Can a Graphic Designer afford to live in Sydney?

Excellent41% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Graphic Designer · Sydney
$63,662
Income tax (~21% effective)
Australia
– $13,199
Take-home pay
$4,205/mo
$50,463
Living costs (1 person)
$2,488/mo · curated
– $29,856
Savings potential
$1,717/mo · 41% of take-home
$20,607

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

Monthly cost breakdown · Sydney

Rent (1-bed)$1,584
Groceries$297
Dining out$231
Transport$106
Utilities$86
Entertainment$132

Medicare reduces healthcare costs. Beach lifestyle premium.

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

How we calculated this

• Salary: OECD 2024 median for Graphic Designer, adjusted for Sydney.

• Tax: Australia single-filer effective rate (~21%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

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