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Software Engineer Salary Comparison

Side-by-side evaluation of salaries, local taxes, monthly expenses, and real purchasing power

✓ Real-time Comparison
🔍 Change Comparison Cities
City 1:
VS
City 2:

💡 Smart Analysis

Comparing Canberra and Melbourne: Average gross pay is 2% higher in Melbourne. Cost of living is 11% cheaper in Canberra. With higher take-home and lower expenses, Canberra is a more financially comfortable place to live with an affordability score of 7.3/10 compared to 7.2/10.

Category Comparison
🇦🇺
Canberra
🇦🇺
Melbourne

💰 Gross Salaries & Ranges

Average Gross Salary (Annual)
The primary average salary across experience ranges
$82,000/yr
$84,000/yr
HIGHER
Junior Developer Pay
$47,000
$47,000
Mid-Level Developer Pay
$71,000
$73,000
Senior Developer Pay
$107,000
$110,000
Lead / Architect Pay
$133,000
$138,000

🏠 Monthly Cost of Living

Rent — City Center (1 Bed)
$1,600
$1,800
Rent — Suburbs (1 Bed)
$1,040
$1,200
Groceries (Monthly)
$385
$400
Public Transport Pass
$95
$110
Utilities (Electricity, Internet)
$182
$190
Estimated Cost of Living
Rent center, groceries, transport plans & hobbies included
$2,566/mo
CHEAPER
$2,869/mo

🧾 Tax rates & Take-home

Average Income Tax Rate
32%
32%
Social Security Deduction
0%
0%
Monthly Take-home (After Tax)
Estimated direct net monthly deposit based on mid-level pay
$4,023/mo
$4,137/mo

📊 Affordability & Savings

Affordability Index
Score out of 10 comparing local net pay to costs
7.3
MORE AFFORDABLE
7.2
Monthly Savings Potential
Money left over after all standard cost of living expenses
$1,457/mo
$1,268/mo
Months to Save $10,000
~7 months
~8 months
🇦🇺 Complete Canberra Breakdown & Charts → 🇦🇺 Complete Melbourne Breakdown & Charts →