To wonder what a ‘good wage’ is?

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Not really an AIBU but something I’ve been pondering on, and posting here for traffic and opinions.

I often see people mentioning that someone earns ‘a good wage’ or indeed a high wage, but what that means in practice is clearly dependent on many factors, not least the area someone lives in but also their dependents.

I work in an industry where I talk to people on very high wages all the time about their jobs, which I think skews my view of what’s normal. I was involved in a discussion in another forum recently where it was mentioned the average salary at the moment is £27,000. Of course this is a mean average, skewed by a few very high salaries, and most people are below that. But many people were commenting that they didn’t know anyone who earned that much and had never earned anywhere near that themselves.

I’ve also been fascinated by this calculator from the Institute of Fiscal Studies that shows where households fall in the stratification of the country www.ifs.org.uk/wheredoyoufitin/
I think a lot of people would be surprised by it. When DP and I each earned the average salary (no kids) we were still in the top 25/30% ish of households which seems mad, and we live in an expensive area.

I’m wondering - what do you think a ‘good wage’ is, and at one point does something become a high wage?

“Londoners get a MUCH better deal than the rest of the country on public transport.
Free bus fares for kids
and the actual existence of buses
to take two examples”

Totally agree, in fact, excepting the massive jump in property prices, and I would guess childcare and school fees are greatly inflated (I appreciate from reading here, that in some boroughs public school is a virtual necessity, rather than the luxury we may see it), is anything else actually particularly more expensive in London, than another comparative large city, e.g. Birmingham?

I ask out of interest, not argument, as I recognise that these 3 matters above will be most people’s biggest expenditures, regardless of whether everything else balances out.

@midnightmooch I'm from Northern Ireland and wages are a lot less than in England. As are House prices! I'm buying a large 3 bedroom for 72k! I would say the same house in England would could double! (From watching shows like Home under the hammer, location location location etc)

Talking - My parents recently moved from London to Kent and we have the the same conversations. Apart from housing - which didn't affect my parents or most people we know living there because they bought ages ago - it's much cheaper in London.

We pay £6k a year for DH's season ticket. But we would never afford a house in London like we have here, so we think it's worth it.

Depends where in England dwangela!

Indeed Isa. Round here a small 2.5 bedroom house with no garden is £350k

I bought my house for £60k (I believe its currently worth £325k)
I cannot afford to move so current prices are only a worry for the rich.
I look at the services I get where I live as I cannot afford to move

Therefore

• decent public transport everywhere
• decent schools everywhere
• decent infrastructure everywhere

are much more a priority

Where I live in South East England the majority of people I know would suggest that anything over £100k would be a good wage (without bonus’) I realise this is quite a bit above the average wage but a lot of these people are City Workers and as such have city wages!

And the flip side being, there are places in England where a 3 bed would rush you less than 70k.

Yes exactly, the wages often reflect the cost of living in these areas.
Where I live a 3 bed-semi is upward of £600k

Holly
the majority of people I know ... anything over £100k would be a good wage
So you do not know any teachers or nurses or childminders or nannies or delivery drivers or shop assistants or hairdressers or gardeners or farm workers or builders or plumbers or carpenters?
Really?
Or do you just blank out of your perspective everybody below you on the financial ladder ?

holly102
Yes exactly, the wages often reflect the cost of living in these areas.
Utter bollocks.
The median wage in London is £23,000
In the south east it is lower.
You live in a rich bubble of your own blinkered making.

Decent 50k, good is 100-150k

I don’t know anyone living in London earning over 60k. Most people I know living there earn between 20-40k. They are carers, builders, admin staff, teachers etc. They either bought homes ages ago or rent. When I lived there I earned 13k for 1 yr. Then 15k in my first ‘grad’ job for 3 years, then 12k as a TA, then worked up to my peak earning of 38k over the next 4 years. When I earned that I was earning more than any of my friends.

Meant to say the 13k was 2003.

Holy, the person that works in the deli in the city, that serves these 100k city types, they work in the same location but for min wage. So it's not just location, you could move canary wharf to Scunthorpe the salaries wouldn't change, just these city types would have more disposable income due to cost of living primarily housing.
Good wage means different things to different people, 20 something to 50 something, empty nesters, family of 7, London or old northern industrial town and lots in between. A good wage in my early years was having enough for a beer or two the night before pay day. Now it's been able to afford for our boys do the Activities they enjoy, good family holidays, been able to go on school holidays, meals out and day trips, having their own bedroom and living in an area we feel safe all this without going into to debt. We have a household income of about £90k we live comfortably up north.

My friend used to work In Harrods and people would make jokes about her being rich. She got the same pay as all shop workers, something just above nmw.

talkinpeace
Of course I know people in these professions but I was discussing what people would consider a good salary. Things are expensive where I live and as such you could call it a bubble and I am willing to accept that. I gave an opinion on where I am based, which I believe is what the question wanted.

The town where I live a lot of people (who I know) are earning more than the 100k. It only takes 3 DC to be attending an independent school and that would set you back around £60k and since in my town there is only one state secondary school which has mediocre at best results people often decide independent is the way to go (there are 4 extremely well regarded secondary’s in the town) hence these people have to be earning well to afford this.

My friend's son got a job in retail in London, he started on £34k/year plus bonus. Not bad for a first job!

Holly
What you actually wrote was
the majority of people I know

And The town where I live a lot of people (who I know) are earning more than the 100k.
Indeed, but all of the teachers and cleaners and shop staff and petrol station attendants earn
a lot less than £100k
In fact I think you are probably deluded about the number of high earners because according to the statistics there really are not that many of them
admittedly their wives all post on MN

I clearly have a different idea of this than most people, I would consider anything £30k+ to be a good wage, I'd be very comfortable on that but I think this so much depends on where you live.

How do people find it so hard to believe that half of the country earn less than 19k? How much do you think shop assistants, cleaners and teaching assistants get paid? All of those people will earn less than 19k.

It's sad that people don't seem to realise how little some people earn. Most people that I know from my hometown earn minimum wage, so around 13-16k

A good wage to me would be 25k+

I didn’t realise this thread was about the average salary. I don’t know the shop assistant personally but I would say my friends (mainly through my DCs school) do have high wages but where I live I do believe you need them. It may just be I live in a very fortunate bubble but I was just giving my thoughts to the thread.

Also don’t forget taxes are very high!!!

My friend's son got a job in retail in London, he started on £34k/year plus bonus. Not bad for a first job

What actual working in a shop? Unless he was an Aldi manager where they will work you to death for that £34k plus bonus he would not have been representative of the typical retail worker (or fast food, coffee shop, restaurant etc) the vast majority of whom will be on £8/9 an hour at most, maybe slightly more if they are the store manager.

It's also sad that there are people that don't seem to realise that independent school fees are not a normal basic essential of everyday life, but a luxury that is as unaffordable to most people as ferraris, yachts or rockets to the moon.

Education is not a luxury. When the government is unable to support every child independent schools fill the gap. If they weren’t around state schools would be even more stretched.