In Australia, a household income over $300k places you well into the higher income brackets, with the top 1% of households earning over $531,000 as of early 2025, meaning a significant, but not majority, portion of households earn above $300k, representing a substantial income level. While exact numbers vary by data source and year, this income puts you far above the median household income (around $92,856) and comfortably in the top tier of earners, though precise counts are hard to pin down due to varying definitions of "family" and data collection methods.
In 2022 the median income in Australia was $65,000 a year according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Anyone making less than this amount would be considered working class. Anyone making more than $137,000 falls in the top 10% which is considered upper class.
Is $300,000 a Year Considered Rich? Given that the average salary in the U.S. is about 21% of $300,000, yes, many would consider someone earning $300,000 per year by themselves to be rich. However, in most states, you'd need to make substantially more than $300,000 per year to be in the top 1% of earners.
There aren't many of them, just 110,613 — 82,258 men and 28,355 women. Only 39,209 have taxable incomes of more than $500,000, and of these only 14,467 have taxable incomes of more than $1 million.
Around 80,000 Australians had over $2 million in superannuation as of 2019-2020 data, with estimates suggesting this number might be higher now due to asset growth, potentially affecting around 80,000 people with balances over $3 million by 2025. While most with high balances are older, some young individuals (under 30) also hold over $2 million in super.
The average Australia needs to earn nearly $400,000 a year to feel rich, which is a 'far cry' from what the average person is actually putting away. For many Australians, earning a six-figure salary used to mean you had “made it” and were well-off in your career.
But how people define “upper class” differs. Some say you'd need to be making twice the median income, or around $167,460. Even more elite are those who find themselves in the top 5 percent of earners. In the U.S., you'd need to be making about $336,000 to find yourself in the top 5 percent, according to Census data.
Life satisfaction is a broader concept; it's whether we think we're living a good life and are satisfied with our life circumstances overall. Kahneman and Deaton found that happiness increased with income, but only to a point — there was no further progress beyond about $75,000 ($108,000 in today's dollars).
But $1 million no longer makes you 'affluent,' defined as being in the top 10% of U.S. households. Now it requires a net worth of at least $1.8 million or an annual income of $210,000.
Assuming long-term market returns stay more or less the same, the Rule of 72 tells us that you should be able to double your money every 7.2 years. So, after 7.2 years have passed, you'll have $200,000; after 14.4 years, $400,000; after 21.6 years, $800,000; and after 28.8 years, $1.6 million.
$1 Million in Liquid Assets
Tree also emphasized that if you want to be perceived as wealthy, you may need to have a net worth of $2 to $3 million due to the high cost of living. At this level, you may have the funds to make purchases that others can't afford.
Adding some of these habits into your daily routine might help you get on track to becoming an everyday millionaire yourself!
Jobs paying $500k+ in Australia are primarily in highly specialized fields like Medical Specialists (surgeons, anaesthetists), Senior Finance/Executive Roles (CFO, Head of Treasury, Investment Directors), and high-end Sales & Construction Management (Elite Stockbrokers, Senior Project Managers/Estimators in complex sectors). While roles like Neurosurgeon and Ophthalmologist average well over $500k, achieving this in other sectors often involves performance-based bonuses or leading major projects, with opportunities listed on job boards like SEEK and Jora.
Yes, $600,000 can be enough to retire at 60 in Australia for many, especially if you're a single person aiming for a comfortable lifestyle, but it depends heavily on your spending, assets, and eligibility for the Age Pension. While some sources suggest $600k covers a single's comfortable retirement (around $52k-$53k/year), it's near the lower end, and couples might need closer to $700k for a similar standard, making financial planning crucial for a stress-free retirement.
What Is Considered High-Net-Worth in Australia? In most professional circles, a high net worth individual is defined as someone with over $1 million AUD in investable assets, excluding the family home. Under the Corporations Act 2001 (s.
International data on wellbeing from over 150 countries provides insights into the relationship between income and happiness. For individual people the picture is clear – other things equal, richer people report higher wellbeing on average than poorer people.
Top earners across the United States earn nearly least six figures, with an average income of over $99,971 for those in the top 10% in 2022. Earners in the top 1% need to make $1 million annually in states like California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.
What Is the Number One Predictor of Happiness? The Harvard study, having spanned over 80 years and multiple generations, clearly recognizes good relationships as the most significant predictor of overall happiness, life satisfaction, and wellbeing (Waldinger & Schulz, 2023).
Here's a wealth class framework described by Bo Hanson, CFA, CFP® that breaks out 5 groups by net worth: the bottom 25%, the lower middle class, upper middle class, upper class, and the wealthiest 10%.
A: Generally, a net worth of $2 million to $4 million is considered upper class for Australians in their 30s, depending on income and assets.
While exact real-time figures vary, estimates from around 2025 suggest approximately 400,000 to over 500,000 Australians held over $1 million in superannuation, with about 2.5% of the population reaching this milestone as of mid-2021, a figure that has likely grown with strong investment returns, though many more hold significant balances and millions are projected to reach this goal by retirement, especially men.
The LGT Wealth Management/Investment Trends 2025 State of Wealth report defines “high net worth” Australians as those with at least $1 million in investible assets excluding any debt, their home, their business (if they own one) and their superannuation (unless it is in a self-managed super fund).
According to a Pew Research Center analysis, you're in the American middle class if you earn between two-thirds and double the national median household income in the United States. That would mean a middle-class income ranges between $56,600 and $169,800. Keep in mind that this can vary widely based on your location.