United Kingdom vs Australia: take-home pay compared
Nurses, doctors, engineers and tradespeople have been making this move for decades, and while the weather gets the credit, the payslip deserves a good share of it. Australia is ahead at every income level below, and the margin is not small.
Net salary side by side
Figures are calculated using this site's own tax engine for each country - click through to the full calculator to adjust for your exact situation.
| Gross salary | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom net/mo | 🇦🇺 Australia net/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 40,000 / 70,000 | £2,693/mo (19.2%) | A$4,734/mo (18.8%) |
| 55,000 / 95,000 | £3,538/mo (22.8%) | A$6,151/mo (22.3%) |
| 75,000 / 130,000 | £4,505/mo (27.9%) | A$8,134/mo (24.9%) |
| 100,000 / 175,000 | £5,713/mo (31.4%) | A$10,451/mo (28.3%) |
"Gross salary" is shown in each country's own currency at matching nominal amounts, not currency-converted - useful for comparing two job offers quoted in local currency. Effective rate shown in brackets.
Australia pays more AND taxes a bit less
This is a genuine double effect, not just a currency illusion: Australian gross salaries for comparable roles typically run 20-40% higher than UK equivalents once converted, and on top of that, Australia's effective tax rate is consistently a percentage point or two lower than the UK's at matching income levels shown here. Neither the Medicare Levy (2%) nor Australia's income tax bands are as punishing as the UK's personal allowance taper, which creates a 60% effective marginal rate between £100,000 and £125,140 with no Australian equivalent.
What the UK offers that doesn't show up in take-home
The UK's NHS pension (for public sector roles like nursing and medicine) is a defined-benefit scheme considerably more generous than Australia's compulsory superannuation guarantee (12%, defined-contribution, market-exposed). Family and cultural proximity, EU-adjacent travel access, and shorter flights to continue seeing family are real non-financial factors that keep many UK professionals from moving despite the pay gap - but for those focused purely on take-home pay, Australia is the stronger financial choice at almost every career stage.
Frequently asked questions
Australia, at every income level shown - both because Australian gross salaries typically run higher for equivalent roles and because Australia's effective tax rate is 1-3 percentage points lower than the UK's at matching income.
Primarily pay. Australian specialist and nursing salaries are typically higher in both gross and take-home terms than UK NHS equivalents, and the gap has been a well-documented driver of UK healthcare worker migration to Australia for years.
Generally no for public-sector comparisons - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined-benefit scheme with guaranteed payouts, while Australian superannuation (12% employer contribution) is defined-contribution and market-exposed. Private-sector UK pensions are usually also defined-contribution, making the comparison closer outside the NHS.
No - these are nominal take-home figures, not adjusted for purchasing power. Sydney and Melbourne housing costs are broadly comparable to London; other Australian cities are often more affordable.