How Much You Need to Earn to Be Considered ‘Rich’ in Australia in 2026

Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 17:01
Last edited 20/04/2026 - 21:56 by 2 other users

So our friends at news.com.au completed a survey on what different 'generations' think is 'rich' - i hate the term 'rich' for income because wealth is actually what makes someone feel 'rich' not income - ie you can have 10million in assets but only draw a 80k salary from said assets but regardless it is always a 'fun' discussion

https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/salary/exactly-how-muc…

To be considered rich in Australia in 2026, you generally need to be earning well above $200,000 a year, with the threshold varying slightly by state and household type. The top 10% of income earners typically start around $180k–$220k, while the top 5% push closer to $250k+.

  1. The income needed to be in the top 10%

    • Across Australia, the top 10% of earners generally start around $190k–$200k+.
    • In NSW and Victoria, the threshold is slightly higher due to higher average wages and cost of living.

  2. The income needed to be in the top 5%

    • The top 5% of earners typically start around $250k–$300k.
    • Dual‑income households can reach this bracket more easily than single earners.

  3. Why the “rich” threshold keeps rising
    The article points to:

    • Wage growth in high‑income sectors (finance, tech, mining, professional services).
    • Inflation pushing up nominal incomes.
    • A widening gap between median earners and top earners.

  4. How Australians feel about what counts as rich
    Surveys show:

    • Many Australians don’t feel “rich” until earning $300k+, even though statistically they are already in the top 5%.
    • Cost‑of‑living pressures distort perceptions — especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

    where most Australians actually sit

    • Median full‑time earnings in Australia are roughly $97k–$100k.
    • That means someone earning $200k is already earning double the median income.
    • Only a small minority of workers ever reach the $200k+ bracket.

Poll: what income would you consider someone rich?

Poll Options

  • 13
    50,000-100,000
  • 4
    100,001-150,000
  • 25
    150,001-200,000
  • 96
    200,001-250,000
  • 24
    250,001-300,000
  • 165
    300,001-350,000
  • 5
    350,001-400,000
  • 16
    400,000-500,000
  • 22
    500,001-600,000
  • 177
    600,001<
Financial

Comments

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  • FireRunner on 20/04/2026 - 17:20
    +84

    Thanks Mr. LLM for another riveting post

    • rumblytangara on 22/04/2026 - 22:05
      +1

      Even the original article was probably machine-written. It was fckn garbage and all over the place. It munged together the ideas of single vs household incomes, which is incredibly confusing and has massive tax differences.

      On second thoughts, it was so badly written that maybe it was a real human.

    • borrisz0r on 21/04/2026 - 21:47

      Even with 50+ upvotes, this post is underrated

      • pegaxs on 21/04/2026 - 11:45
        +35

        How about you just come up with something original that you didn't just scrape out of the arsehole of some AI enshitifcation bot.

        And while you're at it, don't quote Murdoch media propaganda machines as any type of source on anything, ever. It's basically just a right wing ragebait factory.

        • tenpercent on 21/04/2026 - 11:49
          +7

          ragebait factory

          It worked, hey?

        • R4 on 21/04/2026 - 15:00
          -5

          bit like The Guardian for the left

          • whiskeyjack89 on 22/04/2026 - 10:40
            +5

            @R4: Yeah but the guardian lies a whoooole loss less

            • R4 on 22/04/2026 - 11:16
              -2

              @whiskeyjack89: Disagree, they are all as bad as each other.

      • R4 on 21/04/2026 - 21:40

        Good idea

  • wannagrababargain on 20/04/2026 - 17:34
    +44

    Paid off mortgage = Rich

    • boomramada on 21/04/2026 - 07:28
      +8

      This is a good point, imagine you earn $300k per year, and you have a $3m mortgage plus sending your kiddies to $100k per year schools lol.

      Just as bad as someone earning $60k per year, living in a $2k per month rented apartment in a posh neighbourhood.

      Somehow I have met both, That's a look-rich but feeling poor category.

      • badjazy on 21/04/2026 - 19:03

        Huh… well I guess it is true. I always heard low earners can still beat out the higher earns, and you know what maybe to some degree its true if they spens like that.

    • LFO on 21/04/2026 - 10:17
      +3

      Paid off mortgage = Rich

      Paid off mortgage = Council rates Et al. + maintenance + improvements (hey! I live there) + outdoor/entertaining accessories = no longer Rich

      • Muppet Detector on 21/04/2026 - 15:10
        +2

        outdoor/entertaining accessories =

        That's what the BBQ in the public park is for.

