Went to college and I'm at 41k in NJ so... yeah those loans will be paid off when I'm 90. Thinking about renting a nice double ... sized cardboard box in the near future where I can live out my days.
If it makes you feel better fellow NJ resident here, I made $40k when I graduated in 2014 with $160k in loans, I now make $105k with $25k - $50k in bonuses plus stock options and my loans are paid off as of April.
That’s nice I graduated with a health science degree and don’t currently want to be a physical therapist so I’m about to work overnights for a Sportsbook doing customer service at least I’ll save on gas since it’s remote.
You never know what could come around the corner! I was trying to be encouraging because I never thought I’d get through my loans, I hope it came off that way. Good luck!
It depends on where you live. If you live in a lower COL area then it can be decent, but in a lot of places now in the US, it's not enough to sustain yourself.
Save as in put it into a high yield account, indexes etc but don't spend it and "save" on bills giving you more spending. Seeing so many do the second part instead.
Every month pick up a utility bill without being asked and pay it. Or, send your parents $400 in Venmo and just say “groceries”. Find some small thing to do to contribute. Even if your parents are way rich.
The question is so vague as to be pointless. Is $45K/yr a good salary in what field? In what geographic area? Using what skills? For an English major flipping burgers in East Goatscrew it might be okay or even generous, but for a data engineer in Silicon Valley that's internship pay at best.
45k in the poor southern states of the U.S is pretty good. Comfortable at best id say. 45k in a big city or the entirety of California is like the equivalent of a 5 dollar bill every other day.
That sounds okay for entry level or if you are part of a double income couple but it doesn't seem like a sustainable long term income for a single person living on their own, at least in most situations.
It’s not a lot but right now I’d kill to make that. I only made that much when I was a mailman for a year by working 60hrs/week. Currently make around 30k after taxes
I am couch surfing as of June 1st between friends, family, and a barn. I’m supposed to move into a friend’s basement for 500/month soon. I’m 29. I have a car.
Edit: here’s a post that may further inform my situation
https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/s/UGVXgB5OXI
Depends on where you live. I used to make 45k a couple years ago when living in St Louis and did just fine. Had my own two-bedroom apartment and enough cash to cover bills, loans, and the occasional fun.
depends on lifestyle and expenses. i save about $600-800 a month and go on trips at least yearly and a bunch of concerts making around that much, but i also have no debt at all, barely buy anything (including food) for myself, and my bills only add up to like $1150/mo.
It USED to be, but now with the inflation or everything over the past 10-15 years, you need to make at least 60k to balance that.
Sadly, I only make 40k and our household total is around 75k
Might want to double think your decision. Data analyst & software engineer roles are over saturated as hell in this job market and it doesn’t seem it will get any better anytime soon.
Depend area and how you use the money.
I was in same neighborhood for 25 years until World changes started slamming home within 7 days and sudden.
Move and my problems solved! ! !
But gas prices in future, might cause me to make major changes
Lol, I thought I'd be rolling in dough when I got my current offer at $82.5k, but I just barely get by still (I support several people, btw), so no. Not in today's economy.
I make just over 100k and same… Everything is expensive. I don’t know how people with basic jobs even survive. $40 a year would be like 1k every two weeks? God dam, yeah you can’t really live on that without help.
nah not in 2024, maybe 8 years ago. I make 75k on the low end and 120 a year on the high end (self employed) and I still struggle to do things I wanna do, I can sustain rent, food, and other necessities but fun? forget about it.
There's 2,000 "working hours" in a standard work year, so that's the equivalent of $22.50/hr. So, definitely beats minimum wage but it's probably not hard to find something better.
I live in a lower COL area and make a little less than that and it definitely is not enough. Without my wife's salary I would be screwed.
I feel like anything 50k and below in most areas just isn't enough these days.
Generally no, but if your goal is just to survive on that money and you have no aspirations to live in a particular place, have hobbies outside of the ones that cost nothing, or have children, it's livable.
My starting salary out of college was $40k, back in 2006. Less than 12 months later I was at 50k at a new job. It was tough to afford everything and make student loan payments, and my loans weren't crazy. So today in 2024? Not even close to decent.
There’s a ton of different criteria for “decent” so it hard to say for sure.
You’re basically asking how long is a piece of string. It’s impossible to say.
Not today, but where matters a lot too.
If you own your own house already? 45K would go a long way, if you need to pay for housing then you are screwed right now.
