The salary ladder for workers in first-tier cities

Level 1: Monthly salary 6k
From 4k to 6k, only a 2000 yuan increase, but the quality of life jumps to a new level
6k means you’ve moved out of dormitory living into the ranks of basic workers. Single, healthy, with your own private space, able to enjoy basic modern life.
To reach 6k (pre-tax around 8k), you need
· Either be willing to work hard (delivery driver, ride-hailing driver)
· Or have basic education or a good image (ordinary clerk, receptionist, entry-level media person)
This is the first hurdle beyond mere survival.
Level 2: Monthly salary 10k
From 6k to 10k, a 4k jump, represents a leap from basic needs to a modest prosperity
At this level, your basic living needs are fully met. You can rent a single room, start saving, and even send some money home. When small emergencies happen at home, you won’t fall into poverty overnight.
People stable at 10k can enter a positive cycle of life. You might consider buying a 100,000 yuan family car. If both partners are at this level, you can rent a place and get married, barely establishing roots in a first-tier city.
To take this step, you need at least one solid skill
· Either exceptional physical strength (heavy labor, delivery king)
· Or good technical skills or communication (technician, excellent salesperson)
· Or sufficient education (teacher, general doctor, civil servant, foreign company employee)
At this stage, you’ve surpassed many people.
Level 3: Monthly salary 20k
A 20k monthly salary corresponds to an annual package of about 350k. This is when the concept of compensation packages, including housing funds, year-end bonuses, and stock options, begins.
This leap marks the start of consumption upgrading. You can afford quality in daily eating, clothing, and use. Even a small push can get you close to luxury goods. Those stable at 20k have significantly increased risk resistance. You can buy a car worth around 300,000 yuan. If both partners are at this level, you might consider buying a home together and truly settle in a first-tier city.
Moving from 10k to 20k, a 10k difference, requires you to excel at least in one area
· Core technical personnel in the system (military industry, tobacco, electricity, top-tier doctors)
· Excellent educational background (PE/VC, PhD positions, major company product roles)
· Strong speculative ability (programmers, industry trend experts)
· Top-tier technical/sales/management skills (core technicians, top sales, middle management)
This is already the ceiling that ordinary workers can reach through effort.
Level 4: Monthly salary 40k
A 40k monthly salary corresponds to an annual package of 600,000 to 700,000 yuan. At this level, as long as you don’t mess around, life can be quite comfortable. Of course, this assumes you still have time to enjoy.
You can buy a luxury car worth around 500,000 yuan, purchase a primary residence independently, or co-invest in an improved home. As long as debt is manageable and you stay at this level long-term, living relatively comfortably in a first-tier city is possible.
Reaching this level through working is already top-tier. You need to excel in at least two dimensions
· Speculation + technical skills (senior tech at large companies)
· Technical + sales (medical aesthetic or dental doctors, investment banking, top-tier law firms)
· Technical + management (senior doctors in top hospitals, senior managers at Big Four)
· Management + sales (regional managers at large companies, sales directors at smaller firms)
At this point, you’re close to the threshold of entrepreneurship.
Level 5: Monthly salary 80k
An 80k monthly salary, annual income over one million, is the limit for most workers.
You need to excel in at least three dimensions:
- Technical + management + sales (senior civil servants, partners at law firms)
- Speculation + technical + management (industry trend project leaders)
- Speculation + technical + sales (AI/celebrity B2B sales)
- Speculation + management + sales (professional managers, BD directors)
By this stage, the sample size is very small. Everyone’s path is non-replicable, heavily dependent on luck and industry trends.
Level 6: Annual income over 3 million yuan
Beyond this, with all four dimensions fully developed and no shortfalls, the limit for those who rely solely on working without family background is roughly around 3 million yuan annually.
Fund managers overseeing hundreds of billions, key executives at well-known companies—these are the top among workers. In this circle, earning 600,000 to 700,000 yuan from work alone is already impressive. The top tier among them is only one-fifth of what the very top earn.
A final, blunt truth:
Labor income has marginal effects. The higher your salary, the more you need to increase it to improve your quality of life.
Rising from 20k to 40k might bring less happiness than going from 6k to 10k.
An annual salary of 600,000 to 700,000 yuan is the upper limit most ordinary people can reach without speculation, family support, or encountering benefactors.
Which level you are at determines whether you’re just surviving, living, or truly thriving in a first-tier city.