      • onetwothreefour on 21/04/2026 - 11:14
        +1

        Well all other home owners have those expenses but also with a mortgage payment on top.

        • LFO on 22/04/2026 - 10:28

          So, slightly less/more "Rich" ???

          ;-]

    • Dr Phil on 21/04/2026 - 12:20
      +3

      Exactly!
      What is Rich is relative.

      Its about what unencumbered assets you have and where you want to be financially.

      Not about income.

    • SnoopX on 22/04/2026 - 17:50
      +1

      I've always said that when I pay my house off, I will feel like a millionaire….

    • Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 20:44

      Paid off mortgage = Rich

      what if you only have a house that you 'dont intend' to live in for the rest of you life? like a small house before the bigger house?

      • JIMB0 on 20/04/2026 - 22:48
        +2

        Get a big house to start with. Pay cash to be mortgage free. It's not rocket science.

        • tenpercent on 21/04/2026 - 11:49

          Step1: pull up boot straps.

          • Muppet Detector on 21/04/2026 - 13:08
            +1

            @tenpercent: Step 2: Stop ordering smashed avocado on toast.

          • JIMB0 on 21/04/2026 - 13:58
            +1

            @tenpercent: Step 3: Stop complaining and get to work.

            • Muppet Detector on 21/04/2026 - 15:07

              @JIMB0: Step 4: Get a second and third job if necessary, there are 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week for all 52 weeks of the year.

  • brendanm on 20/04/2026 - 17:53
    +15

    Doesn't even distinguish between personal and household income. Pretty dumb.

    • CommanderCrumbcake on 21/04/2026 - 09:01
      +3

      Agreed but it's a news.com.au article; so I don't expect them to understand nuance.

  • Parentheses on 20/04/2026 - 22:16
    +11

    There's a very simple test for 'rich', and it's been the test since hereditary wealth replaced hereditary titles as the main source of power - there are people who live based on the pay from their labour, and there are people who live based on the income generated from their capital and other assets. If you have to work for a living, you aren't rich.

    Consider that when people tell you to be annoyed about the people earning $200k or even $500k. Those people are an easy one to get angry about, but the people telling you to be angry about them don't work at all but still rake in 10x that just for sitting on their arses.

    • ssfps on 21/04/2026 - 18:19

      Good yardstick.

    • rumblytangara on 24/04/2026 - 10:56

      Um, you've just described social strata ideas generated at least a hundred and fifty years ago by Marx and others.

      • Parentheses on 24/04/2026 - 14:17
        +1

        Your point? I literally pointed out the fact this has been a known thing for ages.

  • ihbh on 20/04/2026 - 18:54
    +10

    The rich have a lot of assets, and relatively not much income; the poor probably have more income and pay more tax on it.

    • R4 on 21/04/2026 - 15:03
      +1

      Some rich people have a lot of assets AND a lot of income.

      A well established situation.

      • ihbh on 21/04/2026 - 18:36

        Nah, they're not rich compared to their asset base. The rich borrow against their assets to generate their income. A lot of income = a lot of tax.

    • Ade99 on 21/04/2026 - 09:45

      The way to go is with a "Buy, Borrow & Die" strategy…🤔

  • Nutrino on 20/04/2026 - 17:29
    +9

    are you happy?

    • Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 20:44

      are you happy?

      sure, are you?

  • jv on 20/04/2026 - 19:50
    +7

    600,001<

    What if you earn more ?

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 20/04/2026 - 20:19
    +6

    I make less money than most people here, but spend 80% of the year travelling the world. I am pretty broke financially, but I do what I love doing, mostly on my own terms, most of the time. If poop hits the fan, I can always come back - apply for housing, get onto a benefit and have the last miserable years of life in care. But while I am young (ahem, mid-life more like it) and healthy, I get to do what I like and that pleases me.

    • AUBRX on 22/04/2026 - 09:44
      +2

      How do you afford to travel the world if you aren't making as much as "most people here"

    • Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 20:20
      +1

      fair enough man - good on you bro

    • kiitos on 21/04/2026 - 17:39

      Rich in other ways!

    • movieman on 24/04/2026 - 10:27

      Favourite regions / countries?

      How do you go about spending in the more expensive countries?

  • Cluster on 20/04/2026 - 20:26
    +6

    Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. It can only make you miserable. Someone will always have more money, a bigger house, a house closer to the CBD, a fancier car, flashier holidays, etc.

    The real question is: Are you happy?

    • Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 20:28

      Its not comparing its an article on the online newspaper from a survey of what people of different generations think is 'rich'

      it is always interesting to see how different generations perceive the world

      The real question is: Are you happy?

      sure, why wouldnt I be?