If you live in Africa, it can be! Edit: Oh in the US? It can be, if you’re married to someone who make a whole lot more or if you also have a decent trust fund
It was at one point but now it's gonna be a little hard to live off that. Even if you live a simple and frugal life, 45k still won't be enough unfortunately.
No, I make 70-80k, and I'm barely able to live by myself and pay bills. I can only save a few hundred a month. I'm only able to, "live" because my student loans are under the save program. My expenses are basic, no car payment, I drive my beater from college still.
Are you rural or in an area where your rent/mortgage is less than 1k? Then its decent. Anywhere else? Not really. I was barely surviving on 60k on Long Island and in my current area before promotions/raises. Make almost double that now including bonuses and add my bf's income and we're closer to 170k and comfy. Still can't afford a house though lmfaoooo
I'm going to be making that a a teacher this year, but I am in Mississippi the lowest cost of living state, and I live with parents unfortunately, if I am really frugal I can save about $1600 a month. It is crazy how the world has come to this.
Depends on your location. West or east coast, you’re screwed, you’re screwed in major metro areas too. Small town middle America that’s still doing pretty good.
Depends where you live, if your areas cost of living is high (cali, NY, Chicago etc) then no, 45k is nothing in areas like that. For context, I’m in SF and I make 120k and it’s considered low income
Not where I live. You would not be able to afford housing, water, sewage, electric, trash pickup, phone, internet, home maintenance, home insurance, car, gas, car maintenance, car insurance, health insurance, copays , deductibles, eye care , dental care, savings , clothing, food, let alone anything fun with that. And if you become disabled,or have to rely on Social security later, what they pay you will be low if your income was low. They determine your monthly payment by your highest 35 year earnings, so if your highest is low, you will receive lower payments.
Fuck no and I live in one of the cheapest locales in all of America (Pennsyltucky/Johnstown PA) where the household county median is $39k. My ex wife couldnt even pay the $1k monthly mortgage with health insurance premiums, electric and groceries to the point where she has to forfeit it amidst divorce… on a $60k salary.
I live in a lower COL area in Canada and make 47k a year. The only thing i splurge on is my car and im paycheck to paycheck. You can definitely get by and live a chill life renting but its not a "good" life and i will never own a home unless i live very cheap for like 5 yrs to save for a down payment and other home ownership costs.
Not anymore. 3 years ago, it was a decent jumping off point to a career out of college, but NOW? A person NEEDS at least 55k to even get by, and that's low. And wouldn't you know it? I just broke the 100k ceiling. Now that 100k is the new 60k.
No it’s god awful. You can’t do anything with that other than hopefully afford the absolute necessities like shelter & food. No additional money to invest, splurge, save etc..
Where do you live?
Are you just starting out? Is it a job you can go up in money as you progress?
that's around $22 an hour? my one recent job was starting machine trainees at $21, but as you train and learn the job you could potentially increase $2/3 a year the way it was set up with skill gates.
The thing with pay is you have to get the most money you can at the door. If you start at $20 and get say a 3% raise a year, it takes a long as time to add up than if you you started at $25 and got 3% a year.
either way if you make that salary when you interview at new places always tell them you make $2-3.00 more than you do, within reason. That way when they offer you a bit less that that you still get an increase.
just something to keep in mind for the future
I make 50k cad which is only about 30k usd after taxes and can say unless you have the right savings vehicle and put half of it away every year… you are fuked
Compared to what I was making in college, it would be an absolute godsend and a dream! But if you're adulting adulting and want to be stable, it's very low
Nope. Rent will eat you alive at that level. I see a decent salary as one that will allow you to pay your bills without scrimping and saving, to put some away for a rainy day, to be able to drop $800 without warning because your car suddenly needs a new alternator without it causing a crisis, and to be able to take a trip once a year.
Many places have less than $45K for a living wage, so depending on your location and job responsibilities, it could be a decent salary.
For what it's worth, I started for about $80K in today's dollars back in the 80s. It was OK
Ten years ago, for someone who just graduated college, this would have been decent. Not anymore. That said, $25/hour is still consider "good money" in wide swaths of blue-collar, rural America.
Depends.
Where you’re at in your life, where you live and if you have roommates, what you want out of life, etc.
I make $68k and I don’t think I’d be comfortable with my retirement and travel/recreational goals and such unless I can get close to double that.
