At VJ Consulting and Education, helping immigrants understand the true cost of living in Australia is an integral part of every visa and settlement consultation we provide.
Is $70,000 a good salary in Australia?
Yes — but with a location condition that significantly shifts the answer. AUD $70,000 gross sits above Australia's median full-time income of AUD $67,600As of May 2024 · abs.gov.au, which means it is statistically above average. However, median income is a poor proxy for lifestyle adequacy when housing costs vary by a factor of two or more between cities. From VJCE's experience handling applicants across different states, the city a candidate chooses to settle in often proves just as consequential as the salary figure itself when assessing overall financial comfort.
Apply the disposable income framework to make this concrete. On AUD $70,000 gross, after applying the approximately 23% effective tax rateAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au (including Medicare levy), a single earner takes home roughly AUD $54,800 per year, or $4,567 per monthAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au. From that figure, subtract fixed housing. In Sydney, a one-bedroom apartment in an inner or middle suburb costs AUD $2,400–$2,800 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au. That leaves AUD $1,767–$2,167As of 2025 · domain.com.au for groceries, transport, utilities, health insurance, and discretionary spending — a tight but workable position for a single person with no dependants.
In Adelaide or Brisbane's outer suburbs, a comparable one-bedroom apartment costs AUD $1,500–$1,900 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au, leaving a materially larger discretionary surplus. For immigrants on a skilled visa who are also saving toward permanent residency application fees — which for the 189 visa run to AUD $4,640 for the primary applicantAs of July 2025 · homeaffairs.gov.au — that surplus matters. The verdict: AUD $70,000 is good for a single person in a regional or secondary capital city, adequate-but-stretched in Sydney or Melbourne, and insufficient as the sole income for a family of four anywhere on the eastern seaboard.
Is $75,000 a good salary in Australia?
The short answer is yes, with one important caveat: the AUD $5,000As of 2025 · ato.gov.au difference between $70K and $75K gross translates to approximately AUD $3,500 extra per year in take-home payAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au after tax — meaningful, but not transformative on its own. What changes at $75,000 is the breathing room. The effective take-home at this salary is approximately AUD $57,800 per year, or $4,817 per monthAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au, which shifts the calculus just enough to make a difference in higher-cost cities.
For immigrants evaluating whether $75,000 meets visa or sponsorship thresholds, it is worth noting that the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold currently sits at AUD $73,150As of July 2023 · homeaffairs.gov.au, which means $75,000 clears this floor — a practical consideration for those on employer-sponsored pathways such as the 482 visa or seeking employer sponsorship through the 186 visa.
For lifestyle assessment, apply the same framework: post-tax income minus housing minus essentials. At $75,000 in Melbourne's middle suburbs, where rent for a one-bedroom sits at AUD $1,900–$2,300 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au, a single person retains a discretionary surplus of roughly AUD $1,500–$1,900 per monthAs of 2025 · domain.com.au after accounting for groceries (AUD $400–$600 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au), utilities (AUD $150–$250 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au), and transport (AUD $150–$200 per monthAs of 2025 · ptv.vic.gov.au). That surplus is sufficient for a comfortable single lifestyle, modest savings, and occasional travel — the standard benchmark most financial planners use for 'comfortable but not wealthy'.
What is the living cost in Australia for immigrants?
Living costs for immigrants in Australia follow the same structural pattern as for residents, but with three additional expense categories that many new arrivals underestimate: visa-related fees, overseas health cover (for those not yet Medicare-eligible), and the financial cost of establishing a household from scratch — bond, furniture, and appliances — in the first year. VJ Consulting advisors consistently note that newly arrived immigrants tend to underestimate setup costs in the first few months, making it important to treat initial expenses as a separate budget category from ongoing monthly living costs.
