Cost of living & salary equivalence
Cost of living in Australia
Australia's static cost-of-living index is 0.94× the US baseline (94% of US living costs in our model). Mid-level roles average ~$95,297 in US-equivalent buying power—rank #17 of 38 countries in our catalog. Compare mid-level gross pay, USD equivalents, and CoL-adjusted buying power across 89 roles—then open any job for junior and senior breakdowns.
Model revision Content revision: 2026-05 · Methodology
Figures use Toolminator's static salary model (ranges for comparison, not job listings). Methodology & limitations.
CoL index
0.94×
vs US baseline · #9 most expensive of 38
Avg buying power
$95,297
Mid-level roles · US-equivalent
Global rank
#17
of 38 countries on buying power
Mid-level salaries & buying power
Buying power = gross USD ÷ CoL index. US equivalent is the gross USD salary in the United States with the same purchasing power (US index = 1.0).
| Role | Gross (mid) | Gross USD | Buying power | US equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician | A$313,988 | $219,311 | $233,310 | $233,310 | View |
| Machine Learning Engineer | A$232,569 | $162,443 | $172,812 | $172,812 | View |
| Cloud Architect | A$232,433 | $162,348 | $172,711 | $172,711 | View |
| Dentist | A$219,792 | $153,518 | $163,317 | $163,317 | View |
| Investment Banker | A$206,947 | $144,546 | $153,772 | $153,772 | View |
| Product Manager | A$201,850 | $140,986 | $149,985 | $149,985 | View |
| Site Reliability Engineer | A$200,952 | $140,359 | $149,318 | $149,318 | View |
| Security Engineer | A$200,952 | $140,359 | $149,318 | $149,318 | View |
| Data Scientist | A$197,908 | $138,233 | $147,056 | $147,056 | View |
| DevOps Engineer | A$191,384 | $133,676 | $142,209 | $142,209 | View |
| Lawyer | A$183,500 | $128,169 | $136,350 | $136,350 | View |
| Data Engineer | A$182,412 | $127,409 | $135,541 | $135,541 | View |
| Full Stack Developer | A$176,432 | $123,233 | $131,099 | $131,099 | View |
| Backend Developer | A$176,160 | $123,043 | $130,897 | $130,897 | View |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | A$175,072 | $122,283 | $130,088 | $130,088 | View |
| Nurse Practitioner | A$174,828 | $122,112 | $129,906 | $129,906 | View |
| Pharmacist | A$173,985 | $121,523 | $129,280 | $129,280 | View |
| Sales Engineer | A$168,820 | $117,916 | $125,443 | $125,443 | View |
| IOS Developer | A$166,808 | $116,510 | $123,947 | $123,947 | View |
| Mobile Developer | A$165,693 | $115,732 | $123,119 | $123,119 | View |
| Financial Controller | A$163,111 | $113,928 | $121,200 | $121,200 | View |
| Professor | A$159,849 | $111,650 | $118,777 | $118,777 | View |
| Frontend Developer | A$156,994 | $109,656 | $116,655 | $116,655 | View |
| Android Developer | A$156,804 | $109,523 | $116,514 | $116,514 | View |
| Strategy Consultant | A$151,013 | $105,478 | $112,211 | $112,211 | View |
| Penetration Tester | A$149,858 | $104,671 | $111,352 | $111,352 | View |
| UX Researcher | A$148,431 | $103,675 | $110,293 | $110,293 | View |
| Project Manager | A$145,576 | $101,681 | $108,171 | $108,171 | View |
| UX Designer | A$144,190 | $100,712 | $107,140 | $107,140 | View |
| Software Engineer | A$137,500 | $96,040 | $102,170 | $102,170 | View |
| Business Development Manager | A$137,203 | $95,832 | $101,949 | $101,949 | View |
| Electrical Engineer | A$137,203 | $95,832 | $101,949 | $101,949 | View |
| Veterinarian | A$135,871 | $94,902 | $100,960 | $100,960 | View |
| Construction Manager | A$134,295 | $93,801 | $99,788 | $99,788 | View |
| Embedded Engineer | A$131,712 | $91,997 | $97,869 | $97,869 | View |
| SEO Manager | A$129,130 | $90,193 | $95,950 | $95,950 | View |
| Brand Strategist | A$129,130 | $90,193 | $95,950 | $95,950 | View |
| Account Executive | A$129,130 | $90,193 | $95,950 | $95,950 | View |
| Game Developer | A$127,838 | $89,291 | $94,990 | $94,990 | View |
| Financial Analyst | A$127,553 | $89,092 | $94,779 | $94,779 | View |
| QA Engineer | A$126,547 | $88,389 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| Scrum Master | A$126,547 | $88,389 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| HR Manager | A$126,547 | $88,389 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| Supply Chain Manager | A$126,302 | $88,218 | $93,849 | $93,849 | View |
