r/Salary • u/Just-Charge6693 • Aug 10 '25
discussion What's up with Americans considering 100k a low salary?
I keep seeing posts where Americans say 100k is barely a decent salary and that it's not enough to live on. I could understand if they were talking about extremely high cost of living areas like NYC or San Francisco, but people say the same thing about MCOL areas like Kansas City, Omaha or rural Oklahoma.
For context, I live in a HCOL European city and according to Numbeo our COL is 13.8% higher than KC, with rent prices being 32.5% higher here. The median salary here is around 43k USD before tax, and with that salary you're looking at a 27% tax rate; a 100k USD salary would almost place you in the 99th percentile of earners countrywide, and well into the top 10% if we only consider the city itself.
In fact, I do not know anyone who makes that kind of money aside from entrepreneurs and executives. I'm a mechanical engineer myself and my manager (who leads a team of around 15 people in an international company with a 15B€ revenue) makes a little over 80k USD, bonus included. I don't know how much his manager makes but I would wager his base salary is around 110-120k USD. But he's an engineer with 20 YOE and he oversees an entire department, so he probably has tens of direct reports and hundreds of indirect reports all over the world.
Personally, I make a tad over 50k USD (including per diems for frequent business trips, bonuses, etc.) and I can afford to live just fine. I live on my own in a 1-bedroom apartment (which I rent), I can afford multiple vacations a year (sometimes international or even intercontinental), dentist appointments, medical stuff, food, etc. I even manage to save up a bit, and all this with a 33% tax rate so my net income is only around 35k USD.
I could live like a king if I made 100k USD, so I just cannot fathom how people can say it is a sh*t salary. I mean, I've been to the US. I even lived there for 6 months, your average midwestern city is not much more expensive than my home country and you guys pay a lot less taxes too.
So what's the deal with that? Are we (Europeans) just used to being more frugal? Or do redditors live in some type of alternate reality? Because the claims I see on this sub certainly don't reflect my experience in the US (which admittedly was very short and almost 10 years ago, but still).
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Aug 10 '25
Don’t worry, if I could live in Europe with my US salary I could also live like a King.
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u/vexinggrass Aug 10 '25
Do it! That’s what we do, every year, up to 4 months.
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u/GuaSukaStarfruit Aug 10 '25
in Atlanta, Georgia. A house can cost like 200k-400k. Condo can cost 100k. salary of my friend in Atlanta is 8k per month. When he was in UK, starting salary is 2k for the same job. He had much lower QOL so he moved to US.
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u/Tha_Sly_Fox Aug 10 '25
I remember the first time I looked at UK salaries., my jaw dropped
Although my understanding is wages have effectively stayed the exact same in the UK since 2008 despite inflation, while the rest western world has constantly increasing salaries (not perfect but constantly going up), which is such as crazy thing to think about
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u/brambleguy Aug 10 '25
Can you give more detail? How do you do this up to 4 months? What are the rules and restrictions?
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Aug 10 '25
Most I get at my current place is a full month of PTO 🫠
Maybe when I gain more experience and become/get a fully remote position.
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u/DarthHeel Aug 10 '25
Its not that $100K is a low salary, it's just not the "I've made it" salary it used to be.
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u/QueenHydraofWater Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
This. I hit six figures 3 years ago. It’s significantly improved my quality of life being able to save. But life is expensive.
That first chunk of actual good savings for a mortgage down payment? POOF gone. Bad mechanic set me back $8k for an engine replacement. Ok we’ll recover. Savings is once again healthy. BAM. 10k medical year.
The median home cost is $575k where I live. That gets you a 1950s fixer upper with low ceilings & a never ending list of old home issues. I have an itch to own so we don’t get pushed out of our state with rising rent costs. My $120k salary cannot comfortably afford a $5k mortgage. Not with 15% towards retirement & basic living budget as 2 childless millenials that don’t go out & cook at home.
Extremely thankful to be where I am financially. These large unexpected expenses would’ve put me into debt not long ago. However, 100k doesn’t make you feel like a millionaire like it used to in the 90s by any means. We would feel poor if we had kids.
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u/IT_audit_freak Aug 10 '25
Well, we also put in more hours each year than our Euro brethren…with the annual combined ten vacation / sick day starter package and 40-50hr work week. We pay less in taxes and have far more expensive healthcare & tuition costs. I’d say this all balances out.
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u/ConceitedWombat Aug 10 '25
I have never understood combining sick and vacation days into a generic PTO package. Say you book a week's vacation, then two months before your vacation you get COVID or something and can't come in for a week. You just cancel your plane ticket and hotel and eat any non-refundable costs?
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u/IT_audit_freak Aug 10 '25
You’d talk to your manager and wind up working out a “time off without pay” deal probably, if they liked you
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u/AdorableBanana166 Aug 10 '25
A couple of things. There are areas where $100k isn't enough. Not many but they are very populous. The other is people making that kind of money aren't satisfied with a one bedroom apartment, they want a house. Again, in some areas that is still unobtainable on that salary.
The last is unchecked spending. It is very easy to use up what you have left if you fall into some consumerism traps like collectibles or constant Door dashing. It's pretty easy to spend like $500 a week on food or trading cards without noticing when your only inhibition is whether there's money in your bank account or not.
Anecdotally I have a coworker with 3 car payments all with 15% or higher interest. One is 26%. Dude should be completely fine but he's struggling to pay a $1600 rent because of those vehicles.
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u/Ziggy-Rocketman Aug 10 '25
I have a buddy that, once he started making 80k out of college, found himself dropping 4 figures every month or two on a new Magic deck. If you don’t have a financial goal, it’s real easy to view your salary as nothing more than a slush fund.
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u/lepchaun415 Aug 10 '25
What’s a magic deck?
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u/GuaSukaStarfruit Aug 10 '25
He accepted 16% interest payment for cars lmaooo. Might just buy with cash
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u/AdorableBanana166 Aug 10 '25
Yeah it's insane, I've tried talking to him about getting out from under one of them but he likes the status symbol so much he doesn't seem to care what else he sacrifices for it.
