All 5 metros ranked by modeled take-home on $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), then COL ASC.
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🇦🇺2026–27 · A$100k PAYG resident · 5 metros
Metro paycheck examples Australia 2026
5 Australian capitals on the same $100,000 resident PAYG salary — federal income tax + Medicare levy only. Cash take-home ties; COL drives ranking (Adelaide #1, Sydney last).
By Sammy S. · Founder · Author
$77,480
Best · Adelaide
$77,480
Lowest COL rank · Sydney
98 vs 145
Adelaide vs Sydney COL
5
Metros
Key finding
All metros tie at $77,480 — Adelaide ranks #1 on COL (index 98 vs Sydney 145)
On a $100,000 resident PAYG salary in 2026–27, all five Australian metros keep about $77,480 after federal income tax + Medicare levy. Adelaide ranks #1 (COL 98), then Brisbane (COL 110), Perth, Melbourne (COL 125), and Sydney last (COL 145). Australian cities do not add a NYC-style municipal wage tax — cost of living drives the ranking when take-home ties.
Updated 2026-08-15 · 5 metros · Population ranks 1–5 · ladders A$50k–A$75k–A$100k–A$150k–A$200k
$100,000 take-home by Australian metro
Ranked by modeled take-home then COL. All five metros tie on federal PAYG; Adelaide (COL 98) ranks #1 and Sydney (COL 145) ranks last.
| # | Metro | Take-home | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇺AdelaideSA | $77,480 | 22.5% |
| 2 | 🇦🇺BrisbaneQLD | $77,480 | 22.5% |
| 3 | 🇦🇺PerthWA | $77,480 | 22.5% |
| 4 | 🇦🇺MelbourneVIC | $77,480 | 22.5% |
| 5 | 🇦🇺SydneyNSW | $77,480 | 22.5% |
All metro pages
Popular metro corridors
🇦🇺🇦🇺Sydney vs Melbourne
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Sydney and Melbourne model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 145 vs 125; Melbourne wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Melbourne vs Brisbane
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Melbourne and Brisbane model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 125 vs 110; Brisbane wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Sydney vs Brisbane
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Sydney and Brisbane model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 145 vs 110; Brisbane wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Perth vs Adelaide
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Perth and Adelaide model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 112 vs 98; Adelaide wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Melbourne vs Adelaide
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Melbourne and Adelaide model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 125 vs 98; Adelaide wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Sydney vs Perth
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Sydney and Perth model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 145 vs 112; Perth wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Brisbane vs Adelaide
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Brisbane and Adelaide model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 110 vs 98; Adelaide wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Melbourne vs Perth
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Melbourne and Perth model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 125 vs 112; Perth wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Sydney vs Adelaide
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Sydney and Adelaide model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 145 vs 98; Adelaide wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
🇦🇺🇦🇺Brisbane vs Perth
At $100,000 resident PAYG, Brisbane and Perth model the same take-home ($77,480) — COL indexes 110 vs 112; Brisbane wins on purchasing power.
Compare take-home →
Compare any two metros
Compare any two metros
Take-home on $100,000 resident PAYG — federal tax only; COL decides ranking when take-home ties.
Also compare: Australia tax insights, stamp duty by state, and the HELP / HECS repayment calculator.
Key finding
Australia metro take-home ranking for 2026
On a $100,000 resident PAYG salary in 2026–27, all five Australian metros keep about $77,480 after federal income tax + Medicare levy. Adelaide ranks #1 (COL 98), then Brisbane (COL 110), Perth, Melbourne (COL 125), and Sydney last (COL 145). Australian cities do not add a NYC-style municipal wage tax — cost of living drives the ranking when take-home ties.
Highest rank: Adelaide (#1, $77,480); lowest: Sydney (#5, same take-home, highest COL).
All metros share identical federal take-home ($77,480) — Adelaide (COL 98) ranks above Sydney (COL 145) via the COL tiebreak, not a different tax rate.
Sydney vs Melbourne: tax tie at $77,480; COL 145 vs 125 drives purchasing power.
Brisbane (COL 110) outranks Melbourne and Sydney on purchasing power despite identical cash take-home.
Medicare levy is identical across metros (~$2,000 at A$100k with private hospital cover).
No Australian state or municipal wage income tax — unlike NYC or Ohio city PIT.
Income tax + Medicare levy included; HELP, MLS (no PHI), and concessional super excluded.
Personalize any amount in the 2026–27 Australia paycheck calculator.
What this Australia metro hub covers
5 major Australian capitals, each run through the same $100,000 resident PAYG engine for 2026–27.
A$100k scoreboard
Headline take-home and effective levy for every metro
Federal-only tax
ATO income tax + Medicare levy — no state/city wage tax
Income ladders
Same gross bands on every city page (A$50k–A$200k)
COL ranking
When take-home ties, cheaper COL ranks higher
How Australian metro paychecks are calculated
1. Confirm federal residence
Australian personal income tax is federal. The city or state of residence does not create a separate wage tax on this hub.