| Data Analyst | A$125,596 | $87,725 | $93,324 | $93,324 | View |
| Business Analyst | A$125,052 | $87,345 | $92,920 | $92,920 | View |
| Mechanical Engineer | A$125,052 | $87,345 | $92,920 | $92,920 | View |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | A$124,400 | $86,890 | $92,436 | $92,436 | View |
| Physical Therapist | A$124,400 | $86,890 | $92,436 | $92,436 | View |
| Operations Manager | A$122,333 | $85,446 | $90,900 | $90,900 | View |
| Compliance Officer | A$122,007 | $85,218 | $90,657 | $90,657 | View |
| Civil Engineer | A$122,007 | $85,218 | $90,657 | $90,657 | View |
| Customer Success Manager | A$121,314 | $84,734 | $90,143 | $90,143 | View |
| Risk Analyst | A$117,848 | $82,313 | $87,567 | $87,567 | View |
| Optometrist | A$115,537 | $80,699 | $85,850 | $85,850 | View |
| Technical Writer | A$113,688 | $79,408 | $84,477 | $84,477 | View |
| Accountant | A$106,022 | $74,053 | $78,780 | $78,780 | View |
| Warehouse Manager | A$102,964 | $71,917 | $76,507 | $76,507 | View |
| Tax Accountant | A$101,944 | $71,205 | $75,750 | $75,750 | View |
| Dental Hygienist | A$101,781 | $71,091 | $75,629 | $75,629 | View |
| Therapist | A$100,803 | $70,408 | $74,902 | $74,902 | View |
| Digital Marketer | A$95,910 | $66,990 | $71,266 | $71,266 | View |
| Recruiter | A$94,930 | $66,306 | $70,538 | $70,538 | View |
| Radiologic Technologist | A$94,278 | $65,850 | $70,053 | $70,053 | View |
| Electrician | A$89,330 | $62,394 | $66,377 | $66,377 | View |
| SEO Specialist | A$88,732 | $61,977 | $65,933 | $65,933 | View |
| Registered Nurse | A$88,000 | $61,465 | $65,388 | $65,388 | View |
| Sales Representative | A$87,808 | $61,331 | $65,246 | $65,246 | View |
| Copywriter | A$86,884 | $60,686 | $64,560 | $64,560 | View |
| Plumber | A$85,634 | $59,813 | $63,631 | $63,631 | View |
| PPC Specialist | A$85,225 | $59,527 | $63,327 | $63,327 | View |
| Social Worker | A$84,274 | $58,863 | $62,620 | $62,620 | View |
| Social Media Manager | A$82,643 | $57,724 | $61,409 | $61,409 | View |
| Truck Driver | A$80,414 | $56,167 | $59,752 | $59,752 | View |
| Graphic Designer | A$77,532 | $54,154 | $57,611 | $57,611 | View |
| Office Manager | A$76,662 | $53,546 | $56,964 | $56,964 | View |
| Paralegal | A$75,684 | $52,863 | $56,237 | $56,237 | View |
| Teacher | A$74,895 | $52,312 | $55,651 | $55,651 | View |
| Video Editor | A$73,318 | $51,210 | $54,479 | $54,479 | View |
| Restaurant Manager | A$73,318 | $51,210 | $54,479 | $54,479 | View |
| Elementary Teacher | A$71,552 | $49,977 | $53,167 | $53,167 | View |
| Content Writer | A$70,954 | $49,559 | $52,722 | $52,722 | View |
| Pharmacy Technician | A$67,202 | $46,939 | $49,935 | $49,935 | View |
| Chef | A$66,441 | $46,407 | $49,369 | $49,369 | View |
| Delivery Driver | A$61,276 | $42,799 | $45,531 | $45,531 | View |
| Medical Assistant | A$60,514 | $42,267 | $44,965 | $44,965 | View |
| Customer Support Specialist | A$60,025 | $41,926 | $44,602 | $44,602 | View |
| Warehouse Worker | A$54,805 | $38,280 | $40,723 | $40,723 | View |
| Tutor | A$52,522 | $36,685 | $39,027 | $39,027 | View |
Higher buying power
Countries where mid-level roles score higher on our CoL-adjusted heuristic.
Lower buying power
Markets with lower average CoL-adjusted mid-level pay in our model.
Oceania peers
All countries
- United StatesCoL 1.00× US
- CanadaCoL 0.92× US
- United KingdomCoL 0.95× US
- GermanyCoL 0.88× US
- FranceCoL 0.86× US
- NetherlandsCoL 0.90× US
- BelgiumCoL 0.88× US
- SwedenCoL 0.91× US
- NorwayCoL 1.05× US
- SwitzerlandCoL 1.28× US
- IrelandCoL 0.93× US
- SpainCoL 0.72× US
- ItalyCoL 0.78× US
- PolandCoL 0.52× US
- AustraliaCoL 0.94× US
- SingaporeCoL 1.02× US
- JapanCoL 0.89× US
- IndiaCoL 0.28× US
- BrazilCoL 0.38× US
- MexicoCoL 0.42× US
- TürkiyeCoL 0.35× US
- New ZealandCoL 0.88× US
- South AfricaCoL 0.52× US
- United Arab EmiratesCoL 0.95× US
- IsraelCoL 0.97× US
- South KoreaCoL 0.82× US
- Hong KongCoL 0.90× US
- AustriaCoL 0.86× US
- DenmarkCoL 0.98× US
- FinlandCoL 0.88× US
- PortugalCoL 0.68× US
- CzechiaCoL 0.58× US
- RomaniaCoL 0.48× US
- MalaysiaCoL 0.42× US
- PhilippinesCoL 0.36× US
- IndonesiaCoL 0.34× US
- ColombiaCoL 0.36× US
- ThailandCoL 0.38× US
Salary hub — Australia
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