Software Engineer Details Sydney Living Costs
An Indian software engineer working in Australia shared a breakdown of her salary, taxes, rent, and monthly savings on a AUD 200,000 income.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Remote Work
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Anu Sharma shared on Instagram how she lives in Sydney on an annual salary of AUD 200,000 as a software engineer. She reports losing about 40% of her salary to tax and saving roughly AUD 3,000 to 4,000 per month.
Why it matters
Sharma's account offers a concrete example of the cost-of-living trade-offs faced by international tech workers relocating for higher pay. Her figures illustrate how high tax burdens and urban rent can narrow the gap between gross and take-home income.
Sharma reports spending about AUD 750 per week on a one-bedroom apartment in central Sydney, AUD 400 on groceries, and AUD 100 on transport, roughly AUD 5,416 per month combined. Her figures come from a personal account, and no independent cost-of-living benchmark is provided for comparison.
The players
Anu Sharma
A software engineer who previously worked at Google in India and now works for Palantir Technologies in Sydney, Australia, sharing her personal finances publicly.
Palantir Technologies
A U.S. data analytics and software company that employs Sharma as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer in Australia.
The details
Sharma moved to Australia solo in early 2026 to join Palantir Technologies as a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, after working as a full-time Software Engineer at Google in India. She shared her cost breakdown in an Instagram video, citing work culture and independent living as reasons for the move alongside the higher salary.
Timeline
Early 2026: Sharma moves to Australia to join Palantir Technologies.
November 1, 2026: Moneycontrol.com publishes coverage of her cost breakdown.
Market Landscape
Sharma's move follows a broader pattern of Indian software engineers relocating to Australia's tech sector for higher salaries than they earned in India. Her account adds a first-person view of how those pay gains translate into monthly living costs in Sydney.
For engineers weighing an overseas move, Sharma's figures show that a high gross salary can still leave a large share unavailable after tax and rent. Readers comparing offers should account for local tax rates and rental costs when estimating take-home income.
The takeaway
A high salary abroad does not translate directly into high savings; tax rates and urban rent can absorb a large share of pay. Calculating net income and local monthly costs before relocating helps set realistic expectations.
Further reading
Explore more on Remote Work to see how international hiring and relocation shape engineering careers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MoneyControl.
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