Computer Engineer Salary Australia 2026: Pay Brackets & Migration Guide

Computer Engineer Salary in
Australia: Every Pay Bracket You
Must Know in 2026
Computer engineer salary in Australia is one of the first things overseas applicants
check before committing to a skilled migration pathway. Current 2026 market data
puts the average between AUD $82,300 and AUD $100,000 a year, with senior
specialists in networking, systems architecture, and cloud infrastructure clearing well
beyond AUD $150,000. Demand keeps climbing as banks, mining companies,
telcos, and government agencies expand their network and systems teams to
support cloud migration and cybersecurity upgrades.

Computer Engineer Salary and Occupation
Snapshot 2026
Detail
Information
Occupation
Computer Network and Systems Engineer
ANZSCO Code
263111
Skill Level
1 (Bachelor Degree or higher, ICT major)
Assessing Authority
Australian Computer Society (ACS)
RPL Pathway Available
Yes, for non-ICT-major applicants
Average Salary 2026
AUD $82,300 – $100,000
Entry-Level Salary
AUD $53,400 – $65,000
Senior-Level Salary
AUD $109,500 – $170,000+
Skilled list status changes with each government update, so always confirm your
occupation's current MLTSSL or CSOL standing directly with ACS before lodging an
Expression of Interest. One more thing worth flagging: "Computer Engineer" is not
itself a formal ANZSCO title. It's used across industry and job boards to describe
several closely related occupations, and ANZSCO 263111 is the closest and most
common match for professionals working across networks and systems, but
engineers with a hardware, electronics, or telecommunications-heavy background
should confirm the right code with ACS or Engineers Australia before assuming this
is their pathway.
Average Computer Engineer Salary in Australia
in 2026
Jobted's 2026 data puts the average computer engineer salary in Australia at AUD
$82,300 gross per year, roughly AUD $6,860 a month, about 18% above the national
average wage. Indeed's figures place the average closer to AUD $86,727, while
SEEK's job-ad data shows a typical advertised range of AUD $90,000 to $100,000.
The title is representative of popularity and adoption for this domain and range of
activities, including but not limited to; Network Engineering, System Integration,
Embedded Hardware and Infrastructure.
The jump from entry to senior figures is massive – entry-level under 3 years gets
approximately $53,400-$54,200 per annum. By the ten-to-twenty-year mark, senior
computer engineers commonly earn AUD $109,500, with top-end roles in finance,

defence, and mining exceeding AUD $170,000 once bonuses and allowances are
included.
Computer Engineer Salaries by Experience
Level
Experience
Typical Salary (AUD)
Notes
Entry-level (0–3 years)
$53,400 – $65,000
Graduate and junior network
roles
Mid-career (4–9 years)
$74,300 – $110,000
Project ownership,
specialisation begins
Senior (10–20 years)
$109,500 – $170,000+
Architecture, leadership,
chartered status
Moving from entry-level to senior pay brackets is rarely a straight line of annual
raises. Engineers who switch employers every two to three years, add a
specialisation such as cybersecurity or cloud networking, and pick up vendor
certifications tend to reach the upper brackets faster than those who stay with one
employer long-term.
How Location Affects Computer Engineer Pay
● No source breaks computer engineer salary down by state with precision,
treat figures as directional
● WA and Queensland pay a premium, driven by resources sector and FIFO
allowances, 20–50% above national figures
● NSW and Victoria carry the largest volume of roles, higher pay largely tracks
higher cost of living
● South Australia's AUKUS-driven growth is an early signal for rising Adelaide
systems engineering pay
● For a precise state figure, check SEEK or Jobted's location filters directly
Computer Engineer vs Software Engineer:
Salary Comparison
Factor
Computer Engineer
Software Engineer

ANZSCO Code
263111
261313
Average Salary 2026
$82,300 – $100,000
$105,000 – $130,000
Senior Salary
$109,500 – $170,000+
$150,000 – $200,000+
Core Focus
Networks, systems,
hardware-software integration
Application and software
development
Assessing Body
ACS
ACS
A software engineer salary in Australia typically sits higher, mainly because pure
software roles concentrate in high-paying finance and big-tech employers in Sydney
and Melbourne. Computer engineers work across networking, systems
administration, and infrastructure, sectors that pay well but skew slightly lower on
average. Both occupations fall under ACS, so overseas applicants often assess
against whichever code most closely matches their actual work history.
Computer Engineer Job Outlook in Australia
for 2026
Demand for computer and network engineers remains steady into the back half of
2026, driven by enterprise cloud migration, expanded cybersecurity budgets, and
continued investment in critical infrastructure across mining, defence, and finance.
Jobs and Skills Australia continues to flag ICT-adjacent occupations, including
network and systems engineering, among the roles where local supply has not kept
pace with demand, which is why the occupation remains a realistic target for skilled
migration even as broader software-only hiring slows in places.
Regional tech hubs outside Sydney and Melbourne, particularly Brisbane, Adelaide,
and Perth, are absorbing a growing share of network and infrastructure roles. For
applicants weighing a regional visa such as the Subclass 491, this matters: regional
nomination adds extra SkillSelect points, and regional employers are increasingly
competitive on pay for this occupation.
Top-Paying Computer Engineering
Specialisations in 2026
Specialisation
Typical Salary Uplift
Why It Pays More
Cloud Networking
(AWS/Azure)
+$15,000 – $30,000
Every enterprise migration
project needs it

Cybersecurity &
Network Security
+$20,000 – $35,000
Regulatory pressure and
breach risk
DevOps / Infrastructure
Automation
+$15,000 – $25,000
Bridges systems
engineering and software
delivery
Embedded Systems &
IoT
+$10,000 – $20,000
Niche hardware skill set,
fewer qualified applicants
These uplifts sit on top of the base salary bands already covered above and
compound with seniority. A senior engineer with a cybersecurity specialisation and a
relevant certification is often the one clearing $170,000-plus, while a generalist
network engineer at the same experience level typically sits mid-bracket.
Top Employers Paying for Computer Engineer
Skills
Banks and insurers, particularly the big four and their technology subsidiaries, pay
above the ICT-wide average for network and systems roles because outages carry
direct financial and regulatory consequences. Western Australia and Queensland
mining firms, on the back of a shortage of specialist engineers with experience in
industrial control systems and remote site connectivity pay a healthy bonus to
engineers happy to take FIFO rosters, along with South Australian government
departments and AUKUS-linked defense contractors paying good base pay and a
clearance allowance (which makes the job tricky until permanent residency is
attained), and telecommunications and cloud-native tech companies.
The Real Cost of Getting There: ACS Fees and
Migration Budget
● ACS General Skills pathway: AUD $1,498 excl. GST, requires ICT
qualification plus 2+ years experience
● ACS RPL pathway: AUD $625 excl. GST, requires 6+ years experience and
two project reports
● Total mandatory migration cost before visa lodgment: AUD $2,000–$2,400
(English test, translation, ACS fee)
● Assessment cost is small relative to career upside ($65,000 graduate to
$170,000+ senior)
● ACS assessment is valid 2 years from issue, must cover your visa lodgment
date, not just EOI
● No discounted reassessment if it lapses, full fee applies again