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The surprising amount of money Australians need to earn to be considered ‘rich’

Half of Aussies reckon earning more than $250,000 makes you rich

Melissa Woodley
Written by
Melissa Woodley
Travel & News Editor, Time Out Australia
Friends enjoying the spa on board the Ghost II Super Yacht.
Photograph: Destination NSW
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Living a ‘rich’ life comes down to more than just your bank balance – it’s about your health, happiness, safety, work-life balance and relationships, too. But if you’re looking to put a dollar value behind it, we’ve found some stats that might interest you.

Recently, news.com.au dropped the results of its Great Aussie Debate, where they surveyed more than 50,000 Australians on a range of spicy topics, ranging from compulsory voting and the cost of living to OnlyFans, the Melbourne Cup and whether shopping shoeless is gross. One question that particularly piqued our interest was the salary one needs to earn in 2025 to be considered rich.

Last year, the average full-time Aussie employee was making just over $100,000 annually, with the median salary at $67,600. But you’ll need to earn a whole lot more than that to be regarded as part of our nation’s most elite. According to the survey, 56 per cent of Aussies believe you need to earn more than $250,000 per year to qualify as rich. Another 20 per cent class those earning between $200,000 and $250,000 as rich, while only three per cent consider those with a salary of $80,000 to $100,000 as rich.

A salary above $250,000 was the top pick across every age group; however, it was most popular among the older generations, hinting that our idea of what counts as rich tends to climb with age.

Earlier this year, four Australian capital cities cracked the 2025 World’s Wealthiest Cities List – but you’ve got a long way to go from $250,000 if you want to contribute to our growing population of millionaires and billionaires. It does make us wonder how high the numbers might’ve climbed if the survey included income brackets beyond $250,000.

Want to see how your opinions stack up against the rest of the country on other juicy topics? You can check out the results of the Great Australian Debate here.

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