§-Career vs cost
Speech pathologist: salary vs cost of living
Job Outlook publishes a full-time weekly-earnings figure of $1650 for Speech Professionals and Audiologists. After estimated PAYG income tax, the 2% Medicare levy and any HECS-HELP compulsory repayment, take-home pay is approximately $1,224.9 per week.
From gross to take-home
| Component | Annual AUD | Weekly AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $85,800 | $1650 |
| Income tax (2024-25 resident scale) | -$16,528 | -$318 |
| Medicare levy (2%) | -$1,716 | -$33 |
| HECS-HELP compulsory repayment | -$3,861 | -$74 |
| Take-home pay | $63,694.8 | $1,224.9 |
| Without HECS | $67,555.8 | $1,299.15 |
Sanity check: income tax 16528 AUD plus Medicare and HECS-HELP repayment of $3861 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.