  • DingoBilly on 21/04/2026 - 08:53
    +5

    My friends earn $500k a year. They're living paycheck to paycheck. They buy thousands of garbage every fortnight.

    Income is a shit predictor. You could be earning $0 a year and be rich.

    • whiskeyjack89 on 22/04/2026 - 10:49
      +2

      I think your friends still counts as rich. They just live rich too.

      But you're right, income is a sit predictor.

    • Nillionaire on 24/04/2026 - 09:12

      thousands of garbage every fortnight

      like what?

  • skillet on 21/04/2026 - 14:01
    +5

    Anyone who live to 85+, able to walk like normal person, sleeps more than 6 hours a day, no problem feeding him/herself, can push a shopping trolley, can chat for more than 15 minutes on a single topic, that my friend is a very wealthy person.

    • ssfps on 21/04/2026 - 18:16

      What if that healthy and social person is also a hardcore racist?

      • Muppet Detector on 21/04/2026 - 18:19
        +3

        They may not need to worry about their wealth at 86.

  • djsweet on 21/04/2026 - 14:51
    +5

    If I had paid off my mortgage I’d feel rich on my current income.

  • Leeroy Jenkins on 23/04/2026 - 10:09
    +5

    Comparing income is a peasant's game, and they know what peasants need psychologically, hence this article. I'm a peasant too, but I'm not interested in this game they want to plant in our head.

    • whyisave on 23/04/2026 - 13:55

      The news is there to demoralize you and push corporate agendas.

      These people, happen to be un-elected, but can control your eyes and ears, along with shaping your thoughts, by choosing the words you need to think in.

      Even more so, by calling the section 'Business", and without a section called "Worker".

      .

    • horseshoe on 24/04/2026 - 07:38

      I'm never going to resent a person who earn a lot of money by actually working, be they a doctor, lawyer, a tradie, or a FIFO miner. These kinds of income games about what's considered rich are there to divide and distract us from ones who generate vast amounts of income without doing a thing.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/04/2026 - 19:30
    +4

    Where is that n3ckentryb0rtgasm person when you need them

  • Hangryuman on 21/04/2026 - 09:21
    +4

    I'm always bemused that 'rich' is associated with high income - which might stop tomorrow if you got hit by a bus. So I don't care about 'rich' - I'd rather be 'wealthy'.

    AI: "Being rich is defined by a high income and high spending on luxury, often maintaining a lavish lifestyle through active work. Wealthy refers to having significant assets (investments, property) that generate passive income, providing long-term financial freedom and security without needing to work. Rich is what you spend; wealthy is what you keep."

    Also AI: 'The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least" is a famous maxim, often attributed to Socrates or as an Arab proverb. It emphasizes that true wealth is found in contentment and minimal desires rather than the accumulation of possessions. This mindset fosters freedom, gratitude, and peace of mind over material consumption …

    Key Aspects of the Philosophy:

    True Wealth vs. Net Worth: The proverb redefines wealth as a mental state of having "enough," rather than a high bank balance.

    Freedom from Consumption: It suggests that desiring less brings more freedom, as one is not enslaved by the pursuit of more money or material goods.

    Stoic Perspective: Similar to teachings from Seneca, it argues that wealth is found in the absence of desire, not in the abundance of possessions.

    Contentment as Security: Many people "need" more than they have, creating a cycle of dissatisfaction, whereas true contentment reduces this dependency.

    "Rich in Simplicity": True richness comes from being content with less, which brings mental peace and independence from the need for external validation"'

  • Muppet Detector on 20/04/2026 - 19:02
    +3

    wealth is actually what makes someone feel 'rich' not income -

    You just made that up.

  • Benoffie on 21/04/2026 - 01:09
    +3

    Having a high income isnt a determination of rich.

    It doesnt factor in debt or wealth. Having previously lived in a 'rich' area, I can attest to the ridiculous levels of debt people carry for those lifestyles. Even with $200k incomes.

    • Checkmate3023 on 21/04/2026 - 07:46
      +2

      It doesnt factor in debt or wealth. Having previously lived in a 'rich' area, I can attest to the ridiculous levels of debt people carry for those lifestyles. Even with $200k incomes.

      i do agree with this, although i dont think a 200k income is a big wage to me thats kind of average if you live in the big cities given how expensives everything is

    • R4 on 21/04/2026 - 15:10
      +1

      I spent 10 years in the UK and for a lot of that time lived in a very wealthy, beautiful village in commuter belt Surrey. While there were heaps of genuinely wealthy people living there, there were also loads of people living as you described - a shockingly large amount. These people were also the most snobbish and up themselves people you could ever meet. The really wealthy people were the most down to earth folk. A real eye opener.

