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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to know what you consider a good salary?

107 replies

Llanali · 02/02/2017 14:53

I'm relatively new to MN, and I keep seeing this phrase " XXX earns a good salary" so I am intrigued! What is a good salary ? £20k? 30k ? £100k?!

Is there an official guide to such definitions somewhere? I wouldn't ask my friends or family a personal question such as their salary, so the idea of what is good isn't one I have really considered.

OP posts:
sandgrown · 02/02/2017 15:55

That's really great Astoria I am.impressed but do you save to the exclusion of having some fun? Would it be rude to ask what you are saving for?

BarbaraofSeville · 02/02/2017 15:57

I think no matter what you earn, you struggle. I literally know people on a joint income of £400k +++ who struggle with mortgage and private school fees

Statements like that are ridiculous and a total insult to the 99+% of people who don't earn that sort of money.

If you choose to spend all your money and then some on the most expensive option for housing, schools, cars, etc there is no way on earth that you can ever claim to be 'struggling' when plenty of people can live perfectly well on a tenth of that income.

seasidesally · 02/02/2017 15:58

agree it's subjective,also imo depends on your outgoings really

example= i dont work due to illness but my income that is not taxed ends up at £1896 every 4wks or £474 weekly.thats for me and 2 dependents

i am mortgage free and no childcare and some other help,eg free bus pass etc

so to me we have a good standard of living and do not struggle at all

but some would struggle on it and others could live very well

personally i would say an average salary would be 20k but i know on here many would be shocked at that

MGFM · 02/02/2017 16:00

Astoria - I was wandering the same - what is the point of always saving and being frugal? Surely you want to have some fun? I earn 47k in the south and I have always thought it was average to be honest. But mortgage and childcare when I go back to
Work in a few months will eat up one entire wage.

GeordieShorefg · 02/02/2017 16:01

Mumsnet is fairly middle class

Bollocks

maggiethemagpie · 02/02/2017 16:06

Anyone earning 10k more than me!

KathArtic · 02/02/2017 16:07

This was an interesting thread about what jobs would bring home £11k a month.

mambono5 · 02/02/2017 16:13

anyone paying higher rate tax

Hmm

a tad simplistic?

OrchidaceousRose · 02/02/2017 16:16

Something like 30% of the price of a two/three bed home within a 45 minute commute of main workplace. Can be a flat rather than a house though.

I say 45 minutes rather than an hour, because in my experience a 45 minute commute can easily become an hour and an hour commute can easily become 1.5 hours.

Gorgeousblonde · 02/02/2017 16:23

Six figures, anything less I don't consider a good salary.

Lazyafternoon · 02/02/2017 16:33

Completely subjective. It's whatever you feel comfortable with. There's a huge North/South divide too. A London salary can't really be compared to a Northern England salary for example. Here in London suburbs cost of living is really high - a 2 terrace house on a desirable road is about £400k plus, so about £24k/year in mortgage repayments? Then travel card is about £2.5k/year. If you've got kids nursery fees are about £70/day so that's about £17k/year. You need a big salary to cover it!

For us I would say DH has a good salary. But I know we have a significantly lower income than friends who struggle due to bigger houses/mortgages, bought later than us (we were lucky to buy when house prices and mortgages were low), having two cars (we make do with one), having more exotic holidays than us etc. However, I feel we live very comfortably within our means.

FlouncingInAWinterWonderland · 02/02/2017 16:36

A good salary to me is having 20%+ spare after accommodation, food and basic necessary overheads. It means there's something to save and something to allow a bit of choice/ indulgence. Having that savings pot means that when things happen like boilers go, cars give up, you have the power of cash in your pocket to get best price on a replacement. On the luxuries side it means if you see an amazing offer you can go for it.

2014newme · 02/02/2017 16:39

£50k is decent as long as one partner earned more but I think the UK average is £26.5k so by definition anything above that is above average

Purplebluebird · 02/02/2017 16:49

For me, £30k would be a good salary for the next 5-10 years. When I am a senior at my profession, I would expect £40-45k at least. My other half works in something that is not relevant to his bachelor degree, and earns likewise a low salary. I'm at home with little one now so earn nothing! I hope to start at £20k when I start work, because I will be in a graduate or junior position. We live in SE England, and would be classes somewhere between working class and middle class, I would say, if that's relevant!

BitchQueen90 · 02/02/2017 17:04

My exH earns almost £40k which is a very good salary where I live. My salary is peanuts but with WTC plus child maintenance from ex I have about £20k a year and I live comfortably, enough money for holidays and treats.

amusedbush · 02/02/2017 17:05

I'm a uni administrator on ~£22k, would like to be on closer to £30k in the next ten years. I'm not looking for tonnes of money and the responsibility that comes with it, I just want to be comfortable.

I'm in Glasgow so house prices are pretty low too.

GoesDownLikeACupOfColdSick · 02/02/2017 17:07

Over £100,000.

But I live in Central London and work in the City, and my living costs reflect this. If I moved back up north, I would say over £60,000.

PNGirl · 02/02/2017 17:14

Depends. I'm from Yorkshire where the amount to aim for/middle management wage would be probably 30k. I now live in the South West which is also quite cheap and our household income of 55k means we feel pretty rich.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 02/02/2017 17:14

It's all a matter of opinion and circumstances, isn't it?

isseywithcats · 02/02/2017 17:15

my OH earns 47k a year i work part time and earn 6k a year and we live up north so for this area this is a very good salary between us and we dont struggle to pay any bills etc, but before we got together as a single person i existed on £700 a month of which £400 was rent so here you can survive just about on around £75 a week take home

budgetsbonus · 02/02/2017 17:16

for me, in my location and with housing prices for a "better area", not the best area, i would say a gross income of £120k. in my old home town in a normal relatively prosperous town in the north west, probably £80k.

TheCatsMother99 · 02/02/2017 17:30

To me, a good salary is when you easily fit in to the comfortably off bracket. So that'd depend on your area and living costs.

Where I live, just outside London, a good salary to me is above something like 50 or 60k.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 02/02/2017 17:31

30k

Sung · 02/02/2017 17:43

Depends on where you live, your age, social circle, context and what you/your partner earns really.

Anything from your age e.g. age 35 so £35K at the bottom end of 'good salary' up to £150K+ depending on the context. I wouldn't think a 100K salary was particularly good for a 45 year old whose partner was a SAHP with three kids in London for example.

JenniferYellowHat1980 · 02/02/2017 17:53

I hate these threads. I left teaching as I couldn't take the behaviour any longer. I used to be on £37k which was a great salary. Now I'm on less than half, and that's pro-rata, and it makes me question my decision every day. Still, I know I can't teach until I'm pushing 70 so it makes some sense to take the hit now.