Affordability check · Sydney · NSW

Can I afford to live in Little Bay on $90,000/yr?

No — not on this salary
Weekly take-home
$1,354/wk
1BR median rent
$850/wk
Leftover after rent + tax + costs
$80/wk
Rent share of gross
49%

The verdict

Little Bay on $90,000/yr

On $90,000/yr, Little Bay is unaffordable by the 30% rule — rent alone would take more than 40% of your gross income.

Salary needed (30% rule)
$147,333
/yr gross
Short of 30% rule by
$57,333
/yr
Take-home (after tax)
$70,412
/yr
Annual rent
$44,200
median
Household:

Where your salary goes

$90,000/yr gross · $1,731/wk · single household

Tax + Medicare
$377/wk
22%
1BR rent
$850/wk
49%
Essentials
$424/wk
24%
Discretionary
$80/wk
5%

Essentials use indicative averages (groceries, transport, utilities, insurance, other). Adjust them in the budget tool below.

On $90,000/yr — weekly budget

$1,274/week total

Rent
$850/wk
Groceries
$180/wk
Transport
$55/wk
Utilities
$55/wk
Insurance
$45/wk
Other
$89/wk

Closest cheaper alternatives

Still over the 30% rule on $90,000/yr, but cheaper than Little Bay

Nothing nearby is comfortably affordable on this salary. These are the closest cheaper options — you'd still be over the rental-stress threshold, but less so.

Kyeemagh
Sydney, NSW · 8.7km from Little Bay
$690/wk
40% rent
Brighton-Le-Sands
Sydney, NSW · 8.8km from Little Bay
$690/wk
40% rent
Banksia
Sydney, NSW · 10km from Little Bay
$690/wk
40% rent
Rockdale
Sydney, NSW · 10km from Little Bay
$690/wk
40% rent
Monterey
Sydney, NSW · 9km from Little Bay
$700/wk
40% rent

Want options under the 30% rule? Try a higher salary bracket or browse the cheapest suburbs nationally.

Rent trajectory

Little Bay quarterly median vs your salary's 30%-rule ceiling

$1,000$1,013$1,025$1,038$1,050Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25Q1 '26
Q1 '25 → Q1 '26: +1.9%
Dashed segments are estimated from the suburb's annual rent change. They will be replaced with actual bond data as new quarters are published.
30% ceiling on $90,000/yr
$519/wk
Current median (all beds)
$1,050/wk
Gap above ceiling
+102%

Little Bay rents rose 1.94% over the past year. At that pace, the gap to your salary ceiling is widening.

Same suburb, adjacent salary brackets

How affordability shifts in Little Bay with a pay change

Want the full Little Bay guide?
Schools, transport, crime, rent trend and demographics
Little Bay full guide →

This suburb affordability view is one layer of your NestLedger — rent, salary and household cost context for Australian money decisions.

Estimates only. Not financial advice. See methodology. Read more