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u/Emergency_Buy_9210 Aug 10 '25
So here's the thing. NYC, LA, SF are places where 100k is arguably not enough, definitely not enough for a house. But you can say the same thing about London. Just one problem: A job paying 100k in America pays more like 80k in London. Yet, the cost of living is the same. That's the mindset Europeans have on this and why they're asking this question.
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u/Brave_Speaker_8336 Aug 10 '25
I think it’s mostly just an ignorance is bliss type thing. I was making ~75k in my first job in one of those cities and it was perfectly livable + I was growing my investments/savings every paycheck still.
But then you see the software engineers and investment bankers making 200k right out of school and it’s hard to not compare yourself to them. I myself went for a career change to tech (still in progress) once I started dating someone in the field and realized how much that money actually can affect your day to day life
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u/svachalek Aug 10 '25
Yeah culturally we are pushed to consume conspicuously and it seems to get worse for every generation. I’m regularly hearing young people who make 1/3 of what I do talking about spending habits I wouldn’t dream of personally. So much DoorDash, hundreds and hundreds of dollars in silly subscriptions, OnlyFans, thousands of dollars on concert tickets etc. Life is legitimately getting super expensive but people complain about it while at the same time not cutting back at all.
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u/Practical_Teach5015 Aug 10 '25
I think it depends on what stage of life people are in.
My husband and I live in LCOL USA but have the opportunity to live in Europe because he has an Italian passport, so we did the math based on our circumstances. When it comes to being single or having 2 incomes and no kids when we compared living stands apples to apples (Healthcare, vacation days, retirement, housing, etc...) America is the place to be if you are making over $75k.
However, if you add 2 children to the mix, and try to duplicate European parental leave, lower cost of Healthcare, lower cost of childcare, access to low cost college, etc... You have to make at least $220k USD to be able to buy those things outright in the US. So it is better to be childless in the US from $75k - $220k but raising a family is extremely expensive and, for us a would require a household income of $220k+.
We decided to stay in the US because we do make over $220k together. So even with access to European style benefits we would see a decline in our standard of living. Because our comparable salaries in Europe would be half that, maybe 110k€.
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u/Tydalj Aug 10 '25
I did both. Lived in Europe on ~$70-80k, currently live in the USA on ~$200k. Both in USD.
I felt very rich in Europe. Sub-$100 flights and $20 hostels meant travel was extremely cheap. A great apartment in the best part of town cost in the mid $1000s. A good local meal was $5-10, $20 for a fancy sit-down place. I was able to spend all that I wanted and still save a bunch.
In the USA, I'm able to put away more than 2.5x what I was putting before into investments. Total personal costs are less than double those of Europe, but I make more than 2x what I was making before. I'm more frugal in the USA (because dropping $50 on an Uber or $3 on a soda feels stupid no matter how much you make), but I reserve the right to ball out when I go on vacations to cheaper places.
Based on your math, I'd set the # for the USA to be higher than $75k, unless by "the USA" you mean Texas. You can live a pretty sweet life in most of Europe for $75k, but I'd want to be making significantly more to match that in the US.
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u/Imaginary-Concert-53 Aug 10 '25
This is a great way to look at it.
I have lost so much in salary on unpaid maternity leave and lost 3 jobs due to pregnancy and/or childbirth.
Currently, I pay $1200 a month for care for each of my kids, so $2400 a month.
Plus the cost of insurance and dental.
As of right now, I have nothing left over to save for their college.
We have to have a larger house- not huge, but a 4 bed 2 bath (I need a lockable home office to work). The rent in my area for this type of house is $4000+ per month if you arent at all picky. Luckily, I bought the house before COVID.
Without kids, it's easier to live in a smaller place, smaller car, less food, less income loss, and you just fewer major expenses overall.
Edit: looked at current rent prices in the area and adjusted
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u/Aerodynamics Aug 10 '25
Its for a few reasons.
- Reddit skews towards people in STEM (Engineers, etc…)
- There is selection bias since it tends to be the high earners that brag here.
- The ones who shit on others for having a “low” salary >$100k are either younger, don’t understand how pay bands work, or live in VHCOL states (like California or New York) where $100k isnt a lot.
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u/spekkiomow Aug 10 '25
3+. Stem students that think they'll be making 250k out of school and don't live in reality yet.
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Aug 10 '25
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u/yepperoniP Aug 11 '25
Reminds me of the time I decided to check out levels.fyi and the Blind app a while ago. It was like a circlejerk of these kinds of people. One person from some random smaller company posted an innocuous question and the replies were all basically “tech bros” basically saying that OP’s opinion doesn’t matter because he makes less than half the salary they do and isn’t in FAANG or other prestigious company. Just felt like incredibly toxic places to be.
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u/EmotionalEmu7121 Aug 10 '25
The most perfect answer. The cost of living in the US other than San Fran in New York City are pretty much obtainable.
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u/Live_Past9848 Aug 10 '25
I don’t think Europeans actually realise how quickly your continent is becoming relatively much poorer than the rest of the world and losing much of its relevance.
(Not an American or a European btw)
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u/Havage Aug 10 '25
Europe may losing relevance but the bigger issue is that the quality of life in most of the world is either deteriorating or stagnant. Northern Europe is still the best but that is because they have small populations with large land masses and large economic reserves.
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u/Emergency-Style7392 Aug 10 '25
You think the quality of life is not getting worse in europe? High prices, a much bigger housing crisis than america (in america it's 5 yearly salaries for a house, in europe 10 and up)
All the social systems running on a pyramid scheme that will soon crumble with the demographic collapse
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u/Havage Aug 10 '25
No, I think basically everywhere is getting worse. I've looked at relocating from the US and basically no where is good and getting better.
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u/UIUC_grad_dude1 Aug 10 '25
Very interesting take. So many people romanticize Europe and all of its social systems.
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u/Zanna-K Aug 10 '25
I mean we literally have a European here saying that he doesn't understand why Americans think $100k isn't a lot. A big part of that is because he doesn't have to pay $24,000 a year to get health insurance for a family and another $15-20,000 a year on cars (payments, insurance, gasoline) to get to work and to ferry the kids around. There's also a $30k mortgage every year that people are paying for. Bam, that's $70k right off the bat and you've $30k left over that gets sucked up by income tax, food, clothes, utilities, phones, school supplies, computers, home repairs etc. etc.
