Sydney average salary
When people search for the Sydney average salary, they usually want to know how full-time pay in Australia’s largest city compares with the national figure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics does not publish a city-specific average, but the New South Wales full-time average serves as a reliable proxy. According to the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, the NSW full-time adult ordinary-time average is about $2,108.80 a week, which works out to roughly $109,658 a year (multiplied by 52). That is slightly above the national full-time average of $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year.
Reading the same pay as a year, a week, and an hour
The site’s tool lets you enter a yearly salary before tax and see it broken into a weekly and hourly figure based on a standard 38-hour week. For the NSW average of $109,658, that translates to about $2,108.80 per week and about $55.49 per hour. These numbers are useful for comparing job offers, negotiating pay, or understanding where your own salary sits relative to the broader market.
How Sydney (NSW) compares with other states and territories
The states and territories page shows that NSW’s full-time average of $109,658 is in the middle of the pack. Western Australia leads at about $115,825, while Tasmania is lowest at about $96,008. The Australian Capital Territory has the highest average at about $119,090. Victoria ($106,137), Queensland ($106,064), South Australia ($102,450), and the Northern Territory ($103,173) all fall below NSW. So Sydney workers, on average, earn more than their counterparts in most other mainland states but less than those in WA and the ACT.
The national line: full-time average, median, and minimum wage
The national full-time average of $108,352 is the line that the site uses as a benchmark. It is an average of all full-time adult ordinary-time earnings, which means it can be pulled up by high earners. The median gives a different picture: the full-time median is about $90,532, and the all-employees median is about $74,100 (ABS Employee earnings, August 2025). Half of full-time workers earn less than $90,532, and half of all employees (including part-time and casual) earn less than $74,100. The NSW average of $109,658 is well above both medians, indicating that Sydney’s full-time workforce includes a significant share of higher-paid roles.
At the bottom end, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, $1,004.90 a week, or about $52,255 a year on a 38-hour week (Fair Work). Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date. The NSW average is more than double the minimum wage, reflecting the higher cost of living and concentration of professional services, finance, and tech jobs in Sydney.
Tax on the Sydney average salary
If you earn the NSW average of $109,658 in the 2026–27 income year, your tax is calculated using the resident tax rates: nil on the first $18,200, 15% on the next $26,800 (up to $45,000), 30% on the next $90,000 (up to $135,000), and so on. Plus the Medicare levy of 2% (before any reductions). That means your marginal tax rate is 30% on income above $45,000, and your total tax bill would be roughly $25,000–$26,000 depending on offsets. The after-tax amount is about $83,000–$84,000, or about $1,600 a week. Place a salary on the line to see the exact breakdown for any figure.
Where the figures come from
The site uses the ABS Average Weekly Earnings (May 2026) for the national and state full-time averages. Medians come from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey (August 2025). The minimum wage is set by Fair Work and updated each July. For more detail on how these numbers are compiled, see How the figures are set.
What the Sydney average salary does not tell you
Averages can hide a lot. The NSW figure includes everyone from entry-level workers to CEOs, so it does not reflect what a typical person in a specific occupation or industry earns. For that, you can explore job medians or industry medians. Also, the average does not account for part-time or casual workers, who make up a large share of Sydney’s workforce. The all-employees median of $74,100 gives a better sense of what a typical worker across all employment types takes home.
Using the site’s tools
The easiest way to see where your pay sits is to enter your yearly salary into the tool on the line page. It will show you the weekly and hourly equivalents on a 38-hour week, plus the distance from the national full-time average. You can also compare your salary with state averages, medians, and the minimum wage. The Guides section has more articles on understanding pay in Australia.
Summary
The Sydney average salary, proxied by the NSW full-time average of about $109,658 a year, is above the national average of $108,352. It is also well above the national full-time median ($90,532) and the all-employees median ($74,100). When broken down, it works out to about $2,108.80 a week or $55.49 an hour. While this gives a useful benchmark, remember that individual circumstances vary by occupation, industry, and experience. Use the site’s tools to get a personalised comparison.