Which state pays nurses the most? It changes at every stage of your career
A like-for-like comparison of public-health nurse base pay across all eight states and territories — ranked at the same rung of the pay scale. Every figure is a verbatim rate from the named award or enterprise agreement.
There is no single answer — the best-paying state changes as you move up the scale. For a new-grad registered nurse, Queensland pays the most ($87,368) and South Australia the least ($77,824). But the order reshuffles as you climb: New South Wales starts 7th as a new grad and climbs to 2nd at the top of the base scale, where Queensland leads ($112,064) and Tasmania tops out lowest ($102,295). All eight states work a 38-hour week, so these base salaries are directly comparable.
The career-year re-ranker
Drag the slider to move up the registered-nurse pay scale and watch the states re-rank. Every bar is a base rate straight from the instrument — the slider only ever lands on a real pay point. (Set your home state to see the gap to every other state.)
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1st · most paidQueensland$87,368
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2ndVictoria$84,477
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3rdACT$82,993
Base annual salary, full-time (38 hrs/week). Topped-out states show their highest base rung, flagged “top of scale”. Annualised at 52.1786 weeks where the award states a weekly rate (NSW, VIC).
How the ranking flips, new grad to top of scale
Each line is one state’s rank position (1 = highest paid) across the registered-nurse scale. Lines that climb are states that get relatively better the longer you stay.
Scroll the chart sideways to see every step →
New-grad RN (1st year)
| 1 | Queensland | $87,368 |
| 2 | Victoria | $84,477 |
| 3 | ACT | $82,993 |
| 4 | Western Australia | $82,945 |
| 5 | Northern Territory | $80,665 |
| 6 | Tasmania | $80,524 |
| 7 | New South Wales | $79,369 |
| 8 | South Australia | $77,824 |
Top of the base RN scale
| 1 | Queensland · step 7— no change | $112,064 |
| 2 | New South Wales · step 8▲ up 5 | $111,427 |
| 3 | ACT · step 8— no change | $108,780 |
| 4 | Victoria · step 8▼ down 2 | $107,879 |
| 5 | Northern Territory · step 8— no change | $107,800 |
| 6 | Western Australia · step 8▼ down 2 | $106,630 |
| 7 | South Australia · step 9▲ up 1 | $106,187 |
| 8 | Tasmania · step 9▼ down 2 | $102,295 |
New South Wales is the biggest mover — 7th as a new grad, 2nd at the top of the base scale. Queensland leads at every step. “Top of scale” is each state’s own highest base rung, and ladders differ in length — so the figures above sit at different step numbers (shown in the full table below).
Full registered-nurse pay scale, every state × every step
Base annual salary at each rung. The highest figure in each row is highlighted. A blank means that state’s scale has no rung at that step. Column headers link to each state’s full pay & conditions guide.
| Step | NSWeff 1 July 2025 | VICeff 11 May 2026 | QLDeff 1 April 2026 | WAeff 12 October 2025 | SAeff 1 January 2026 | TASeff 1 December 2025 | ACTeff 4 December 2025 | NTeff 19 August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · new grad | $79,369 | $84,477 | $87,368 | $82,945 | $77,824 | $80,524 | $82,993 | $80,665 |
| 2 | $83,674 | $86,877 | $91,472 | $85,815 | $80,262 | $83,346 | $85,976 | $85,008 |
| 3 | $87,994 | $89,591 | $95,589 | $88,800 | $83,694 | $86,715 | $89,260 | $89,350 |
| 4 | $92,627 | $92,560 | $99,695 | $92,413 | $87,275 | $90,081 | $93,162 | $93,693 |
| 5 | $97,224 | $95,847 | $103,817 | $96,151 | $90,913 | $93,453 | $97,068 | $98,754 |
| 6 | $101,800 | $99,139 | $107,942 | $99,509 | $94,570 | $96,820 | $100,970 | $102,554 |
| 7 | $107,034 | $102,698 | $112,064 | $103,001 | $98,229 | $100,196 | $104,873 | $106,722 |
| 8 | $111,427 | $107,879 | — | $106,630 | $101,886 | $101,318 | $108,780 | $107,800 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $106,187 | $102,295 | — | — |
NSW and VIC awards state weekly rates, annualised here at 52.1786 weeks/year; QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT state annual rates directly.
Shift & weekend loadings: who pays best changes again
Penalty rates differ by state, so a night-and-weekend nurse can come out ahead somewhere the base scale wouldn’t suggest. These are the loading rules, not a take-home estimate.
| State | Saturday | Sunday | Afternoon | Night | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales NSW | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×1.125 | ×1.2 | ×2.5 |
| Victoria VIC | ×1.5 | ×1.5 | +$36.60/shift | +$114.00/shift | ×2.5 |
| Queensland QLD | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×1.125 | ×1.2 | ×2.5 |
| Western Australia WA | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×1.15 | ×1.35 | ×1.5 |
| South Australia SA | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×1.125 | ×1.15 | ×2.5 |
| Tasmania TAS | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×1.15 | ×1.275 | ×2.5 |
| ACT ACT | ×1.5 | ×1.75 | ×1.125 | ×1.25 | ×2.5 |
| Northern Territory NT | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×1.17 | ×1.25 | ×2.5 |
Multipliers are total rates (e.g. ×1.5 = time and a half). Victoria is the exception — it pays flat per-shift dollar allowances for afternoon and night, not a percentage, so it can’t be ranked on the same axis. Some states tier afternoon/night by start time; the representative rate is shown. To turn these into your actual take-home, use the take-home calculator, which applies your roster, tax, HECS and salary packaging.
