Chances are, if you are reading this post you are doing pretty doggone well. You have access to electricity, and a sheltered place to store a computer. That puts you in fairly elite company when compared to the world at large.
There is a website that will use income or wealth to give a world ranking: http://www.globalrichlist.com/ . A natural tendency is to think locally, but it can be eye-opening to think about wealth globally.
To reach the lofty stratosphere of the TOP 1% in global income takes an annual salary in USD of $31,100.
To reach the lofty level of the TOP 10% in global income takes an annual salary of $13,200.
The only way to determine if one is doing better than others is to compare. But choosing who to compare will determine the outcome. How many people protesting the 1% (in the US) are themselves in the 1% (of the world)?
On the other hand, the Independent Penguin does not need to compare with others to feel wealthy. He lives on a stable tip of his iceberg that is sufficient to supply his needs and wants. He values stability and freedom. And that alone is enough to feel wealthy.
It’s nice to have it put in perspective. I currently live in the Bay Area and feel like we’re scraping by with a household income of ~$200k.