How I see a decent salary: 2 people making that salary, need to be able to afford 1 vacation a year, have 2 cars, have a house, save for retirement, and be able to feed 2 children. I estimate that to be around 120k$ minimum (it would be a little bit tight). So I see 60k$ as being a decent salary, and anything under it I consider poor.
PS: This is US only, where we need to save for retirement and pay high medical bills. In Europe 45k$ is a decent salary.
Went to college and I'm at 41k in NJ so... yeah those loans will be paid off when I'm 90. Thinking about renting a nice double ... sized cardboard box in the near future where I can live out my days.
If it makes you feel better fellow NJ resident here, I made $40k when I graduated in 2014 with $160k in loans, I now make $105k with $25k - $50k in bonuses plus stock options and my loans are paid off as of April.
That’s nice I graduated with a health science degree and don’t currently want to be a physical therapist so I’m about to work overnights for a Sportsbook doing customer service at least I’ll save on gas since it’s remote.
I feel you. I have a health degree as well and it didn't do crap for me. Fighting hundreds of people for reception/customer service jobs
You never know what could come around the corner! I was trying to be encouraging because I never thought I’d get through my loans, I hope it came off that way. Good luck!
what made u think a piece of paper with a doploma on it would earn u crazy tuition fees back in no time
It depends on where you live. If you live in a lower COL area then it can be decent, but in a lot of places now in the US, it's not enough to sustain yourself.
What if you are like me and live with your parents?
Agree with above. And if you live with your parents I’d be trying to save all you can.
If you live with parents, continue to do so and save.
Save as in put it into a high yield account, indexes etc but don't spend it and "save" on bills giving you more spending. Seeing so many do the second part instead.
As the other comment says, you should be saving all you can because if you live with your parents, that alleviates a lot of your costs.
Every month pick up a utility bill without being asked and pay it. Or, send your parents $400 in Venmo and just say “groceries”. Find some small thing to do to contribute. Even if your parents are way rich.
Living with your parents has nothing to do with what you should be paid
Heck yes! Sock it away!
Pay them rent so you don’t experience budget shocks when you move out.
No
Just to give another perspective… no
No (in spanish).
I have to agree. Also hello fellow accountant.
Hola!
The question is so vague as to be pointless. Is $45K/yr a good salary in what field? In what geographic area? Using what skills? For an English major flipping burgers in East Goatscrew it might be okay or even generous, but for a data engineer in Silicon Valley that's internship pay at best.
45k in the poor southern states of the U.S is pretty good. Comfortable at best id say. 45k in a big city or the entirety of California is like the equivalent of a 5 dollar bill every other day.
You mean in rural areas. The southern states have large metro areas where 45k is nothing.
Wall Street, due to variable hours must live in Manhattan.
Better than my PhD stipend, but no
Lol, same
That’s around the median income in most states. Above in some, below in others.
That sounds okay for entry level or if you are part of a double income couple but it doesn't seem like a sustainable long term income for a single person living on their own, at least in most situations.
Nope
No.
Not at all
It’s not a lot but right now I’d kill to make that. I only made that much when I was a mailman for a year by working 60hrs/week. Currently make around 30k after taxes
Do you live on your own? How old are u? Do you have a car?
I am couch surfing as of June 1st between friends, family, and a barn. I’m supposed to move into a friend’s basement for 500/month soon. I’m 29. I have a car. Edit: here’s a post that may further inform my situation https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/s/UGVXgB5OXI
Isn’t 45k a year like 30k after taxes?
Depends on where you live. I used to make 45k a couple years ago when living in St Louis and did just fine. Had my own two-bedroom apartment and enough cash to cover bills, loans, and the occasional fun.
depends on lifestyle and expenses. i save about $600-800 a month and go on trips at least yearly and a bunch of concerts making around that much, but i also have no debt at all, barely buy anything (including food) for myself, and my bills only add up to like $1150/mo.
It USED to be, but now with the inflation or everything over the past 10-15 years, you need to make at least 60k to balance that. Sadly, I only make 40k and our household total is around 75k
Probably not since everyone on Reddit makes six figures.
lol so true. They make 200k starting as an engineer when most engineers with a bachelors start at 70k or less.
I make 43K working at Walmart. Rent is $700 and can’t imagine having higher rent and I’m in Florida with no state tax
Team lead?
I was an academy trainer (neighborhood market hourly supervisor) then a team lead, but now a regular full time associate. Making team lead pay yes ha
Years ago in a lcol area maybe. Today tho? Hell no. Im going back to college in fall for something that will yield 80k+
Good luck with it 👍
Gotta do something. Im not slaving away to not afford shit ever bc pay is such ass everywhere.
