about one in 20 incomes.
You are four times as likely to earn more than £100k in the US than in the UK.
Six figures in the US is not impressive or remarkable and any suggestions otherwise is just cope.
HengeHopper@reddit
1.5 multiplied by your age in years is a decent benchmark for 'good'
30K at 20
60k at 40
etc.
justsomebo2@reddit
It really depends where you are, but I’d say 45k feels like the floor for a genuinely comfortable life, while 60k is where you start to feel properly secure.
Distinct_Star9990@reddit
im a uni student (final year, then starting a masters) so anything above minimum wage would be good haha, but i'll be working with a combined income with my boyfriend which eases things for sure
Ealinggirl@reddit
I lived in the UK back in 2006 and warned 75k. My husband essential R60k. It got us a 3 bed house in commutable Surrey. Child care. 1 decent holiday a year one weekender. We had 1 car. Paid all our bills with no stress a cleaning lady to help once a week with ironing and deeper clean. We saved about 500 a month. Not extravagant people. I would say today a household income of R170k
parkerauk@reddit
In my entire life I have never looked at what someone earns, only spending power. I call it residual income. How much you have left after bills for what you want to do in life.. That's all that ever mattered.
Suitable-Season-4847@reddit
75k
Puzzled-Job9556@reddit
75 - 100k is good; 100k and above is very good.
50k isn't a great deal above average. 60k is ok.
One-Staff5504@reddit
I’m on £65k with overtime potentially reaching £80k. I think kids make a big difference. I have none and my partner has her own business making around £5k a month. We are considerably more comfortable than a similar couple with kids to support
gato_taco@reddit
80/90k usd annually
Chefchenko687@reddit
100k
Sensual_Lover25@reddit
30k take home.
Namerakable@reddit
Maybe this sounds sad, but I consider £30-£35k "good" because I work in the NHS and get considerably less than that.
queefybean@reddit
I’d take 40k, some of us are really struggling out here
SecretiveBerries@reddit
I’d take £30k 😬 (lower band healthcare worker)
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
I recently went up to £30k and feel very well off on this wage, I can only assume people earning more are either minted or have high overheads
queefybean@reddit
I get you, I’m on 30k and am potentially the lowest paid out of all my friends but they always go on about how skint they are…with their cars on finance and credit card debt and 3 x holiday a year. Think you made that problem for yourself buddy.
Puzzled-Job9556@reddit
3 holidays a year is pretty good though.
dinotoxic@reddit
You’re like £8k below average, that’s not very well off. What is your living situation?
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
Married no kids, wife has a part time cleaning job. House paid off, South-West
Prudent_Pack2738@reddit
I suspect a lot of borrowing repayments to fund a lifestyle
jamie6210@reddit
Lifestyle inflation is a killer, got to keep yourself level when getting payrises. Sounds like you’re smashing it
skelly890@reddit
I did the opposite to lifestyle inflation. Years on not much more than minimum wage then when I lucked into a well paying job carried on living a minimum wage lifestyle, apart from an occasional judicious application of Boot theory. Doing that for a few years builds up a giant anti-shite money buffer.
SnackOverflow90@reddit
How can you feel very well off, when you earn way below the average salary. There is literally no metric by which you’re well off..
ldn-ldn@reddit
It's one thing to have enough to cover your bills and a completely different thing if you want to save and invest in your future.
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
I put £700 a month into savings and private pension, which is plenty. Rule of 1/3rds
MJS29@reddit
You guys are worth so much more than what you get paid. All healthcare and emergency services are hero’s in my eyes
betterland@reddit
40k would be a dream for me
stowgood@reddit
I said higher than I earn.
parmaviolets12@reddit
Here's my reality which I haven't seen mentioned here.
I earn 40k. My husband earns 30k. We have a toddler and our mortgage and bills take about 2k a month which we split 50/50. I have a credit card which I use as an excuse to pay for all other expenses (petrol, groceries, nappies/wipes/clothes for our baby) so that my husband can save more money. He hates that I won't let him pay more for this stuff, but his savings are the bigger priority for me.
We live in Greater London (zone 4-5), I work remotely and care for our toddler at home. My husband's office is in Central London which costs him £80-100 a month to travel to as he has to go in for 2 days a week. If he did anymore days in the office, he would be in debt from the travel cost which I think desperately needs to be rebranded as the 'TfL tax'.
We never get take away, eat at restaurants, or buy junk food or snacks. If I want chips, I cut potatoes. If we want Chinese, we buy noodles or dumpling wrappers and make it. If we want fish and chips, we buy frozen white fish and make our own. More than half of our meals are probably some form of fake away. (Today was lamb curry, tomorrow will be Thai red curry, Thursday leftovers, Friday probably fried chicken.) My husband spent 12 years working across restaurants, so it really helps that he has insider knowledge for excellent quality meals. Also, I've been cooking since I was 12 and forced into parentified self-sufficiency, so the ability to cook well is habitual now.
Our weekly shop usually consists of the reduced section's finest and fruit and veg which Too Good To Go have to offer because food banks are inaccessible as our net household income is 70k (as if that means anything anymore). I'm not complaining though. This has been the best thing I found to get us eating fresher meals consisting of whole, clean foods.
We don't have social lives. My husband will go out with colleagues once every few months. I was pressured to leave my group of friends of 17 years because I couldn't afford their weekly £50pp restaurant visits/takeaway orders, and hanging out at each other's houses every once in a while is now a huge social taboo apparently.
While my salary is on the lowest end of the spectrum of what's considered good here, I'm managing because I've pretty much sacrificed all the usual consumerist luxuries that make people happy. I save a decent amount each month, and am looking to make my house deposit for a bigger place in about 5-8 years (more if my husband can ever find a better paying job to contribute). This really isn't the ideal way of living, but it’s not the worst. I would LOVE a gym membership, I would love to be able to afford Sky, Netflix, Prime, etc. I would love to take my baby on days out. She's so amazed by the world, but cheaper tickets for days out are only for people on welfare, carers or those with disabilities, so she'll just have to make do with being amazed by the little that I can offer.