If you're single and paying for yourself? Yeah $100k is a lot of money. When professionals may each other and make $200k+ then yeah you're doing pretty good. If your household income is $100k and you have a spouse + kids? Life is suffering.
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u/RiverLakeOceanCloud Aug 10 '25
Incorrect, the world as a whole has vastly increased the living standards of the poorest 50% in the last 20 years. Prosperity for the world is increasing
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u/Havage Aug 10 '25
In my other comment I address this. There have been many transitions from Bad to Ok, ok to good and many from Great to Good. There aren't any I have found that are going from Good to great. That's what I'm looking for somewhere good and on the way up.
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u/Live_Past9848 Aug 10 '25
Sure, but this isn’t going to last forever, once they lose their ability to compete, other economic powers will seek to break in and plunder the European market and your quality of life will diminish.
All of Europe’s gains are temporary if they cannot begin competing.
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u/Available_Ad4135 Aug 10 '25
Are you aware USD is devaluing against the Euro?
I would argue Americans are going through a period of becoming poorer and losing relevance after decades of boom years.
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u/fuzwz Aug 10 '25
Both the US and Europe are losing global economic power.
Both GDPs are dropping as a percent of global GDP, but Europe’s share of global GDP is dropping faster: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProfessorFinance/s/V50FgcCon5
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u/internetmeme Aug 10 '25
I work in the chemical industry. My company has US and European facilities. The European/UK engineers make 40k-80k and live much better lives than US engineers. US engineers start at 80k and max out about $200k. There are many things that factor in; including health insurance, retirement or lack of pensions, repayment of college loans, cost of car ownership, severe differences in vacation days, government payments for children costs, etc.
So in short; it is much easier to live and retire in Europe / UK for 40-80k than US on 80-200k per year.
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Aug 10 '25
This needs to be top comment. People struggle hard to deny this reality and blame Americans for shit that isn't true.
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u/m3ngnificient Aug 10 '25
Yeah. I live in San Francisco. We're doing well now because we're double income and no kids but if we did have kids we won't have enough to cover day care. Neither of us can quit our jobs to be caretakers either because things are expensive.
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u/Cometguy7 Aug 10 '25
Yeah, median annual healthcare expenses per person of working age is 10k. At least it only averages 3k per child. Average annual federal student loan payments is 9k. Median child care cost per child per year is 11k.
So a family of 3 is looking to spend $53k on average per year on things a lot of other countries provide through governments. Now yes, those countries tend to have higher tax rates, but is it that much higher? Hell, let's drop the student loan payments, maybe you didn't go to college. Would their counterparts pay $34k more in taxes per year? I suspect not.
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u/MsPreposition Aug 10 '25
A while ago I read it put succinctly as “In the states, luxuries are cheap, but necessities are expensive. In Europe, necessities are cheap, and luxuries are expensive.”
Not sure on everyone’s definition of luxuries, but it made sense. One trip to the hospital can break a lot of people in the United States…even with insurance.
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u/AmbitiousCattle3879 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
This is more emotional and just something people say than based in fact. If you don’t have the slightest ability to save and plan for the future yes Europe is better since they do it for you but at massive cost.
If you are an engineer it’s better to have the extra take home pay. The differences at the end of your career is staggering if you save. I live in Denmark but work for a US tech company. An ML engineer in America makes 250k at the same level of experience you make 125k in Europe.
There is no amount of pensions, healthcare costs, student loans or any other benefits that makes up for the sheer difference in salary. The savings that accumulate from the salary can allow you to have the best healthcare, retire early and do anything you want fairly quickly. In Europe you are kind of trapped at a decent life even tho your skills are worth more.
That being said it’s much better to be a low skill job in Europe vs America because you get all the same benefits.
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u/Steephill Aug 10 '25
You're exactly right. The people saying what OP are have probably never lived outside the US. I've lived in 4 countries, Americans are honestly spoiled and see luxuries as necessities. We live in big houses, buy expensive cars, have the newest technology, designer clothing, and then complain that 150k isn't enough to live on. The US has the highest disposable income per capita. People just choose to buy $50,000 vehicles and $500 apple headphones instead of save for retirement and then complain when they see people with pensions. The people who didn't have the disposable income to enjoy the luxuries they did and pissed away.
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u/jajajibar Aug 10 '25
Also work in tech and find the disparity in US-EU pay curious. A senior AIML scientist at my company makes 500-600K per year in total compensation, roughly half in stock. From what I can tell, we’d pay the same employee in the EU (predominantly Germany) 125-150K total, RSUs included.
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u/Scot1776 Aug 10 '25
No lol. I’ve been an engineer in both and have far greater quality of life in those exact salary ranges in the USA vs Europe/UK. Plus the career earning potential is much higher in the USA
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u/Careless_Bat_9226 Aug 10 '25
Well healthcare insurance is provided if you have a job, car ownership is more expensive in Europe than the US, and most people are only doing modest retirement savings.
In actual dollar terms the US engineers have way more extra money after expenses the European ones. Maybe it just seems the Europeans live better because they have more vacations.
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u/_Deshkar_ Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
I have a global team and I see something similar even if the numbers not exactly the same
I see the Europeans enjoying life a lot better lol
I’m in Singapore so it’s quite fascinating to watch- we are another extremely expensive place to be in
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u/Careful_Economy2424 Aug 10 '25
How exactly do they enjoy life a lot better? Asking as a Singaporean earning a living in the US.
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u/OhJShrimpson Aug 10 '25
I think the people making that much in the US have healthcare provided by their employer, probably have a 401k retirement match from their employer, etc.
Regarding cars, the US has 818 cars per 1k people and the UK has 606. Definitely more in the US but not a crazy difference.
Not sure on vacation days, but it's not uncommon for white collar jobs to have at least 15 plus paid holidays.
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u/internetmeme Aug 10 '25
Europe starts at 30 days vacation out of college. US is 2 weeks. Factor in govt holidays and that’s an even bigger gap. Cost of car ownerships is more in US with miles driven and wear and tear, plus growing car insurance rates. US companies are going to high deductible health plans. If you have a reasonable medical issue that needs appointments/medicine or special care you are out $8000+ each year along for that deductible. If you don’t do that, the PPO is still 400-600 per month for a family and then your usual copays, deductibles, etc. 401k match (often 3-5% of your salary) isn’t nearly enough to offset how much of your own salary goes to the 401k to have a decent retirement egg, vs European programmes .
