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Original poster

What do you consider to be a good salary?

74 replies

BrachDrum · 10/05/2022 08:02

I had a pay rise recently and shared it with a close friend, in passing, as she’d told me she’d had a pay rise recently to account for inflation. She then asked me figures and I said I wasn’t comfortable sharing…to which she said ‘well if it’s anything less than 75k it’s not worth mentioning.’

I earn a lot less than this, 52k. My friend is not at all materialistic and so this must be a genuine belief of hers. What do you think is a decent salary?! I was happy on 40k let alone 52.

OP posts:
Andromachehadabadday · 10/05/2022 08:07

What a decent salary depends on the job, hours, area, industry etc.

I certainly don’t agree with her that anything under 75k isn’t worth mentioning.

I don’t think anyone can say only a certain wage is decent.

If I was CEO of a large company 52k would not be a good amount. If I worked one day a week in an entry level role, and got 20k it would be great.

sounds like you friend wasn’t happy with your wage rise, she suspects she earns more and so put (what she imagines) to be your wage down.

Hospedia · 10/05/2022 08:08

I don't have a figure in mind as there is more to working than how much you earn such as job satisfaction, work life balance, and so on. To me a good salary is one that covers your bills, food, and housing with enough left over for some degree of treats and nice things.

Ifailed · 10/05/2022 08:10

It's a silly question, to someone on £25k, £52k is a fortune. To someone on £250k it's a pittance.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Employment advice
Mumwantingtogetitright · 10/05/2022 08:11

Yes, it depends a bit on the area, hours etc. However, what you earn is significantly higher than the average salary for the UK as a whole, so objectively speaking, it is a "good" salary. And if you are happy with what you earn, then that is all that matters.

Your friend sounds a bit rude. And massively out of touch.

Therealpink · 10/05/2022 08:11

Don’t know. For me and what I want in life I’d say over £65k but that’s because DH earns well. if it was me on my own I’d want over £90k, ideally over £120k.

However if I was on much lower, id deal with it. And it would all be relative.

killerqueue · 10/05/2022 08:12

I dont really know any more tbh. To read MNs you would think millions were on 6 figures but it's more like 1m & women are not a high % of that. Having said that I always thought 70/80k was a good salary but many jobs that paid that over10 yrs ago still pay that.

killerqueue · 10/05/2022 08:16

It's often better to have 2 parents working for less eg 2 earning 50k vs only 1 earning 100k means less tax, benefits like CB.

Lightning020 · 10/05/2022 08:16

I think if there is a mortgage or rent then £40k otherwise if mortgage free then £30k.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 10/05/2022 08:18

I think a 12k pay rise is worth being pleased about whatever the original salary!

PestorPeston · 10/05/2022 08:27

MN is a weird place. So many people imagine themselves to be in the top percentiles www.gov.uk/government/statistics/percentile-points-from-1-to-99-for-total-income-before-and-after-tax

Well done on your pay rise OP

OneCup · 10/05/2022 08:34

I agree with PP- it depends on the job, the location, etc. I would say where I am, for a middle level job, 40k would be considered a good salary.
Well done on the promotion! I would be delighted if I was paid 52k!

SD1978 · 10/05/2022 08:35

@PestorPeston - yup everyone's hubby has an outing hobby and a niche role on 6 figures minimum it seems...🤣

FacebookPhotos · 10/05/2022 08:38

I earn £40k and that is a good salary where I live. Enough to rent my own small house in a nice-ish area, or to buy in a dodgy area.

Sushi7 · 10/05/2022 08:38

Women on MN think £30k is living on the poverty line. Not the best place to ask or what a good salary is.

Neverreturntoathread · 10/05/2022 08:41

Andromachehadabadday · 10/05/2022 08:07

What a decent salary depends on the job, hours, area, industry etc.

I certainly don’t agree with her that anything under 75k isn’t worth mentioning.

I don’t think anyone can say only a certain wage is decent.

If I was CEO of a large company 52k would not be a good amount. If I worked one day a week in an entry level role, and got 20k it would be great.

sounds like you friend wasn’t happy with your wage rise, she suspects she earns more and so put (what she imagines) to be your wage down.

This

Dazedandconfused10 · 10/05/2022 08:41

Congrats on the payrise.

For me, life is more important than work, I'm on a similar salary and it affords me a home that i own by myself and I can again support myself comfortably on it. So to me it's a good salary, I could earn more, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my personal life for that.

Cottagepieandpeas · 10/05/2022 08:44

I’ve gone from earning around £54k to £34k in the last 3 years.

I’d prefer to earn £54k! But I can manage on what I get now. And could probably manage on less but I’m a bit reluctant to do that (thinking about jobs with fewer hours and / or less responsibility).

Lottie4 · 10/05/2022 08:46

I'd say that once you get to £38,000 it's a good salary, but my idea of a good salary is knowing I have enough money to eat, heat, keep a roof over your head and a few treats. We're fairly careful with our spending though, so for many they'd have to have noticeable cut backs to manage, so £38,000 wouldn't be enough.

LifeInsideMyhead · 10/05/2022 08:48

Wow that chart suggests the half way point for those paying tax is 24000....

I would love to be one of those people who breezily say they "only" earn 40/50k, or they could earn more if they tried or they dont need to cos of rich husband. I sadly, despite good degrees, dont think that idnto be.

Right now a good salary for me would be if i can get above 24k pro rata... surprisingly tricky .

coffeecupsandfairylights · 10/05/2022 08:53

MN is not the right place to ask about salaries.

Someone on another thread was convinced that earning a salary 30k was poverty 🙄

EdithGrantham · 10/05/2022 08:54

Lol at people saying they would "manage" on salaries that are more than average. The UK median salary is £31k so if you're on a couple of grand more than that you're doing better than most.
Also, high pressure/responsibility doesn't always mean high pay unfortunately.

user1471523870 · 10/05/2022 08:55

I think it really depends on so many circumstances. Location and age, mostly in my opinion.
London salaries and expenses are different than those in a more remote location.
And you don't earn the same at the beginning of your career compared to two decades later.

MolliciousIntent · 10/05/2022 08:55

I make £42k and my husband makes about £20k and for us that's plenty. My last promotion was a 7k jump and it left us feeling basically rich. We can afford holidays, Wine Society orders and bathroom upgrades. We don't have a vast amount of savings (not counting our current mat/parental leave buffer) and we do put some big things on CCs, but they're zero interest and we have a v reasonable repayment plan that is super manageable. In 3 years when we have no nursery fees, we'll be flush.

LifeInsideMyhead · 10/05/2022 08:57

I thought the median salary was around 30 too - I don't quite understand why the 50th centile is 24000 as I thought thay would be the same?

Do they count all the people doing zero hours contracts/low hours?

There are so many jobs sround here under 30 k that require qualifications/experience! (Most local govt ones working with care leavers/community development work/etc)

Oblomov22 · 10/05/2022 09:02

Depends, in the south £40k is good, perfectly reasonable. People forget that those earning top salaries eg £100k, they are the top 1% or 2%.