Cost of Living in Australia
What a month actually costs, with rent and salary context
Australian salaries are high in international terms, and so is almost everything else. Housing is the decisive variable: rents and purchase prices in Sydney and Melbourne are extreme relative to income, while Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and regional centres are materially cheaper without a proportionate fall in wages. Compulsory superannuation contributions paid by employers are additional to headline salary and should be read as part of total pay.
| Statistics agency | Australian Bureau of Statistics source |
| Most expensive cities | Sydney, then Melbourne, for housing |
| Superannuation | Employer contributions on top of salary, currently around 12% source |
| Goods and services tax | 10%, generally included in displayed prices |
An indicative monthly budget for one person
| Item | Sydney (AUD) | Adelaide (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, one-bedroom | roughly 2,800 | roughly 1,700 |
| Utilities and internet | roughly 250 | roughly 240 |
| Groceries | roughly 600 | roughly 550 |
| Public transport | roughly 200 | roughly 110 |
| Mobile phone | roughly 40 | roughly 40 |
| Indicative total before discretionary spending | roughly 3,890 | roughly 2,640 |
Housing is the whole story
Sydney's housing costs are consistently among the highest of any English-speaking city, and Melbourne is not far behind. Rental vacancy rates in both cities have been low for several years, which shows up as competitive inspections, applications submitted against many others, and rent increases at renewal.
Newcomers commonly find that a share of income that would be comfortable elsewhere is absorbed by rent, and that the practical response is either a longer commute or a different city. Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart and the larger regional centres offer a markedly better ratio of salary to rent, which is part of the policy logic behind the regional visa categories.
Costs newcomers underestimate
- A rental bond, commonly around four weeks' rent, plus rent in advance, with no local rental history to support the application.
- Private health insurance, which is not required for coverage but avoids the Medicare levy surcharge above certain income levels and shortens waits for some elective procedures.
- Car ownership in cities where public transport is thin outside the centre, including compulsory third party and registration costs that vary by state.
- Domestic travel, which is expensive because the distances are large, and international travel from Australia, which is long and costly.
- Childcare, which is among the higher costs in the household budget even after government subsidies.
Superannuation
Employers must pay a compulsory superannuation contribution on top of wages into a retirement fund chosen by the employee. It is real money and should be counted when comparing an Australian offer with one elsewhere.
Temporary residents who leave Australia permanently can generally claim the balance back through the departing Australia superannuation payment, which is taxed at a substantial rate on withdrawal. Permanent residents cannot access it until preservation age.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.