Best cities in Australia for a nursing career

Nurses in Australia make an invaluable contribution to our society – providing care and support to people when they need it the most. If you’re considering a career in nursing, or you’re already working as a Registered Nurse, this study provides insights into which Australian cities offer the most career opportunities and the best living conditions for nurses.

Federation University Online offers nursing courses that prepare graduates for a successful career in healthcare. We wanted to find out which Australian cities were most suitable for a nursing career, so we conducted this study as part of our commitment to helping our students thrive in diverse environments.

Using data from a wide range of reputable sources, we evaluated the top 50 most populated Australian cities to see which locations are best for nurses. Our study took 26 socioeconomic factors into consideration, across financial wellbeing, professional environment, and quality of life categories. Keep reading to find out which cities ranked the highest!

• After crunching all the data, Melbourne emerged victorious – ending up in the top spot as Australia’s best city for nurses. Melbourne scored particularly highly for professional environment and quality of life, meaning there are plenty of nursing jobs in this city, in addition to its being a nice place to live.
• Adelaide ranked as Australia’s second-best city for nurses, also scoring highly for professional environment and quality of life.
• Mount Gambier in South Australia is Australia’s third-best city for nurses. It deserves an extra special mention for scoring higher than any other city for financial wellbeing, which includes factors such as rent and salaries.
• The city with the highest score for professional environment was Sydney. This category considered factors such as nursing job opportunities, the presence of healthcare facilities, and healthcare demand.
• Perth got the highest score for quality of life, which included factors such as public transport access, commute times, air quality, and population size.
• When we compared each of Australia’s capital cities with each other, Melbourne and Adelaide remained in the top two positions, while Perth pipped Sydney at the post to claim third place.

Congratulations Melbourne! According to our study, you are Australia’s best city for nurses.

Melbourne is regarded as Australia’s best student city, thanks to its well-connected public transport network, high levels of safety, friendliness and affordability. It also has a world-renowned healthcare system, which means good employment opportunities for nurses.

Our study used a points-based system to rank cities based on positive attributes for healthcare workers. Melbourne ended up coming first because it scored particularly well for professional environment and quality of life. Since Melbourne has many job opportunities for nurses and it’s also a very liveable city, it ended up with a total overall score of 78.06 – a clear winner.

It’s also little wonder that Adelaide came in second place, since it’s also been lauded as Australia’s most liveable city (based on the Economist’s Global Liveability Index 2021). Sandy Verschoor, former Lord Mayor of Adelaide, describes the city as one where “the health and wellbeing of people is paramount” – reflecting the city’s world-class healthcare system. It’s also a city that’s “designed for life” thanks to its infrastructure, walkability, and access to parks.

Mount Gambier, South Australia’s largest regional city, followed closely behind Adelaide as our nation’s third-best city for nurses. Surrounded by natural beauty, Mount Gambier offers a relaxed lifestyle, plus the average cost of rent and mortgage repayments is lower than the national average – making it a very affordable place for nurses to live.

After ranking Australia’s 50 most populated cities, we then compared our capital cities to see which were most suitable for nurses. Melbourne and Adelaide remained in first and second places, while Perth jumped up to third place. Known as the ‘lifestyle city’, Perth is perfect if you love parks, open spaces, beaches, and stunning landscapes – hence its high ranking for quality of life.

When comparing all the cities in our study, one trend became clear: Victoria is the best state for nurses in Australia. Nine cities in the top 25 are in Victoria – towering above New South Wales (five cities in the top 25) and South Australia (three cities in the top 25).

Aside from offering great conditions for nurses, Victoria is also Australia’s most diverse state, with almost half of all Victorians either born overseas or with at least one parent born overseas. So if you’re considering moving to Melbourne or a regional city in Victoria, you can expect a vibrant community with plenty of opportunities for nurses.

This section will provide detail on which cities ranked highest for our three key categories: financial wellbeing, professional environment, and quality of life. We’ll provide a closer analysis of the data to reveal why these cities did well in these categories and highlight the features that make these cities special.

Top cities for financial wellbeing

A major factor for liveability in any city is money – i.e. how much it costs to live there. Although Sydney scored highly in the professional environment category, its overall ranking in our top 25 best cities for nurses was affected by its poor financial wellbeing score. Which is to say, there are plenty of job opportunities for nurses, but the rent and utilities are at the pricier end of the spectrum.

