10 Signs That You've Made It To Middle Class Status!

[Sashan]

Middle class vacation is primarily religious vacation. And no Hindu religious place exists outside India.

Middle class vacation is religious vacation or visit to relatives' place but nowadays with packages as low as rs 20,000 offered to countries like Thailand and Srilanka, many have started taking vacations outside of the country.

And one more thing - owning these things are not necessarily the sign of a middle class..because my family definitely has the purchasing power to buy LED tvs for all the bedrooms, buy a +15 lakh car, take a foreign vacation every 3 years, eat for the mentioned amt outside etc...but they dont do it...but invest in lands and properties..this is not say that they dont spend on essential things..but there is a fine line between spending on things that you need and spending on luxuries/status symbols. And there are also people who have borrowed money all over the city, but have spent on these luxuries..on looking outside you will not know they are sunk in debt..so external appearances are highly deceptive.

And I've noticed people up North are a bit flashy as compared to their southern counterparts.

Bro - If I assess things correctly and being a Vellala Gounder from Coimbatore, you do not qualify as middle class. Rather you should be one of the few upper classes, though I know for a fact that your community people are the more restrained,hardworking, cultured and value tradition though loaded with money.

 

[TheSeeker]

Well, have you attained the coveted Middle Class status? (I’m not talking about higher or lower middle class). It’s neither. Defining "middle class" remains a challenge, as everyone wants to be in the middle regardless of their income. Instead of focusing on just the money in your bank, let's take a look at the lifestyle benchmarks that define middle class status:

Home Ownership


Do you own a house whose value is between Rs 30 and 60 lakhs?

Automobile Ownership

Have a car that costs between Rs 4 and 10 lakhs?

Health Coverage

A health insurance cover of at least Rs 10 lakhs?

Children’s Education

Are your children studying in Public schools that charge between Rs75,000 and Rs 1 lakh per year as fees? Or studying in colleges that cost more than Rs 3 Lakhs per year?

Plasma/LED/LCD TV 32” and above.

TVs in all bedrooms and maybe the living room too with at least one DVD/Blue Ray player.

Washing machine/dishwasher/clothes dryer/computer/iPad or equivalent.

These needless to say are a must.

Eating Out

Do you spend approx Rs 2000-5000 on eating out every month?

Vacations

At least one vacation abroad in two/three years.

Tax

Do you pay income tax of at least Rs 20,000 per year? (Does not apply to tax evaders!)

Club Membership

Are you a member of a reputed club in a metro.

If you’ve achieved these benchmarks, then congrats! You’ve made it to the Middle Class Club! Next stop? The Upper Middle Class! All the best!

Cheers!

I think these benchmarks are a little higher for middle class people.i think these benchmarks should not be applied to indians

 

[Backbencher]

3 bedroom villa in lucknow for just 55 lakh...thats a steal!!..whats the built up area in sq.feet ?

Well it didn't costed me in crores in the first place because DLF's project is underconstruction and as such is about 5 kms away from the city .
Secondly it is about 2250 sq. feet .
Hai na mast investment

 

[OrionHunter]

And one more thing - owning these things are not necessarily the sign of a middle class..because my family definitely has the purchasing power to buy LED tvs for all the bedrooms, buy a +15 lakh car, take a foreign vacation every 3 years, eat for the mentioned amt outside etc...but they dont do it...but invest in lands and properties..this is not say that they dont spend on essential things..but there is a fine line between spending on things that you need and spending on luxuries/status symbols. And there are also people who have borrowed money all over the city, but have spent on these luxuries..on looking outside you will not know they are sunk in debt..so external appearances are highly deceptive.

And I've noticed people up North are a bit flashy as compared to their southern counterparts.

What's the point of investing everything in land and properties when you can't make life comfortable for yourself? That's just like living in a spartan one room apartment, using overcrowded buses to commute etc inspite of having a billion bucks lying uselessly in the bank (which uses YOUR money for lending to others), and paying property taxes on idle land/properties to the government instead of you making use of your own money to make yourself and your kids a little more comfortable? All this money invested by you in land and properties for what? For your future generations to enjoy whilst you live a so called spartan life?

Most of the things listed in the OP are necessities of today, not luxuries anymore, like what refrigerators and TVs were a few years ago!

Cheers!

 

[Backbencher]

Just one sign that will clearly state that u are the middle class.....

 

[Vicar]

Inflation is bringing us true democracy. For the first time in history, luxuries and necessities are selling at the same price.

 

[Don Jaguar]

the rate of a single flat in royal palais worli mumbai is about 100 Crore............

O bhai hosh mein ho?

You mean 1 arab rupay?

 

[Don Jaguar]

Give me the source who says 1 billion per flat?

 

[1ndy]

Are mad? with that much wealth a man living in village considered as a dhanna seth.LOL

 

[Backbencher]

O bhai hosh mein ho?

You mean 1 arab rupay?

Kya hai ki Hindustan me posh areas kuch kam hai aur ameer kuch zyada hi .
Mumbai is a very very very costly city .

 

[KS]

Well it didn't costed me in crores in the first place because DLF's project is underconstruction and as such is about 5 kms away from the city .
Secondly it is about 2250 sq. feet .
Hai na mast investment

Awesome investment yaar...5 km from the city is a plus point...who wants to live in the crowded, noisy, polluted city anyways ?

 

[KS]

What's the point of investing everything in land and properties when you can't make life comfortable for yourself? That's just like living in a spartan one room apartment, using overcrowded buses to commute etc inspite of having a billion bucks lying uselessly in the bank (which uses YOUR money for lending to others), and paying property taxes on idle land/properties to the government instead of you making use of your own money to make yourself and your kids a little more comfortable? All this money invested by you in land and properties for what? For your future generations to enjoy whilst you live a so called spartan life?

Most of the things listed in the OP are necessities of today, not luxuries anymore, like what refrigerators and TVs were a few years ago!

Cheers!

You misunderstood me -- we have a house with built up area of about 2000 sq.feet for just two members as I'm in US now, 4 vehicles , electronics, absolutely no loan whatsoever on anything etc.. But my parents have not gone on a foreign vacation, are not members of any clubs, we dont have TVs in all the 11 odd rooms (well atleast not LED TVs), dont spend 5000 bucks eating outside etc. We are still happy and in any eventuality can take care of ourselves without depending on anyone.

Happiness is not about material comforts alone. That is the whole point. And in any eventuality I just cant wrap around my head things like foreign vacations, club memberships etc being necessities and not luxuries.

p.s.: even regards education - the best of the best schools in Tamil Nadu dont cost more than 15K a year..when I was in school my school charged me 1200 year lol..and this one of the best Anglo-Indian schools in TN with alumni like Naren Karthikeyan, Pooja Ramachandran of SS music etc and similarly the best of the colleges dont charge above 1 lakh a year for dayscholars.

 

[Don Jaguar]

Kya hai ki Hindustan me posh areas kuch kam hai aur ameer kuch zyada hi .
Mumbai is a very very very costly city .

You live in mumbai?

Yar agar 2000 square feet ka ghar kharidna ho "land plus constructed house" tu kitnay ka milay ga?

 

[KRAIT]

You live in mumbai?
Yar agar 2000 square feet ka ghar kharidna ho "land plus constructed house" tu kitnay ka milay ga?

Bhai India basne ka plan hai kya ? Police pareshan kar degi.

 

[Don Jaguar]

Bhai India basne ka plan hai kya ? Police pareshan kar degi.

Koi plan nahi hai wasay hi poch raha tha.