Pay by Role
Technology · Australia

Data Engineer Salary in Sydney, NSW

The average data engineer in Sydney, NSW earns $160,307 per year — about $9,299 /mo after a simplified national tax estimate. Data engineers build the pipelines and warehouses that make data reliable and available.

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?

$111,668/yr

~30% 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 18% of estimated take-home — ~$5,802 leftover /mo after modeled costs. Modeled, not a listing.

Cost of living calculator →

Compared with…?

% vs Sydney median (FX-adjusted abroad).

Average salary
$160,307
gross / year
Est. take-home
$111,668
~30% effective tax
Hourly equivalent
$77.03
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.

Data Engineer salary range in Sydney

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

$103,40210TH$126,99725TH$160,307MEDIAN$201,25275TH$247,74890TH
Estimated pay distribution — the curve peaks at the median and widens with the pay range.
PercentileAnnual salary
10th percentile (entry)$103,402
25th percentile$126,997
Median (50th)typical$160,307
75th percentile$201,252
90th percentile (senior)$247,748

How does your salary compare?

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

Your percentile
50th

$160,307 puts you in the 50th percentile. You earn more than about 50% of data engineers in Sydney, NSW. That’s right around the typical pay for this role.

$103,402$160,307$247,748

Salary insights

A typical data engineer in Sydney, NSW earns about $231,000 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 $8,360 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 25% 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 data engineer salary is worth about $160,307 in baseline-priced terms.

Est. rent (1BR)
$1,652/mo
Other living costs
$1,853/mo
Savings potential
$5,802/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 $215,825— 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 +25% across the window.

$127,968
2022
$135,394
2023
$143,236
2024
$151,494
2025
$160,307
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 Data Engineer pay

See how a data engineer stacks up against similar technology roles in Australia.

What’s your take-home?

Calculator opens with this page’s median ($160,307) and Australia tax model — tweak hours, period, or offer amount.

Data Engineer salary in other Australia cities

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

CityMedian
Newcastle, NSW$215,825/yr
Canberra, ACT$215,825/yr
Sunshine Coast, QLD$215,825/yr
Wollongong, NSW$215,825/yr
Hobart, TAS$215,825/yr
Darwin, NT$215,825/yr
Mackay, QLD$215,825/yr
Melbourne, VIC$157,531/yr

Data Engineer 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$19,894/yr
Vietnam flagVietname.g. Hanoi$20,609/yr
Argentina flagArgentinae.g. Buenos Aires$20,115/yr
India flagIndiae.g. Mumbai$25,447/yr
Philippines flagPhilippinese.g. Quezon$27,132/yr
South Africa flagSouth Africae.g. Johannesburg$37,731/yr
Thailand flagThailande.g. Bangkok$40,492/yr
Colombia flagColombiae.g. Bogotá$39,617/yr
Brazil flagBrazile.g. São Paulo$50,082/yr
Turkey flagTurkeye.g. Istanbul$50,185/yr

Related Technology jobs in Sydney

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the average data engineer salary in Sydney, NSW?
The average data engineer salary in Sydney, NSW is about $231,000 per year, or roughly $111.00 per hour.
What is the salary range for a data engineer in Sydney, NSW?
Most data engineer salaries in Sydney, NSW fall between $149,000 (entry level) and $357,000 (senior level). The 25th–75th percentile band is $183,000 to $290,000.
How much does a data engineer make per month in Sydney, NSW?
A typical data engineer in Sydney, NSW earns about $19,300 per month before tax, based on the annual median of $231,000.
How does Sydney, NSW pay compare to the Australia average?
Sydney, NSW pays about 26% below the Australia average for a data engineer.
What is the cost-of-living-adjusted data engineer salary in Sydney, NSW?
After adjusting for local prices (cost-of-living index 100, where 100 is the US baseline), the median data engineer salary in Sydney, NSW is worth roughly $231,000 in US-baseline terms.
What skills do data engineers need?
Common skills for a data engineer include SQL, Python, Spark, Airflow, Cloud data. Actual requirements vary by employer and seniority.
Is data engineer a growing career?
Employment for data engineer roles is projected to change by about +30% over the next decade. Local demand in Sydney, NSW can differ from the national outlook.
What is take-home pay for a data engineer in Sydney, NSW?
A simplified national income-tax estimate puts median take-home near $160,912 per year (about $13,400 per month), or roughly 30% effective tax on the gross median. Real net pay varies with local taxes, benefits, and filing status.
How much rent might a data engineer 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.