Skilled Trades · Australia

Electrician Salary in Adelaide, SA

The average electrician in Adelaide, SA earns $68,632 per year — about $4,585 /mo after a simplified national tax estimate. Versus the Australia average this metro is 39% lower, with a cost-of-living index of 100.

Observed data:city percentiles from public labour-market sources for this exact role and metro.

Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is AUD). FX as of Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies

After tax?

$54,642/yr

~20% effective national income tax on the median. Excludes most payroll/social levies and local taxes.

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Afford rent?

$1,648/mo 1BR

About 36% of estimated take-home — ~$1,060 leftover /mo after modeled costs. Modeled, not a listing.

Cost of living calculator →

Compared with…?

% vs Adelaide median (FX-adjusted abroad).

Average salary
$68,632
gross / year
Est. take-home
$54,642
~20% effective tax
Hourly equivalent
$32.95
based on 2,080 hrs/yr
vs. Australia avg
-39%
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.

Why Electrician pay in Adelaide sits 39% below the Australia average

Adelaide, SA posts a electrician median of $95,800, which is 39% under the Australia average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $2,300/month close that gap in real life.

Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical systems in homes and businesses. Trade pay in Adelaide, SA often includes overtime and project premiums that a salaried median understates. Use $95,800 as a full-time baseline, then ask how overtime is paid. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +11% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Adelaide, SA hiring guarantee.

The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Electrician in Adelaide, SA, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.

Among the 5 Australia metros we can compare for this role, Adelaide ranks 5 by median. Sydney leads this comparison at $117,000 (+22% vs Adelaide), while Brisbane sits at $101,000. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.

Adelaide’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($95,800 vs $95,800). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $2,300 / month, about 36% of take-home, with leftover near $1,480.

If you are comparing a Adelaide office offer with a location-flexible one, the Australia national median for this role is about $158,000. Local pay is 39% lower — a $62,200 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Adelaide are anchoring to this page.

World Bank consumer-price inflation for Australia was about 2.9% in 2025; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 17% over the last few years. Skills in Demand / employer nomination is the usual skilled-hire route (moderate for typical hires): Temporary and permanent skilled visas usually require an occupation on a skills list, skills assessment, and (for many streams) an employer sponsor. At 1.1× Australia GDP per capita, this median is around a typical national living standard. Unemployment was about 4.1% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.

How to read a electrician offer in Adelaide

Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $95,800, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $95,800 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 20%, leaving $76,272 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $2,300 model.

Because this distribution is relatively compact (2.0× from 10th to 90th), a “market” offer in Adelaide will often cluster near $95,800. Negotiation still matters, but the bigger lever may be seniority rules, a different setting, or a different occupation rather than a 3% cash bump.

Demand and the electrician pipeline

Occupation-level employment for electricians is projected at about +11% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Adelaide will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Adelaide’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.

Electrician pay in Adelaide: $67,700 to $135,000

Observed distribution for this role in Adelaide, SA — not a national average copied into a city name.

$48,50110TH$68,63225TH$68,632MEDIAN$68,63275TH$96,71590TH
Estimated pay distribution — the curve peaks at the median and widens with the pay range.
PercentileAnnual salary
10th percentile (entry)$48,501
25th percentile$68,632
Median (50th)typical$68,632
75th percentile$68,632
90th percentile (senior)$96,715

How does your salary compare?

Enter what you earn (or an offer) to see where it ranks for a electrician in Adelaide, SA.

Your percentile
75th

$68,632 puts you in the 75th percentile. You earn more than about 75% of electricians in Adelaide, SA. That’s well above the median. Strong compensation.

$48,501$68,632$96,715

Cost of living, rent & savings

Adelaide’s prices (COL index 100 vs a US baseline of 100) decide whether $95,800 is a strong or a hollow paycheck. After that adjustment the median is worth about $68,632 in baseline-priced terms.

