Can a Backend Developer afford to live in Melbourne?

Excellent40% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Backend Developer · Melbourne
$96,116
Income tax (~27% effective)
Australia
– $25,725
Take-home pay
$5,866/mo
$70,391
Living costs (1 person)
$3,500/mo · derived
– $42,000
Savings potential
$2,366/mo · 40% of take-home
$28,391

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Melbourne? →Compare Melbourne with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: AU-ABS median for Backend Developer, adjusted for Melbourne.

• Tax: Australia single-filer effective rate (~27%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.