The core monthly budget for a single immigrant in a capital city breaks down across four categories. Housing is the largest variable: expect AUD $1,500–$2,800 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au for a one-bedroom apartment depending on city and suburb. Groceries for a single person average AUD $400–$600 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au. Utilities including electricity, gas, and internet run AUD $180–$300 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au. Transport, whether public or private, adds AUD $150–$350 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au depending on commute distance and vehicle ownership.
For immigrants on temporary visas not yet enrolled in Medicare, private health insurance is an important additional cost, typically AUD $100–$180 per monthAs of 2025 · privatehealth.gov.au for basic-to-mid cover. Immigrants who arrive under the 485 visa or are partway through a skills assessment process should factor this into their budgeting from day one.
A realistic total monthly outgoing for a single immigrant living modestly in a capital city is AUD $3,200–$4,200 per monthAs of 2025 · abs.gov.au, before any discretionary spending on dining, leisure, or travel. For a couple with one working adult, these fixed costs remain largely the same — the income equation simply becomes more precarious if the non-working partner's visa does not yet permit employment.
Is 3,000 AUD per month enough to live in Australia?
No — not in any major Australian capital city as a sustainable, independent living arrangement, particularly for immigrants with recurring visa obligations. The arithmetic is stark. AUD $3,000 per month (equivalent to approximately AUD $36,000 per yearAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au gross, or roughly AUD $32,000 after taxAs of 2025 · ato.gov.au depending on structure) leaves virtually no buffer after essential costs in cities like Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane. In cases handled by VJCE, applicants who attempt to live on a constrained monthly budget in a major capital typically find that shared housing arrangements and careful suburb selection are among the most effective adjustments available to them.
Apply the framework: in Sydney, median rent for a one-bedroom is AUD $2,400–$2,800 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au. That alone consumes 80–93% of the $3,000 monthly budgetAs of 2025 · domain.com.au, before a single dollar is spent on food or transport. This is not a viable scenario.
AUD $3,000 per month becomes marginally viable under specific conditions: sharing accommodation in a lower-cost city such as Adelaide or Perth (where a room in a shared house costs AUD $900–$1,300 per monthAs of Q1 2025 · domain.com.au), having no private health insurance obligation, and spending conservatively on food. In that configuration, a single person in a regional area could cover essentials and maintain a very modest buffer — but there is no room for visa fees, travel, emergencies, or savings.
In practice, many immigrants on student visas, bridging visas, or early-stage working holiday visas do operate at or near this income level, often by house-sharing aggressively, cooking at home, and avoiding car ownership. It is survivable in regional areas; it is not a platform for financial stability or visa pathway progress in a major city. Immigrants planning a skills assessment or points test submission should budget for those costs well in advance, as they can run to AUD $500–$1,200As of 2025 · homeaffairs.gov.au depending on the assessing authority.
Next Step
Budgeting for life in Australia is inseparable from understanding which visa pathway is most appropriate for a given occupation, income level, and family situation — because the visa type determines work rights, Medicare access, and the timeline to permanent residency, all of which have direct financial consequences. For applicants weighing these decisions, VJ Consulting offers structured migration advice grounded in current policy and realistic cost frameworks, helping applicants model the full financial picture before committing to a pathway.
This article is intended as general guidance only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa requirements, fees, and processing times change regularly — always verify details on the relevant authority's official website before making decisions. For advice specific to your circumstances, consider consulting a MARA-registered migration agent.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Employee Earnings and Labour Costs: abs.gov.au
- Australian Taxation Office — Income Tax Rates and Calculators: ato.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs — Visa Application Charges: homeaffairs.gov.au
- Fair Work Commission — National Minimum Wage: fairwork.gov.au
- Domain Group — Rental Market Reports: domain.com.au
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman — Premium Comparison: privatehealth.gov.au
Related reading
For a full overview of everything to weigh at the Should I Migrate? stage, pair these ongoing cost insights with How Much Money Do You Need to Move to Australia? Upfront Costs Explained, which breaks down exactly what you'll need in your bank account before you even land.
