Tradie sparks fierce debate after revealing why his salary isn’t enough

By CAITLIN POWELL FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 16:39 BST, 27 May 2025 | Updated: 17:58 BST, 27 May 2025

An Aussie man who swapped an office corporate job for a construction site has expressed his shock after learning that a $120,000 salary wasn’t enough to live on.

Jack, 29, divided TikTok viewers when he recently shared a video about how wealthy his teenage self thought a six figure income would make him.

‘A hundred grand a year, you’d be driving a Mercedes and living in a luxury apartment. That’s what I thought,’ he said.

‘The only thing I can buy with my six-figure salary is groceries without flinching.’

Some viewers slammed Jack for being privileged by complaining about how far his money went.

‘My partner and I are on a combined income of $145k. To me this is wild,’ one commented.

Another said: ‘I make $50kish a year, can get by just fine and still saved good, I guess the more you earn the more you spend.’

But other Aussies sympathised, saying they had also faced financial struggles on similar six figure salaries.

A tradie who left his corporate job behind for a six figure salary said the only thing he doesn’t flinch on when buying is groceries (stock image)

‘I used to think $100k was going to be good. Now I’m like $200k is adult money,’ one wrote.

Another added: ‘Bro I made $230k (pre tax) last year and I can tell you, I do not feel rich. 

‘I live alone and have a new VW because the 15 year old one was done. I also bought a unit but I’m essentially stretched.’

In a follow up video addressing the comments calling him out on his ‘privileged’ position, Jack agreed that it showed the dire experience of the average Aussie.

‘The level of income that I’ve had to achieve to be able to do that is quite high,’ he said.

‘My parents think I’m rich, they think I’m minted.

‘That gives you an understanding of how bad things have gotten for the average Australian that the bare necessities not being a problem for you, is a point of privilege.’

Now earning more than $140,000 a year, Jack is still struggling to scrape together a decent deposit to buy his first home, even after moving to regional Victoria.

TikTok user 29-year-old Jack (pictured) defended his statement by saying the privilege he experiences just to comfortably buy groceries shows how bad it is for the average Aussie

He currently pays $2500 per month in rent but would be forking out $7000 in mortgage repayments if he bought in the same area.

‘I’m in the top 10 per cent of income earners, so how screwed is everyone else?’ Jack told news.com.au.

‘If you work your butt off in Melbourne or Sydney and have a household income of $300,000 and you’re both killing it, and if you’re really lucky, you might be able to buy a home an hour away from where you work.

‘That is just awful. That is so rough.’

Jack was previously earning between $50,000 to $60,000 a year in a corporate job after he graduated from university with an economics degree.

But after complaining to his uncle about his pay, Jack decided to ditch his suit for hi vis workwear three years ago so he could more than double his income.

‘My uncle told me to get a pair of work boots and a white card and come and jump on a worksite and make $2000 a week,’ he recalled.

‘I will break up pieces of asbestos and throw them in a skip bin if I don’t have to be in debt anymore.’

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Tradie sparks fierce debate after revealing why his salary isn’t enough

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