Your life maths — take-home, then rent
London (UK)
Take-home £2,993/mo
Typical rent −£2,290
£703/mo left
Sydney (AU)
Take-home A$6,173/mo
Typical unit rent −A$3,163
A$3,010/mo left ≈ £1,568
2026–27 tax rules both sides (UK: income tax + employee NI · AU: income tax, LITO, Medicare levy). Australian super (12%) is paid on top of salary into your fund — it is not deducted here. From 2026–27 you can also claim a standard $1,000 work-expense deduction at tax time (no receipts) — worth roughly $300 back at the 30% rate, as a refund, so it is not in the monthly figure above. Rents: ONS, Jun 2026 vs median asking unit rent (Domain/CoreLogic/SQM, Jun 2026). Excludes student-loan/HELP repayments, pensions contributions and private health. Rough guide, not financial advice.
Monthly rent, city by city
| UK city | avg rent | AU city | unit (asking) | house (asking) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £2,290 | Sydney | A$3,163 ≈ £1,648 | A$3,380 ≈ £1,761 |
| Manchester | £1,100 | Melbourne | A$2,427 ≈ £1,264 | A$2,557 ≈ £1,332 |
| Birmingham | £950 | Brisbane | A$2,600 ≈ £1,354 | A$2,773 ≈ £1,445 |
| Leeds | £950 | Perth | A$2,513 ≈ £1,309 | A$2,903 ≈ £1,512 |
| Glasgow | £950 | Adelaide | A$2,210 ≈ £1,151 | A$2,643 ≈ £1,377 |
UK figures are average monthly rents for all rented stock (ONS-based; non-London cities indicative from market indices). Australian figures are median weekly ASKING rents on new listings (Domain/CoreLogic/SQM, 16 Jun 2026) converted to monthly — asking rents run above what sitting tenants pay, so this comparison errs against Australia.
Petrol
150.5p
per litre, UK
168c≈ 88p
per litre, Australia
GOV.UK weekly road fuel prices, w/c 13 Jul 2026 · ACCC/NRMA capital-city U91 averages, mid-Jul 2026. Aussie petrol runs roughly 40% cheaper in pound terms — and the distances are bigger.
Energy, per year
£1,663
Ofgem price cap, typical dual-fuel household (electricity + gas), Jul–Sep 2026
Sydney (Ausgrid)A$1,899 ≈ £989
SE Queensland (Energex)A$1,988 ≈ £1,036
South AustraliaA$2,334 ≈ £1,216
Regional NSW (Essential)A$2,604 ≈ £1,356
AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, residential ELECTRICITY ONLY, from 1 Jul 2026 — many Australian homes are all-electric (no gas bill), and market offers undercut the DMO. UK figure covers gas + electricity; AU figures electricity only — not like-for-like, shown for scale.
The bit money can't measure — measured anyway
World's most liveable cities, 2026
#3 MelbourneAustralia
#4 SydneyAustralia
#8 AdelaideAustralia
#52 Manchesterthe UK's highest
#54 LondonUnited Kingdom
Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Index 2026 (stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education, infrastructure — 173 cities). Australia is the only country with three cities in the world's top ten.
This page is information, not migration advice. Visa rules change and your circumstances matter. For advice you can rely on, use a MARA-registered migration agent (or an IAA-regulated adviser in the UK — the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly OISC). JobsBrio publishes live pay and market data — the ad counts here are live listings whose text mentions visa sponsorship, which is not a guarantee any employer will sponsor you.