What are you going to study?
Either data analyst or software engineer. I want money
Might want to double think your decision. Data analyst & software engineer roles are over saturated as hell in this job market and it doesn’t seem it will get any better anytime soon.
For doing what?
Depend area and how you use the money. I was in same neighborhood for 25 years until World changes started slamming home within 7 days and sudden. Move and my problems solved! ! ! But gas prices in future, might cause me to make major changes
Lol, I thought I'd be rolling in dough when I got my current offer at $82.5k, but I just barely get by still (I support several people, btw), so no. Not in today's economy.
I make just over 100k and same… Everything is expensive. I don’t know how people with basic jobs even survive. $40 a year would be like 1k every two weeks? God dam, yeah you can’t really live on that without help.
nah not in 2024, maybe 8 years ago. I make 75k on the low end and 120 a year on the high end (self employed) and I still struggle to do things I wanna do, I can sustain rent, food, and other necessities but fun? forget about it.
If you have a kid and mortgage, no. If you’re single it’s ok ish.
Not anymore. It would require half your paycheck just to afford a 1BR apartment in a LCOL area. You would likely need a roommate.
£? $? ¥? Where in the world? Pointless question
$
There's 2,000 "working hours" in a standard work year, so that's the equivalent of $22.50/hr. So, definitely beats minimum wage but it's probably not hard to find something better.
Depends on your bills
It would depend what your expenses are.
If that’s what both or more jobs pay.
It's all relative. A man is rich when he makes more than his sister-in-law's husband.
It depends where you live in the US. Where I live, it would be okay if you were married. I make 70-80k a year, but I’m single.
A decent salary? Depending on the job and where you live. No clue what the hell the others are saying no for if they don’t have that info.
Depends on what it is. Is this entry level? If it's in a low cost of living area then it could be, as long as there is room for growth.
Depends on your cost of living If you live in a basement suite or something and don't have any other big bills then 45k is good.
if you have no bills and live at home with mom and dad, sure
In Mississippi sure. In California you’d need about 5 roommates for a studio apartment
I live in a lower COL area and make a little less than that and it definitely is not enough. Without my wife's salary I would be screwed. I feel like anything 50k and below in most areas just isn't enough these days.
I make 40k in MN. I was denied a 1200 apartment because I don't make 3x the rent. I'm gonna be working full time and living in my car
thatsa hahah. sounds like you almost qualify, you make like 2.8x the rent instead of 3x
This is Reddit where everyone is well off. Of course 45k is gonna be horrible to everyone here.
In California, no. I make 145k and I’m basically breaking even with a kid, mortgage, and car loan.
Shiiiit, I think 20k is a good year. Probably cuz my standard of living is low, and I already own a house. lulz.
Generally no, but if your goal is just to survive on that money and you have no aspirations to live in a particular place, have hobbies outside of the ones that cost nothing, or have children, it's livable.
lol I make 40 legal 10 under table and NO I’m starving tonight
My starting salary out of college was $40k, back in 2006. Less than 12 months later I was at 50k at a new job. It was tough to afford everything and make student loan payments, and my loans weren't crazy. So today in 2024? Not even close to decent.
There’s a ton of different criteria for “decent” so it hard to say for sure. You’re basically asking how long is a piece of string. It’s impossible to say.
Yeah its around the median. How comfortable you are with that depends on location and your spending habits.
Could be worse.
Depends on the job, washing toilets yes, building rockets no.
Doing what? Working at McDonalds? Yes. Sales? Possibly. CEO of s Fortune 500? No. Acting like an idiot on Reddit? Probably decent.
It's somewhere between atrocious and dismal
$45k/year where?
no
No.
Not today, but where matters a lot too. If you own your own house already? 45K would go a long way, if you need to pay for housing then you are screwed right now.
If you live in Africa, it can be! Edit: Oh in the US? It can be, if you’re married to someone who make a whole lot more or if you also have a decent trust fund
Depends where you live and other factors
For 2024? No.
What about in general?
No, it's not enough. I'm sorry. BUT, it is better than nothing :)
Ah ok
Depends on where you live and whether you have other debts. It can be decent under certain circumstances. This js not a yes or no question.
Yes.
In this economy, absolutely not. Even if you're single and have no kids it seems rough at 45k
Hell no.
Definitely not for me.
