Australia vs Canada Salary: Who Takes Home More?
Updated May 31, 2026 · 5 min read
Australia and Canada compete for the same skilled migrants, and they’re strikingly similar: both have public healthcare, progressive tax, and compulsory retirement contributions. On take-home pay they’re close — but Australia comes out slightly ahead.
Same 100k salary, side by side
- Australia (A$100,000, with private cover): roughly A$77,200 take-home — about 77%. Income tax plus the 2% Medicare Levy.
- Canada (CA$100,000, Ontario): roughly CA$74,400 take-home — about 74%. Federal + Ontario tax, plus CPP and EI.
The tie-breaker is superannuation. Australian employers pay 12% of your salary into super on top of your pay. Canada’s CPP is a smaller, mandatory deduction from your pay. So Australia both taxes a little less and adds more retirement saving on the side.
The nuances
- Province vs state. Canada’s provincial tax varies widely — Alberta is much lighter than Ontario or Quebec, which can flip the comparison.
- Currency. A$ and CA$ are reasonably close, so nominal comparisons here are more meaningful than, say, against the US dollar or pound.
- Cost of living & climate. Often the real deciders — Sydney/Melbourne vs Toronto/Vancouver are all expensive in their own ways.
The honest verdict
It’s close, but Australia edges it on take-home pay and pulls further ahead once you count super. Canada’s advantage is flexibility — pick a low-tax province like Alberta and the gap can disappear.
Run your own numbers
Compare with the Australia and Canada calculators, see the full take-home by country table, or compare two specific offers in the comparison calculator.
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