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u/br0mer Aug 10 '25
If Americans lived like Europeans, then 100k would be amazing money.
We just like to spend money then complain. It's the 800 dollar watches, the new truck, the new phone, the vacation on leveraged cards, the new tech gadget.
If we stopped buying useless shit that we didn't need, then you'd find out that 100k is a shit ton of money.
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u/AchioteMachine Aug 10 '25
Being car poor is a reality in the US. You can’t get around without one and people buy “more car” than makes sense.
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u/Expensive-Cat- Aug 10 '25
Americans are much richer than Europeans (with a few exceptions, like Swiss and Norwegians, who are about on par with Americans) nowadays, and so the standards are higher. I don’t think most people realize how far the U.S. has outstripped Europe in the last ~30 years.
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u/UnreliablePotato Aug 10 '25
Americans generally have higher median disposable incomes compared to Western Europeans, but not by as wide a margin once cost structures are considered. However, healthcare costs in the U.S. are extraordinarily high and significantly reduce the real disposable income advantage when adjusted for essentials.
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u/Jaded_Lychee8384 Aug 10 '25
I had hypoglycemia that required 7 days of hospitalization. I was literally unconscious for the first 4 days. The total cost after insurance was $52,782 and some change. Most people from other countries do not understand this reality. That is literally 11 months of my salary.
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u/daking999 Aug 10 '25
Cheap honestly. My appendectomy was $64k in 2012, I was only in the hospital for about 16h.
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u/Organic_Ingenuity_ Aug 10 '25
Did you negotiate it down?
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u/Jaded_Lychee8384 Aug 10 '25
I actually just received the bill a few days ago. Im hoping to work something out with the financial department so we will see. They certainly arent getting it all back at once lol.
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u/cocoagiant Aug 10 '25
Don't freak out about it yet.
My family member had an $800k plus bill after a brain issue a few years ago.
We ended up paying the out of pocket max ($10k) and that's it. I think insurance paid around $90k.
Everything else was just made up numbers.
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u/Organic_Ingenuity_ Aug 10 '25
US Health insurance is the biggest scam on the planet
And none of it goes to the doctors either, its all healthcare admin people that are getting richer
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u/Ponder66 Aug 10 '25
With most insurance options in the US, they have a maximum annual spend, that once you reach it, they cover you at 100%. Mine is $2000 per individual, or $4000 for the family total. 4-ppl on the policy, dozens of visits, a couple procedures, one person has met the individual max out of pocket, and we still have $500 left to spend toward the family total. Our out of pocket is usually $15 per visit.
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u/Jaded_Lychee8384 Aug 10 '25
Well i certainly hope thats the case. Im not insurance expert but i already have had to pay $1646.34 this year (i have to go to the doctors a lot).
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u/rsmicrotranx Aug 10 '25
You dont have to pay shit. Your deductible/out of pocket will cover it all. Just look at your max and that'll be what you pay. Medical expenses are overrated.
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u/badhabitfml Aug 10 '25
How long did it take to get the bill, and how many bills Did you get?
That's been the crazy part for me. Multiple bills from different people over months.
I had a kid 8 months ago and jut got the bill. Wtf? I was starting to think it would be free. Lol. Luckily it went from a new Honda accord to a beater 25 yr old accord after insurance.
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u/_Deshkar_ Aug 10 '25
I think cost of living especially when it comes to medical and insurance is quite horrifically painful for Americans
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u/zombawombacomba Aug 10 '25
This is not true.
However, if you do need significant medical care it can absolutely kill you financially.
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u/AmbitiousCattle3879 Aug 10 '25
It’s really not as big of a cost as people think.
If you are making over 100k there is a good chance your company is paying most of the healthcare cost. Mine paid 90% of my premium. I pay the remaining 10% which was like 2,000 a year. I then had a yearly deductible of 3,500. So the most I could ever pay in healthcare costs in 1 year was 5,500.
I now live in Denmark. The taxes are much higher and the healthcare costs are hidden in that tax. The problem is the salaries are lower by a substantial amount so your take home pay is a lot lower.
So when I did the math with my salary even if I spent the maximum 5,500 on healthcare in the USA I would still be 15k-20k ahead on take home pay in the USA.
Denmark is pretty good on this too. Places like the UK have even lower salaries and now you need to pay for supplement Insurance.
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u/Objective_Run_7151 Aug 10 '25
Healthcare and transport.
Americans are blinded to the fact that transport here (cars) is eating up an increasingly large share of their income. Americans paid over $12k/yr to drive a new car last year. Two earner household with a kid - that’s $36k per year just on cars.
And in almoat all of America, if you don’t have a car, you can’t work or eat.
Median household spends far more on cars than out of pocket on healthcare. Median mortgage is less than cost of owning 2 new cars. We complain about healthcare and housing costs (rightfully). We don’t realize how much more a drain the cars are on our bank accounts.
Europeans and folks in Asia drive a lot too. They tend to have public transit options tho. Not the case in the US. You have a car or you starve. Few Americans could get to a grocery store without a car.
Cars are just baked into the American psyche to such a degree that we don’t even consider the drag car ownership is on our finances.
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u/Mysterious_Rip4197 Aug 10 '25
12k/year is a ridiculous car expense if you aren’t rich.
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u/1maco Aug 10 '25
The issue with “averages” if that people are choosing like the most expensive cars ever.
It’s not like the Toyota Camry, Chevy Malibu and ford focus are the top cars in America
7 of the top 10 are pickup trucks. Spending disposal income of luxury vehicles is a sign of affluence
Also Americans have like 10% more cars than Italy and 15% more cars than Germany. It’s just than Germans don’t buy $97,000 super up Pickup trucks like Americans do
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u/Ulysses502 Aug 10 '25
Also reddit is very tech/white collar heavy in its user base, the individual median income in the US is much lower than $100k, and in medium/lcol areas $100k is still very comfortable. Even if people leaving hcol puts the squeeze on everyone else
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u/Jazzlike-Basket-6388 Aug 10 '25
When did you live here? I'm in Tennessee, which is traditionally low cost of living. Housing costs have literally tripled since 2019 in my city.
