That is tough question. First off there is good salary (well built players) and bad salary (not so well built). Thus you could have in D3 a team with only a 250k payroll be completely dominant. And other times you could see a team with a 330k payroll that has no shot. Also it depends on the league you are in, some leagues are much tougher than others to promote. I have seen D3 leagues that have a couple D2 quality teams that can't promote. Sometimes you see a D3 team promote up that really has no chance in D2. Take my team for example. When I first got to D2 I had no chance and had to figure things out really quickly. But it really varies from league to league what it will take to promote to the next level. But a good rule of thumb is this, if you are in D3 and you want to promote and stay up in D2 then you better be a D2 quality team from the start. This includes a money earning stadium of 15k plus in seats. And a roster that really is streamlined by receiving top notch team and individual ratings for as little salary as possible. That is really what you should be working towards, and it is something you can start working on right now. Find well built all around players for whatever level you are in. Trainees are a another great way to get better ratings than the salary you ate paying them, by the end of the season you could be paying a player 8k but in reality getting 15k in production. So value your trainees and how you are training them. Come up with a solid well thought out training plan. In summary don't become too concerned with how much salary it will take at a specific level, be more concerned with what team and individual ratings do I need to reach and what is the most effective and sustainable way to achieve them.