Nurse salary Sydney: Where it sits against the national full-time average
If you are looking at a nurse salary in Sydney, the first thing to know is that there is no single figure published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for that specific role and location. Instead, we can compare the minimum award rates for nurses with the national full-time average earnings and the New South Wales average to get a clear picture.
The national benchmark: full-time average earnings
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings report for May 2026 gives the full-time adult ordinary-time average at $2,083.70 per week. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that is about $108,352 a year. This is the line that the Average line site uses as its reference point. For context, the full-time median (the middle point of all full-time employees) is about $90,532, and the all-employees median is about $74,100 (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025).
New South Wales, where Sydney is located, has a full-time average of about $109,658 – slightly above the national figure. That means any nurse salary in Sydney that is above roughly $110,000 a year is above both the state and national averages.
What the Nurses Award says about Sydney nurse salaries
The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the Nurses Award 2020 pay guide, which applies to most nurses in Sydney unless they are covered by a specific enterprise agreement. The latest guide, effective from 1 August 2026, sets minimum weekly rates for dozens of classifications. Here are some key examples:
- Nursing assistant (1st year): $1,050.70/week – about $54,636/year
- Enrolled nurse (pay point 1): $1,139.90/week – about $59,275/year
- Registered nurse level 1, pay point 1: $1,219.50/week – about $63,414/year
- Registered nurse level 1, pay point 8: $1,465.50/week – about $76,206/year
- Registered nurse level 2, pay point 4: $1,580.30/week – about $82,176/year
- Registered nurse level 3, pay point 4: $1,720.10/week – about $89,445/year
- Registered nurse level 4, grade 3: $2,111.60/week – about $109,803/year
- Registered nurse level 5, grade 6: $2,706.90/week – about $140,759/year
These are minimum rates. Many nurses in Sydney public hospitals are employed under enterprise agreements that pay above the award, especially for experienced registered nurses and those in specialised roles.
How these rates compare to the national average
Most entry-level and mid-level nursing classifications fall below the national full-time average of $108,352. For example, a registered nurse at level 1 pay point 8 earns about $76,206 – well below the average. However, once you reach registered nurse level 4 grade 3 ($109,803), you are slightly above the national average. Senior nurse managers (level 5 grade 6) earn about $140,759, which is well above.
It is important to remember that the national average includes all full-time occupations, including high-paying roles like managers and professionals. The median full-time earnings ($90,532) are a better comparison for many nurses. A registered nurse at level 3 pay point 4 earns about $89,445, which is close to the full-time median.
What about the minimum wage and award increases?
The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week – about $52,255 a year. Every nurse classification in the award is well above this floor. Award minimums rose by 4.75% in the latest adjustment.
Where to get more detail
If you want to see how a specific nurse salary in Sydney compares, you can Place a salary on the line and see the distance from the full-time average. You can also explore States and territories to compare with other parts of Australia. For a broader look at how different jobs pay, see Job medians or Industry medians.
The bottom line
A nurse salary in Sydney can range from about $55,000 for a junior assistant to over $140,000 for a senior manager. Most registered nurses will earn between $63,000 and $90,000 under the award, which is below the national full-time average but around or above the full-time median. Actual pay in Sydney’s public health system is often higher due to enterprise agreements, so many experienced nurses will be close to or above the national average.