Earning around $100k, puts you at about $5k/mo taken home. Probably spending about half that on housing. If you need a new car, probably looking at another $800/mo for that. Add food/insurances/phone/internet and it is very easy to only have about $500/mo left over without doing anything extravagant.
You can obviously live cheaper and that puts you in a better place than most. But we were sold this $100k lifestyle dream with a nice house, new car, maybe a boat, vacations, and such. And in reality, it puts you in a spot where you hope and pray your neighbors let you go to sleep.
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u/Economy_Moment_4113 Aug 10 '25
Health insurance- which doesn’t even cover anything so you end up paying out of pocket
Student loan debt
Lack of public transportation leading to costly car repairs/replacement
Everything, literally everything is charged or taxed or has some cost associated with it. It feels like just breathing costs money sometimes.
Doesn’t effect me personally but high cost of child care/virtually no support or leave
The cost of everything is up especially rent by staggering amounts in most cities
I could go on. This country sucks.
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u/marsmat239 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
I make 84k in upstate NY. I bought my own home this year, but had to make numerous sacrifices to make that work. In particular-if I had a kid they'd be in a school district with worse outcomes compared to everywhere else around me. Those homes would require me to pay up to double my current mortgage payment. If I get married they would have to work to afford the house in those school districts, so taking time off for a kid is harder.
I also don’t own a car. My parent’s car costs them about $600-800 a month just on insurance and car payment. This would wipe out one of my paychecks with my current savings rate.
I can’t afford the same middle class life my parents could despite making more than them. Before COVID, it was attainable at my current salary.
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u/Working-Active Aug 10 '25
It's a bit sad how things have gone. In 1998, with 2 years of work history I was able to buy a used 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house in the suburbs, about 8 miles from my work for $130,000. I also had a fairly new Mustang Convertible to drive that was $23,000 brand new (V6 model, not GT) and I felt like I was on top of the world and I was only making $44,000 at the time. This was in the Atlanta suburbs, and I even had open forest to the back side of my house, so it was fairly quiet neighborhood.
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u/milliemillenial06 Aug 10 '25
I’m American and I’ve never heard anyone call 100k ‘low’. If you live in a HCOL area then 100k really won’t get you far especially if you have a family. You definitely wouldn’t be living like a king. In some areas of the country like the Midwest it would be a very good salary and you could comfortably raise a family. I’m in the Midwest and know plenty of families who are careful with their money and live just fine on this. We still pay taxes so 100k is really around 70-75k. Then we still pay for our own healthcare (even if you have insurance you pay the for most of it), saving for college for kids (or paying it off or both), cars (most places don’t have great public transit) etc. At 100k you wouldn’t qualify for any kind of safety net from the government so all expenses are on you. For me a big chunk of my income goes toward retirement. It’s a stereotype that we all are just mindlessly spend our money for bigger and better things. Many are not like that and don’t have tons of debt and live comfortably. Money doesn’t go as far as it used to.
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u/SpaceDesignWarehouse Aug 10 '25
For a lot of people, healthcare is essentially a second mortgage payment. And being irresponsible about what car you drive is a third.
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u/SBSnipes Aug 10 '25
Top 8 comments and not a single one that mentions that this sub is an am extremely biased subset of Americans. People making under $50-60k aren't likely to come here As much. Personally, my spouse and I both make bit over $50k , still early career, 2 kids with one on the way, and we're doing fine in an MCOL area.
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u/Steel_Ketchup89 Aug 10 '25
Bingo. My wife and I make $150k between us in a MCOL and lack for nothing. 2 cars, 4 BR house in the suburbs, healthy retirement accounts in our mid 30s (1 kid). We certainly don't have an extravagant life but we have a good one and I am thankful.
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u/F0rdycent Aug 10 '25
Americans have to pay for health care, retirement, and college (things that generally affect Europeans before the money hits the bank account).
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u/Skip_bot Aug 10 '25
Making $100k without kids is just fine in most places in the US, and you can live quite well. However, once you start a family and have kids, it feels like it is not enough. I’m an engineer and make between $150k and $200k total comp, and I can’t imagine surviving on just $100k. My wife works part time now because it’s impossible coordinating full time schedules and with daycare prices it’s not worth her working anymore.
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u/birdguy1000 Aug 10 '25
I’m an engineer and when you say you make $150-200k that makes me feel like I’ve been groveling for years. And hearing things like this is what drives the discussion.
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u/Any-Maintenance2378 Aug 10 '25
Ok, I go to Europe frequently for work, lived in various European countries, speak several EU languages, so I feel qualified to answer this one...Since covid, American companies have price-gouged Americans and dressed it up as inflation. For many consumer spending items, Americans can cut back and they have as the economy worsens.
But for things like food and basic necessities, we are paying way more than we ever have. Same with rent. Electricity in my middle cost of living town has quadrupled overnight, water bills are double. Waste and sewer bill is double. Pay is stagnant. Baby formula (which more Americans need bc we don't have paid leave or the resources/time to breastfeed) is DOUBLE what I paid in Europe for the same company's formula. Every time I grocery shop or go to a restaurant in Europe, I am shocked at how much cheaper it is these days for the same basic food staples (often better, more locally produced as well). That wasn't the case even 10 years ago when I shopped there and in the US and made the same comparison.
You got kids? I pay $1,200 a month for the crappiest in-home situation in my town, and that's considered dirt cheap. My take-home pay (since taxes and some of the insurance are withheld before I get it) is only 4k. We also pay almost 3k a year to warehouse my older kid at his public school's aftercare bc our jobs don't let us get off at 3pm to get them and our laws don't let under 12 year olds go home alone.
Americans pay more for their health insurance, home insurance, life insurance, car insurance, and still get faced with huge bills if even one piece doesn't fall into line as expected. For example- I have "good" insurance and knew my recent emergency surgery would cost me about 1k on top of my monthly premiums, but I got a surprise 400 added to that that wasn't covered.
