What salary is considered middle class in Australia?

What's considered middle class in Australia? Gosh, that's a tough one! I mean, if you just look at the numbers, the median salary is around $6,675 a month – I saw that statistic somewhere, maybe on the ABS website? Half the country earns less, half earns more. Simple, right? Wrong! It's way more complicated than that, you know?

Just earning that median salary doesn't feel middle class, not really. My cousin, Sarah, earns around that much, lives in Sydney, and honestly, she's constantly stressed about money! Rent alone eats up a huge chunk, and Sydney's just…expensive. She's always talking about how difficult it is to save, even small amounts. So yeah, median salary...not a magic middle-class bullet.

Then you’ve got places like regional areas, where that same salary might feel pretty comfortable. Remember my aunt in the Hunter Valley? She makes less than that, but she's got a lovely little house, a garden, and barely any debt. Completely different story, right? It's all relative, isn't it? It all comes down to cost of living, family size - are you supporting kids? - and what you consider a comfortable lifestyle.

For me? I think "middle class" is less about a specific number and more about feeling like you can afford the basics without constant worry. Maybe that's just me being naive, but hey. So many factors make up that answer. It's more than just a number on a payslip. It's a feeling, I guess.