For this category, we analysed data on the following:

• Median rent per week
• Median monthly mortgage repayments
• Average cost of groceries (state)
• Weekly transport costs
• Average quarterly water bill (state)
• Average quarterly electricity bill (state)
• Average quarterly gas bill (state)
• Average quarterly internet bill (state)

Let’s take a look at the top three cities for financial wellbeing in Australia:

1. Mount Gambier, SA

Based on our research, Mount Gambier is Australia’s best city for financial wellbeing (if you’re working as a nurse). As of May 2024, the median weekly rent in Australia was $627. Our data showed that the current average weekly rent for residents in Mount Gambier is $380. For early career nurses, this is a major benefit – making it possible to gain professional experience without struggling with high rent.

Thanks to its affordable housing and good job opportunities, more millennials have been moving to this city – making it a bustling place for young professionals. For information about nursing job opportunities in this region, visit the Mount Gambier and Districts Health Service website.

2. Victor Harbor, SA

Victor Harbor is another South Australian city that rates above the national average for liveability – making it a great place to work as a nurse. Steeped in natural beauty, this city achieved this above-average ranking thanks to its neighbourhood safety, affordable housing prices and strong sense of community. Plus, the average weekly rent is $480 – way cheaper compared with cities such as Sydney ($800) and the Sunshine Coast ($650).

3. Mildura, VIC

Located on the border of New South Wales and South Australia, Mildura is the largest city in northwest Victoria. Mildura has a strong workforce, with healthcare as the primary employment industry – with job opportunities expected to continue rising. With weekly median rent at $400, this is a highly affordable place to live, as well as being surrounded by natural splendour.

Top cities for professional environment

This category sought to measure current and projected professional opportunities for nurses in each city, as well as the overall demand for healthcare services. Data was collected from a range of sources such as Seek, the Australian Government Department of Health, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The data we analysed for this category included:

• Average salaries for registered nurse jobs
• The number of nurse job opportunities
• Prediction on the number of jobs for registered nurses
• List of declared hospitals in Australia
• Number of general practices
• Aged care service list
• Use of Medicare (state)
• Hospital admissions 2022-23 (state)
• Outpatient visits 2022-23 (state)
• Emergency room visits 2022-23 (state)

These cities were ranked as the top three for nurses, in terms of professional opportunities:

1. Sydney, NSW

The winner is… Sydney! With 11 major hospitals and strong predicted job growth for Registered Nurses, Sydney offers plenty of career pathways for nurses. At the time of our study, there were 2,009 job opportunities for nurses in Sydney, which is massive compared to smaller regional cities such as Mount Gambier (27), and Kalgoorlie (21).

2. Melbourne, VIC

Melbourne is also replete with professional opportunities – there were 2,052 job openings for nurses at the time of our study. In a report conducted by the Victorian Government, there were 22,607 people working as Registered Nurses in 2023, with 2.1% workplace growth anticipated from 2023-2026 – meaning that 2,882 additional job openings are expected by 2026.

3. Brisbane, QLD

Jobs Queensland predicts strong growth for the Health Care and Social Assistance sector, estimating that by 2026 there will be 487,597 Queenslanders employed in this industry. In fact, healthcare is projected to have the fastest growth of all industries in Queensland. At the time of our study, there were 1,610 current job opportunities for nurses in Brisbane.

Top cities for quality of life

This category provides insight into which cities offer the best standards of living for nurses in Australia. After all, a great career is one thing, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your home life, or your physical and mental health. For this section, we sourced data from the Australian Urban Observatory, Bureau of Meteorology, and state government records.

These were the factors we analysed:

• Average total hours per week for Registered Nurses
• Annual (recreation) leave entitlements (weeks)
• Walkability score
• Access to public transport
• Proximity to public open spaces
• Average temperature (Celsius)
• Population in five years

These are the cities that got the best scores for quality of life:

1. Perth, WA

In May 2024, Perth was named the 23rd best city in the world in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index. Among the city’s most desirable features was its high levels of air quality and low emissions intensity. Perth also ranked highly because of its growing services industry, which will ensure continued prosperity and diversity into the future.

In our study, Perth claimed the top spot for quality of life because of its walkability, access to public transport, proximity to public open spaces, and mild climate. Check out the best walking trails around Perth to find tranquil options for a Sunday stroll.

2. Kalgoorlie, WA

Western Australia scored a lot of points in this category, with Kalgoorlie landing in second place for quality of life. Kalgoorlie is a historic mining town, offering a unique outback lifestyle for health professionals who are ready to swap the city for a rural lifestyle where they can really make a positive impact on community wellbeing. While the weather can be dry and hot, Nursing professionals can enjoy being a part of a tight-knit community with a rich heritage – plus it’s also a fairly affordable place to live. People moving to Kalgoorlie can discover great things to see and do in Kalgoorlie including cycle trails and dining experiences, and the ability to use the town’s location as a base point to explore other remote parts of WA in their spare time.