Because I scrimp and save, I get to have savings for a rainy day or for the bigger luxuries like a holiday at least once a year or the orthopedic mattress I needed when pregnancy left me with lifelong spine problems. 40k is nothing, but I turned it into something when I made the desicion to sacrifice all the happy little things.
Follow_The_Lore@reddit
Would it not be easier to find a higher paying job than doing all this?
parmaviolets12@reddit
Not one that allows me to work remotely and have an incredibly undemanding schedule for half of the year.
hka-ls@reddit
Thankyou for sharing all this ❤️
HeinousAlmond3@reddit
£150k+
Lacerio@reddit
To me a good salary means you don’t get to worry about stuff. Probably around 50k. I currently earn 33k. Funny how 17k a year would turn somebody’s life around and there are people earning millions per day.
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
I don't really pin a number to it. I know it's an entirely personal, social and location based number.
I also know that 'wealth' is not always linked to salary. You can be on £30K, but if you're living mortgage/rent free in an inherited £500K house, your 'average' salary may provide you with 'good' spending power.
And I also know that 'average' salary, to some, might be more than they could ever hope to earn, so that in itself is 'good'.
Typically, I imagine the number is [Whatever you earn] + 20% or more!
Stevevilla1982@reddit
40k would be a fair average I reckon. My brother earns over 50k and the pub sees most of it. I’d suggest the way and where you live has a large bearing on the answer
OkIncrease6030@reddit
I depends on your location, qualifications and experience tbh. I’d put it at around £60,000 but it could be higher or lower depending.
ChefGrouchy8538@reddit
£30,000 a year
BalthazarOfTheOrions@reddit
Always a little bit more than what I currently earn.
Automatic_Screen1064@reddit
Between £70-110K and £150k +
FistedBone9858@reddit
I'm on around 35, my wife is on 30 with enhancements. and we certainly don't feel well off.
We've always been stuck in that 'doing JUST well enough to not receive help in any form!' bracket. but certainly far from well off.
Malamazu@reddit
Around 100k, but more or less depending on location/life situation. The average median salary is almost 40k, and the average person is struggling. UK wages feel very low generally and have been suppressed.
They used to say that a salary of 70k meant you could afford everything comfortably but I feel that’s 100k now after all the inflation and economic gloom hanging over us lately.
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
50k
Toilet-Aggravation87@reddit
Basically unless you’re living alone and earning less than £30k you should feel very comfortable. If not, you can’t afford the lifestyle you think you can.
Big-Help419@reddit
£35k plus and not much take home hassle. £50k plus and take home hassle.
Lion-Resident@reddit
£52,000
FIREBJJ@reddit
Depends where you are in the country. London/South East I’d say 70k upwards, but this could be down to 30-40k if living where things are significantly cheaper
Boredpanda31@reddit
I think this depends on a lot of things.
Im on £43k which to me is pretty good for the job I do (Programme Support Officer). It pays all my bills (including a mortgage), I go on a few holidays a year plus i put savings away every month and still have enough leftover to socialise when I want to.
Few_Recipe_9061@reddit
35k for me, low expectations in everything lol
Thorazine_Chaser@reddit
For me it’s around 100k. I’m educated, old and live in a high cost area. My circle of friends are in a similar position.
Psychological-Sea785@reddit
For a salary for a single person (not hosuehold) pre tax £50k Is a good salary.
a-curious-guy@reddit
Good salary to me means middle class. So at minimum 50k. But to support a family, I'd say minimum 65k.
Patient_Cap_1539@reddit
I dont even know, whatever is there I just take it.
27106_4life@reddit
In London, £150k, if a couple than £250k. You think this is crazy till you realise that a flat is on average over £650k in London and a terraced home is £1,000,000. Nursery costs are around £2500 a month.
That's a good salary. Obviously you can survive on less, but life will be one section 21 or big expense from being upended. So no real security
DoreyCat@reddit
100k (I live in London).
Follow_The_Lore@reddit
200k (I live in London) - £100k feels like an average/okay salary - 200 would be good.
Mr-Incy@reddit
Anything over £50k.
Dear_Imagination5552@reddit
Really? I earn just over £50k, live in one a one bed flat and feel broke all the time. It’s mind boggingly to me, some people consider this a ‘good salary’
ajl987@reddit
Same situation for me, I work in London but live in a 2 bed down further south where things are more affordable. I don’t feel too broke anymore after getting on £58k but on 46k I felt broke all the time. My currently salary I’m just doing ‘okay’ bit swimming in cash.
Dear_Imagination5552@reddit
Yeah sounds very much like me. £54k and am lucky if I have £100-200 left and the end of the month. An unexpected car bill or expense and I’m barely breaking even. I have an £8k bonus which I put fully in my pension. Also live in Essex and commute into London. I have a 1 bed flat that cost me £210k
Mr-Incy@reddit
I have a 3 bed house with a mortgage, on £55k a year I have around £1k a month 'spare'.
It all depends on personal circumstances.
Accurate_Might_3430@reddit
Personal circumstances = postcode, number of kids, spouse income, and family help.
Mr-Incy@reddit
Yep.
When you bought the house also comes into it, my house is worth nearly 5 times what I originally paid for it because I bought it 20 years ago, just before house prices started going through the roof .... no pun intended.
fuzzerino@reddit
I mean housing is the main crux of the issue here. If someone on 50k today wanted to buy your house that has gone up 5x, would they realistically be able to qualify for the mortgage?
It’s unsurprising that people feel that 50k doesn’t go far these days given housing costs in london/south.
IcySetting2024@reddit
Where do you live ?! London ?
If you live anywhere else in the Uk and you are struggling on 50K you are definitely mismanaging your finances
Dear_Imagination5552@reddit
South Essex but I work in London
ajl987@reddit
Not down south mate, especially if you’re also one who got a mortgage added Lizz messed up all the interest rates.
Icy-Reporter-6322@reddit
I mean Cambridge rent is just as expensive as London. I’m sure there’s others too. I wouldn’t move to Cambridge on a 50k salary. I’d need 70k minimum
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Is that in London? Perhaps you need to take another look at your outgoings if not...
