Civil Engineer Salary: Boston vs Melbourne
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$116K USD
$116K USD
$116K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+91%
Boston vs Melbourne
🇦🇺 Melbourne
Australia
A$94K AUD
$61K USD
$83K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Melbourne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $116K USD | A$94K AUD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $116K | $61K | +91% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $116K 🏆 | $83K | +39% |
| 25th Percentile | $93K USD | A$75K AUD | — |
| Median | $116K USD | A$94K AUD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $145K USD | A$117K AUD | — |
| Annual Mean | $126K USD | A$101K AUD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Civil Engineer salary of $116K USD, while Melbourne offers $61K USD — a difference of +91% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $116K in US purchasing power terms, versus $83K for Melbourne. This means Boston 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.