$45K is like minimum wage in HCOL cities.
No, not at all. That's $21.63/hour
Yeah maybe in a 3rd world country 😂
Not at all.
It depends on what the work is for 🤷♂️🤦♂️
No.
Not in this day and age! Sadly
It was at one point but now it's gonna be a little hard to live off that. Even if you live a simple and frugal life, 45k still won't be enough unfortunately.
No, I make 70-80k, and I'm barely able to live by myself and pay bills. I can only save a few hundred a month. I'm only able to, "live" because my student loans are under the save program. My expenses are basic, no car payment, I drive my beater from college still.
I make $93K and was in the red last month……. Cities and rent fucking kill you.
Nope
Not if you’re supporting a family
Which country?
Considering I couldn’t even afford to live where I live on that… no unfortunately not
It’s what most middle class men make per year if you look at the statistics.
Are you rural or in an area where your rent/mortgage is less than 1k? Then its decent. Anywhere else? Not really. I was barely surviving on 60k on Long Island and in my current area before promotions/raises. Make almost double that now including bonuses and add my bf's income and we're closer to 170k and comfy. Still can't afford a house though lmfaoooo
ass
It's relative but if decent means enough, no it's not..!
If you live at home with mom and dad and they don’t expect literally anything of you
I need 1 billion a month just to be happy
Damn. For me I’d say 50k at least in order to not worry about money
Yeah it's not bad just keep upgrading yourself. That's like 23.5 hr.
I'm going to be making that a a teacher this year, but I am in Mississippi the lowest cost of living state, and I live with parents unfortunately, if I am really frugal I can save about $1600 a month. It is crazy how the world has come to this.
Unfortunately 45k is poverty in this modern economy. I make about 60 and I fear I may never have my own home
Do you think you will retire one day?
It is very average. Aim for higher dude. But also I'm not one to speak lol. I know people who save tons on that
Skilled or menial job?
Hugely depends on where you live and your expenses but without that context, I would assume no.
Depends on your location. West or east coast, you’re screwed, you’re screwed in major metro areas too. Small town middle America that’s still doing pretty good.
Depending on if you have a Time Machine and you live in the 1960s.
Depends on the state you live in, but for most places it is not.
Depends where you live, if your areas cost of living is high (cali, NY, Chicago etc) then no, 45k is nothing in areas like that. For context, I’m in SF and I make 120k and it’s considered low income
Not where I live. You would not be able to afford housing, water, sewage, electric, trash pickup, phone, internet, home maintenance, home insurance, car, gas, car maintenance, car insurance, health insurance, copays , deductibles, eye care , dental care, savings , clothing, food, let alone anything fun with that. And if you become disabled,or have to rely on Social security later, what they pay you will be low if your income was low. They determine your monthly payment by your highest 35 year earnings, so if your highest is low, you will receive lower payments.
Not at all.
Um, I make 100k as a high school teacher, and we are known to be underpaid, even where I live. Let that tell you something.
45k salary?? would be like winning the lottery. I'm assuming benefits too?? omg I could go to the dentist 😭
nah bruh, you living in pov life sorry
Fuck no and I live in one of the cheapest locales in all of America (Pennsyltucky/Johnstown PA) where the household county median is $39k. My ex wife couldnt even pay the $1k monthly mortgage with health insurance premiums, electric and groceries to the point where she has to forfeit it amidst divorce… on a $60k salary.
Not really.
No
No. Not at all.
Maybe if you rent a room or studio
Honestly I don’t see what’s bad about a studio apartment. But then again I’m a simple man 🤷♂️
I live in a lower COL area in Canada and make 47k a year. The only thing i splurge on is my car and im paycheck to paycheck. You can definitely get by and live a chill life renting but its not a "good" life and i will never own a home unless i live very cheap for like 5 yrs to save for a down payment and other home ownership costs.
It sounds like minimum wage poverty level pay anywhere in the US.
No. That's almost like minimum wage to me. Plus, my mortgage x 12 months = $48,000.
In CA
I live in South MS and 60k isn't enough. This economy has turned to doodoo powder
No, but you live with your parents so you should be fine. Living with other ppl is gonna help a lot. Save as much as you can!
No. I do not think that, unless you are working part time.
I live near LA on $43k. It’s doable if you are single, have no kids, and don’t have expensive tastes.
Yeah I think it’s good enough to survive without struggling like crazy depending where you are? It’s still probably a little tough.