Sea_Pomegranate8229@reddit
It is meaningless without context. A good salary for one person could be £26k, while another thinks £60k and someone else is looking for £1200 a day. Why did I pick those? Because in the past ten years I have consideredall three of them to be good salaries for what I was doing.
CuriousDataScientist@reddit
with a family, down south, at least 100k
Alasdair91@reddit
If you have a partner, £40k is “good”. If you’re single, better aim for £60k.
OddPerspective9833@reddit
Not sure about this. My salary goes further when my partner isn't about
Traditional_Pick_849@reddit
Yes to this. My partner is expensive lol
BleckMagic@reddit
60k
Unprepared_adult@reddit
I'm on £40k and I'm very happy with it, but I think it would be tough if I had kids.
RRW2020@reddit
60K plus.
Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit
These days, at least 100k.
Crafty_Reflection410@reddit
85k+
chainedtomydesk@reddit
Depends where you live. £50k would be considered a decent wage in the Nottingham or Derby but wouldn’t go very far in London.
AmeliaOfAnsalon@reddit
Derby is suprisingly affordable to live tbh
Interesting_Baker410@reddit
£50k in Derby would be great
VioletMaria89@reddit
It’s unfortunately Derby though!
dkdebra@reddit
Probably £50k for UK. Good salary in US would be $100k
Funny-Literature-499@reddit
40
Slartitartfast@reddit
5k more than whatever I'm on.
Over-Space833@reddit
I remember when 35k was doing very very well. That seems like a lifetime ago now. Getting by quite well on 14k 22 years ago (I had just GCSEs and was working in a call centre in Leicester back then).
budatothepest@reddit
I earn 65k in Glasgow, I would say I have a good salary and it does afford extra room to do things. But people learn very quickly to spend what’s in their pocket. I know people on the same salary as me and they have no money, all spent every month before they touch it.
SomeHSomeE@reddit
I'm on 63k in London. Live alone (but do have a partner(.
I'd say I have a 'good' salary. It's enough that I can afford my mortgage solo, live a decent lifestyle, and not have to overly fuss about budgeting. But it's not much more than that: a few big holidays this year (destination wedding + milestone birthday year) means I have to use savings.
(Although worth noting that I was only able to buy a flat because I worked overseas in some pretty hairy places for several years and got paid a lot for those years and saved aggressively. If I'd just stuck it in UK on this salary there's no chance I'd have afforded the necessary deposit to buy here).
ajl987@reddit
What part of London if you don’t mind me asking? I’m on about £59k and live in south east (work in london) but may live in London after marriage with my partner
mirembe987@reddit
What did you do for work overseas?
RealisticL3af@reddit
It may not seem like much to you, but being able to have a place of your own in London is incredibly well done.
niallw1997@reddit
Depends if you have kids or not.
If you’re the only one working and earn a salary of 60k, that’s basically the equivalent of two people earning 25k in terms of net income. Brutal out there.
obedevs@reddit
Depends on location. In London I’d say £70-80k, but if you’re in wales on £50k you’re laughing
Moongoosls@reddit
About 28k for me.
Really just having a salary instead of hourly = instant wealth
Thenoobofthewest@reddit
80k+
Ill_Inspection_8036@reddit
A lot of people live beyond their means. It's hard to hear but it's true. Most of my working life was on minimum wage or only about 2k above. My partner always 50p above minimum. We bought a house, always had 2 cars (not always new but not what you would call old) paid for a wedding and went abroad every year. We had our first child at the time I decided to retrain. I dropped below min wage for a year in this time, then spent 2 years on min wage. We had a second child in this time. We have not struggled.
People waste money on shit and say they are broke.
_isolati0n@reddit
I am on 35k (up north) and living pretty comfortably. I wouldn't say it's 'good' as other employers pay around 40-45k for the same role, so I'd be much happier with that.
Absers@reddit
£100k minimum
ComprehensiveRide946@reddit
London based. 150k+
mookx@reddit
£60k/year puts you in the top 12% nationally, but top 5% where I live. So if that ain't a good salary outside of London maybe rethink your expectations.
JohnCasey3306@reddit
~60k is around the level where I've got enough pay to the bills, feed the family without taking a calculator to the supermarket, and have enough left over for at least a little casual spending.
DrWkk@reddit
This is difficult as there are so many variables.
To be comfortable, to be saving into a pension, eat well, exercise well looking after yourself and family, to have some holidays. I think £75k.
United-Hovercraft409@reddit
75k
martini1294@reddit
I earn 37k + wife earns 25k
It’s more than comfortable. 300k detached house, I put £500 a month in an investment portfolio and we go on travelling holidays every year, or if not 2-3 Europe trips
No drinking. No smoking. No kids 👍
FoodByCourts@reddit
£60k
fergie@reddit
Enough to buy a nice house, ok cars, decent holidays, second home, and put 3 kids through private school. Depending on where you live, what you have inherited, and which school, 3-400K
PablodiSplooge@reddit
Ah, time for this thread again. It had been a couple of days.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
I personally think the national median should be more like 60k, apparently that’s the average wage of the top ten happiest countries and that makes sense to me. That would be like by the time you’re 35-40 you’re on 60 k a year can comfortably have kids a house etc. instead of now where the median is only like 10k above the minimum wage and you can work 10/15 years and basically see your wage only rise by around 15 k on average while inflation chips away at it at the other end.
Accurate-Herring-638@reddit
Probably true for Denmark and Norway, but definitely not for Finland and Sweden. In Sweden & Finland the medium wage is quite similar to the UK, around £35-40k. Personal allowance is only about £1.5k as well.
Don't know about other countries in the top 10.
Li_Li_Willis@reddit
75k
sharpecads@reddit
I feel like I read somewhere, but now can’t find it to post, that 75k is like top 10% of salaries?
nomadic_weeb@reddit
That's not a good salary, its an excellent salary - its literally nearly double the median
dinotoxic@reddit
£70k, this is equivalent to £44k in 2010, which I’d have said was a “good” salary.
thot2033@reddit
70k in London with a child and a wife who doesn’t earn a lot (which is no problem to me, she does enough as it is). I don’t feel well off; I always worry about bills etc. but then I guess I can’t be doing too bad.
