Materials 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$86K AUD
$56K USD
$77K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-47%
Brisbane vs Chicago
🇺🇸 Chicago
United States
$105K USD
$105K USD
$105K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Brisbane | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | A$86K AUD | $105K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $56K | $105K | -47% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $77K | $105K 🏆 | -27% |
| 25th Percentile | A$69K AUD | $84K USD | — |
| Median | A$86K AUD | $105K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | A$108K AUD | $131K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | A$93K AUD | $113K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Brisbane offers a Materials Engineer salary of $56K USD, while Chicago offers $105K USD — a difference of -47% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Brisbane's salary is worth $77K in US purchasing power terms, versus $105K 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.