Data Scientist Salary: Melbourne vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇦🇺 Melbourne
Australia
A$144K AUD
$93K USD
$128K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-56%
Melbourne vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$213K USD
$213K USD
$213K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Melbourne | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | A$144K AUD | $213K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $93K | $213K | -56% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $128K | $213K 🏆 | -40% |
| 25th Percentile | A$115K AUD | $170K USD | — |
| Median | A$144K AUD | $213K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | A$180K AUD | $266K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | A$155K AUD | $230K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Melbourne offers a Data Scientist salary of $93K USD, while San Francisco offers $213K USD — a difference of -56% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Melbourne's salary is worth $128K in US purchasing power terms, versus $213K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.