WhatsTheStoryMG_1995@reddit
People saying 50k are wild and need to step out from 2004 Jesus
El_John_Nada@reddit
I haven't had to worry about money since I exceeded 32k so, taking inflation into account, I'd say anything above the median salary is pretty good. You can find where you're at here, as it puts your salary and housing costs in perspective.
JobAnxious2005@reddit
60k is pretty good I think.
If I had to find a new job I’d try and stay the right side of 80k TC
Gauntlets28@reddit
Good salary is probably £35k if you're in a household with two working adults, probably more like £40k if you're living alone? By good i mean comfortable, not rich.
yetanotherredditter@reddit
It's a shame that 100k is often taken to be the benchmark for good, just because it's a nice round number. This roundness means that it is always the bench mark for good, even though it was also the benchmark for good 25nyears ago when it was a MUCH better salary then.
PhoneShop@reddit
I live in London so this will be very skewed, but around these here parts a good salary starts at c.£60-80k, and once you're beyond £100k that that's really good - although unfortunately the combination of high living costs, commuting, and high rent means your ability to buy a good house is very limited. For context my wife and I individually earned a good salary and it took us saving aggressively since COVID to afford a 3 bed ex-council house, with a box room, and a tiny garden. Yes wow is me etc., as I appreciate how fortunate we are.
Some other comments refer to benefits and the context and I think that's definitely true. I've just come off 6 months fully paid paternity leave. Although I'm earning the same, I'd wager that it would mean I'd need to earn an extra 50% to make up for the loss of that fantastic benefit.
chincheckmcgee@reddit
Living in London I would say 55k. 45-50k is fine but I wouldn’t say it’s “good”
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
I commented but then looked at the figures I take home 42-46k a year and live in the southwest close to Bath, I rent solo and live comfortably on that…. That being said no credit cards or debt helps a lot. It’s about life style for me, my brother earns similar and lives pay check to pay check but he has a car on finance which he pays around £600 a month on
ArticleAmazing3446@reddit
For London, the figure £80k, but not for a concrete reason: this is the “happiness” (apparently) threshold, after which making more doesn’t materially improve how happy you are.
Majick_L@reddit
I’ve been unemployed for nearly 7 years, and am a single guy with low outgoings and a frugal lifestyle so minimum wage is fine for me. Around £1300 a month after tax would be acceptable to live on and manage ok, but £1500-£2000 a month would be a major boost and a life of luxury, compared to what I’ve been used to previously when in work
redditreddit080@reddit
As a single person with rent/mortgage, 35-40k min I would say, anything else is living to work I am afraid. As a couple if both earning 25-30k each is plenty to live on and 30k plus each allows for the ability to properly start future planning (saving). As for original question, a good wage for a individual I would say 50k, your well above the median of 39k for UK.
WastedYouth39@reddit
60-75k
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
40k plus is a good starting point
FunOwn1799@reddit
Depends on where you live and your lifestyle (family etc), but for me a “good” salary would be £75k+, I live in Yorkshire (former Humberside part). I agree with a number of people here whereby taxation takes a huge hit
therealstealthydan@reddit
For me its £100k+. It’s almost criminal that people have been made to consider even half that as a good salary. With ever increasing prices and the wealth gap ever expanding, a good salary should afford you some comfort and peace of mind. £60k a year does not do that.
SoupyAT@reddit
100k minimum
Saltysockies@reddit
I'd say £45k+ a good.
However I don't have kids and don't really buy anything. Me and the wife lived on £33k quite comfortable about 4 years ago.
Unusual_Sherbert2671@reddit
A salary that gives you a take home of minimum £4.5k, especially if you have a family and you're the only earner.
Consistent_Culture90@reddit
Up north. £35k.
Behold_SV@reddit
That’s like a peanuts above the minimum wage..
Gone_For_Lunch@reddit
I don’t think you know what minimum wage is.
Behold_SV@reddit
I worked on farms, and warehouses, cold food manufacturing and lived in shared houses more than a decade. I know what sacrifices and tax credit look like. But than doesn’t mean it’s normal. In 2012 it was a decent salary. P.S. author of the comment edited their comment from £30k something to £40k.
Complex_Box_7254@reddit
That's significantly more than minimum wage.
Ill-Breadfruit5356@reddit
A full time salary at minimum wage rate is just under £25k.
EasilyExiledDinosaur@reddit
Id say the upper 30,000s for a fresh graduate.
For anyone who isn't right at the start of their career, probably around the £50,000 mark plus. And that assumes a low cost of living.6
Whole_Necessary2040@reddit
Depends. You live up north in a home with no mortgage, no kids - 27k
If you just got a mortgage in London last few years and you have kids - 90k (assuming split with partner)
Charming-Clock-3651@reddit
In London, 80k+, outside of London and the south East, probably 60k+
Empty_Estus@reddit
In a small town in the north £50k+ but even that isn’t great if you live in somewhere like Central Manchester and rent. If you’re in a city, £60k+
Mr_Coastliner@reddit
I'm in South Manchester, rent here is more than central!
SnackOverflow90@reddit
Hi neighbour!
Theres3ofMe@reddit
Good point this.
Dontdittledigglet@reddit
Pizza and a nod
RudnitzkyvsHalsmann@reddit
£120k
Black_Raven_2024@reddit
$100,000
Intelligent_Boot6023@reddit
Reading this as a dual UK-US citizen in Texas is eye opening.
You can make $125k managing the Buc-ee's car wash or a fast food place. The UK in the last 10 years has really started to feel impoverished compared to the USA, it feels far wealthier here. Also the energy costs in the UK are absolutely crippling.
Ownage95@reddit
Tree fiddy
saoirsedonciaran@reddit
50k
nomadic_weeb@reddit
The people in the comments are fuckin delusional, the ranges they're presenting only make sense in London or if you have 8 kids.