2. Stack income tax on taxable pay
At A$100k resident with LITO, income tax ≈ $20,520 in every metro.
3. Add Medicare levy
Federal 2% — ≈ $2,000 at A$100k with private hospital cover (MLS 0).
4. Rank take-home, then COL
Primary sort is take-home. Among tax ties, lower COL ranks higher. COL-adjusted $ is a separate purchasing-power proxy.
Official 2026–27 rates
Copied from the ATO for the 2026–27 financial year (1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2027). Band tables are the source of truth for this hub’s PAYG stack.
Australian residents — income tax (2026–27)
ATO tax rates for Australian residents →| Band | Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-free threshold | Up to $18,200 | 0% |
| 15% band | $18,201 to $45,000 | 15% |
| 30% band | $45,001 to $135,000 | 30% |
| 37% band | $135,001 to $190,000 | 37% |
| 45% band | Over $190,000 | 45% |
Medicare levy (2026–27)
ATO Medicare levy →| Band | Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Full levy | Above shade-in ($35,013) | 2% |
| Shade-in | $28,011 – $35,013 | Partial |
| MLS (not in vignette) | Singles from $105,000 without PHI | 1%–1.5% |
Worked paycheck examples
A$100k resident PAYG — all metros
- Tax-free threshold $18,200; Stage 3 brackets + LITO apply.
- Income tax ≈ $20,520; Medicare levy ≈ $2,000 (2%, MLS 0 with PHI).
- Take-home ≈ $77,480 — identical in Sydney through Adelaide.
- Tax
- $20,520
- Medicare
- $2,000
- Net
- $77,480
Matches our Australia tax-insights engine and ATO 2026–27 resident rates.
A$40k resident hand-check
- Lower band with LITO — income tax and Medicare levy both smaller than the A$100k vignette.
- Income tax ≈ $2,695; Medicare ≈ $800.
- Take-home ≈ $36,505.
- Tax
- $2,695
- Medicare
- $800
- Net
- $36,505
Lower-income vignette — validates threshold + Medicare shading path in the engine.
Medicare levy facts
Same Medicare levy everywhere on this hub
At A$100k, Medicare levy ≈ $2,000 in Sydney and $2,000 in Adelaide — identical.
Standard 2% with PHI
Resident Medicare levy is 2%. This vignette assumes private hospital cover so MLS is A$0.
Ranking gap is COL, not Medicare
Adelaide outranks Sydney only on COL (98 vs 145) — Medicare and income tax match.
How Australian metro paychecks work
Australian personal income tax is federal only. Residents use ATO Stage 3 brackets plus the Medicare levy. States and cities do not add a wage income tax on this model.
That is why Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide all show the same $77,480 take-home on A$100k here — ranking is a COL story, not a “city tax.”
Sydney vs Melbourne — the classic SEO corridor
Both model $77,480 take-home on federal PAYG. The story is cost of living: Sydney COL 145 vs Melbourne 125.
COL-adjusted proxies: Sydney ≈ $53,434; Melbourne ≈ $61,984. Treat those as purchasing-power hints, not PAYG.
Adelaide vs Sydney — same tax, different COL
Both keep $77,480. Adelaide ranks #1 (COL 98); Sydney ranks last (COL 145).
Income tax and Medicare match — $20,520 and $2,000 respectively.
Reading the ranking
Rows sort by modeled take-home DESC, then COL ASC (tiebreak), then population rank. Highest: Adelaide (#1 — tied take-home, lowest COL 98). Lowest: Sydney (COL 145).
Brisbane (COL 110) beats Melbourne and Sydney only on the COL tiebreak — cash take-home is identical.
COL indexes sit beside tax — a tax-tied metro can still feel tighter if rents dominate.
Why state of residence does not change PAYG here
Unlike Canada (provincial tax) or the UK (Scottish Income Tax), Australian wage income tax does not vary by state for this resident vignette.
State pages on tax insights still matter for context (stamp duty, land tax, local costs) — but not for the PAYG stack on this hub.
Limitations
Resident PAYG, standard LITO, private hospital cover, no HELP / MLS / salary sacrifice.
Engine review date 2026-08-15. Educational vignettes — not advice.
Validation notes
Last engine review 2026-08-15. Locked against our Australia tax-insights engine and ATO 2026–27 tables.
- A$100k take-home locks to $77,480 (income tax $20,520 + Medicare $2,000).
- All five metros share identical take-home, income tax, and Medicare levy on every ladder rung.
- COL indexes locked from AUSTRALIA_CITIES: Sydney 145, Melbourne 125, Brisbane 110, Perth 112, Adelaide 98.
- Official bands from ATO resident rates and Medicare levy (2026–27).
- Vignette excludes HELP/HECS, MLS (no PHI), concessional super, and fringe benefits.
- Not tax advice — confirm residency, HELP, and private health cover with the ATO / your employer.
What this vignette excludes
- HELP / HECS / VET study-loan repayments
- Medicare Levy Surcharge (no private hospital cover)
- Concessional super / salary sacrifice
- Fringe benefits / company car / equity
- Foreign-resident or working-holiday brackets
- Non-PAYG income (dividends, capital gains, sole trader)
Myths vs reality
“Sydney has a city income tax like New York.”
