By Andre Atallah, CEO of EP Advisory
The short answer: the latest official average full-time salary in Australia is about A$108,400 a year, or A$9,030 a month before tax (Australian Bureau of Statistics, May 2026). That is about US$75,900 a year, or US$6,330 a month, at ECB rates of 2 November 2026. The typical (median) full-time worker earns less, about A$90,500 a year, or US$63,400. After income tax and the Medicare levy, an average earner keeps about A$6,930 a month, about US$4,860. Your own figure depends mostly on your job: the US-dollar table below runs from US$3,980 a month for a sales assistant to US$10,790 for a doctor. Figures marked A$ are Australian dollars, and US$ are US dollars.
| Average full-time salary (ABS, May 2026, annualised) | ~A$108,400 / year (~A$9,030/mo) |
| Median full-time wage (ABS, Aug 2025) | ~A$90,500 / year (~A$7,540/mo) |
| Take-home on the median, after tax | ~A$71,000 / year (~A$5,920/mo) |
| National minimum wage (from 1 July 2026) | A$26.44 / hour (about US$18.55) |
| The average, in US dollars | about US$75,900 / year (US$6,330/mo) |
Australia keeps topping the lists of where skilled workers want to move, and pay is a big reason why. Full-time wages are high by global standards, the currency is stable, and employers add superannuation on top of salary. The headline average is one number though, and most people earn less than it.
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What Is the Average Salary in Australia in 2026?
The average full-time salary in Australia is about $108,400 a year, or roughly $9,030 a month before tax. That figure comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which measured average weekly ordinary-time earnings for full-time adults at $2,083.70 in May 2026, up 3.7% on a year earlier. Annualised, that is close to $108,400. It is still the latest figure: the next release, for November 2026, is due on 25 February 2027.
The more useful number is the median. Half of full-time workers earn more than about $90,500 a year, and half earn less. That is roughly $7,540 a month. All figures here are in Australian dollars. This guide converts at ECB rates of 2 November 2026: A$1 = US$0.70, so US$1 = A$1.43, and €1 = A$1.60 (European Central Bank). An easy shortcut: multiply any Australian-dollar figure by 0.7 to read it in US dollars. So the $108,400 average is about US$75,900 a year, the $90,500 median is about US$63,400, and the $26.44 minimum wage is about US$18.55 an hour. The rate moves, so check today’s rate at the Reserve Bank of Australia before you compare an offer.
Australia Salaries in US Dollars (2026)
Here are the official Australian figures with US dollars beside them, at ECB rates of 2 November 2026 (A$1 = US$0.70). Your contract, your tax and your rent are all in Australian dollars. So the US-dollar figure moves with the exchange rate, while the Australian-dollar figure stays fixed.
| Australia, latest official figures | AUD | US$ |
| Average full-time salary, gross per month | A$9,030 | US$6,330 |
| Average full-time salary, gross per year (weekly × 52) | A$108,400 | US$75,900 |
| Median full-time salary, gross per month | A$7,540 | US$5,290 |
| Median full-time salary, gross per year (weekly × 52) | A$90,500 | US$63,400 |
| Take-home on the average salary, net per month | ~A$6,930 | ~US$4,860 |
| Take-home on the median salary, net per month | ~A$5,920 | ~US$4,150 |
The average comes from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey, May 2026, published on 13 August 2026. It covers full-time adult employees and counts ordinary-time pay, so overtime and employer super are left out. The next release is due on 25 February 2027. The median comes from the ABS Employee Earnings survey, August 2025, published on 12 December 2025, and is weekly pay in the main job for full-time employees. Yearly figures are weekly pay × 52, and monthly figures are the yearly figure ÷ 12. Net figures are our calculation on 2026-27 tax rules, shown in the worked example below.
What common jobs pay in Australia, in AUD and US$
| Job (ANZSCO code) | Average, AUD/month gross | Average, US$/month gross |
| Medical practitioners (253) | A$15,400 | US$10,790 |
| Engineering professionals (233) | A$12,080 | US$8,470 |
| Business analysts and programmers, incl. software developers (261) | A$11,670 | US$8,180 |
| Electricians (341) | A$11,030 | US$7,730 |
| Nurses and midwives (254) | A$10,160 | US$7,120 |
| School teachers (241) | A$9,510 | US$6,660 |
| Accountants, auditors and company secretaries (221) | A$9,150 | US$6,410 |
| Truck drivers (733) | A$9,000 | US$6,310 |
| Food trades workers, incl. chefs, cooks and bakers (351) | A$6,480 | US$4,540 |
| Sales assistants and salespersons (621) | A$5,680 | US$3,980 |
| All jobs | A$8,930 | US$6,260 |
Average weekly total cash earnings of full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, May 2025, from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey, published on 23 January 2026. Total cash earnings include overtime, which lifts the figures for electricians and truck drivers. The ABS publishes these by occupation group, not job title, and the survey runs every two years. Pay has risen by about 3.7% a year since, so 2026 pay runs a little higher. Monthly figures are weekly pay × 52 ÷ 12. US dollars at ECB rates of 2 November 2026.