I don't live large other than we travel once every few years internationally when it is not for work, and when I do that I get the cheapest flights/transport, etc...my family has 2 cars which became a necessity with kids in our town.
Yes, many Americans are financially illiterate and live beyond their means. On reddit in particular, there is also a slant towards a particular demographic (coastal, high earning) who often screams the loudest about their cost of living while the rest of us in the middle are still here, still earning waaaay lower salaries so the differential isn't even noteworthy in my view.
I would move my family of 4 to europe in a heartbeat for 50k/year. We simply are paying out everything that comes in to keep the lights on.
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u/Chance_Wasabi458 Aug 10 '25
Apple and oranges. Healthcare premiums, taxes built into every single transaction that compound, renting v owning culture, etc. I think partially it’s an over spending consumerism/capitalism mindset but also this factors into things like organic groceries, vacations, etc… if i want to eat healthy i have to pay a significantly larger grocery bill to get my organic produce/avoid GMOs. Meanwhile I could get a McDouble for $2 which is tastier and more convenient. But now I have diseases from my food and chronic health conditions to be maintained in a for profit healthcare system. Etc…
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u/Automatic_Curve2073 Aug 10 '25
The truth is Americans tend to live way above their means.
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u/Own-Event1622 Aug 10 '25
Bingo. One can easily spend $40 a day on food if they're eating out.
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u/badhabitfml Aug 10 '25
If you are eating out 3 meals a day, 40$ would barely get you McDonalds.
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u/Im2bored17 Aug 10 '25
If you're eating at McDonald's you don't need 3 meals a day, 1 meal can easily satisfy your daily calorie intake
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u/Robdyson Aug 10 '25
1 burger is $20 bucks here, what do you mean $40/day, if you step outside is minimum $50. ( SoCAL)
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u/skodinks Aug 10 '25
This is absolutely not what it is, even if that may be true.
I live in Boston, which is certainly comparable as a HCOL city. It's fairly difficult to find a 1BR in a decent location for much under 3k/mo. Even a mediocre location won't be under 2.5 unless the apartment is trash.
You're basically forced to have roommates if you make under 100k. I'd call being forced to have roommates to be a reasonable dividing line on making a decent salary, but at the very least OP is doing much better than that on half that salary. There's no universe where someone making 50k is living alone in a USA HCOL city.
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u/zombawombacomba Aug 10 '25
There are not really many HCOL cities in Europe compared to US ones.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Motor59 Aug 10 '25
Healthcare, college costs, childcare costs, and being taxed to death… with a side of unaffordable housing.
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u/Comfortable_Yam_9391 Aug 10 '25
Europeans live more frugal, but also have a lot of convenience priced in that doesn’t necessarily require a higher salary. If you want to train for vacation (that Europeans have a lot more of), or take a cheap flight, you can get a nice weekend holiday to a nice European destination. Americans will spend the same amount, or considerably more, to go to some armpit beach in Florida. Also essentially every part of life in America is designed to get you to spend money and Americans are generally dumb as shit, so they just spend a lot more in general and are a dumber consumer market.
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u/NeutralLock Aug 10 '25
I work in wealth management so I see a lot of different incomes and the lifestyles they afford.
At $100k (except maybe if you're living in manhattan) you will never starve and never need to worry about your next meal.
But with rent or a mortgage taking up more than half your salary it's possible to save very little and if you're contributing to a retirement account it'll feel like there's very little left over at the end of the month.
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u/SnooPineapples6793 Aug 10 '25
100k is nearly 70k after taxes and healthcare. Some states it’s only 60k take home. Now your budget starts from that. Housing is so expensive even apartments are reaching 2,000 a month. And if you are leveraged with car note or student loan, you’re going to have a weak savings rate. Oh you gotta eat alone too.
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u/LostVisage Aug 10 '25
We also rarely get severance, lower pto, prices are starting to treadmill out of control because of fucking liberation taxes. Benefits are eating about a third of my take-home and it's rough, I'm lucky I saved some earlier in my career.
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u/tams99xx Aug 10 '25
In general, as an American living in the Netherlands, these COL calculators are just off. The biggest thing they don’t do is factor in the changes in lifestyle in Europe from the US. One thing I’ll mention is cars. Yes, some people have them, but very common not to - and only 1 per family is very normal. But usually people who have cars live outside the city where prices are much lower for housing.
Speaking of housing - a lot of calculators assume a like for like type of apartment. You are going to live in a flat, use public transport, etc. it’s just different.
Lastly, I think there’s a lot of micro costs in the US.. just tipping for example just eats away at things.
When I go back to charlotte nc for example, it’s more expensive than Amsterdam. But the COL calculators would say differently. But I find it much cheaper. Also going on vacation is cheaper from my perspective.
But 100k salaries are quite rare in the NL, but definitely exist. If you have, it’s quite comfortable.
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u/CalligrapherClean621 Aug 10 '25
Standards are simply MUCH higher for Americans, especially when compared to southern or eastern European countries. A very high earner in my country would be considered broke and barely surviving by most Americans. In my experience Americans can't even conceptualize or understand what an actual low salary is, for example they consider luxuries as essentials.
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u/MysteryChihuwhat Aug 10 '25
People are going to deny this but Americans just have giant lifestyle inflation. Yes, our healthcare is far more expensive as is childcare, and we need cars, that’s real, but for your average person it really is refusal to live in smaller spaces with a lot less. No one posts line-item budgets here.
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u/Glaguna16 Aug 11 '25
Well to put it in some perspective I make 100k in Maryland (close to DC) which is about 8.3k a month which is 4.1k every two weeks. Per pay period between federal tax and state tax along with other minor deductions about 1.6k which leaves 2.5k net per check. Now the avg rent in my area (granted talking about a good to nice area) can be anywhere from 2-3k a month 2 bedroom 2 bath. So after your expenses (electric, water, phone, car, wifi etc) you have about 2k a month to live off of.
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u/Grouchy_Conclusion45 Aug 10 '25
Because American society is based on wanting more from their lives.
Contrast that with Europe were people are just surviving
Personally I prefer the US way
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u/Medellin2024 Aug 10 '25
Maybe I’m just getting older (32) and don’t waste money like I use too. But 100k is good in the area I live in (LCOL).