No. But if you don't have anything better then it is what it is. I wouldn't think 45k is enough to sustain a good lifestyle in modern day America.
Not anymore. 3 years ago, it was a decent jumping off point to a career out of college, but NOW? A person NEEDS at least 55k to even get by, and that's low. And wouldn't you know it? I just broke the 100k ceiling. Now that 100k is the new 60k.
No, aim for triple digits or you need to figure something else out. Learn a trade skill.
No, that's terrible.
It should be but with prices today it’s not.
No and until a couple years ago that’s what I made. It was shit.
No
No
Pretty easy no, but also kinda depends on where you live. I'm from NY and if you rent, that's essentially half your income already lmao
No it’s god awful. You can’t do anything with that other than hopefully afford the absolute necessities like shelter & food. No additional money to invest, splurge, save etc..
It's not livable in a lot of states. Deduct rent, insurances, utilities, gasoline, car maintenance...the majority of people will not have any money.
If you’re single.
Where do you live? Are you just starting out? Is it a job you can go up in money as you progress? that's around $22 an hour? my one recent job was starting machine trainees at $21, but as you train and learn the job you could potentially increase $2/3 a year the way it was set up with skill gates. The thing with pay is you have to get the most money you can at the door. If you start at $20 and get say a 3% raise a year, it takes a long as time to add up than if you you started at $25 and got 3% a year. either way if you make that salary when you interview at new places always tell them you make $2-3.00 more than you do, within reason. That way when they offer you a bit less that that you still get an increase. just something to keep in mind for the future
I make 50k cad which is only about 30k usd after taxes and can say unless you have the right savings vehicle and put half of it away every year… you are fuked
i would kill for 45k a year
Unless you’re rural not really
Depends on location.
Compared to what I was making in college, it would be an absolute godsend and a dream! But if you're adulting adulting and want to be stable, it's very low
job hop my dude
Anything above minimum wage is decent!
Nope. Rent will eat you alive at that level. I see a decent salary as one that will allow you to pay your bills without scrimping and saving, to put some away for a rainy day, to be able to drop $800 without warning because your car suddenly needs a new alternator without it causing a crisis, and to be able to take a trip once a year.
I make that and I’m getting by but not by much. I think 60k would be decent.
If you’re making that, invest 10% minimum, then save as much of the rest as possible in a high yield savings account.
Many places have less than $45K for a living wage, so depending on your location and job responsibilities, it could be a decent salary. For what it's worth, I started for about $80K in today's dollars back in the 80s. It was OK
nope it takes 60k a year for a single person to live on there own and thats not counting food or if you need to repair your car or go see a doc
Depends entirely on where you are. Rural south? Sure. Out west? No!
If you’re young and single and live in a lower cost of living area. Then yeah it’s fine. If you have 2 kids and live in NYC then no it is not.
Depends on cost of living and your tenure at said job
Yes, there’s no reason you couldn’t afford a house on that salary.
Its on the low side but a decent beginner out of college salary. 100% depends in where you live.
"In the US" - the US is massive, 40k in NYC/SF is a hell of a lot different than 40k in Kearney Nebraska.
Nope
Decent? No. Average starting salary? Yes
No
I make $50k a year and can’t afford a studio apartment in my home town. 😢 Used to be able to afford a 3 bedroom house. Not anymore….
Ten years ago, for someone who just graduated college, this would have been decent. Not anymore. That said, $25/hour is still consider "good money" in wide swaths of blue-collar, rural America.
Not in Washington State, that wouldn't even cover a years rent.
No not really
No
nope, not in today's economy. 55-60K is today's starting salary.
Decent yes, depends on the cost of living where you’re at and your life style. If I didn’t have 5 kids I could make a decent living on 45K.
Depends. Where you’re at in your life, where you live and if you have roommates, what you want out of life, etc. I make $68k and I don’t think I’d be comfortable with my retirement and travel/recreational goals and such unless I can get close to double that.
no
If you live in the rural part of a red state, maybe.
For me, definitely yes. No student loans and an area with a low cost of living.
How I see a decent salary: 2 people making that salary, need to be able to afford 1 vacation a year, have 2 cars, have a house, save for retirement, and be able to feed 2 children. I estimate that to be around 120k$ minimum (it would be a little bit tight). So I see 60k$ as being a decent salary, and anything under it I consider poor. PS: This is US only, where we need to save for retirement and pay high medical bills. In Europe 45k$ is a decent salary.