Worked example: take-home pay on the average salary
| Average full-time earner, 2026-27 tax rules | AUD/month | US$/month |
| Gross (A$108,400 a year ÷ 12) | A$9,030 | US$6,330 |
| − Income tax | −A$1,920 | −US$1,340 |
| − Medicare levy, 2% | −A$180 | −US$130 |
| = Net into your account | ~A$6,930 | ~US$4,860 |
This assumes an Australian resident for tax, single, with no other income, deductions or offsets, averaged over 12 months. It uses the 2026-27 ATO resident tax rates: nothing on the first A$18,200, then 15% to A$45,000, 30% to A$135,000, 37% to A$190,000 and 45% above, plus the Medicare levy of 2%. In total that is about 23% of gross pay. It also assumes you hold private hospital cover. Without it, a single person earning over A$105,000 pays the Medicare levy surcharge of at least 1% more. On top of your pay, your employer puts 12% superannuation into your retirement fund, about A$1,080 a month (US$760) on this salary. Run your own numbers in the ATO tax withheld calculator.
Comparing with a US salary? Australia has no reciprocal health care agreement with the United States. So on a temporary work visa you are usually not covered by Medicare and need private health insurance. In that case you can apply for an exemption from the Medicare levy, which lifts the net figure above by about A$180 a month. Full-time employees get four weeks of paid annual leave a year by law. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income and still file a US tax return while working in Australia. Check the IRS guidance for Americans abroad or a qualified tax adviser before you compare offers.
The Average Is Not the Typical Wage
The average and the median tell different stories. The average is the mean, and a small number of very high salaries pull it upward. The median sits in the middle, so it describes the typical worker far better. When you plan a move, plan around the median, not the headline.
Include part-time workers and the median across all employees drops to about $74,100 a year (about US$51,900). Per hour, the median employee earned about $42.90 in August 2025, about US$30.05 (ABS Employee Earnings). That gap is why a single average can mislead. Your own number depends far more on your job, your industry and your city than on the national figure.
Salaries by Job in Australia
Your occupation decides where you land. The ranges below are a rough guide to full-time pay seen in job ads on SEEK, Australia’s largest job board. They are not dated and are not official statistics. For official ABS averages by occupation, with US dollars, see the job table in the US-dollar section above.
| Role | Advertised full-time salary (SEEK, undated) |
| Accountant | $80,000 to $95,000 |
| Registered nurse | $90,000 to $100,000 |
| Mechanical engineer | $90,000 to $110,000 |
| Civil engineer | $95,000 to $115,000 |
| Software engineer | $105,000 to $125,000 |
| Data scientist | $115,000 to $135,000 |
| General practitioner (doctor) | $230,000 to $250,000+ |
Salaries in Sydney and Melbourne usually run above these national ranges, and Sydney tends to pay the most. A senior technology or engineering role in either city can reach $180,000 or more, about US$126,100.
Official figures are by state, not city. On that basis the Australian Capital Territory, around Canberra, pays the most, followed by Western Australia and New South Wales.
| State or territory | Average weekly, full-time | Approx. per year | Per year, US$ |
| Australian Capital Territory (highest) | $2,293 | ~$119,300 | ~US$83,600 |
| Western Australia | $2,227 | ~$115,800 | ~US$81,200 |
| New South Wales | $2,109 | ~$109,700 | ~US$76,900 |
| Australia (average) | $2,084 | ~$108,400 | ~US$75,900 |
| Queensland | $2,042 | ~$106,200 | ~US$74,400 |
| Victoria | $2,041 | ~$106,100 | ~US$74,400 |
| Northern Territory | $1,984 | ~$103,200 | ~US$72,300 |
| South Australia | $1,970 | ~$102,500 | ~US$71,800 |
| Tasmania (lowest) | $1,846 | ~$96,000 | ~US$67,300 |
Average weekly ordinary-time earnings, full-time adults, seasonally adjusted, May 2026 (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, tables 12a to 12h). Yearly is weekly × 52. US dollars at ECB rates of 2 November 2026.