Realistically, £40k is a good salary, what they're describing is a phenomenal salary
ItsJonesyy@reddit
This mindset is why you will remain poor
nomadic_weeb@reddit
Didn't say that's what I'm on did I? Sorry I'm not out of touch and bad with money I guess
ItsJonesyy@reddit
Again you are proving my point. Ultimately you will be working until you are 70, and then you'll get your hard earned state pension
nomadic_weeb@reddit
I think you totally misunderstood what I was saying. I'm earning more than that and have been for some time now, I'm just not as stupid as you are. Enjoy the echo in your skull I guess
hallerz87@reddit
I think its relative to the position. Someone tells me they earn 50k a year doing basic office work - great salary! Someone tells me they earn 80k a year running an engineering team at a large tech company - what are you doing?!
yflavus@reddit
I was earning 42k in London, I could barely survive due to high cost of living. Rents are stupid, if you go out with your friends everything costs almost double now, as soon as you leave the house, you go -50 easy. I think it depends on a lot of things like life style, smoking / drinking habits, student loan, insurance, travelling and such. I would say for London and Surrey anything above 75k is good, for outside London, perhaps Hampshire and Midlands and the rest 40k is good. Don't understand what the UK has turned into now.. people are on survival mode..
Mombod26@reddit
$110k.
WaitUntil_IRetire@reddit
$100k in the US or about 75k British pounds. Is that a “good” salary or a “high” salary in the UK?
eddygeek18@reddit
Personally anything less than 25,000-30,000 is a real struggle. To me Good doesn't start until £40,000 that would be a comfortable amount to live on with some left over for saving.
It does depend on the number of people in the household that are dependant on your income though so 40,000 for a single person say add 5-10k per person after that
eddygeek18@reddit
My indicator of a good salary would be when someone can pay bills, put petrol in their car, pay for their weekly shop, go online to get gifts all without checking their bank account. If you can do that your on a good salary
Competitive-Dig-2469@reddit
£80-90k
Sergeant_Fred_Colon@reddit
Single and in the south, minimum of £60k would be good for me.
BW-Journal@reddit
I think you'll notice a correlation between how high the number is that a person seems a good salary, and how far south they live.
The further north you go, the lower that number gets, outside major cities of course, which do still follow the trend mostly, but are of course regionally more expensive than the other areas in their locale.
Leading-Late@reddit
Can't speak for outside of London, but here in the capital I'd say a minimum of 50k is a 'good' wage if you're single, and way more (70-80k) if you have kids.
I'm a single parent with a good-ish job paying approx 45k, and it's tough. We get by, my kids don't go without, but there is no money left at the end of each month and definitely no savings pot. I'm very, very lucky to have social housing (ie cheaper rent), a 2 bed flat in a v nice part of the city... without it I don't know how I'd make ends meet. I know so many families with two working parents that still need Universal Credit just to survive, which is hugely fucked up.
If I moved out of London we'd likely be way more comfortable, but my entire family is here so I'd lose our whole support network.
Art3mis86@reddit
My wife and I bring in £70k after tax, per year. We are pretty comfortable and rarely want for nothing.
Adorable_Orange_195@reddit
£65k+
I work for the NHS & after 20 years and 4+ years of uni & plenty of in-house training & skills and I’m only bringing home £48117.
This often works out as less than an entry level nurse & even a lot of unregistered/ lower band colleagues because my role is strictly mon-fri with 0 unsociable hours.
Add in the fact colleagues with absolutely no registration requirements, no patient contact and who are not held accountable for patient harms, safety etc are on same banding structure despite nowhere near as intense an expectation of workload, performance, education & development (I don’t begrudge them a decent wage and actually think they should be paid more). I just think care support workers and nursing staff should have a different pay structure to them with higher salaries per band, plus additional for anyone in high risk areas such as A&E, ICU, Acute Admissions, etc. As having us on afc just shows how undervalued we are.
Back when I was at school £27k was seen as an ok salary, and £35k was seen as great, but as time has moved on and inflation has occurred anything less than £36k is very difficult to manage on in 2026 imo & leaves little time and money for hobbies, enjoyment, treats, savings, etc.
sjnyo@reddit
80+
happybaby00@reddit
80k London
60k south east
40k elsewhere
RobCarrol75@reddit
£75k although that's when you hit the 45% tax rate in Scotland, so maybe a bit higher.
MeatGayzer69@reddit
Good salary to me is 35k. Can you tell I'm from the North East
appletinicyclone@reddit
Fair bit higher than the cost of living area I reside as a brokie. Hard to put a number on it feel like 50-65k would be great
saqademus@reddit
80k
12747@reddit
100k
Richmonds-a-Dorkie@reddit
TIL I earn a good salary.
Reasonable_Beat3019@reddit
For London probably £150k+
imitsi@reddit
In London about £120k
kuteguy@reddit
£80k
kuteguy@reddit
£80k base
RealisticL3af@reddit
£75k probably. It really depends on your lifestyle. I am on 35k, live in a house share. cant imagine having a child at this wage or renting anything more than a one bed. would be too expensive. so to have a family maybe £50k each.
Ambitious_Hackerman@reddit
To me, good implies above average. Googling for the average has the median salary at just under £40K. So as a rough finger in the air number, I'd be saying £50K sounds good.
That said, it's also dependent on many factors. £50K in a low cost of living area will be very different vs London or the south in general. £50K in some careers would be considered amazing and in others quite poor. There's also factors like "good for their age"
I happen to work in a higher paying career and I'm quite privileged, so if I were on £50K I wouldn't think I were doing good. I'm currently on closer to £70K and that feels like a good salary relative to the work I do. But equally if I wanted to receive a good offer to move jobs, I'd be looking more at £80-90K. It's all relative and subjective
09philj@reddit
I make a bit over £33,000 which is enough to comfortably live with a mortgage on a small house in the north east. I think about £40,000 (or a bit under) would take me to a place where I could also happily own a used car (except there's no space to park one).
