Australia
Latest Average Wage
−1.4% · 5 years
$72,018
Country Comparison
Australia vs United States
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Australia
vs
United States
$72,0182025
Latest Average Wage
United States +20.8%
(vs Australia)
$86,9772025
−1.4%2025
5-Year Wage Change
United States +3.6 pts
(vs Australia)
+2.1%2025
+2.2%2025
10-Year Wage Change
United States +10.7 pts
(vs Australia)
+13.0%2025
92.72024
Overall Price Level
United States +7.3 index points
(vs Australia)
1002024
Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.
How Wages Have Changed
Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
United States
Latest Average Wage
+2.1% · 5 years
$86,977
Wage Milestones
Australia
10 Years Ago
$70,450 (2015)
Historical Peak
$73,870 (2021)
Latest Wage
$72,018 (2025)
United States
10 Years Ago
$76,999 (2015)
Historical Peak
$86,977 (2025)
Latest Wage
$86,977 (2025)
Compare Everyday Price Levels
See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.
United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points
Australia (AUS)United States (USA)
Overall
−7.3 index points
100
92.7vs100
Food
+1.0 index points
100
101vs100
Clothing
−30.5 index points
100
69.5vs100
Housing
−8.2 index points
100
91.8vs100
Health
−13.1 index points
100
86.9vs100
Transport
−0.7 index points
100
99.3vs100
Recreation
−4.8 index points
100
95.2vs100
Restaurants & Accommodation
+15.0 index points
100
115vs100
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
United States' latest average wage is $86,977 for 2025, about 20.8% higher than Australia's $72,018 for 2025 — computed straight from the two reported values. In annual terms the gap comes to about $14,959 on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, United States shows the stronger movement at +1.7%, against +1.1% for Australia. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +2.1% against −1.4%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.
03
Largest Price Gap
Clothing shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 69.5 for Australia against 100 for United States. United States sits on the higher side of that 30.5-point spread; Australia reads 30.5 index points lower on the US=100 scale. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Transport: Australia reads 99.3 and United States 100 for 2024, just 0.7 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Food at 1.0 index points apart. A gap this small leaves the category effectively tied on the shared US=100 scale.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
A clear separation shows in the latest wage figures — United States at $86,977 for 2025, and Australia at $72,018 for 2025. The higher figure exceeds the lower one by 20.8% in relative terms — a percentage calculated from the two reported values — or roughly $14,959 a year. Because both values already sit on the same USD PPP, constant-2025-price footing, the comparison adjusts for price-level differences between the two economies. For scale, neither series has moved by that much within any single reported year, so the gap is structural rather than the product of one unusual observation. Over ten years Australia recorded +2.2% and United States +13.0%, so the two series have been moving in the same long-term direction.
Wage Direction
This pairing shows two wage paths pulling apart rather than tracking each other. Australia shows no single direction across horizons: +1.1% over one year against −1.4% over five. United States sits at the highest point of its series — $86,977 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +13.0%. With United States gaining in real terms at +2.1% over five years and Australia at −1.4%, the five-year measures move away from each other rather than closing in. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.
Price Profile
Australia's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 92.7, and United States' reads 100, each measured against the United States reference of 100. United States reads higher in 6 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Clothing: 69.5 for Australia against 100 for United States, a gap of 30.5 index points. At the other end, Transport brings the two closest — 99.3 versus 100, a gap of just 0.7 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Australia reads above 100 in 2 of its 8 reported categories, and United States in 0 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
