Norway vs Australia

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Norway

Average wage (2025)

$73,462

1-year change: +1.6%
5-year change: +6.0%

Overall price level (2024)

90 (United States = 100)

Norway's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 2.0% higher than Australia's.

Australia

Average wage (2025)

$72,018

1-year change: +1.1%
5-year change: −1.4%

Overall price level (2024)

92.7 (United States = 100)

Norway has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 2.0% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Norway shows the stronger change (+6.0% against −1.4%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Australia, at 92.7 against 90 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +2.7 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

NorwayAustralia

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Norway	Australia
Latest wage	$73,462	$72,018
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+1.6%	+1.1%
5-year change	+6.0%	−1.4%
10-year change	+9.4%	+2.2%
Historical peak	$73,462	$73,870
Peak year	2025	2021
Change from peak	0.0%	−2.5%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

Norway records the higher figure: $73,462 against $72,018, a gap of 2.0%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

Norway had the stronger latest year (+1.6% against +1.1%).

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Norway: +6.0% against −1.4%.

This is where the two separate: Australia's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while Norway's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +9.4% for Norway and +2.2% for Australia. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Norway is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Australia sits 2.5% from its high of 2021. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Norway	Australia	Difference (NOR − AUS)	NOR vs U.S.	AUS vs U.S.
Overall	90	92.7	−2.7	−10.0	−7.3
Food	113	101	+12.0	+13.0	+1.0
Clothing	105	69.5	+35.5	+5.0	−30.5
Housing	60.4	91.8	−31.4	−39.6	−8.2
Health	80.6	86.9	−6.3	−19.4	−13.1
Transport	126	99.3	+26.7	+26.0	−0.7
Recreation	119	95.2	+23.8	+19.0	−4.8
Restaurants & Accommodation	114	115	−1.0	+14.0	+15.0

Overall
Norway90
Australia92.7
Difference−2.7
NOR vs U.S.−10.0
AUS vs U.S.−7.3
Food
Norway113
Australia101
Difference+12.0
NOR vs U.S.+13.0
AUS vs U.S.+1.0
Clothing
Norway105
Australia69.5
Difference+35.5
NOR vs U.S.+5.0
AUS vs U.S.−30.5
Housing
Norway60.4
Australia91.8
Difference−31.4
NOR vs U.S.−39.6
AUS vs U.S.−8.2
Health
Norway80.6
Australia86.9
Difference−6.3
NOR vs U.S.−19.4
AUS vs U.S.−13.1
Transport
Norway126
Australia99.3
Difference+26.7
NOR vs U.S.+26.0
AUS vs U.S.−0.7
Recreation
Norway119
Australia95.2
Difference+23.8
NOR vs U.S.+19.0
AUS vs U.S.−4.8
Restaurants & Accommodation
Norway114
Australia115
Difference−1.0
NOR vs U.S.+14.0
AUS vs U.S.+15.0

Norway and Australia in Detail

Current Wage Position

Norway reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $73,462 for 2025, and Australia $72,018 for 2025. That puts Norway ahead by 2.0%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Norway changed by +1.6% and Australia by +1.1%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, Norway records the larger change at +6.0%, against −1.4% for Australia. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +9.4% for Norway and +2.2% for Australia. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Norway reached its highest recorded value of $73,462 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

Australia peaked at $73,870 in 2021, leaving its latest value 2.5% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 90 in Norway and 92.7 in Australia — −2.7 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Clothing (+35.5) and Housing (−31.4).

Restaurants & Accommodation is where they are nearest, at 114 and 115.

Across the categories with data, Norway is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.