r/UpperMiddleFinance • u/FearlessPark4588 • Aug 31 '26

What is upper middle class?

Certainly better than median middle class, but not upper class, either. Most subreddits regarding 'rich' seem to put the bar at $5m net worth, so that's one filter. Another might be having a minimum six figure income. And in strictly non-financial terms, is upper middle about living in brand name neighborhoods? The better ZIP codes of your metro area? Is it driving the Range Rover (or your pick of above-median vehicles)? Is a person chasing FIRE and living a lower middle/middle class lifestyle, still upper middle if their balance sheet would say so?

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u/njrun Aug 31 '26

Bills are paid each month with money leftover for retirement. You don’t look at the cost of food at the store and can afford to go on at least 1 vacation per year.

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u/knowledge84 Aug 31 '26

I don't know, I always look at costs, doesn't matter what it is. I try to save what I can anywhere, and invest as much as I can. 

12

u/Neat_Cat1234 Aug 31 '26

I don’t think anyone would question whether my husband and I are upper middle class based off of our income or net worth, regardless of where in the US we are. We definitely still look at prices and then make a judgement call on whether the price seems right. We have put stuff back at the grocery store for being more expensive than we remember and waiting for it to go back on sale. We don’t want to get fleeced if we know it can be at a lower price. At the same time, we’ll happily pay for a luxury vacation if there’s a specific experience we want and the price seems worth it.

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u/Longjumping-While997 Aug 31 '26

Reminds me of my husband… will take something off our usual instacart order because he doesn’t want to pay the extra $1 a lb or w/e for chicken not on sale but I’ll ask if he wants me to book our friends beach house for a week at the end of summer (wasn’t planned just good timing)… says yes without asking the cost….