Rank among 5 metros
#5
← Metro paycheck examples (Australia)
New South Wales · pop #1 · 2026
🇦🇺Sydney paycheck example
$100,000 resident PAYG → about $77,480 take-home (rank #5). COL index 145.
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Sydney take-home at $100,000
At $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), Sydney take-home is about $77,480 (22.5% effective) under federal ATO rates — income tax ≈ $20,520, Medicare levy ≈ $2,000, COL index 145. Australian metros do not add a state or city wage tax.
Scoreboard
Population rank
#1
Annual take-home
$77,480
Effective levy
22.5%
Income tax
$20,520
Medicare levy
$2,000
Tax stack
ATO federal PAYG
COL index
145
COL-adj. proxy $53,434
No state or city wage income tax — Sydney uses the same federal ATO PAYG stack (income tax + Medicare levy) as every other Australian metro on this hub. Identical modeled take-home at equal gross; COL index 145 is the highest here, so ranking trails cheaper metros 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
Sydney paycheck snapshot
At $100,000 resident PAYG (2026–27), Sydney take-home is about $77,480 (22.5% effective) under federal ATO rates — income tax ≈ $20,520, Medicare levy ≈ $2,000, COL index 145. 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%.
No state or city wage income tax — Sydney uses the same federal ATO PAYG stack (income tax + Medicare levy) as every other Australian metro on this hub. Identical modeled take-home at equal gross; COL index 145 is the highest here, so ranking trails cheaper metros on purchasing power.
How the Sydney PAYG stack works
Sydney (New South Wales) 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
Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne share federal take-home on this vignette. COL: Sydney 145; Adelaide 98; Brisbane 110; Perth 112; Melbourne 125.
COL-adjusted proxy for Sydney: $53,434 (take-home × 100 ÷ 145) — purchasing-power hint only.
Sydney vs Adelaide
Vs Adelaide: $77,480 vs $77,480 at A$100k — tax tie. COL 145 vs 98.
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 Sydney 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 New South Wales.
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/new-south-wales.
FAQs
About $77,480 (22.5% effective) — rank #5 of 5. Income tax ≈ $20,520; Medicare levy ≈ $2,000.
No state or city wage income tax — Sydney uses the same federal ATO PAYG stack (income tax + Medicare levy) as every other Australian metro on this hub. Identical modeled take-home at equal gross; COL index 145 is the highest here, so ranking trails cheaper metros on purchasing power.
Same take-home as Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne — COL indexes Sydney 145; Adelaide 98; Brisbane 110; Perth 112; Melbourne 125.
A$50k take-home ≈ $43,730; A$200k ≈ $140,130.
Sydney ≈ $77,480 vs Adelaide $77,480 at A$100k (tax tie). COL 145 vs 98.
Use the calculator at /calculator/australia. State tax insights: /tax-insights/australia/new-south-wales. COL index for Sydney is 145.