Rank among 5 metros
#1
← Metro paycheck examples (Australia)
South Australia · pop #5 · 2026
🇦🇺Adelaide paycheck example
$100,000 resident PAYG → about $77,480 take-home (rank #1). COL index 98.
🇦🇺
Adelaide take-home at $100,000
At $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), Adelaide take-home is about $77,480 (22.5% effective) under federal ATO rates — income tax ≈ $20,520, Medicare levy ≈ $2,000, COL index 98. Australian metros do not add a state or city wage tax.
Scoreboard
Population rank
#5
Annual take-home
$77,480
Effective levy
22.5%
Income tax
$20,520
Medicare levy
$2,000
Tax stack
ATO federal PAYG
COL index
98
COL-adj. proxy $79,061
Adelaide shares the federal PAYG + Medicare stack — no South Australian wage income tax. Identical cash take-home to Sydney at equal gross; COL index 98 (lowest in this set) is why Adelaide ranks #1 on purchasing power.
Income ladder (federal PAYG)
| Gross | Take-home | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $43,730 | 12.5% |
| $75,000 | $60,480 | 19.4% |
| $100,000 | $77,480 | 22.5% |
| $150,000 | $110,430 | 26.4% |
| $200,000 | $140,130 | 29.9% |
Bands: $50,000 · $75,000 · $100,000 · $150,000 · $200,000
Adelaide paycheck snapshot
At $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), Adelaide take-home is about $77,480 (22.5% effective) under federal ATO rates — income tax ≈ $20,520, Medicare levy ≈ $2,000, COL index 98. Australian metros do not add a state or city wage tax.
On $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), modeled take-home is $77,480 — income tax $20,520, Medicare levy $2,000, effective 22.5%.
Adelaide shares the federal PAYG + Medicare stack — no South Australian wage income tax. Identical cash take-home to Sydney at equal gross; COL index 98 (lowest in this set) is why Adelaide ranks #1 on purchasing power.
How the Adelaide PAYG stack works
Adelaide (South Australia) uses federal ATO resident brackets plus the Medicare levy — the same stack as every other metro on this hub.
Ladder check: A$50k → $43,730; A$100k → $77,480; A$200k → $140,130.
Federal peers and COL
Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney share federal take-home on this vignette. COL: Adelaide 98; Brisbane 110; Perth 112; Melbourne 125; Sydney 145.
COL-adjusted proxy for Adelaide: $79,061 (take-home × 100 ÷ 98) — purchasing-power hint only.
Adelaide vs Sydney
Vs Sydney: $77,480 vs $77,480 at A$100k — tax tie. COL 98 vs 145.
Attribute ranking differences to cost of living, not a state wage tax and not a different Medicare schedule on this model.
Worked federal PAYG 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.
$77,480 take-home
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.
$36,505 take-home
Lower-income vignette — validates threshold + Medicare shading path in the engine.
Medicare levy context
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.
Validation notes
- 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)
Same federal stack · different COL
Nearby take-home peers
Who this helps
Job offers & relocators
Compare Adelaide take-home and COL before accepting an Australian offer — federal PAYG ties across capitals.
Interstate movers
Moving between Australian capitals rarely changes income tax — focus on rent and commute in South Australia.
COL-sensitive corridors
Sydney ↔ Adelaide and Melbourne ↔ Brisbane gaps are cost of living, not state wage tax.
Planning tips
Model HELP separately
HELP/HECS repayment is a separate PAYG deduction — not in this fixed vignette.
Check PHI / MLS
Medicare Levy Surcharge can apply without private hospital cover above MLS thresholds — excluded here.
Personalize brackets
Open /calculator/australia for residency, HELP, MLS, and custom gross. State insights: /tax-insights/australia/south-australia.
FAQs
About $77,480 (22.5% effective) — rank #1 of 5. Income tax ≈ $20,520; Medicare levy ≈ $2,000.
Adelaide shares the federal PAYG + Medicare stack — no South Australian wage income tax. Identical cash take-home to Sydney at equal gross; COL index 98 (lowest in this set) is why Adelaide ranks #1 on purchasing power.
Same take-home as Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney — COL indexes Adelaide 98; Brisbane 110; Perth 112; Melbourne 125; Sydney 145.
A$50k take-home ≈ $43,730; A$200k ≈ $140,130.
Adelaide ≈ $77,480 vs Sydney $77,480 at A$100k (tax tie). COL 98 vs 145.
Use the calculator at /calculator/australia. State tax insights: /tax-insights/australia/south-australia. COL index for Adelaide is 98.