Australia · Oceania
Moving to Sydney
Sydney quick facts
Australia at a glance
East Asia & Pacific
Economy
World Bank · 2025Religion
% of populationCIA World Factbook / national censuses
Cost of living in Sydney
Can you move to Australia?
Pick your passport to see whether you can enter Australia — and what it takes to stay.
Entry rules come from github.com/imorte/passport-index-data, updated 17 February 2026. They change without notice — confirm with the official immigration service before booking.
Getting set up in Australia
Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
The Skills in Demand (SID) visa replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024. It lets an approved employer sponsor you for up to 4 years (5 for Hong Kong passport holders), and the Core Skills stream is the route most professionals take. There is no residence card or ID to collect — once granted, the visa sits against your passport and is checked online through VEVO.
Read the full step-by-step guideConverting your overseas licence to a NSW licence
You can drive on a valid overseas licence as a temporary visitor, but once you're a NSW resident you have 3 months to get a NSW licence. Whether that's a simple over-the-counter exchange or a full knowledge test plus driving test now depends on which list your issuing country sits on. From 1 February 2026 the old Experienced Driver Status recognition ceased for 'List B' countries, so guidance written before then is actively misleading.
Read the full step-by-step guideOpening an Australian bank account
Australia's banks run a '100-point' identity check built from primary and secondary documents. Newcomers get a significant concession: within the first weeks after arrival, your foreign passport alone can satisfy the requirement. Most major banks also let you open the account online from overseas before you fly, then finish verification in a branch once you land.
Read the full step-by-step guideMedicare, health cover and seeing a doctor
Medicare is Australia's public health scheme. Permanent residents enrol and receive a Medicare card. Temporary visa holders generally cannot, and employer-sponsored visas typically carry a condition requiring adequate health insurance for the whole stay. Citizens of the eleven Reciprocal Health Care Agreement countries sit in between: they can enrol for limited, medically necessary care.
Read the full step-by-step guideGetting an Australian mobile number
Australian SIMs must be identity-verified before activation — this is a regulatory requirement, not a carrier preference. A foreign passport plus an Australian address is normally enough for prepaid. There are three networks (Telstra, Optus, TPG/Vodafone) and a large number of cheaper resellers running on top of them.
Read the full step-by-step guideTax file number, PAYG and superannuation
A Tax File Number is free, takes about 20 minutes to apply for online, and is the single highest-leverage thing you can do in your first week. Without it your employer must withhold tax at the top rate. Alongside it, superannuation — compulsory employer retirement contributions — is money you're entitled to and that temporary visa holders can claim back when they leave.
Read the full step-by-step guideEach guide has verified costs, timelines, required documents, and the non-obvious gotchas — sourced from official government pages. Last verified July 2026.
Essential English phrases
Reading a list isn’t learning it. Globe Quest turns these into a trainer — hear each phrase spoken, drill them with spaced repetition, and get scored as you say them out loud.
What to know before you go
Respect the UV, not the temperature
CriticalAustralia sits under a thinned ozone layer and Sydney routinely hits extreme UV even on cool, overcast days. Burning takes about 10 minutes in summer. Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses are daily items, not beach items — check the UV index, not the forecast temperature.
Swim between the red and yellow flags
CriticalThose flags mark the only patrolled stretch of any beach. Sydney's surf beaches have strong rips that pull confident swimmers out fast. If you're caught in one, don't swim against it — raise an arm and float until the lifesavers reach you.
Tap off, or you'll pay the maximum fare
ImportantOpal and contactless charge by distance, so failing to tap off at the end of a trip bills you the highest possible fare for that mode. Fares also cap daily and weekly, and Sundays are capped low — locals plan day trips accordingly.
Tipping is genuinely optional
Good to knowHospitality staff are paid a legally mandated minimum wage, so tipping isn't expected or built into pricing. Rounding up or leaving 10% for excellent service is a nice gesture, nothing more. Expect a surcharge on Sundays and public holidays instead.
Learn what BYO means
Good to knowMany restaurants are 'BYO' — bring your own wine and pay a small corkage fee per person. It's a large saving over restaurant markups, and buying the bottle from the bottle-o next door is completely normal.
The casual register is real, and it is not rudeness
Good to knowFirst names with senior colleagues, understatement over enthusiasm, and gentle teasing are all standard. Overselling yourself lands badly; self-deprecation lands well. 'Yeah, nah' means no and 'nah, yeah' means yes — you'll adjust faster than you think.
Top industries & employers
Banking & financial services
Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, Macquarie Group, AMP, Challenger
Sydney is Australia's financial capital. The sector clusters around Barangaroo, Martin Place and the CBD's western edge.
Technology
Atlassian, Canva, SafetyCulture, Google, Amazon Web Services
The largest tech scene in the country. Atlassian's Tech Central tower anchors a growing precinct around Central station.
Professional services
Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, Accenture
All the global firms run their Australian head offices here, with heavy demand for consulting, audit and transformation roles.
Medical devices & biotech
ResMed, Cochlear, CSL, Ellume
A genuine world-leading cluster — Cochlear and ResMed are Sydney-born global category leaders, concentrated around Macquarie Park.
Media & creative
Nine Entertainment, News Corp Australia, Foxtel, Animal Logic
Australia's media centre, with production and post-production studios out at Fox Studios and Moore Park.
Higher education & research
University of Sydney, UNSW, UTS, Macquarie University
International education is one of the state's biggest export earners, and the universities are large employers in their own right.
Where to go in Sydney
Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
Nature · Eastern Suburbs
Six kilometres of clifftop path linking five beaches, past the Bondi Icebergs pool and Waverley Cemetery.
Local tip: Walk it south-to-north in the late afternoon so the light is behind you, and finish with a swim at Bronte's sheltered rock pool rather than fighting the Bondi crowds.
Sydney Opera House & Circular Quay
Landmark · CBD
The building the city is famous for, sitting on a working harbour between the Botanic Garden and the Harbour Bridge.
Local tip: Skip the paid tour and take the Manly ferry instead — it passes the Opera House and the Bridge for the price of an Opal fare and is the best-value harbour cruise in the city.
Surry Hills
Neighborhood · Inner East
Terrace houses, small bars and the densest concentration of good restaurants in Sydney, ten minutes' walk from the CBD.
Local tip: Crown and Devonshire Streets are where locals actually eat. Book midweek — Surry Hills restaurants are small and Friday tables vanish a fortnight ahead.
Newtown & King Street
Nightlife · Inner West
Two kilometres of pubs, live music, bookshops and cheap eats around the university — the least polished, most fun strip in the city.
Local tip: The good live venues are on Enmore Road, one street back from the King Street crush. The Enmore Theatre is the city's best mid-size music room.
Marrickville
Hidden gemFood · Inner West
Sydney's Vietnamese and Greek heartland, now equally known for its warehouse breweries.
Local tip: Illawarra Road for pho and banh mi, then a brewery on Sydney Steel Road. This is where locals go when Surry Hills feels overpriced.
Royal Botanic Garden & Mrs Macquarie's Chair
Nature · CBD fringe
Free harbourside gardens wrapping around Farm Cove, with the classic Opera House-and-Bridge-in-one-frame viewpoint at the point.
Local tip: Go at sunrise. You get the postcard view without the tour buses, and the garden gates open before the CBD does.
Emergency numbers in Sydney
Compare Sydney with…
Side-by-side cost of living, language, climate and careers — to help you choose.