§-Career vs cost
General practitioner: salary vs cost of living
Job Outlook publishes a full-time weekly-earnings figure of $4500 for General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers. After estimated PAYG income tax, the 2% Medicare levy and any HECS-HELP compulsory repayment, take-home pay is approximately $2,586.19 per week.
From gross to take-home
| Component | Annual AUD | Weekly AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $234,000 | $4500 |
| Income tax (2024-25 resident scale) | -$71,438 | -$1374 |
| Medicare levy (2%) | -$4,680 | -$90 |
| HECS-HELP compulsory repayment | -$23,400 | -$450 |
| Take-home pay | $134,481.88 | $2,586.19 |
| Without HECS | $157,881.88 | $3,036.19 |
Sanity check: income tax 71438 AUD plus Medicare and HECS-HELP repayment of $23400 AUD.
Rent as a share of take-home pay
The 30% threshold is the conventional definition of rental stress. Anything below is considered comfortable; anything above squeezes everything else.