F_DOG_93@reddit
Depends what age bracket. I earn in the top 5% for my age bracket. But to me, with all of the expenses I have and the saving I want to do, ours not enough
caught_in_a_landslid@reddit
Times have shifted on this... With the min wage now approaching graduate starting saleries, which have been more or less flat for the last 15 years, its challenge.
But i would have said 60k looked really good 10 years ago (earning about half that) and now its more like 150k+ because of all the tax traps that kick in at 100k, along with inflation and more. Tax bands have stayed the same and the system punishes high saleries, while still not taxing the multi millionaires. Wages haven't moved much but everything else has.
RainbowStreetfood@reddit
Just whatever makes your ends meet and lets you be happy with your life on the side.
summerloco@reddit
It was lovely reading the comments mostly saying around what I’m on salary wise, but I want to give you my perspective being on a “good salary”.
Salary means fuck all if you’re miserable or if the job is shit. Freedom and peace of mind over money all day long.
If someone said I could switch my job for £35k a year for a stable job with nice colleagues, I could save a bit of money each month and just switch off from work I’d switch in a heartbeat. Money doesn’t equal happiness folks.
MidnightPractical727@reddit
I mean you literally can do that.
IcySetting2024@reddit
Let me assure you that a lot of people on 35k Or less work in equally shit industries and feel depressed each Monday morning but have to go to their underpaid job to pay their bills.
Past_Substance_3057@reddit
Also with the cost of living crisis, £35k might not be enough to pay the bills on your own. Or would be really tight
Grandmuffmerkin@reddit
Except most people on less than you are also miserable and think their job is shit.
Level7Boss@reddit
You need to account for region and children. In London I'd say £100k is a good salary but you are hit with a punitive marginal tax rate and lose some benefits.
LastTrainLongGone@reddit
Minimum wage annualised as a full time job is £26k.
It’s a sad state of affairs in the UK. The posters here thinking 30-35k is a ‘good wage’ might not appreciate that’s basically as little as you can pay a person for their time.
Teachers, nurses and junior doctors earning just above this line is the real crime.
BlueRayman@reddit
With 36k a year I'd feel like a king.
Antique_Client_5643@reddit
Currently about GBP 150k.
I've earned well over that in the past and I've also had nothing in the past, and various points in between. And my overall assessment is, given where we're at economically right now, I'd say 150k is the amount that would allow you to have nice stuff, do fun things, and also not think much about money.
Trouble is, the jobs that used to pay 150 often pay 120 now, and the purchasing power of 120 now is about what 85 used to me ten years ago. It's pretty terrifying.
Strange-Purchase3080@reddit
350k
100 to 150k is shit due to 67% tax
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Probably only about eight people in the UK earn that much 😄
martin_81@reddit
Around 2 million people in the UK earn over £100k
Strange-Purchase3080@reddit
And that sums up everything that is wrong with uk
Vegetable_Key_5058@reddit
I need £4K a month after tax to live reasonably but could probably get by on £3300 after tax as my half of the bills is £2500, but as always theres something that comes up, weather it’s extra cost on servicing for the car or dental work that needs doing or childcare costs increasing. I do over pay my mortgage and that is something that I wouldn’t be willing to give up as in 8 years time that will be payed off
Acrobatic_Ad_5982@reddit
100k+
VisibleTie7012@reddit
In London, it felt good when I hit £100k a few years ago.
I can imagine that £80-90k up north would be the equivalent.
Equal_Membership_923@reddit
£85k outside London.
Thomas5020@reddit
£75k.
Any less and doing life changing things like buying a home are still extremely damaging to your financial wellbeing, so you're not doing well.
JustJamesHere@reddit
A good salary is say is £75k, a great one would be £100k
Pleasant-Relief-9962@reddit
In London, when I hear “good salary,” I tend to assume someone is on £120k+ base. It might be the bias of being surrounded by software engineers, finance ppl, and lawyers.
BudgetAdept1670@reddit
Retirement
BigSkyFace@reddit
My brain immediately thinks 50k, probably because it's a nice round number but I know that depending on your circumstances that doesn't go all that far.
Personally I'd be more than fine on that salary as someone in a relationship but not yet living together. If I had kids and my girlfriend wasn't also working, maybe not so much.
Neither_Computer5331@reddit
Has to be £100k minimum to be a good salary.
Average (well median) is £39,000, so anyone saying 50k is just above average.
We’ve had a huge round of inflation, so everything has changed. And whatever we earn, it’s still low on a global ranking.
Special-Audience-426@reddit
You can easily make £200 a day profit doing odd jobs and gardening so £50k would be the bare minimum.
cheflifecdf@reddit
What?
Special-Audience-426@reddit
You can charge £250 a day as a gardener or handyman. Demand is high, so you'll be booked months in advance, and that's £50 costs and £200 profit each day. 5 days a week is £52,000 a year.
There's plenty that charge more than that.
cheflifecdf@reddit
Even if you claim they can charge that, and be fully booked indefinitely. To maintain that level of work, they would be doing loads of planning/admin off that clock. Which would bring their FTE down considerably less.
Plus factor in holidays/sick pay etc that they would be having to put aside themselves.
How much gardening work do you think there is in winter?
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
That's not even factoring in the costs of buying van, fuel, tax software, insurances, tools, repairing van, maintaining van etc...
Decard_Pain@reddit
Goods probably around the 50k bracket, above that you're doing pretty well, above 80k and you're doing well and once at the 100k mark you're well off.
j_gm_97@reddit
70k? I earn 50 salary, maybe 60 a year with my overtime. Single male living alone and I really struggle some times.
tx1998@reddit
Around £50k. In London though probably £70k ish and above
upssnowman@reddit
Would 150K in USA be considered a decent salary in the UK?
Dry-Policy-1269@reddit
As a youth 30k feels unattainable
BigFloofRabbit@reddit
As a middle aged, £30k seems doable but £40k seems unattainable. So not a massive rise in prospects 😅
95jo@reddit
I live in a small town in the North West, so I’d say anything about £45-50k based on average earnings and local industries.
But to me, personally, it would be £60k+.
Sgt_Fox@reddit
50k+
Defiant-Tackle-0728@reddit
Its not just minimum amount its also where you live.
