OSCE Coach by Bytesized Dentistry
Here’s what you’re studying for. Tell us who is coming and how many days you would work, then explore eight cities and eight smaller towns: rent, living costs, and what is left over for the life you want.
Historic regional city within reach of Melbourne.
Rent data grade A: Cotality, 2026.
Full Ballarat guide →The garden city on the range, inland from Brisbane.
Rent data grade C: Sources disagree: $435 (small sample, Jun quarter 2026) to $550 (suburb), 2026. Midpoint of conflicting figures.
Full Toowoomba guide →Sunny coast with famous wind and surf.
Rent data grade B: Suburb-level median (Spalding), 31 Jul 2026. One suburb, not the whole town.
Full Geraldton guide →Warm river town, citrus and wine, far from the capitals.
Rent data grade B: Weekly median rent report, 31 Jul 2026.
Full Mildura guide →Tropical north: beach, island and reef access.
Rent data grade C: Reported approximate median (about +10% year on year), 2026.
Full Townsville guide →Heart of the outback: desert, big skies, tight community.
Rent data grade B: NT Government housing data (houses $650, units $450), midpoint, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Alice Springs guide →Relaxed, compact and good value for a capital.
Rent data grade C: Selectra asking-rent medians (house $610, unit $510), midpoint, 2026. Asking rents, not a like-for-like median. Probably understated.
Full Adelaide guide →The planned capital: calm, green and cold in winter.
Rent data grade C: Selectra asking-rent medians (house $690, unit $560), midpoint, 2026. Asking rents, not a like-for-like median. Probably understated.
Full Canberra guide →Gateway to the reef and the rainforest.
Rent data grade C: Reported city median (earlier report), 2025 to 2026.
Full Cairns guide →Cool, green and small, with mountains and sea.
Rent data grade A: Cotality rental review (lowest of the Cotality capitals; Adelaide and Canberra come from asking-rent sources and are not comparable), Jun quarter 2026.
Full Hobart guide →Coffee, culture and four seasons in a day.
Rent data grade B: Reported capital median, 2nd quarter 2026, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Melbourne guide →Goldfields mining town: hot, dry and busy.
Rent data grade C: Regional rental report, Q2 2025. Older figure. Mining towns swing quickly.
Full Kalgoorlie-Boulder guide →Tropical, relaxed and close to Asia.
Rent data grade A: Cotality rental review, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Darwin guide →Warm winters, river life and fast growth.
Rent data grade A: Cotality rental review, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Brisbane guide →Sunny, spacious and a long way from everywhere.
Rent data grade A: Cotality rental review, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Perth guide →Harbour city. Big pay, big rent.
Rent data grade A: Cotality (CoreLogic) rental review, capital city median, Jun quarter 2026.
Full Sydney guide →The one-off costs of getting there and starting, so the dream comes with a number.
ADC exam fees you still need to pay Tick the stages you have not paid yet. | A$4,775 |
AHPRA registration, first year (approx.) Annual fee was A$818 in 2025/26; the application fee is unconfirmed, so we assume about A$400. | A$1,218 |
Visa: Skills in Demand 482 (employer sponsored) Main applicant plus family members. | A$4,015 |
Flights, one way, 1 person About ₹55,000 each. | A$815 |
Rental bond (4 weeks, Ballarat) Usually refundable; the cap is four weeks in most states. | A$1,419 |
First month's rent and living costs For your household in this place. | A$3,485 |
Setup buffer Furniture, deposits, a phone, a month of surprises. | A$1,500 |
| Total to land | A$17,226 about ₹11,62,781 |
Estimates. Visa charges are from third-party summaries of Home Affairs pricing from 1 July 2026; check homeaffairs.gov.au. See ADC exam fees and dates and the dental fee quiz. Sources: ADC fees, Visa charges (third-party summary of Home Affairs, from 1 July 2026), Regional areas for the 491 visa (third-party summary), Flights (Cathay Pacific example fares), Dental practitioner supply and demand (Dept of Health, April 2026).
Tie the dream to a date. Move the pass month and watch the rest follow.
Practise ADC Part 2 style stations out loud with an AI patient, and see exactly where your marks come from.
A rough picture, not a quote. Income is a national figure scaled by days, not a town-specific one, so towns with lower rent come out ahead. Tax assumes an Australian resident and ignores HELP debt, super, offsets, visa costs and the Medicare levy surcharge. The partner income, professional costs, living costs and bedroom adjustments are assumptions. Community notes are general impressions, not census data.
The cards above size rent to your household (for example about 75% of the median for a one-bedroom). This table shows the published median before that adjustment. Rents come from different public reports with different methods, so each is graded. A recent and reputable, B a single recent source, C rough, older or sources disagree.
Tax uses 2026-27 Australian resident rates plus the 2% Medicare levy. Living costs (A$450 a week for one adult, scaled for partners and children with a standard scale) and the rent adjustment for household size are assumptions: change them to match your life.
National ATO data for 2023-24 shows an average dentist taxable income of about A$162,700 and a median of about A$131,600. These include part-time dentists and practice owners, so they are not a full-time salary. Pay varies a lot by location, days worked and whether you are an associate or an owner.
Rent is often lower in regional centres than in Sydney or Perth, and some regional and remote packages are quoted higher than city pay. But towns differ widely, some mining and remote towns are expensive, and rent data for small towns is patchy. Use the calculator with your own offer and your own costs.
It is an indicative estimate. Rent figures come from public reports with different methods and dates, each graded for confidence. Tax uses 2026-27 resident rates. It ignores HELP debt, superannuation, offsets and many personal factors.
Centre-based day care averages roughly A$140 to A$170 for a 10-hour day before any subsidy. Most temporary skilled visa holders are not eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, so they typically pay the full fee. Permanent residents and citizens can get a subsidy that depends on family income. School fees also vary by state for children of temporary visa holders.
No. It is general information. OSCE Coach is not affiliated with the Australian Dental Council. Speak to an accountant or migration professional about your own situation.
Practise ADC-style stations out loud with an AI patient, then see where your marks are.
Request accessGeneral information only, not financial, tax or migration advice. Figures are indicative and change often. OSCE Coach is operated by SQH Technologies and is not affiliated with the Australian Dental Council.