Pay by Role
Creative · Australia

Architect Salary in Sydney, NSW

The average architect in Sydney, NSW earns $115,199 per year — about $7,148 /mo after a simplified national tax estimate. Architects design buildings and spaces that balance function, safety, and aesthetics.

Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is AUD). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies

After tax?

$85,526/yr

~26% effective national income tax on the median. Excludes most payroll/social levies and local taxes.

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Afford rent?

$1,652/mo 1BR

About 23% of estimated take-home — ~$3,623 leftover /mo after modeled costs. Modeled, not a listing.

Cost of living calculator →

Compared with…?

% vs Sydney median (FX-adjusted abroad).

Average salary
$115,199
gross / year
Est. take-home
$85,526
~26% effective tax
Hourly equivalent
$56.21
based on 2,080 hrs/yr
vs. Australia avg
-26%
below average

Gross salary figures come from public labour-market data. Take-home, rent, savings, inflation, and trends are simplified models for research — not payroll, listings, or immigration advice. Methodology.

Architect salary range in Sydney

Pay varies with experience, employer, and specialization. Here is the typical distribution for this role in Sydney, NSW.

$75,64310TH$92,29825TH$115,199MEDIAN$144,34675TH$176,26990TH
Estimated pay distribution — the curve peaks at the median and widens with the pay range.
PercentileAnnual salary
10th percentile (entry)$75,643
25th percentile$92,298
Median (50th)typical$115,199
75th percentile$144,346
90th percentile (senior)$176,269

How does your salary compare?

Enter what you earn (or an offer) to see where it ranks for a architect in Sydney, NSW.

Your percentile
50th

$115,199 puts you in the 50th percentile. You earn more than about 50% of architects in Sydney, NSW. That’s right around the typical pay for this role.

$75,643$115,199$176,269

Salary insights

A typical architect in Sydney, NSW earns about $166,000 a year and pays about 26% below the Australia average. Living costs sit near the global baseline (COL index 100). After a simplified tax estimate, typical rent, and everyday costs, a median earner might keep around $5,220 per month. Relative to the national median (a common remote/location-flexible benchmark), this city pays less by about 26%. An illustrative model tied to local inflation and the role’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 14% over the last few years. Treat every figure as an estimate for research — not a personal offer or immigration advice.

Data-grounded summary from this page’s pay, COL, tax, and trend models — not a generative essay unrelated to the figures.

Cost of living, rent & savings

Sydney’s cost of living is 100 vs. a baseline of 100 (US national average). After adjusting for local prices, the median architect salary is worth about $115,199 in baseline-priced terms.

Est. rent (1BR)
$1,652/mo
Other living costs
$1,853/mo
Savings potential
$3,623/mo after tax & costs

Rent and leftover use a COL-scaled single-adult model and the same simplified tax estimate as above (Australia resident income tax (2025–26); excludes Medicare levy.). Adjust assumptions in the COL calculator.

Inflation

Approximate recent consumer-price inflation in Australia is about 2.8% per year. Use the inflation calculator to adjust a past salary or offer for purchasing power.

Remote equivalent

The Australia national median for this role is about $154,756— a common benchmark for remote or location-flexible offers. Local Sydney pay is 26% lower.

Historical trend

Illustrative median pay over the last few years — about +14% across the window.

$101,181
2022
$104,512
2023
$107,982
2024
$111,521
2025
$115,199
2026

Illustrative model based on approximate inflation and the role’s long-term outlook — not a surveyed year-by-year history.

Visa information

Skills in Demand / employer nomination

Temporary and permanent skilled visas usually require an occupation on a skills list, skills assessment, and (for many streams) an employer sponsor.

Difficulty for typical skilled hires: moderate. General orientation only — confirm on the official Australia immigration site before relocating or accepting an offer.

Compare Architect pay

See how a architect stacks up against similar creative roles in Australia.

What’s your take-home?

Calculator opens with this page’s median ($115,199) and Australia tax model — tweak hours, period, or offer amount.

Architect salary in other Australia cities

Same role, different city — % gap is vs Sydney.

CityMedian
Newcastle, NSW$154,756/yr
Canberra, ACT$154,756/yr
Sunshine Coast, QLD$154,756/yr
Wollongong, NSW$154,756/yr
Hobart, TAS$154,756/yr
Darwin, NT$154,756/yr
Mackay, QLD$154,756/yr
Melbourne, VIC$113,117/yr

Architect salary in other countries

Capital/largest city sample for each market. % gap converts foreign medians into AUD before comparing with Sydney.

CountryLocal median
Indonesia flagIndonesiae.g. Jakarta$13,018/yr
Argentina flagArgentinae.g. Buenos Aires$13,227/yr
Vietnam flagVietname.g. Hanoi$13,355/yr
India flagIndiae.g. Mumbai$16,336/yr
Philippines flagPhilippinese.g. Quezon$17,221/yr
South Africa flagSouth Africae.g. Johannesburg$23,910/yr
Thailand flagThailande.g. Bangkok$25,555/yr
Colombia flagColombiae.g. Bogotá$24,912/yr
Brazil flagBrazile.g. São Paulo$32,867/yr
Turkey flagTurkeye.g. Istanbul$33,386/yr

Related Creative jobs in Sydney

Job openings & next moves

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Browse live job openings for this role, or close the skills gap that separates the median from the top percentiles.

Calculators and comparisons to dig into take-home pay, living costs, and period conversions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average architect salary in Sydney, NSW?
The average architect salary in Sydney, NSW is about $166,000 per year, or roughly $81.00 per hour.
What is the salary range for a architect in Sydney, NSW?
Most architect salaries in Sydney, NSW fall between $109,000 (entry level) and $254,000 (senior level). The 25th–75th percentile band is $133,000 to $208,000.
How much does a architect make per month in Sydney, NSW?
A typical architect in Sydney, NSW earns about $13,800 per month before tax, based on the annual median of $166,000.
How does Sydney, NSW pay compare to the Australia average?
Sydney, NSW pays about 26% below the Australia average for a architect.
What is the cost-of-living-adjusted architect salary in Sydney, NSW?
After adjusting for local prices (cost-of-living index 100, where 100 is the US baseline), the median architect salary in Sydney, NSW is worth roughly $166,000 in US-baseline terms.
What skills do architects need?
Common skills for a architect include Design, CAD, Codes, Project mgmt, Rendering. Actual requirements vary by employer and seniority.
Is architect a growing career?
Employment for architect roles is projected to change by about +5% over the next decade. Local demand in Sydney, NSW can differ from the national outlook.
What is take-home pay for a architect in Sydney, NSW?
A simplified national income-tax estimate puts median take-home near $123,242 per year (about $10,300 per month), or roughly 26% effective tax on the gross median. Real net pay varies with local taxes, benefits, and filing status.
How much rent might a architect pay in Sydney, NSW?
A modeled modest 1-bedroom runs about $2,380 per month in Sydney, NSW, scaled from a US baseline by the local cost-of-living index (100). Actual listings vary by neighborhood and size.
Where do these Sydney, NSW salary figures come from?
Figures on Pay by Role are aggregated from public labour-market salary APIs, shown in AUD, and refreshed periodically. They are estimates for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of individual pay.