Sydney uses federal ATO PAYG only. No separate municipal or NSW wage tax on this model — take-home matches Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide at equal gross.
“Victoria and NSW have different income-tax bands.”
Not on this PAYG model — Melbourne and Sydney match at about $77,480 on A$100k (shared federal brackets).
“Moving from Sydney to Adelaide changes your income tax.”
Both use federal rates — take-home matches at $77,480. Housing and COL (145 vs 98) change; the PAYG calculation does not.
“Adelaide ranks #1 because South Australia taxes less.”
Adelaide ties Sydney on take-home ($77,480). It ranks first because COL index 98 is the lowest among these metros — not a different SA tax schedule.
“Melbourne keeps less than Brisbane after tax.”
Cash take-home ties at $77,480. Brisbane ranks higher only on COL (110 vs Melbourne 125).
“COL-adjusted take-home is your real paycheck.”
COL-adjusted is a purchasing-power proxy using our relocation indexes — not ATO withholding. Use it alongside rent quotes.
How to use this hub
- Scan take-home rankings. Sort Australian metros by net pay on A$100k resident PAYG — cash take-home ties; COL drives order.
- Read the COL column. When take-home ties (all five metros), lower COL ranks higher. That is a purchasing-power tiebreak, not a tax cut.
- Open a metro profile. See income-tax vs Medicare split, COL index, worked stack, and salary ladder.
- Compare corridors. Sydney vs Melbourne, Sydney vs Adelaide, Melbourne vs Brisbane — tax ties with COL winners.
- Check the ladder. Confirm identical take-home from A$50k through A$200k on every metro.
- Personalize. Run your gross, HELP, MLS, and residency in the Australia paycheck calculator.
Who this is for
Job offers & relocators
Compare metro take-home and COL before accepting an Australian offer — cash PAYG ties; housing and COL decide purchasing power.
Interstate movers
Sydney ↔ Melbourne ↔ Brisbane rarely changes income tax — focus on rent and commute.
COL-sensitive corridors
Sydney ↔ Adelaide and Melbourne ↔ Brisbane are the high-traffic corridors — gaps are cost of living, not municipal tax.
City desks & newsrooms
Fixed A$100k vignette + CSV + quotable Adelaide/Sydney lines for paste-ready citations.
Glossary
- Take-home
- Gross salary minus federal income tax and Medicare levy (no HELP / MLS / super sacrifice on this vignette).
- PAYG
- Pay As You Go — Australian employer tax withholding for income tax and Medicare levy.
- Tax-free threshold
- $18,200 resident threshold for 2026–27 (ATO Stage 3 brackets).
- COL index
- Relative cost-of-living index from our relocation / move-out data (AUSTRALIA_CITIES). Not a tax rate.
- COL-adjusted take-home
- takeHome × (100 ÷ colIndex) — purchasing-power proxy only, not an ATO figure.
- Federal-only PIT
- Australian personal income tax is levied by the Commonwealth — states and cities do not add wage income tax on this hub.
- Medicare levy
- Federal 2% levy on taxable income (with low-income shading). MLS is separate and is 0 on this private-hospital-cover vignette.
- Effective levy
- (Income tax + Medicare levy) ÷ gross on the vignette.
- COL tiebreak
- Same modeled take-home for all metros — ranking then uses COL ASC (cheaper COL = higher rank), then population rank.
Planning tips
Model HELP separately
HELP/HECS repayment can materially cut take-home above the repayment threshold — not in this fixed vignette.
Check private hospital cover
Without PHI, Medicare Levy Surcharge may apply above MLS thresholds — excluded here.
COL ≠ tax
Sydney can tie take-home with Adelaide and still feel expensive — pair tax with rent quotes.
Personalize brackets
Open the Australia paycheck calculator for residency, HELP, MLS, and custom gross.
FAQs
All five metros tie at about $77,480 (federal PAYG). Adelaide ranks #1 after the COL tiebreak (index 98). Sydney ranks last (COL 145).
No. Personal income tax is federal only. This hub models ATO income tax + Medicare levy — no state or municipal wage tax.
Same take-home ($77,480). Ranking uses COL ASC as a tiebreak — Adelaide 98 vs Sydney 145. That is not a South Australian tax discount.
Tied at $77,480 take-home. COL: Sydney 145, Melbourne 125 — Melbourne ranks higher on purchasing power.
Both keep $77,480. Brisbane COL 110 vs Perth 112 — Brisbane edges ahead on the COL tiebreak.
Not on this resident model — Medicare matches at every ladder rung (~$2,000 at A$100k with PHI).
takeHome × (100 ÷ colIndex). A purchasing-power proxy from our relocation indexes — not what PAYG withholds.
Federal income tax + Medicare levy. Excluded: HELP, MLS (no PHI), concessional super, fringe benefits.
5 major Australian capitals with locked COL indexes from our move-out data: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.