Scenario · 01
I'm changing jobs
See exactly what a salary offer means after tax, super and HECS.
Salary →Smart Money · Australia
The honest guide to every Australian dollar.
Free calculators for salary, mortgage, EV costs and more — plus data-backed guides on cheap flights, travel hacks and everyday money decisions. All built on real ATO brackets, RBA rates and state-by-state data. Sourced, dated, never embellished.
By the Editors·Updated weekly·Australia, all states
For most Australians, the difference between a good year and a bad one is a handful of numbers nobody really explains. What does a $110,000 salary actually pay after tax? With the RBA cash rate at 4.35% and the average variable mortgage above 6.8%, how much is that adding to your repayments? Is an EV worth it in Victoria? Is there a smarter way to book that flight to Europe? We built the tools and guides we wished existed: state-aware, source-cited, and free to use without giving up an email address.
Each calculator uses the same dataset our editors maintain — refreshed monthly, with the source and last-updated date printed at the bottom of every page. Our guides are built on public data archives from Google Flights, Expedia and the ATO. If you spot something wrong, write to us. We change numbers the same day.
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Category I
Travel & Life Hacks
Data-backed guides to cutting costs beyond calculators — cheap flights, travel strategies and life optimisations. Because the best financial move is knowing where not to overpay.
Read the guides →Category II
Financial Calculators
Eight free tools for salary, mortgage, stamp duty, EV costs, fuel, solar ROI, negative gearing and rent vs buy — built on real ATO, RBA and state data.
Browse all eight tools →Category I
Travel & Life Hacks
Data-backed guides to cutting costs beyond calculators — because the best financial move is knowing where not to overpay.
- 01
United States · Travel
The Airbnb Price Trap: Why Your Vacation Budget is Bleeding Out
I spent three hours last July trying to navigate the "all-in" pricing on a cabin in the Catskills. The listing price looked like a steal at $180 a night. By the t...
June 2026·3 min read - 02
United States · Travel
The Death of the "Airbnb Arbitrage": Why Your Vacation Budget is Bleeding Out
Two years ago, I thought I was a genius for booking a week-long stay in a Charleston "loft" instead of a Marriott. I saved $200 on the nightly rate, felt smug abo...
June 2026·3 min read - 03
United States · Travel
The Hotel Loyalty Myth: Why Your Points Are Actually Burning Cash
Why are you still chasing "Elite Status" when a Motel 6 with a fresh coat of paint and a local rental car costs half as much? The industry has successfully gaslit...
June 2026·3 min read - 04
United States · Travel
The Rental Car Racket: Why Your “$30-a-Day” Booking Is Actually a $115 Financial Trap
Did you know that 64% of Americans who book a rental car online end up paying at least 40% more than the advertised rate by the time they hand over their keys? Yo...
June 2026·3 min read - 05
United States · Travel
The Rental Car Rip-Off: How to Kill the "Corporate Rate" Myth
The biggest lie in the travel industry is that "Corporate Rates" or "AAA/AARP discounts" will save your skin. They won't. I’ve spent the last six months scrubbing...
June 2026·3 min read
Category II
Financial Calculators
- 01
Salary take-home calculator · Most-read
After income tax, Medicare levy, HECS/HELP and super — using current ATO brackets and the 2025–26 super guarantee.
Pay · 12,400 this month→ - 02
Mortgage repayments
Monthly, fortnightly or weekly repayments, total interest, amortisation schedule, and offset impact.
Loan · 8,150 this month→ - 03
Stamp duty by state
Transfer duty across all eight states and territories, including first-home-buyer concessions.
Property · 4,720 this month→ - 04
EV versus petrol
Five-year ownership cost across 60+ Australian models, with state electricity and fuel prices.
Vehicle · 3,940 this month→ - 05
Fuel cost calculator
Spend per trip, week, month and year, with current state-based bowser prices.
Vehicle · 2,810 this month→ - 06
Solar panel ROI
Payback period and 25-year return using real state irradiance and feed-in tariff data.