What this comparison does — and doesn’t — include
- Base award/EBA rates only. Penalty loadings, allowances, overtime, superannuation and salary packaging all differ by state and are not in this ranking. A shift-heavy nurse should read the loadings table and use the take-home calculator.
- No cost-of-living adjustment. There is no sourced cost-of-living index in our data, so we never show a cost-of-living-adjusted salary. A higher headline figure doesn’t mean higher real income once rent and living costs differ — we name cost of living as a real factor we deliberately don’t compute.
- Effective dates differ. Each figure is the rate currently in force under its instrument, but those dates span 2025–2026. You’re comparing each instrument’s current rate, not a single snapshot date.
- Some figures carry instrument-specific conventions. QLD’s annual rates embed Queensland Health’s own loading conventions, and SA’s include a 4% interim increase from 1 January 2026. They’re shown verbatim from the instrument, not silently smoothed.
- “Same step” means same experience year, not an identical job. States are aligned by step on the shared scale, but progression rules differ, and ladders are unequal length — so “top of scale” is each state’s own highest base step.
- Public sector only. These are public-health rates; private hospitals, agency and aged care pay differently and aren’t covered here.
- Registered nurses only. The rung-by-rung comparison covers RNs, because an RN’s first step is the same thing everywhere. Enrolled nurses, AINs, senior nurses and nurse managers are structured differently between states (trainee vs qualified, medication-endorsed or not, different grades), so they can’t be ranked step-by-step — see each state’s guide for those scales.
Compare a specific state, or work out your take-home
Frequently asked questions
Which state pays nurses the most in Australia?
It depends on your career stage. Queensland pays new-graduate registered nurses the most ($87,368) and also at the top of the base scale ($112,064). South Australia pays new grads the least ($77,824) and Tasmania tops out lowest ($102,295). All eight states work a 38-hour week, so these base salaries are directly comparable.
Where do new-grad nurses get paid the most?
Queensland leads in the first year ($87,368), followed by Victoria ($84,477), ACT ($82,993) and Western Australia ($82,945). South Australia is lowest ($77,824). New South Wales is near the bottom for new grads despite climbing to the top of the scale later.
Is NSW or QLD better for nurse pay?
Queensland pays more at every step of the base scale. New South Wales starts near the bottom as a new grad but climbs the fastest, reaching rank 2 at the top of the base scale ($111,427) — just behind Queensland ($112,064).
Which state has the lowest nurse pay?
South Australia is lowest for new-grad registered nurses ($77,824); Tasmania tops out lowest of all states ($102,295). Different states are the cheapest at different career stages.
Why don't you adjust nurse pay for cost of living?
We only publish figures we can trace to a named industrial instrument, and there is no sourced cost-of-living index in our data, so we never show a cost-of-living-adjusted number. Cost of living is a real factor we name but deliberately do not compute.
Do nurses get paid more for night and weekend shifts, and does it vary by state?
Yes, and it varies a lot. Queensland and Northern Territory pay double time on Sundays, Western Australia pays the highest night loading (×1.35), and Victoria pays flat per-shift dollar allowances instead of percentages. Use the take-home calculator to model your actual roster.
Sources
Every figure is from one of these instruments
- New South Wales — Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award 2025 (Serial C10152) (in force from 1 July 2025). View instrument.
- Victoria — Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Sector) Single Interest Employer Agreement 2024-2028 (in force from 11 May 2026). View instrument.
- Queensland — Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB12) 2025, read with the Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Award – State 2015 (in force from 1 April 2026). View instrument.
- Western Australia — WA Health System – ANF – Registered Nurses, Midwives and Enrolled Nurses Industrial Agreement 2024 (2025 WAIRC 00098) (in force from 12 October 2025). View instrument.
- South Australia — Nursing/Midwifery (South Australian Public Sector) Enterprise Agreement 2022 (+ Nurses (SA Public Sector) Award 2002 for conditions; 4% interim increase from 1 Jan 2026) (in force from 1 January 2026). View instrument.
- Tasmania — Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Agreement 2023, with the Nurses and Midwives (Tasmanian State Service) Award for conditions (in force from 1 December 2025). View instrument.
- ACT — ACT Public Sector Nursing and Midwifery Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026 (in force from 4 December 2025). View instrument.
- Northern Territory — Northern Territory Public Sector Nurses and Midwives' 2022-2026 Enterprise Agreement (in force from 19 August 2025). View instrument.