Is $80,000 enough to live in Australia?

AUD 80,000 a year nets roughly AUD 62,000 to 64,000 after Australian income tax and the 2 percent Medicare levy, or about AUD 5,200 a month. That covers comfortable single-person living in most of Australia: Brisbane ($3,200), Perth ($3,225), Adelaide, and most regional areas all sit well below the take-home. Melbourne ($3,425) is workable with modest slack. Sydney ($3,925) is the squeeze: AUD 5,200 minus a Sydney one-bedroom rental at AUD 2,500 to 3,500 leaves a thin budget for everything else. For a two-person household, AUD 80,000 alone is tight in any capital and works better in regional Australia. Australia’s country-level moderate benchmark sits at $3,125, comfortably below this take-home. For the full picture, see our Australia cost of living page.