In São Paulo, Brazil, a McDonald’s Big Mac combo costs roughly $8. You, like me, might assume that the average Paulista is raking in big bucks, akin to professionals in New York or London. However, the country’s actual top 1% income bracket may shock you.

Today’s special report examines what it takes to earn a top 1% income in three different countries. We’ll also explore why this figure is often misleading and what a top 1% income actually buys (hint: in one country, you’d need significantly more to live a normal American upper-middle-class lifestyle).

Let’s start with the highest income hurdle first.

In pop culture, Mexico is dirt cheap. It’s a place you go after robbing a bank, defecting from your secret agent job, or escaping from Shawshank Prison to live comfortably in a beach town while supporting yourself with odd jobs.

In reality, Mexico is less expensive than the United States but is by no means cheap, especially in large cities like Mexico City or Monterrey.

Due to its close proximity to the United States, Mexico is also home to many “nearshoring” businesses that supply the U.S. with critical components and services. In major cities, it’s fairly common to chat with locals who work for recognizable corporations like IBM, Deloitte, and Valero.

This contributes to higher incomes than in many other Latin American countries, with Mexico’s top 1% monthly income bracket equaling approximately $7,500 to $8,500 USD per month.

While this doesn’t provide Jeff Bezos-level wealth, it would afford a lifestyle akin to that of an upper-middle-class household in the United States — which makes sense, given how closely Mexico’s economy is tied to its neighbor to the north.

As someone who lives in Brazil, I’ve never quite understood how the country’s economy works. Many goods and services are expensive — like the aforementioned $8 Big Mac combo — yet salaries are shockingly low.

To be in Brazil’s top 1% income bracket, you need to earn roughly $3,600 to $4,000 USD per month.

While this would allow you to live an extremely comfortable lifestyle if you’re single and focused on enjoying life — whether through nature-based hobbies like surfing and hiking or more hedonistic activities like nightlife — this income doesn’t translate into true “top 1% buying power” for families or retirees.

Services such as quality private schools or good private healthcare are often disproportionately expensive relative to basic amenities like food and rent.

Additionally, the country’s tariffs and taxes mean many imported items are significantly more expensive than in the United States or even some neighboring Latin American countries. For example, a new iPhone in Brazil is generally double the U.S. retail price. Likewise, a MacBook Air in Brazil costs about $2,200 USD compared to its $999 base price in the United States.

So while $3,600 to $4,000 qualifies as top 1% income, its buying power varies greatly depending on the goods and services you want. In many cases, you may get less for your money than you would in the United States.

Here’s a country where the wealth pyramid looks more like the Space Needle.

In Vietnam, earning $1,150 to $1,200 USD per month would put you in the top 5% income bracket. However, to be in the top 1%, you’d need to earn over $8,000 per month.

In researching this report, it took less than 30 seconds to find half a dozen Airbnb listings in nice neighborhoods of Ho Chi Minh City with rent under $500 per month.

When I lived in Vietnam nearly a decade ago, building affiliate blogs about mattresses and coffee makers allowed me to rent a place in the same neighborhood as the country’s former president. My $400-per-month apartment was across the street from a large golf course where locals pulled up in Bentleys and Lamborghinis to play nine holes.

In this country, being in the top 2% income bracket — around $4,000 per month — would still allow you to live well, even with a family or as a retiree. You could dine out for every meal, hire caretakers and household staff, send your children to a private international school, and belong to a private health clinic.

This investigation began with a glance at a McDonald’s menu in São Paulo and the thought, “These hamburgers seem expensive.”

Examining what a top 1% income actually buys offers a more realistic perspective on how far your money goes when living abroad. Some countries, like Brazil, may look cheap on paper but carry hidden costs most people don’t anticipate.

Others, like Mexico, are more closely aligned with the United States in terms of price-to-value.

And in countries like Vietnam, earning a little over $1,000 per month might technically make you “rich,” yet there’s still an enormous gap between being a top 5% earner and a top 1% earner.

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Disclaimer: This article is for entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice, always do your own research.