RTL Today readers largely unsatisfied with financial situation

After Eurostat's recent report that Luxembourgers are remarkably unhappy with their financial situation, RTL carried out a poll to see how our readers would rank their own economic situation. As it turns out, they're even less satisfied than the European average. Despite Luxembourg still carrying the crown of Europe's richest country, when asked to rate their financial satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10, responses averaged at 5.8 out of 10, a full point less than Eurostat's numbers. In the Grand Duchy, as it turns out, more is always more.

How much is enough to be satisfied?

57% of 1135 participants declared being unsatisfied. So how much is enough to be satisfied according to our readers? Well, while the answers vary, one third set a threshold of at least 10,000€ per month, with 22.59% claiming that financial satisfaction begins at a monthly 15,000€.

This begs the question: How much is Luxembourg actually earning? The median gross income in Luxembourg amounted to 50,799€ in 2024, placing Luxembourgers as the number one earners in the EU. Well ahead of the runner up, Denmark, where the median gross salary was 34,843€.

Are salaries upwards of 10,000€ possible? Yes, but they're far from being the norm. In the public sector, for example, the median gross monthly salary is 9,090€ and nearly 40% of workers earn more than 10,000€ per month. However, in contrast, only 10% of workers in the private sector earn as much, with the median monthly salary standing at 4,443€.

According to information obtained by Contacto earlier this year, even Luxembourg's highest ranking public official, Prime Minister Luc Frieden, earns a monthly 21,879€, with other ministers' salaries hovering at 18,737€ per month. While objectively high, this amount is not a far throw from our readers wishes.

How much is enough to live in Luxembourg?

The results raise the question of whether financial necessity equals financial appetite. While life in Luxembourg doesn’t come cheap, with rents and living costs among the highest in Europe, it’s understandable that people want to earn more. Especially when considering the remarkably high "at-risk-of-poverty" threshold of 2,400€ per month.

However, it's important to note that on the other side of the financial spectrum, poverty still affects 1 out of 5 people in Luxembourg, with almost half of single-parent households living below the poverty threshold. Eurostat reported that, in 2024, 20% of the Luxembourgish population were at risk of poverty or social exclusion – that's around 132,000 people. In a country where Porsches still outnumber Dacias, the standard of living of the wealthiest 20% of the population remains 4.8 times higher than that of the poorest 20%.