RMIT graduates land in median starting salaries that vary widely by faculty - and the question of which Melbourne suburb you can actually afford on a first-job income depends on those numbers. This is the honest 2026 matrix: by RMIT faculty, by realistic graduate salary, by what 30%-of-income looks like in different Melbourne suburbs.
RMIT Graduate Salary by Faculty
From the 2025 Graduate Outcomes Survey (the most recent published): median full-time starting salaries by RMIT faculty - Engineering $72,000, Business $65,000, Computing/IT $75,000, Architecture $58,000, Design $55,000, Health Sciences $66,000. Salaries are 12-month-after-graduation medians, before tax. Variation within each faculty is substantial: senior IT roles hit $90k+, junior design roles below $50k.
How Much Rent at 30%
Mortgage industry standard: 30% of gross income on rent maximum. At $55k (Design): $317/week. At $65k (Business): $375/week. At $72k (Engineering): $415/week. At $75k (IT): $432/week. At $90k (senior IT): $519/week. These are individual-only numbers; couples and shares change the math substantially.
Solo Living: Where Each Salary Affords
$317/week solo: studio in Footscray, Sunshine, Reservoir, or West Footscray. Outer-suburb 1-bed in St Albans, Ardeer, Sunshine West. $375/week solo: 1-bed in Carlton North, Brunswick West, North Melbourne fringes, Coburg. Studio in inner suburbs (Carlton, Fitzroy, Richmond). $415/week solo: 1-bed in Brunswick, Carlton, Fitzroy, Richmond. Studio in South Yarra, Albert Park, St Kilda.
Share-House Living: Where the Same Salary Reaches
Same salaries in 4-person share houses (rent share at $200-$280/room/week): all four salaries comfortably afford Brunswick, Carlton, North Melbourne, Footscray, Coburg, Northcote. Even Design graduates at $55k are within 30% on share-house rent in any inner suburb. The graduate-salary problem is mostly about solo living, not shared.
Couples (Two RMIT Grads): Higher Reach
Two design grads at $55k each = $110k combined: rent budget $635/week, affords 2-bed Carlton or Fitzroy. Two engineering grads at $72k each = $144k combined: rent budget $830/week, affords 2-bed in Hawthorn, South Yarra, Albert Park. Two IT grads at $75k each = $150k combined: rent budget $865/week, affords most inner-east 2-beds, fringes of Toorak.
First-Year vs Year 3-5 Salary Trajectory
Most RMIT grads see 25-40% salary growth in years 1-5. Year 3 IT salary at $90k+ affords solo Brunswick or Carlton 1-bed. Year 5 engineering salary at $95k-$110k affords solo Hawthorn or South Yarra. The ‘first job suburb’ shouldn’t be your forever suburb - rental flexibility lets you upgrade with raises.
Saving for a Deposit: How Suburb Choice Affects
Average RMIT grad in inner Melbourne 2026 needs roughly $130k-$170k for a 20% house deposit (median 1-bed apartment $650k-$850k). Saving rate at 20% of $65k = $13k/year, 10 years to deposit. Living in Footscray vs Carlton saves $50-$80/week = $2,600-$4,160/year - meaningful but not transformational. The bigger lever is income growth, not rent savings.
Working in CBD vs Other Office Hubs
Most RMIT business and IT grads work in CBD towers - tram or short walk from any inner suburb. Engineering grads cluster in Docklands and St Kilda Road - similar reach. Architecture/design grads spread across South Melbourne, Cremorne, Collingwood - inner-east-and-south favourable. Health Sciences grads work at hospitals (Royal Melbourne Hospital, St Vincent’s, Alfred) - Parkville or Carlton North preferred.
What This Means for You
Solo first-job grads at design-tier salaries: Footscray, Reservoir, Sunshine, or share-house in better suburbs. Solo at engineering-tier: Carlton or Brunswick. Solo at senior-IT-tier: most inner suburbs. Couples open up the inner-east substantially. The first job determines suburb only for the first 1-2 years; raises change the math fast. For rental specifics, see cheapest suburbs near RMIT; for the daily commute calculations, commute time to RMIT.
Jack Carver covers Melbourne food, drink, and city life for MELBZ.