3. Melbourne, VIC

Not only does Melbourne have plenty of professional opportunities for nurses, it’s also a great city for quality of life. The public transport is good and it’s easy and safe to walk around – plus there’s a lot happening here in terms of food, music, and special events. For healthcare workers living in Melbourne, check out these unique experiences to keep you occupied on your rostered day off.

If you’re looking for nursing work in Australia, this guide should give you some valuable information. Overall, Melbourne is a great choice for anyone who works in healthcare, since it’s a large city with a lot of job openings, and it’s also an enjoyable place to live.

South Australia also deserves a shout out for being a great state for nursing – offering many professional opportunities plus a relaxed lifestyle. Similarly, Perth stood out as a great city to pursue a nursing career, with its excellent walkability, fresh air, and beautiful landscapes.

Benefits of studying nursing at Federation University Online

A career in nursing provides multiple benefits including job security, career growth, and the ability to make a real difference in communities.

Federation University Online offers a suite of postgraduate nursing courses, with flexible study so you can advance your skills while balancing other commitments such as work and family. Taught by industry leaders, our nursing courses provide evidence-based knowledge, practical experience, plus the opportunity to make connections with nursing industry partners.

If you’re ready to take the next exciting step in your nursing career, apply online today or call 1300 151 532 to speak with a Course Consultant.

Methodology

This comprehensive study evaluates the top 50 most populated Australian cities* for nurse suitability based on financial wellbeing, professional opportunities, quality of life, and healthcare demand. The analysis incorporates data from various sources, including state government websites, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and sector-specific reports.

The study examines 26 essential socioeconomic factors mapped into three categories, assessing cities for their attractiveness to nurses:

Financial wellbeing

We compared average nursing salaries with living costs, including rent, mortgage repayments, groceries, transport, and utility bills. Data was sourced from state-level ABS reports, the AAA Transport Affordability Index, and Canstar for utilities. Higher salaries relative to these expenses suggest a more favourable financial situation for nurses.

Professional environment

This category reviewed job opportunities, historical job growth, and the presence and usage of healthcare. Data from Seek and the Australian Government Department of Health offered insights into job demand. By analysing Medicare services, hospital admissions, and emergency room visits, the study assessed the demand for healthcare services in each city, which directly impacts the need for nursing professionals. Data was obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Department of Health.

Quality of life

Work-life balance was measured by commute times, walkability, access to public transport, and recreational amenities. Data was sourced from the Australian Urban Observatory and Walk Score. Environmental factors such as temperature and air quality were also considered, with data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology and state governments.

The data was processed through five steps:

1. Collection of data from government sources
2. Normalisation of data to ensure comparability across cities
3. Creation of factor scores for each city, normalised on a 0-100 scale
4. Aggregation of factor scores into category scores, adjusted by weightings.
5. Calculation of overall scores to rank cities based on their suitability for nurses.

This study provides a data-driven guide for nurses looking to find the best cities in Australia for suitability in terms of career opportunities, financial well-being, and quality of life, but does not constitute advice. Data variations may occur due to different collection methodologies across sources.

The factors used are as follows:

• Median rent per week***
• Median monthly mortgage repayments***
• Monthly Grocery spends***
• Weekly Transport Costs
• Average quarterly water bill***
• Average quarterly electricity bill***
• Average quarterly gas bill***
• Average quarterly internet bill***
• Average salaries for registered nurse jobs
• Nurse job opportunities
• Employment Projections
• List of declared hospitals
• Number of General Practices
• Aged Care Service List***
• Use of Medicare***
• Hospital Admissions 2022-23***
• Outpatient Visits 2022-23***
• Emergency Room Visits 2022-23***
• Average Total Hours Per Week for Registered Nurses***
• Annual Leave Entitlements***
• Walkability Score
• Public transport access
• Public open space access
• Average temperature***
• Air quality***
• Population Growth

*50 largest urban areas in Australia by the Significant Urban Area** measure using the seed list here.

**The Significant Urban Area of ‘Canberra, ACT – Queanbeyan, NSW’ is referred to as ‘Canberra, ACT’ and all similar significant urban areas follow the same reference throughout.

***Please note that statewide numbers have been used due to a lack of accurate city-specific data.