§-Career vs cost
Mining engineer: salary vs cost of living
Job Outlook publishes a full-time weekly-earnings figure of $3150 for Mining Engineers. After estimated PAYG income tax, the 2% Medicare levy and any HECS-HELP compulsory repayment, take-home pay is approximately $1,965.38 per week.
From gross to take-home
| Component | Annual AUD | Weekly AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $163,800 | $3150 |
| Income tax (2024-25 resident scale) | -$41,944 | -$807 |
| Medicare levy (2%) | -$3,276 | -$63 |
| HECS-HELP compulsory repayment | -$16,380 | -$315 |
| Take-home pay | $102,199.76 | $1,965.38 |
| Without HECS | $118,579.76 | $2,280.38 |
Sanity check: income tax 41944 AUD plus Medicare and HECS-HELP repayment of $16380 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.