Est. rent (1BR)
$1,648/mo
Other living costs
$1,848/mo
Savings potential
$1,060/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.

Economy & work context

World Bank consumer-price inflation for Australia was about 2.9% in 2025. Use the inflation calculator to adjust a past salary or offer for purchasing power.

GDP per capita (2025)
$65,130
Unemployment (2025)
4.1%
Public holidays (2026)
27

Inflation, GDP, and unemployment from World Bank Open Data; holidays from Nager.Date. See the Australia salary hub for more context.

Remote equivalent

The Australia national median for this role is about $113,192— a common benchmark for remote or location-flexible offers. Local Adelaide pay is 39% lower.

Historical trend

Illustrative median pay over the last few years — about +17% across the window.

$58,674
2022
$61,038
2023
$63,473
2024
$65,981
2025
$68,632
2026

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

Visa notes for a electrician moving to Australia

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 Electrician pay

See how a electrician stacks up against similar skilled trades roles in Australia.

What’s your take-home?

Calculator opens with this page’s median ($68,632) and Australia tax model — tweak hours, period, or offer amount.

Electrician salary in other Australia cities

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

CityMedian
Sydney, NSW$83,819/yr
Melbourne, VIC$82,386/yr
Perth, WA$74,506/yr
Brisbane, QLD$72,357/yr

Electrician salary in other countries

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

CountryLocal median
Philippines flagPhilippinese.g. Manila$8,024/yr
Indonesia flagIndonesiae.g. Jakarta$8,696/yr
Vietnam flagVietname.g. Hanoi$8,779/yr
Argentina flagArgentinae.g. Buenos Aires$8,804/yr
India flagIndiae.g. Mumbai$10,714/yr
South Africa flagSouth Africae.g. Johannesburg$17,003/yr
Thailand flagThailande.g. Bangkok$17,519/yr
Colombia flagColombiae.g. Bogotá$17,991/yr
Switzerland flagSwitzerlande.g. Geneva$116,246/yr
Brazil flagBrazile.g. São Paulo$22,203/yr

Related Skilled Trades jobs in Adelaide

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 guides for take-home pay, living costs, and reading the numbers behind an offer.

Frequently asked questions

What does a electrician earn in Adelaide, SA?
The observed median is about $95,800 per year, or $8,000 per month before tax and $46 per hour at 2,080 hours. Entry-to-senior context is the $67,700–$135,000 band.
Is Adelaide a high-paying city for electricians in Australia?
Adelaide pays about 39% less than the Australia median for this occupation. High-paying in cash is not the same as high-paying after rent: COL is 100 and modeled leftover is $1,480 / month.
Can a electrician afford rent in Adelaide on the median?
A modeled modest 1-bedroom is about $2,300 / month, roughly 36% of estimated take-home ($6,400 / month after a simplified national tax). That leaves about $1,480 / month in the single-adult model. Listings vary by area; this is a COL-scaled estimate, not an asking rent.
Why is the electrician salary range in Adelaide so wide?
The 90th percentile ($135,000) is about 2.0× the 10th ($67,700). That usually means mixed settings and seniority under one title — not that every employer pays randomly. Read offers against the quartile that matches the actual job, not only the median.
What is take-home pay for a electrician in Adelaide, SA?
A simplified Australia income-tax estimate on the median is about $76,272 per year (20% effective). Real net pay changes with local taxes, social contributions, benefits, and filing status. Use the prefilled salary calculator to vary the gross.
Which skills show up for electrician jobs in Adelaide?
Common requirements for this occupation include Wiring, Code, Troubleshooting, Safety, and Blueprints. Adelaide employers still vary by sector; use the skills as a screening list, not a guarantee that every posting in Adelaide, SA asks for all of them.
Where do these Adelaide, SA electrician figures come from?
City percentiles are observed labour-market figures for this role and metro (via OfficialSalary / related public sources), shown in AUD. They describe the market, not your contract.