So for instance what could be a "good" salary in somewhere like Derry/Londonderry, would be "reasonable" in Belfast, and leave you in debt in Manchester or London.
Feeling-Boss787@reddit
£150k
Capt_Capital@reddit
I think £50k is a good salary, but if you live in/around London probably closer to £70k
Crack398@reddit
60k is probably the new 30k. Remember way back then where everybody said if you get a job for 30k a year you'll be laughing.... not these days.
MovTheGopnik@reddit
The number £30k came to mind first. I remember thinking it was amazing while at uni for all the relevant jobs to offer about that much no matter where I looked. Now I make around £21000 after tax doing something else, which is still pretty good (as long as I live alone). No idea what location has to do with it because I’ve always had to relocate to do anything, so I’ve never thought about it relative to where I grew up.
robparfrey@reddit
30k would be my dream right now.
Im struggling to even get min wage and I have a Bachelors degree in Architecture.
There is just no one hiring.
Dazzling_End4638@reddit
I’m on 32k, and if I was single I would be struggling so much. However, I’m in a relationship and my partner earns 35k. We have no kids, so life is comfortable.
Key_Crab_5780@reddit
£15-20k more than whatever I’m on at the time. It’ll always be that because greed. Although in this case I could make good use of that money and not need any more.
Crazy_Artichoke2702@reddit
Some of the answers here are astronomical! 30k
MaximilianWL@reddit
Think like 70k
IcySetting2024@reddit
40k is the minimum of what I think a good salary is imo
I don’t think anyone would be reasonable in complaining about that figure
I live in England
Prior_Psychology_150@reddit
In London £150k. The rent increases have been mind boggling
yessuz@reddit
If household (2 adults + 1 child ) make 100k+ a year and it is a location which is not at London cost of real estate etc then it is OK.
But 100k in london for family of 3 is not THAT nice.
Well anyway it 8s very relative. As if you are at 25k you think 35 or 40k os super nice. Nit once you are at 40 or 45, upur outgoings are higher and you end up at thebsame place :D
Lower-Main2538@reddit
In the south - Oxford/Reading etc I'd say you need minimum £50k a single person.
VariousBeat9169@reddit
£70k London, £50k outside.
Dear_Imagination5552@reddit
100k
SHLLYIION@reddit
£250k up north, 300-400k south
cagfag@reddit
150k in London if you have 2 kids. Childcare is 3500£ a month
AutoModerator@reddit
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80k
drwtfareyoudoing@reddit
£100k
Conscious_Guess9637@reddit
£100k a year probably, as it’s about as comfortable as a person was 25 years ago on £55k a year. Not rich but comfortable enough to get by
Low-Captain1721@reddit
It really depends on your circumstances. I'm in Midlands and I'd probably say £40k FTE a good salary.
However then there's little me. I live in a property owned by my family's property business and have basically ultimate security. Never have to save for next deposit etc. Dirt cheap rent considering I'm just on edge of city centre in nice place.
I have worked full time however have had depression issues so only choose to work part time now. I work 25 contracted hours a week on £17ph. Work 10 mins walk from my home. Divorced with no kids. Don't drive. Steady 'weekend girlfriend'.
When I worked full time I helped my family with money to build their business in the late noughties.
That's ok for me 😃
Terrible-Group-9602@reddit
Dependant. If you're 20 and living at home, 23k is good
youmong@reddit
It’s all relative. I’ve seen my salary mentioned here fairly consistently. I’m based in the South East and still live at home. As a single person, mortgage + all bills only leaves me with about £200 a month spare which is nothing if a car breaks down, or I need to repair the boiler etc.
Politicub@reddit
Depends. London rent eating £1-1.5k a month, and student loan debt from an undergrad and a postgrad eating an extra 10% of your salary every month... £70-90k. National average with no student debt, £40-50k.
Interesting-Law7788@reddit
If you can pay your rent with one week's pay, you have a good salary.
LemonsAT@reddit
10yrs ago I would have said 40k-45k would be a decent salary. Now I would prob say 50k-55k.
bentleybasher@reddit
£40k in UK.
stowgood@reddit
At least £50k probably £70k if london
Westgateplaza@reddit
London/SE = £100k Everywhere else = £60k
AXX-100@reddit
This 💯
Personal_Lab_484@reddit
I earn 90k and live in London. I’m 27 with no kids so I can do most of the things I want to do. But still have to track things.
With how high a tax society we are I lose so much of it. 450 a month on student loan too. It doesn’t go as far as you’d think.
If “good salary” means what it does in 2002, which is you can live very comfortably, raise 2 kids, drive a nice car and own a home on it alone then I guess 120k or so rising to far more in London.
I know people here will moan but that’s how badly conditioned we are.
To make my point the “higher tax rate” was never intended to touch nurses and teachers. Look at it now! Anyone on 50k gets caught up
dbxp@reddit
55k, significantly above average but not mind blowing
Educational_Sound188@reddit
200k
heyitsed2@reddit
200k is "good"? That's fucking amazing.
Educational_Sound188@reddit
In London, 200k is the new 100k if you want to live in a decent place.
Why_you_so_wrong_@reddit
Depends on your needs but I agree £100k definitely doesn’t cut the mustard anymore, especially if you want a good 2 bed in Zone 1/2 other outgoings. I’d probably put a “good salary” number at £125-150k.
Picnata@reddit
£35k
Personal_Lab_484@reddit
Even on 100k with the idiotic tax cliffs a person could have less disposable income than someone on minimum wage if they dared to have a child.
Pretty much everyone in the UK gets minimum wage, or at max 3 times min wage after taxes.
Even the PM after tax has only a couple times more salary than a Tesco worker.
It’s a dumb question. The enemy don’t earn anything. Theyv inherit.
We should be helping people on 100k too.