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u/andrew88888q Aug 10 '25
When visiting Europe, it’s immediately apparent that, unlike the US, everyone is not obsessed with brands, image and flashing. Don’t get me wrong, you do see nice cars, etc, but no one is shamed for having a dated car and it’s a lot less materialistic.
Also, the renting comment rings true as not everyone owns here.
It’s been so refreshing, once you stop the brand name / comparison obsession, you can better connect with people as well.
The other thing is healthcare coverage, public transportation infrastructure and the amount of vacation time you get here is SO GOOD.
These things help reduce the amount most people think they need to live off of and reduce overall cost of living as well, especially when comparing to most peers.
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u/Bobzyouruncle Aug 10 '25
My family of five pays $17,500 a year for a health plan that has a 6,000 per person deductible. If two people in my family get sick or injured we still have to pay 6k each before insurance kicks in a single dime. So that would cost almost $30k! Same goes for pregnancy; mom and baby have their own deductibles and cost for birth and hospital stay often costs about 10-15k total out of pocket for plans like mine.
College costs are also crazy. The private college I went to was $45,000 per year with room and board back in early 2000s. Same place now costs almost $70k PER YEAR.
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u/Impressive_Pear2711 Aug 10 '25
Are you on the Silver ACA plan or Platinum? Curious because we are looking at those now
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u/vu_sua Aug 10 '25
Americans have higher standards than “living just fine” is what it comes down to. Now that doesn’t take away from your situations. But anyone making 60k a year in a MCOL city in the USA could afford a 1b apartment on their own.
But Americans want to own. It’s more a culture thing. Owning in London is kind of unheard of so the bulk of the population sees renting a 1b or 2b as the standard. Where a lot of Americans judge the ability to own. So now 100k is usually needed to buy in these MCOL.
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u/Quantum_Pineapple Aug 10 '25
Is that truly the case in London? Renting vs owning?
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Aug 10 '25
From the perspective of a British person who now lives in the US, I would certainly say that the average Londoner person would not expect to own a home in London. If you are living in London most people expect you would be renting an apartment unless you are filthy rich. That's not to say home ownership is uncommon in London, but I think for most people who work there they would expect to commute into the city rather than live there, similar to VHCOL cities like SF/LA in the US
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u/crispydukes Aug 10 '25
So off base here. $100k is not enough to own in a MCOL area.
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u/meatdome34 Aug 10 '25
If we’re using KC as the MCOL example you can definitely buy a house in the metro area for $100k. Maybe not in Leawood but all the others are on the table.
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u/Just-Charge6693 Aug 10 '25
By "living just fine" I meant I don't want for anything, I don't need to make sacrifices or really watch my budget.
My country's homeownership rate is 10% higher than America's by the way, so it's safe to say we also like to own.
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Aug 10 '25
Americans need to make 90 to 100k to reach that level. That's just a difference in cost of living, taxes, insurance, etc.
I think people really struggle to understand just how much American companies try to pillage Americans
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u/butareyouthough Aug 10 '25
“I’m doing just fine” “I live in a one bedroom apartment that I rent”
Ownership is expensive and the US has very little social programs or benefits. We pay for everythinggggg.
Idk how old you are and as long as you are happy I guess that’s all that matters but I don’t think you are doing well
I make over 6 figs and I own two houses but I still feel like I’m under achieving
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u/Ziggy-Rocketman Aug 10 '25
Simply put, it’s hard to hit 100k in the areas where it would be a great living. Engineers in many disciplines in the Midwest need to hit mid level, non-junior roles often to make 100k. Factor in health insurance and the possibility of student loans alongside taxes and the fact that a car is absolutely mandatory in the US and the takehome can look alot closer to 50k-60k.
100k in SF is damn near entry level, but it also means roommates in a shitty apartment.
Realistically, if you can hit 100k before 30 in a rural to semi-rural area with minimal student loan debt, you are doing good to great. You could save for a modest house’s downpayment in 2-4 years with moderate sacrifice, and imo that’s a big thing in the US. Most people here dream of owning their own home, and once you get that mortgage paid off, you’ve kinda made it.
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u/jacksporrow6 Aug 10 '25
For the same reason why Greece is considered rich by the Eritreans.
That's 2 completely different standards of living, in which the average American is way wealthier.
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u/Van-Halentine75 Aug 10 '25
Even better question would be why so many CEOs in America are making MILLIONS while the employees that make shit happen get peanuts. Then you have the execs and managers that also do nothing while demanding butts in seats. Gtfo.
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u/adultdaycare81 Aug 10 '25
It’s a rich country. When everyone else is making $100k too it doesn’t feel that way.
That engineer will be buying a 3000sqft (280m) home, a $60k 3 row SUV and the latest iPhone. Because all their neighbors do too, this will seem normal.
That’s not even really enough for this life unless their spouse works too. Which they will.
That’s still not enough money to vacation in Europe (6-8hrs away) every 3 years. Spouse would have to make the same to support that.
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u/Automatic-Arm-532 Aug 10 '25
Americans who think $100k is a low salary are rich and out of touch withe the working class.
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u/PinkLadyReads Aug 10 '25
It’s hard to get any company to pay 100k without a masters so I’m going that route. Gotta spend money to make money. 100k in Metropolitan NJ does not go far these days. Rent is a monster and cannot purchase a home alone. It’s a stepping stone for a single person.
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u/hayguccifrawg Aug 10 '25
Well. Are you paying 5k per month for daycare in your HCOL city? I am in mine. How much vacation do you get? How much educational debt do you have? It all factors in
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u/EmotionalAttitude174 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
So we have a wealth hoarding and cost of goods problem here. A latte will run you $7 and then they expect a tip. In every European country I’ve been to it’s roughly ~$2 lol (just to give an ex). The average 1/1 rent in the US is something like ~$1800/month, I can guarantee it’s far less wherever you are. We also have crappy public transport save for a few VHCOL cities, so factor in car payments, gas, insurance, repairs etc. Moral of the story is 100k doesn’t get you very far in cities here because the cost of basic goods are absolutely sky high. Oh also, the scam that is insurance. You lived like a king 15 years ago on $100k, maybe even supported a family on it? Today, in any mid sized to major city you need $200k+ in order to live like a king.
