Is $60,000/year a Good Salary in Australia?
Around this number you'll find graduates, junior roles, and trade entrants across Australia. Comfortable in cheaper regions; tight in metro areas.
A gross salary of this level in Australia sits around the 35th percentile — entry-level for the country. After estimated tax, take-home is roughly 52,112 AUD/year.
What does this salary mean?
For Australia, $60,000 per year is a modest income. It works for a single adult in mid-cost areas, but it feels noticeably tighter in Sydney-tier cities.
Broken down monthly, that is roughly $5,000 gross per month — and about $4,343/month ($52,112/year) after estimated tax in Australia.
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Australia is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Monthly affordability snapshot
Directional pressure across the main spending categories at this income in Australia.
Comfortable rent budget across most Australia regions, including Sydney.
Day-to-day food and household basics are covered without strain.
Owning a modest car or commuting daily is sustainable.
Realistic savings rate is low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Occasional travel, hobbies, and extras fit, but require planning.
Rent pressure
In Sydney, rent would consume about 39% of take-home, leaving a usable but watchful budget. Adelaide feels noticeably easier. These are directional figures based on typical 1-bedroom rent benchmarks; actual rent depends heavily on neighbourhood, size, and timing.
Take-home pay context
Gross pay is what's listed on the offer; net pay is what arrives after income tax and Medicare Levy. For this level in Australia, the combined effective deduction is roughly 13%, leaving about $4,343 per month. Actual take-home varies with state/regional taxes, filing status, retirement contributions, and benefits — treat these as planning figures rather than payroll numbers.
Lifestyle tier
Manages basic needs but with little slack. Rent, transport, and food consume most of the monthly budget.
Practical interpretation
- Comfortable in mid-cost Australia cities; tighter in Sydney.
- Pay-period choice (monthly vs yearly) doesn't change the underlying purchasing power.
- Family expenses (childcare, healthcare) can make this stretch — dual income helps.
- Solo housing fits in most regions, including modest 1-bedroom rentals.
How it stacks up in Australia
What this salary means in practice
Supporting a family on a single income at this level in Australia is difficult — most households would need a second earner or significant cost-cutting.
Realistic savings rate at this level is in low single digits — most income is consumed by essentials.
Renting in Sydney eats a heavy share of net pay; smaller cities like Adelaide feel much more sustainable.
In Sydney, costs run roughly 35% above the national baseline — so the same salary feels meaningfully different than it does in Adelaide.
What earners at this level can usually afford
Realistic in most cities
Affordable with monthly budgeting
Possible only by saving over months
Occasional, not routine
Difficult without dual income
Hard while covering essentials
Generally out of range
Adjust the numbers
Try a different country or amount to see how the verdict shifts.
Compared against Sydney cost-of-living baseline. Estimates only — not financial advice.
Other Australia salary verdicts
Go deeper
In Australia, $60,000/year is below the national median — about 20% below the median. After ~13% in income tax and social contributions, take-home is around $4,343/month ($52,112/year). Living costs in Sydney run noticeably higher than the national average, so the same paycheck stretches further in smaller cities.
- Below national median
- Tight for single person
- Tight for family of 4
- Moderate housing pressure
- Limited savings room
- Low tax burden
Common questions
Last updated: 2026. Verdict uses simplified national statistics. Estimates only — not financial advice.