      • Hangryuman on 23/04/2026 - 11:38
        +4

        Agreed - I learned this working as a real estate salesman.

        I used to teach - 'a jewellery store in Chinatown with people in very nice suits sitting behind the counter, while a guy in shorts and a t-shirt is sweeping the steps outside - who is that guy ?'

        Most young adults would guess 'the cleaner … ?'

        Only one older guy said straight out, 'the owner!' Why? Because the low-wage staff inside are paid to do a particular job, and will tend to avoid doing anything outside that role. The owner cares about the whole business and will pick up a broom to clean up the entrance.

        I saw this yesterday - at our regular lunch restaurant, I accidentally knocked over a full cup of water on our table, and the water spread over the floor. The manager, a friend of ours, quickly dashed off to get some paper towels to soak it up, wiped the floor, and then went and brought me a fresh full cup of water.

        Real estate salesmen in shiny suits driving shiny new cars were typically in debt with a net worth of minus $Xk.

        The richest people I met walked around in nondescript shorts and shirts.

        So I saw an inverse relationship between wealth and the appearance of wealth.

        I've seen videos of China 'influencers' purporting to live very rich lifestyles while actually living in abject poverty.

    • SoapyWooder on 21/04/2026 - 05:56

      Examples?

  • Sunshines bright on 21/04/2026 - 07:26
    +3

    I have more money than debt and I feel rich for it!

  • fl360 on 21/04/2026 - 14:01
    +3

    Own a standalone house and no need to pay strata fee = rich.

    • Bunnyburger on 22/04/2026 - 11:33
      +1

      F strata, it' a bloody rort with all those commissions and conflicts of interest

  • Kelvinator on 23/04/2026 - 22:50
    +3

    When you are content with what you have

  • Drakesy on 20/04/2026 - 18:15
    +2

    The income needed to be in the top 10%
    Across Australia, the top 10% of earners generally start around $190k–$200k+.
    In NSW and Victoria, the threshold is slightly higher due to higher average wages and cost of living.

    Well thats false.

    At $162k you're sitting in the ninety-first percentile (my previous salary)

    Do better news.

    • thors_hammer on 20/04/2026 - 20:22
      +3

      https://grattan.edu.au/news/what-do-australians-earn-and-own…

      "The top tax bracket kicks in at $190,000 a year and is often cited as shorthand for high income. But just 4.4 per cent of taxpayers had a taxable income that high in 2021-22."

      in 2026 that % would be a little bigger.

      • Ade99 on 21/04/2026 - 09:43
        +2

        Income vs taxable income are often Worlds apart, especially as most people are not PAYE at that level. 🤔

    • Naigrabzo on 21/04/2026 - 09:09

      162 before tax?

      • Drakesy on 21/04/2026 - 10:35

        yep

        • badjazy on 21/04/2026 - 19:07
          -6

          You probably dont need to be on ozbargain with that salary.

          • Drakesy on 22/04/2026 - 12:39
            +2

            @badjazy: i think it's more a mindset, i was brought up frugal throughout childhood and university and made sure lifestyle creep didn't get the better of me.
            Now have a house and couldn't be happier.

            • pr0k on 04/05/2026 - 23:15

              @Drakesy: Once you've won "the game", the challenge is in relaxing and allowing yourself to enjoy freedom from worry. The traits and habits that served you well when you were on the treadmill can potentially hold you back later on.

          • Muppet Detector on 21/04/2026 - 19:22
            +1

            @badjazy: He might not need to, but maybe he wants to be on OzBargain.

            And you have no idea what financial commitments or responsibilities anybody has regardless of how wealthy you perceive them to be.

    • Checkmate3023 on 20/04/2026 - 20:43
      -3

      At $162k you're sitting in the ninety-first percentile (my previous salary)

      good on you bro!

  • bulletmark on 21/04/2026 - 08:30
    +2

    This post and poll are flawed because it equates being rich as only determined by income. Assets (minus liabilities and expenses) must also be considered.

  • Odin on 21/04/2026 - 10:07
    +2

    500k family income, or >$10M assets is the threshold of rich

    Anything below is just middle class these days.

    • Naigrabzo on 21/04/2026 - 11:28
      +3

      Plus good passive income also…. Working for money is too old school.

  • ssfps on 21/04/2026 - 18:14
    +2

    TIL all these global tech CEOs on $1 salaries aren't rich.

  • Brianqpr on 21/04/2026 - 22:00
    +2

    Your health is your wealth. All the money in the world won't help if you can't get out of bed.

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