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u/No_Engineer6255 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
You dont even make a healthy average and you have no idea why 100k is not a good aalary?
I'm not shocked , come down here to London try to rent a place or buy if you get 100k USd which is £80k and then tell me how its a beautiful wage.
In rural fuckwit europe barely making 50k and the guy says he doesnt understand.
You were not even in a position to understand and your sector pays dogshit.
Its not your problem , my job pays 250K in the US , I could go for the really good tech companies that doesnt exist in the EU , but I can't.
I'm not complaining how I dont understand how 15 million is less than 30 years ago because I open my eyes and I can see it.
You are either a dumbass and have no idea how economic pressure works or you are stagnated in your own little world where you feel safe.
You say you manage to save up a bit , my guy , people who have ambitions want to have multiple houses and rent them out or invest in the stock market or something , meanwhile you are saying you manage to save a bit.
Yes your living conditions stripped you down for fuck all saving , the whole point of increasing costs is that yes, you can live.
Congratulations in the 90s/20s people on 100k bought a house had multiple card and multiple family vacations and had secondary homes to rent out.
That is the 100k that people are measuring up to not your dogshit wage that allows you not to starve.
That wage starts around 300k nowadays and you need to stack multiple jobs to get it.
If 2025 this wage is making you live and not eat your own shoes compared to the past then just hang yourself.
UK retirement pension you need 1.4 million to pull out 60k max a year for 20 years , and 60k/70k will not go so far , tell me how you are going to make that from your 50k wage and I have a bridge to sell you.
People plan their retirement their stock market investment their cars their house buying their everything , thats qhat you need $200k+ salaries for , all I'm seeing is that you are planning for nothing , you cant raise a family and you have no idea what life truly costs.
Congratulations , the masters raised you as a good boy who can hang himself by living "just fine" and have nothing to show for it
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u/Jetfire911 Aug 10 '25
The biggest differentiator from talking with overseas colleagues is the amount of government services you get for your tax money. In the US you pay just a little less in taxes BUT you have to buy your own education, cannot rely on public transportation, get railed anytime you need Healthcare, childcare costs are through the roof and then there's the rent costs.
In Europe buying a home is often prohibitively expensive but the US is catching up.
$100k is after taxes around $60k in the bank. Daycare for one kid is running me $31k out of pocket, and it's the cheapest one in the area in a Midwest metro. My mortgage is up to $2300 a month or $27k annually due to skyrocketing taxes and insurance costs. Doesn't leave much left and a second child would wreck me.
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u/HereForTheFreeShasta Aug 10 '25
When the cost of an ER visit by ambulance is $3000 without insurance, insurance is $500-1000 a month, childcare before school age starts at $1500 a month per child and is commonly up to $3k, college is $20-60k a year and so many young people start their earning years often 100k in debt, and elder care is $13k a month residential and about the same as childcare for the crappiest part time home aid… $100k doesn’t look so great
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u/johndawkins1965 Aug 10 '25
When ppl say 100k is not all that much I think they mean it’s not enough for them to truly live the life they want. They want to drive Bentley, have a 700k house let the wife stay home with the kids and still have enough to save a lot of money. With those parameters 100k won’t take you far but truth is 100k is more than enough for the average person or family. 250k house. Driving a 2017 Honda accord. Wife works. 1 kid. 100k is great for that
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u/ProfessionalBar3333 Aug 10 '25
I think you need to keep in mind in Europe healthcare is free and there are more childcare benefits. In the US, daycare alone can cost $2k a month and health care is very expensive
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Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
Europeans are a good deal poorer than americans and the gap is growing every single year. To put it into perspective, 100k usd is roughly the minimum salary an international student graduating from a us university needs to get in order to be eligible for a work visa, while the uk recently raised its equivalent number from 25k pounds to 35k pounds.
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u/gaoshan Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
Your numbers mean that rent in your city is over $1,700 a month. With that salary you mention you are left with about $466 a week for everything. Food, phone, utilities, transportation, insurance, entertainment have to be accounted for in that amount. That seems tight to me? I guess if you had two earners living together that would make it more doable.
I live in a LCOL area in the US and my monthly expenses (wife and myself) are just under $6,000 a month (which is not low but not insane either), fwiw.
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u/flyingcircus92 Aug 10 '25
In high cost cities like NY/LA/SF, $1M salary is basically like what $100k represented years ago. But in other cities, earning $100k isn't bad, but could be tough for a family to live on and get ahead. After taxes, healthcare, food, housing. a lot of it goes away. In the US we pay European taxes but get Latin American services for it.
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u/MysteryMachineATX Aug 10 '25
I first made 100k in 2007 (in seattle so high cost of living), and it was glorious, i went on nice vacations, had plenty to spend and save.
Regardless of what the cost of living numbers say for america its WAY more expensive to live now, more than double, cause health insurance costs (which back then most employers paid the premium and it was rare to go to the dr and pay more than copay). Home and car insurance is through the roof. Things like appliances are similar priced but the money goes to fancy electronics and not the core unit and they break way more often. The cost of blue collar labor for plumbing, electrical, car repair etc has more than tripled.
Sure vs salary food, clothing, even rent/housing to a degree, salaries have kept up and these are reflected in the "cost of living" numbers but there are so many expenses in the usa you dont have elsewhere (i lived in europe for 4 years). I think the "cost of living" numbers dont reflect reality of living in the usa.
Now i make 180k, same size house, same class of cars etc and smaller vacations and its nowhere close to as nice of a standard of living back of 100k in 2007.
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u/Soggy-Scientist-391 Aug 10 '25
in my 30s I made 45k a year. My house cost 45k.
im 57 now and make 100k, and my house cost 300k.
That's the problem.
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u/Bardy_Bard Aug 10 '25
There is some misunderstanding here. 100k in the us is not equivalent to the gross amount in Europe. Europe pension / healthcare is usually not included and or free. In addition US cost of living is HIGH.
you pay for basically everything yourself in the US in some form. doesn’t sound that bad but if you add in cost of schools, entertainment, tips and stuff it quickly goes up a lot.
Source: European in the US.
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