This table shows poverty lines by family type in dollars per week, including social security payments.

This shows relative poverty in Australia using poverty lines of 50% and 60% of national median household income. More information on the definitions of poverty and different ways of measuring poverty can be found on our poverty page and our FAQ page. It also shows the poverty lines before and after housing costs are taken into account (known as before and after housing costs; or as total income and income minus housing costs). Housing costs vary considerably among households, depending on whether those households are owners, purchasers or tenants and what part of Australia those households live in. In order to take into account the varying costs of housing, a separate set of ‘after housing costs’ (or ‘income minus housing costs’) poverty lines is used. This set is created by removing housing costs from disposable income before calculating the median income. This is a measure of the income required to pay for essentials other than housing.

• 2022-23: The table shows that the poverty line in 2022-23 for a single adult based on disposable income with no allowance for housing costs (the ‘before housing costs’ poverty line) is $584 a week. After housing costs are deducted, the ‘after housing costs’ poverty line is $476 a week for a single adult living alone.
• 2019-20: The table shows that the poverty line in 2019-20 for a single adult based on disposable income with no allowance for housing costs is $489 a week.
• 2017-18: The table shows that the poverty line in 2017-18 for a single adult based on disposable income with no allowance for housing costs (the ‘before housing costs’ poverty line) is $457 a week. After housing costs are deducted, the ‘after housing costs’ poverty line is $370 a week for a single adult living alone.
• 2016-17: The table shows that the poverty line in 2015-16 for a single adult based on disposable income with no allowance for housing costs (described here as ‘before housing costs’) is $432.50 a week. After housing costs are removed, the ‘after housing costs’ poverty line is $353.40 a week for a single adult living alone.