Salary
Australians claimed AU$60,000 simply isn’t enough to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, especially for people living in Australia's capital cities. Pixabay

A 28-year-old woman has sparked a fierce debate online after claiming that AU$60,000 was no longer a liveable salary in Australia in 2025.

Alice Raspin, a social media user, shared her thoughts on the issue, explaining that wages need to keep pace with inflation, or else they were "out."

Raspin's post has since gone viral, garnering more than 200,000 views, News.com reported.

@aliceraspin

I don’t care how much you make, if it’s less than $60,000 a year get a new job tbh #nobuy #nobuyyear #nobuy2025 #underconsumptioncore #budgeting #budgetfriendly #2024wrapped #budgetingforbeginners

♬ original sound - Alice- No Buy 2025 ✨

The young woman argued that in today's economy, AU$60,000 simply wasn't enough to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, especially for people living in Australia's capital cities.

Raspin said her views weren't a reflection of her own earnings, but rather an observation about the broader job market in 2025.

In her opinion, any company offering a full-time position with a salary of AU$60,000 is "straight-up dreaming" if it thinks that's a reasonable wage.

"How do people expect to compensate someone 75 hours a fortnight for $60,000? What bills am I paying with that?" she asked.

According to Raspin, AU$60,000 is an acceptable salary for young people in their early twenties who are living with flatmates and don't have children. But for anyone older, especially those with families, it just wasn't enough.

Raspin explained that she wasn't too anxious about money, as she had developed good habits and learned to plan ahead.

According to the Wage Price Index update released in September 2024, Australia's consumer price index rose by 2.8%, while wages grew at a slightly higher rate of 3.5%.

Debate heats up

Raspin's post ignited a fiery discussion about the state of wages in Australia.

One user shared that they had recently turned down a government job offering AU$50,000, saying, "Sorry, what?" While, another commenter quipped that "$125k is the new $65k."

Some chimed in, saying they wouldn't even "get out of bed" for anything less than a six-figure salary of AU$100,000, while others expressed shock at seeing admin roles advertised for as little as AU$40,000.

One person even declared that the "minimum" salary they should accept was AU$125,000, while another, earning AU$45,000, revealed they felt "ripped off" by their income.

While Raspin's opinion struck a chord with many online, money expert Rebecca Pike from Finder noted that AU$60,000 wasn't necessarily an unliveable wage for everyone.

She pointed out that a single person could likely live comfortably on that salary, but a family of four would probably face challenges making ends meet.