How much money does it take to confidently call yourself "rich"?
The 2026 Capgemini Wealth Report provides a fairly clear answer: having an investment portfolio of at least 1 million US dollars, or about 33 million baht, excluding your primary residence, places you among the world's millionaires.
Currently, there are about 25.3 million such individuals worldwide—the highest ever recorded—but they still represent only 0.3% of the global population.
In Thailand, a similar figure is used to define High Net Worth clients for many banks, with entry-level Private Banking services typically requiring combined investments and deposits of around 30 million baht.
By this definition, those with around 30-33 million baht can consider themselves "wealthy."
However, the more intriguing question is why some people meeting this benchmark still don't feel rich or remain anxious about their financial future. Part of the answer lies in how the goalposts of wealth shift—not fixed by account numbers but by the lives of those we compare ourselves to.
The article “Having a Million Dollars but Not Feeling Rich” by Sikkawat Suesatja, published on the KKP EDGE page, explains that “wealth” has both measurable and emotional aspects. The measurable side includes net worth, calculated by subtracting debts from total assets, but this number alone doesn't fully reflect a person’s financial stability.
Two people may have the same net worth but vastly different expenses, liquidity, and income risks. One might live comfortably without worry, while the other must continuously earn a high income to maintain their lifestyle.
Feelings of wealth are even harder to measure because people often assess their status relative to those around them.
Someone with 30 million baht may feel secure among people with less money, but that same amount can seem small among those owning multiple homes, large businesses, or portfolios worth hundreds of millions. The amount hasn’t changed, but the perception has.
As the income of those around increases, with bigger houses, luxury cars, and more extravagant lifestyles, personal financial goals shift—from thinking 10 million baht is enough, to 30 million, and then perhaps 100 million.
This competition rarely ends, as there will always be someone wealthier to compare against.
Wealth reports show large asset gaps within the millionaire group itself. The Ultra High Net Worth individuals—those with investment assets of 30 million US dollars or about 1 billion baht or more—make up only 1% of all millionaires.
In other words, even if you have 33 million baht and belong to the richest 0.3% worldwide, there are others holding assets many times greater.
Wealth can create a constant feeling of "not enough" if one measures themselves against those above them. Especially today, when the lives of the rich are visible daily on screens, comparisons extend beyond neighbors or colleagues to include global business owners, investors, and billionaires.
The more we see others with more, the more blurred the line between "needs" and "wants" becomes. Expenses once seen as luxury gradually become new lifestyle standards.
Ultimately, even as income and assets grow, feelings of financial security may not increase at the same pace.
KKP EDGE explains a concept from Scott Galloway’s book The Algebra of Happiness, defining wealth by the relationship between asset income and spending rate.
The basic equation is
Asset income exceeds living expenses.
For example, a person with a 10 million baht investment portfolio earning an average 5% return—about 500,000 baht annually from interest and dividends—who spends 400,000 baht per year has enough asset income to support their life without selling assets.
Conversely, someone earning 2 million baht annually from stocks or crypto may seem better off, but if they have expensive housing, luxury cars, international school tuition, and high costs that nearly match their income, their financial position can quickly become unstable if income falters.
The first person has less money but more room to live freely, while the second earns more but must constantly work hard to maintain their lifestyle.
Financial security depends not just on how much you earn, but on how long your money can support your life and how much freedom you have to stop or change direction.
Setting a fixed number for "how much makes you rich" is limited by at least three life conditions.
First, location: 1 million baht in a rural area, Bangkok, or abroad has different purchasing power. Housing, transport, food, and basic services all affect how long a given sum can maintain quality of life.
The threshold for Ultra High Net Worth in Thailand might start around 100 million baht, while in the US it could be about 1 billion baht. Thus, the meaning of "rich" changes with cost of living and economic structure.
Second, age: 1 million baht at age 40 has more time to grow through compound interest than the same amount at age 60. However, a 40-year-old may face more expenses ahead, like supporting children, housing, and retirement savings. The same amount offers different security depending on life stage and obligations.
Third, social environment: People in competitive communities often increase spending unconsciously to keep up. Houses, cars, schools, restaurants, and travel become social acceptance costs. Sometimes people earn more not because their current life is unsustainable, but to avoid feeling left behind.
Having financial goals is not wrong; saving and growing investments do reduce risks and expand life options. Problems arise when goals stem not from personal needs but from watching who has more. If life is measured against others, even 33 million, 100 million, or more may still feel insufficient.
The key question may not be "how much money is needed to be rich" but rather "how much is enough for the life you want," considering responsibilities and acceptable risks. Those with the biggest portfolios may still chase others’ standards, while people with less might better balance income, expenses, and needs.
When asset income covers expenses, emergency funds exist, debt does not constrain life, and important decisions can be made without money fears, that may be a more tangible form of wealth than round numbers in an account.
Ultimately, the financial finish line that secures life may not be having more money than others, but reaching a point where you no longer have to run after anyone else's life.
Compiled from information by KKP EDGE.
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