Home · 1,620 this month→ - 07
Negative gearing · New
Annual tax saving and weekly holding cost on an investment property, using 2024–25 ATO brackets and all deductible expenses including depreciation.
Property · New→ - 08
Rent vs buy · New
True cost of buying versus renting over 10, 20 and 30 years — factoring in capital growth, stamp duty, mortgage interest and opportunity cost.
Property · New→
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Where to begin
Most readers arrive at one of four life moments. Pick yours and we'll point you at the right calculator — and the next one you'll need.
Scenario · 02
I'm buying a house
Repayments, total interest, plus stamp duty in your state.
Scenario · 03
I'm thinking about an EV
Five-year ownership cost vs petrol, with charging at your state's rate.
Scenario · 04
I own an investment property
How much tax do you actually save? Is it positively or negatively geared after depreciation?
Letters & replies
Questions, answered.
Drawn from real reader queries and search-engine traffic. If yours isn't here, write to the editors.
hello@nodebases.com →
Are these calculators free? Do I need to sign up?+ open
Yes — everything on the site is free, with no account required. Calculations run in your browser; we do not store your inputs. The site is funded by advertisements.
How accurate is the salary calculator?+ open
We apply current ATO resident tax brackets (Stage 3 cuts in effect), the 2% Medicare levy with surcharge thresholds, and the 11.5% super guarantee for 2025–26 (rising to 12% from 1 July 2026). Your actual payslip can vary with salary sacrifice, fringe benefits and offsets.
Where does your data come from?+ open
Tax brackets and super: ATO. Cash rate and mortgage rates: RBA and Finder. Stamp duty: each state revenue office. Negative gearing: ATO tax brackets (Stage 3, 2024–25). Electricity: AER default market offer. Fuel: FuelCheck, RACQ and FuelWatch state averages. Dwelling prices: PropTrack. Each calculator page lists its own sources at the bottom.
Can I use these for financial advice?+ open
No. We are a tools publication, not licensed advisers. Use the numbers to inform your own thinking and to ask better questions of a registered planner, broker or tax agent.
How often do you update the numbers?+ open
Tax and super at the start of each financial year (July) and after federal budget changes. Cash rate within a day of each RBA meeting. Fuel and electricity quarterly with the most recent state averages.
Data & method
Financial tools without sourcing are worthless. Below is every dataset behind the calculators, its upstream owner, and when we last refreshed it.
| Dataset | Source | Last updated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident income tax brackets (Stage 3) | ATO | Jul 2024 | Salary · Neg. gearing |
| HECS/HELP repayment thresholds 2025–26 | ATO | Jul 2025 | Salary |
| Superannuation guarantee rate (11.5%) | ATO / Treasury | Jul 2025 | Salary |
| RBA cash rate (4.35%) | Reserve Bank of Australia | May 2026 | Mortgage |
| Avg variable mortgage rate (6.84%) | RBA / Finder rate tracker | May 2026 | Mortgage |
| Stamp duty schedules — all 8 states | State revenue offices | Apr 2026 | Stamp duty · Neg. gearing |
| Median Sydney dwelling ($1.62m) | PropTrack / CoreLogic | Apr 2026 | Homepage |
| Electricity default offers (c/kWh) | AER / ESC / IPART | Apr 2026 | EV · Solar |
| Feed-in tariff rates by state | AER / state distributors | Apr 2026 | Solar |
| State fuel averages (bowser) | FuelCheck, RACQ, FuelWatch | May 2026 | Fuel · EV |
| EV & ICE model prices and consumption | Manufacturer RRPs (Australia) | Mar 2026 | EV |
| Solar irradiance (peak sun hours) | Bureau of Meteorology | Mar 2026 | Solar |
NodeSaver is an independent project. We are not authorised representatives of any bank, lender or financial institution. Results are estimates intended to inform your own research; they are not personal financial product advice within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).