Relocation calculator
What would it cost to live there — and would the income a visa demands actually cover it? The second question is the one that decides whether a move holds up, and it is the one a list of visa thresholds never answers.
Household
Lifestyle
Estimated monthly expenses
Estimate| Housing | US$1,118 – US$1,974 |
|---|---|
| Food | US$362 – US$592 |
| Utilities | US$118 – US$230 |
| Internet | US$46 – US$72 |
| Transport | US$99 – US$263 |
| Healthcare | US$0 – US$164 |
| Everything else | US$230 – US$493 |
| Total | US$1,974 – US$3,789 |
| Suggested monthly buffer | US$4,547 |
The buffer sits above the top of the range on purpose. Moving costs more than living does: deposits, duplicate rent, setting up a home and the gap before local income starts all land in the first few months. Converted from AUD at the reference rate of 2026-09-20.
Does the visa threshold cover the cost of living?
Calculation- Lowest income requirement
- US$4,010
- Estimated monthly cost
- US$2,882
- Margin
- +US$1,129
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
Midpoint of the range above
Threshold clears the estimate
Meeting the threshold for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) would leave roughly US$1,129 a month above this estimate. That is a thin reading, though: it takes no account of tax, of one-off moving costs, or of the fact that your first year is usually the expensive one.