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Sydney
#58 of 124
Oceania

Sydney

Australia

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Sydney compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Sydney is 42% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Sydney compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$103,818
-$169K (-62%) vs San Francisco
Based on 994 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$73,503
-$99K (-57%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 29%

Community Insights

New

Sydney is a lifestyle superpower with a financial barrier to entry.

For software engineers, it offers a compelling trade-off: you accept a lower net income and higher housing costs in exchange for a significantly lower-stress work environment and world-class outdoor amenities. The tech scene is robust enough to build a solid career, anchored by heavyweights like Atlassian and Canva, but it lacks the infinite ladder of Silicon Valley.

The data supports the "expensive but nice" narrative: with a Cost of Living Rank of #99 and a median net income of ~$73k USD, your money doesn't go as far as it might in US tech hubs, but the safety (Index 66.1/100) and pollution metrics are excellent. Ultimately, living here is about prioritizing happiness and health over maximum wealth accumulation.

Resident Sentiment

Current residents are deeply polarized by the cost of living. Many recent transplants express shock at the rental market, with some questioning if the move was worth it purely from a financial standpoint.

However, there is very little regret regarding the lifestyle. The consensus is that once you secure housing and adjust to the lower purchasing power, the quality of life is unmatched. Residents often joke that they are "paid in sunshine," but for many, that currency is valuable enough to stay long-term.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Comfortable Weather

Top 10%

#13

of 124 cities

87/100 weather score

Current value

Pollution Score

Top 17%

#21

of 124 cities

28.6/100

Current value (lower is better)

Community Events

Top 19%

#23

of 124 cities

13 events on luma

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Sydney compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$9,819 / m²
2% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Sydney to maintain the same standard of living.

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Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
27% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Sydney

Atlassian logo
Atlassian
Rokt logo
Rokt
Canva logo
Canva

The Good

  • Laid-back work culture: The "work to live" mentality is dominant even in tech, with 40-hour weeks being the standard and a general lack of the "rat race" pressure found in US tech hubs.
  • Strongest tech scene in Australia: As the HQ for major players like Canva and Atlassian, plus a significant Google presence, Sydney offers the highest density of tech jobs and startup opportunities in the country.
  • Unbeatable lifestyle & climate: Access to world-class beaches (Bondi, Manly), a stunning harbor, and temperate weather makes for an active, outdoor-focused life that many transplants find superior to London or Seattle.
  • High safety & cleanliness: Residents consistently praise the city for being remarkably safe and clean compared to other major global tech cities like San Francisco or New York.
  • High quality of food & coffee: The culinary scene is a frequent highlight, with high-quality produce and a coffee culture that residents claim ruins them for anywhere else.

The Bad

  • Exorbitant housing costs: The housing crisis is the #1 complaint; rent is astronomical and buying a home requires ~10.4 years of net salary, pushing many to live far from the CBD or in shared accommodation.
  • The "Sunshine Tax" on salaries: While salaries are high for Australia, they are significantly lower than US tech salaries, and when combined with the high cost of living, purchasing power feels diminished.
  • Global isolation & time zones: working remotely for US or European companies is grueling due to impossible time zone overlaps, and travel to the rest of the world is long and expensive.
  • Lack of career depth: While the tech scene is the best in Australia, it is a "small pond" compared to Silicon Valley or London, leading to a feeling of hitting a career ceiling faster.
  • Slow recruitment processes: Job seekers often complain about slow hiring loops and a market that can be very insular, preferring local experience over foreign credentials.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

The "Work-to-Live" Optimist.

If you are a mid-to-senior engineer who is burnt out on the grind of US tech hubs and values surfing before work or hiking on weekends more than hitting a $300k TC, Sydney is your paradise. It is ideal for those who want to stay in tech but shift gears to a sustainable pace, and for families seeking a safe, clean environment to raise children.

Skip it if...

The FIRE Chaser and The Ambitious Ladder-Climber.

If your primary goal is to maximize savings or retire early (FIRE), the math in Sydney simply doesn't work compared to the US due to high taxes and housing costs. Similarly, if you crave the intensity of being at the "center of the world" in AI or deep tech, you may feel isolated and bored by the smaller market size and slower pace.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather8.7/100% vs San Francisco
Safety66+68%
Pollution29-42%
Events13-75%
8.7/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
22°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
15°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
2,468h/yr-594h/yr(-19%)
Hottest Month High
26°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
9°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
85/yr+36/yr(+74%)

Community & Quality

Sydney community pulse

Sydney has 13 Luma events listed.

75% fewer events than San Francisco.

Safety Index

Top 32%

#40

of 124 cities

66.1/100

Current value

Net Income

Middle of the pack

#44

of 124 cities

$73,503/yr

Current value

Tax Rate

Middle of the pack

#44

of 124 cities

29%

Current value (lower is better)

Purchasing Power

Middle of the pack

#58

of 124 cities

Home Affordability

Bottom 33%

#84

of 124 cities

≈10.7 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Cost of Living

Bottom 20%

#100

of 124 cities

65/100

Current value (lower is better)

SWE Affordability
10.7 years
6.0 years longer than San Francisco
Muggy Days
36/yr+36/yr(+18050%)
Cloud Cover
30%(vs 34% in San Francisco)