Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria and the second-largest city in Australia after Sydney, with a population of 5 million people.
Melbourne consistently ranked as the world’s most liveable city in the 2010s by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It’s famous for its rich cultural life, educated population, and “four seasons in one day” (meaning changeable weather conditions).
IT salaries
The average IT salary in Melbourne is A$87,030 per year (A$7,250 per month). It can vary depending on the specialization. Below are a few examples (AUD per year):
- Software developer: 85,150 / 7,095
- Back-end developer: 81,680 / 6,810
- Front-end developer: 94,175 / 7,850
- Full-stack developer: 139,000 / 11,580
- DevOps engineer: 104,000 / 8,670
- Database administrator: 114,000 / 12,000
- Web designer: 77,300 / 6,440
- System administrator: 82,210 / 6,850
- Project manager: 115,000 / 9,580
- QA engineer: 81,370 / 6,780
- Technical writer: 81,590 / 6,800
- Security analyst: 61,000 / 5,080
IT salaries also depend on the specialization. Here are some examples (AUD per year).
Automation test analyst:
- Junior: 80,000
- Middle: 100,000
- Senior: 115,000
Back-end developer:
- Junior: 80,000
- Middle: 85,000
- Senior: 90,000
Cybersecurity specialist:
- Junior: 110,000
- Middle: 140,000
- Senior: 160,000
Database administrator:
- Junior: 80,000
- Middle: 90,000
- Senior: 105,000
Front-end developer:
- Junior: 80,000
- Middle: 90,000
- Senior: 100,000
Full-stack developer:
- Junior: 80,000
- Middle: 90,000
- Senior: 100,000
Project manager:
- Junior: 110,000
- Middle: 120,000
- Senior: 145,000
Systems administrator:
- Junior: 70,000
- Middle: 80,000
- Senior: 90,000
Economy
Melbourne is a large economic center and one of Australia’s leading financial hubs. The unemployment rate in Melbourne is 5.0% — almost the same as the national average of 5.1%.
Important economic sectors in Melbourne include:
- BioTech
- Education
- Finance
- IT
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Research
- Tourism
- Transportation
The state of Victoria has an important ICT (information and communications technology) industry that houses more than 8,000 tech companies and employs over 90,000 people (30% of Australia’s ICT workforce). The main IT subsectors include Cloud technology, data analytics, digital games, MedTech, online digital platforms, social networks, and software development.
The largest technology companies present in Melbourne and its surroundings include:
- Etsy
- Eventbrite
- Facebook
- IBM
- Intel
- Microsoft
- NEC
- Nintendo
- Slack
- Stripe
- Telstra
- Zendesk
Cost of living
Life in Melbourne is not cheap. However, consumer prices in the city are 9% lower and rent is almost 30% lower compared to Sydney on average.
The average monthly costs in Melbourne are about A$1,315 for one person or A$4,690 for a family of four, excluding rent.
Here are examples of the average prices in Melbourne (AUD):
- Meal at McDonald’s: 9–15
- Meal at another inexpensive restaurant: 12–25
- Average food basket (milk, bread, eggs, cheese, chicken, apples, potatoes, water, beer): 47
- Monthly fee at a fitness club: 40–150
- Monthly pass: 150–195
- Monthly rent (1 bedroom): 1,160 – 2,200
- Monthly rent (3 bedrooms): 1,600 – 4,500
- Property prices per square meter: 5,850 – 12,000
- Utilities: 140–340 per month
Travel
The main airport serving the city is Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine Airport), which is the second busiest in Australia. It serves both domestic flights (Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Sydney, Perth, etc.) and international flights (Beijing, Chengdu, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, and others).
Entertainment
Melbourne is often referred to as Australia’s cultural capital. It’s a global center for architecture, art, comedy, film, literature, music, theater, sport, street art, and television. Melbourne has many theaters and live performance venues, museums and galleries.
Its notable attractions include Arts Centre Melbourne, Crown Casino, Docklands, Federation Square, Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Observation Deck, Melbourne Zoo, National Gallery of Victoria, Southbank, Queen Victoria Market, and the Royal Exhibition Building.
Melbourne also hosts major annual events such as the Australian Grand Prix, Australian Open, Melbourne Cup, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne Writers Festival, and Moomba (free community festival).