Environmental Engineer Salary: Brisbane vs Chicago
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇦🇺 Brisbane
Australia
A$83K AUD
$54K USD
$74K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-47%
Brisbane vs Chicago
🇺🇸 Chicago
United States
$101K USD
$101K USD
$101K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Brisbane | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | A$83K AUD | $101K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $54K | $101K | -47% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $74K | $101K 🏆 | -27% |
| 25th Percentile | A$66K AUD | $81K USD | — |
| Median | A$83K AUD | $101K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | A$104K AUD | $126K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | A$89K AUD | $109K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Brisbane offers a Environmental Engineer salary of $54K USD, while Chicago offers $101K USD — a difference of -47% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Brisbane's salary is worth $74K in US purchasing power terms, versus $101K for Chicago. This means Chicago 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.