Why_you_so_wrong_@reddit
£120k in London. Really more like £150k if you want to live comfortably.
lungbong@reddit
For full time work I'd rank it as follows:
£25k - minimum
£35k - below average
£40k - average
£45k - above average
£55k - good
£75k - very good
£100k - great
£1m - wealthy
£10m - ultra wealthy
rainmaker0000@reddit
I think it must be over £71k as London tube drivers only earn that and they’re not on a good wage…
Swimming-Lie5369@reddit
About 50-60k
alpharedditor5@reddit
Six figures tbh
Most_Lingonberry_409@reddit
110k ish
Browneskiii@reddit
I'm on just under 30k (with 4 days a week), and I can save a bit of money each month. 35 or above would be good imo
glitterstateofmind@reddit
Six figures
danmingothemandingo@reddit
I thought over 100k. TIL redditors are poor
Puzzleheaded_Win_134@reddit
I think it depends where you live. I'm on 50k and my rent costs 495, and I wfh (no car, so thats an expense removed). I feel very comfortable. I can buy almost anything I want without thinking about it.
Mr1975guy@reddit
Do you mean basic salary or compensation package? For example an "advantage fund" which has basic plus various benefits plus shares and a bonus? A £70k wage could end up more like £100k
Andries89@reddit
60-70k onwards it starts to become good
oneyeetyguy@reddit
If the hours were convenient (in my case 7-3) probably £35,000, if it was the worst possible hours (9-5) probably £55000.
Pogeos@reddit
Above 150k is good in London, above 100k outside of south east.
SushiRollFried@reddit
80k
MisticalMulberry@reddit
100k+ but taking account of where I live I would say 70k onwards
Obvious_Phase5446@reddit
£50K minmum is a good salary
Aggravating_Ad_3954@reddit
£75k or a household income of above £100k is a good comfortable salary IMO.
brutalistcheese@reddit
depends on the job. if it's £30k for retail then to me that's a good salary. The most I got was £25k.
I'm a gardener now and not even hitting £30k, just slightly under. Not sure I'll ever earn £30k minimum.
Derries_bluestack@reddit
£70k
poliver1988@reddit
25k sounds good. all jobs are like 25 hours a week, barely hitting 20...
crispcrumbguzzler@reddit
I am on 27k, so more than that I guess..
underwater-sunlight@reddit
More money than I get for less work than I do is probably the easy answer but it is subjective based on expenses, cost of living in your area and the rates that other similar roles offer, before you start to get into perks like WFH, pension, sick leave, annual leave, employee benefits like share save schemes, salary sacrifice schemes...
Designer-Computer188@reddit
70k plus
FinFangFooom@reddit
75k
Drunk_Cartographer@reddit
It really does depend on someone’s circumstances.
If you’re fresh out of uni and thinking I need to be on £50k or some of the ridiculous amounts people have said in here to be on a “good salary” you are living in cuckoo land. Anything above £30k you should be biting someone’s hand off for.
Typical-Lead-1881@reddit
75k + I think
AussieManc@reddit
£100K+
tmr89@reddit
£100k
jeminar@reddit
When my kids were growing up and wife was at home, I saved nothing on £100k and everything was a struggle. Without those costs, even in a bigger house, half that is quite livable.
Having time to do things (rather than buying things in with inadequate research) saves way more than you'd think.
D0wnb0at@reddit
Depends where you live.But a “good” salary is more than national average which is (I think) £33k. I earn over 50 and I’d still call that good and not yet into the great category.
AnonymousTimewaster@reddit
Depends on your age, education etc really. A 20 year old on £40k is doing incredibly. If you're on £40k as a 60 year old I might be a bit concerned for your pension.
religionisanger@reddit
Think it’s a bit irrelevant, my wife and I have (very) good salaries (exceeding 150k), however my mortgage, council tax, food, childcare, electric and water mean we have fuck all left over each month.
If I put that to one side and ignore the cost of living and my own inability to save… £50k sounds like an average salary where I picture most people living paycheque to paycheque, £60k is good.
PatchcordAdams@reddit
Mortgage and childcare I’m assuming are quite big?
religionisanger@reddit
I said childcare, what I really mean is kids clubs etc. We don’t have a nanny/childminder etc. My mortgage and council tax are the biggest outgoings by quite a long way, followed by food, then childcare, then electric, then water.
No idea what I did to deserve the downvotes, but hey ho.
Scarred_fish@reddit
Zero.
Any company so inept as to not provide a detailed public salary scale is clearly not worth anyones time.
mjstokes85@reddit
30k
Wooden_Astronaut4668@reddit
I would say maybe £100k+ for a good salary down south with current cost of living etc
I think I have a reasonable salary which enables some extras, ability to save a small amount, 2 staycations a year (but cheap glamping, so holidays between £400-600 a week) a week long, but no luxuries- no car finance (old cars), a 2 bed shared ownership place.
I guess if we wanted a nicer house/our own house, we would have to sacrifice one of our holidays..
ooould@reddit
£150k at lest
derekoh@reddit
Depends on whether it’s individual or a couple because of tax thresholds. 2x £75k is much better than 1x £150k
merdeauxfraises@reddit
The post is not asking for combined incomes
ShihtzuMum39@reddit
40k plus
blue_rizla@reddit
I’d say £60k at this point.
merdeauxfraises@reddit
Over £75K
Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit
60k.
WGSMA@reddit
£80k
Pedantichrist@reddit
£100k+
zombiezmaj@reddit
Was in 30k last year and bought a 3 bed house which I comfortably afford on my own... now married so have 2 salaries to do life with so basically doubled to £60k plus this year's payrises
So Id say depending on lifestyle and location it'll depend what people would think is good. Could I have lived a great life just me ... yes with 1 maybe 2 abroad holidays. But now yes plus extra savings.
sivaya_@reddit
I'm going to say household income of £60-70k. Saying that, my partner and I did first live together on much less than that.
Morazma@reddit
£80k. Still too low though
fernincornwall@reddit
I was thinking £60k
Aylez@reddit
Up north £40k, further south £50k
Sage-Freke-@reddit
Anything more than what I’m on. 😄
Relative-Tea3944@reddit
60k
a_strawberrydream@reddit
60-70k
TheLightStalker@reddit
55k
Rh-27@reddit
£50-60k+
Truewit_@reddit
38k-40k
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