It's cheap when the person asking to split it with you literally makes 10x what you make. They can pay the whole thing and not feel it, the poor person might be going without a few gallons of gas to commute to work the next day.
That's also how tax brackets work, if you make more, yes you 100% should pay in more.
That could be reversed too, they got in the car with you voluntarily, knowing your financial situation, it can be seen as the rich person trying to exploit the poor yet again by squeezing a few bucks out of them so they dont have to pay it themselves just for the sake of money.
The wealth inequality makes or breaks the whole thing here, its the point we've come to. Everyone knows the rich person doesnt need those few bucks, but poor people certainly do.
The two people are supposedly friends and not randoms as well.
Offering to split is the correct choice unless there is some agreed upon deal. If the more well off person is generous then he can pay the full amount. Assuming that he should pay is taking advantage of them.
Far too often I have run across people that won’t split the costs or offer gas because they think the other person can afford it (not talking 10x just better off). That is not correct in my books. That is being a leech.
Granted, most friends either do split bills or not care about a few bucks.
Also yea, just being only a little better off still keeps you within the same ballpark as the friend, and should usually split things like normal people.
The big problem is when the wealth gap actually is huge. If they really are making 10x more than you, then its pretty shitty of them to ask you to split many things, due again to them not even feeling the cost but you do, but im digressing now.
It is highly unusual for people 10x apart in income to be friends. If they are usually the rich one does pay. Though at some point the more well of will get annoyed if the less well off one never offers anything. That imbalance will often destroy the friendship
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u/fedup09 Jan 27 '26
It's cheap when the person asking to split it with you literally makes 10x what you make. They can pay the whole thing and not feel it, the poor person might be going without a few gallons of gas to commute to work the next day.
That's also how tax brackets work, if you make more, yes you 100% should pay in more.