Weighing your options? Compare these numbers with the average salary in Canada and the average salary in the UK, the other big destinations for skilled migrants. If the United States is on your list, see our US work-visa guide.
Minimum Wage in Australia 2026
The national minimum wage is $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, set by the Fair Work Commission. That is about US$18.55 an hour. For a standard 38-hour week that is $1,004.90, or roughly $52,300 over a full-time year, about US$36,600. Most award rates sit above the national minimum, so few skilled workers are paid the floor. It matters mainly as the bottom of the market, and it rises every July.
What Actually Lands in Your Account
Australia taxes residents on a sliding scale, and a 2% Medicare levy sits on top. On the median full-time salary, about $71,000 a year reaches your account, roughly $5,920 a month (about US$4,150). That is just over a fifth of the gross. On the average full-time salary, about $6,930 a month lands, about US$4,860.
The 2026-27 resident tax rates are: nothing on the first $18,200, then 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000 and 45% above that. There is good news that many newcomers miss. Your employer pays superannuation of 12% of your ordinary earnings straight into a retirement fund, on top of your salary. It is not deducted from your pay.
Salary and an Australian Skilled Visa
Australia’s main employer-sponsored route is the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), which replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024. Pay is central to it. Your salary must be at least a set income threshold and at least the market rate for the same role in the same location, whichever is higher. The threshold is a floor, not the salary on offer.
There are three streams. The Core Skills stream is the main one, for occupations on the Core Skills Occupation List, with a Core Skills Income Threshold of $79,423 (about US$55,700) for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026. The Specialist Skills stream is for higher earners at or above $146,576 a year (about US$102,700) and skips the occupation list. The third is the Labour Agreement stream, for workers under a negotiated agreement. Both thresholds are indexed every July.
For permanent residence, the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is the sponsored route, while the points-tested subclasses 189 and 190 need no employer. You need 65 points to submit an expression of interest, but invitations need more. In the 4 June 2026 round, most occupations needed 75 to 85 points for the subclass 189 visa. Salary itself no longer scores points, but a higher-paying skilled career usually lifts the other factors that do.
Where to Look for Work
SEEK and LinkedIn carry the most professional roles, and many employers who sponsor visas advertise there directly. Before you apply, check the Core Skills Occupation List to confirm your job is eligible, then target the fields that are short of workers. Healthcare, technology, engineering and skilled trades dominate the list, driven by an ageing population and a long construction pipeline.
Key Takeaways
- The average full-time salary is about $108,400 a year (about US$75,900), but the typical full-time wage is closer to $90,500 (about US$63,400).
- Your job matters more than the average. Technology, engineering and medicine pay well above it.
- About 22% comes off the median salary in tax and the Medicare levy, and 12% super is added on top.
- The Skills in Demand visa needs pay at or above the Core Skills threshold of $79,423, and at least the market rate.
- Sydney and Melbourne pay more than the national figures, and their living costs are higher too.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Australia in 2026?
The average full-time salary is about A$108,400 a year, or A$9,030 a month, based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics figure for average weekly ordinary-time earnings in May 2026. That is about US$75,900 a year. The typical full-time wage, the median, is closer to A$90,500.
What is the average salary in Australia in US dollars?
At ECB rates of 2 November 2026, the average full-time salary of A$108,400 a year is about US$75,900 a year, or about US$6,330 a month. The median, A$90,500 a year, is about US$63,400. After tax an average earner keeps about A$6,930 a month, about US$4,860. The Australian dollar floats, so US-dollar figures move with the exchange rate.
Is $90,000 a good salary in Australia?
Yes. About $90,500 is the median full-time wage, so it puts you right in the middle of full-time workers. It stretches further in cities other than Sydney, where rent is the biggest single cost.
How much tax will I pay on an Australian salary?
On the median salary of about A$90,500, income tax and the 2% Medicare levy take just over a fifth, leaving about A$71,000 a year (about US$49,800). On the average salary of A$108,400, about A$6,930 a month is left. Your employer also pays 12% superannuation on top of your wage.
What salary do I need for a skilled visa in Australia?
For the Skills in Demand visa Core Skills stream, you must be paid at least the Core Skills Income Threshold of $79,423 from July 2026, and at least the market rate for the role, whichever is higher. The Specialist stream starts at $146,576.
Which Australian city pays the most?
By state, the Australian Capital Territory, around Canberra, has the highest average full-time earnings. Western Australia, around Perth, is next, then New South Wales, around Sydney. Victoria, around Melbourne, sits about 2% below the national average (ABS, May 2026). Pay for your own job can rank differently.
Related reading: the average salary in Canada, the average salary in the UK, and our US work-visa guide.
