---
title: "Living in Toowoomba as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/toowoomba
description: "Queensland's garden city on the range, cooler than Brisbane"
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Toowoomba, Australia

Toowoomba scores 66.6/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 263 of 1501 cities. Expect about $3,350 per month (country-level estimate), no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 47.4 Mbps.

Toowoomba sits at about 700 m on the Great Dividing Range, two hours' drive west of Brisbane, so summers are milder than on the coast and winter mornings can be frosty. It is a tidy regional city of parks, a university and the Carnival of Flowers each September, with rents below Brisbane. Public transport is limited to town buses, and Wellcamp airport has few routes.

Known for: Carnival of Flowers in September, Parks and gardens, Cooler range climate, Car-dependent.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 66.6 |
| Cost of living | 15 |
| Safety | 82 |
| Healthcare | 92 |
| Internet | 73 |
| Visa ease | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 23 |
| Climate | 75 |
| Air quality | 99 |
| Quality of life | 98 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,350 | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 0.94 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 83 | country | 2023 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 47.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 15.2 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | eTA required (online, before travel) / eTA required (online, before travel) / eTA required (online, before travel) | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (WTB/BNE) | 91 | city | 2026-11 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 47 | city | 2026-11 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 3 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 9 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 5.5 | city | 2024 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.958 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | native | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Tax on income from abroad

**Work done in Australia is taxed up to 45% plus 2% Medicare; temporary visa holders' foreign investment income is exempt.** Australia taxes permanent residents on worldwide income, but most newcomers hold a temporary visa, and temporary residents pay no Australian tax on foreign dividends, interest, rent or most capital gains. Pay for work you do while in Australia is Australian-source even if your employer or clients are abroad: residents pay 0%–45% plus a 2% Medicare levy, foreign residents 30% from the first dollar. No wealth or inheritance tax.

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| How residents are taxed | worldwide income |
| Remote work for foreign clients or employers | taxed (Residents 0%–45% (15% from $18,201 in 2026–27) plus 2% Medicare levy; foreign residents 30%–45% from the first dollar; working holiday makers 15% up to $45,000) |
| Investments and pensions from abroad | not taxed |
| Wealth | no wealth tax; no inheritance tax |
| Tax resident after | 183 days a year |
| Top income tax rate | 47% |

Residency: The income year runs from 1 July to 30 June. You are an Australian tax resident if you pass any of four tests. The main one is the resides test: whether you live in Australia in the ordinary sense, judged on presence, purpose, family, work, assets and living arrangements. The ATO treats 6 months as a considerable time, and someone on a 12-month lease with local bank accounts is likely resident even if they say they will leave. The 183-day test makes you resident if you are physically in Australia for more than half the income year, unless your usual place of abode is overseas and you do not intend to take up residence. The domicile test (permanent home in Australia) and the Commonwealth superannuation test (government staff posted abroad) rarely matter for newcomers. A tourist whose visa only allows a short stay is generally not resident, even after 6 months. Tax residency is separate from your visa: you can be a tax resident on a temporary visa. If you also hold a temporary visa and neither you nor your spouse is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you are additionally a temporary resident, which exempts most foreign income (see regimes). Part-year residents get a reduced tax-free threshold of at least $13,464.

Remote work: Salary or fees for work you physically do in Australia are Australian-source income, even when the employer or client is abroad and pays into a foreign account, so the temporary-resident exemption does not cover them. Residents pay the 2026–27 resident scale: nothing up to $18,200, 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000 and 45% above, plus the 2% Medicare levy. Temporary residents who are not entitled to Medicare can claim a full levy exemption with a Medicare Entitlement Statement from Services Australia, but only if their spouse and dependants are also exempt. Foreign residents (most short-stay visitors) have no tax-free threshold and pay 30% up to $135,000, 37% to $190,000 and 45% above (2025–26 table; the 2026–27 table was not yet on the ATO page on 27 October 2026), with no Medicare levy. A tax treaty may exempt an employee's salary if they are a treaty resident elsewhere, spend no more than 183 days in Australia (the period depends on the treaty), and are paid by a foreign employer with no Australian permanent establishment bearing the cost; beyond that, the salary is taxable here. A foreign employer of someone working in Australia may have to withhold PAYG tax and will usually have to pay the 12% super guarantee into an Australian fund, even when no tax is withheld, unless a bilateral social security agreement applies (ATO guidance last updated December 2020); temporary visa holders can reclaim that super when they leave. Freelancers serving foreign clients from Australia are taxed on the same scales and must register for GST once GST turnover reaches $75,000. Tax paid abroad on the same income can be credited through the foreign income tax offset. Visitor visas and ETAs do not allow work in Australia (see nomadVisa).

Investments: Almost every newcomer holds a temporary visa. A temporary resident, whether a tax resident or a foreign resident, does not declare foreign dividends, interest, rent, pensions or capital gains on assets that are not taxable Australian property, such as foreign shares or a house abroad. Australian-source investment income is taxed: a foreign resident has tax withheld from Australian interest and dividends as a final tax, while a tax resident adds it to income at the resident rates. Gains on taxable Australian property (Australian real estate and business assets used in Australia) are taxed for everyone, and foreign and temporary residents cannot use the full 50% CGT discount on gains made after 8 May 2012. Foreign residents also lose the main residence exemption on an Australian home unless the life events test applies. The picture changes once you get permanent residence or citizenship: you are then taxed on worldwide investment income at the resident rates, with the 50% discount on assets held at least 12 months and a foreign income tax offset for tax paid abroad. From 1 July 2027 the 50% discount is replaced by inflation indexation of the cost base and a minimum 30% tax on real gains, for gains accruing from that date, under the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026; investors in new residential builds can keep the 50% discount. The Act makes indexation unavailable to foreign and temporary residents.

On the nomad visa: Australia has no digital nomad or remote-work visa. Visitor visas (subclass 600, eVisitor 651 and the ETA 601) are for tourism, family visits and limited business visitor activities, and Home Affairs states that a Visitor visa or ETA does not allow you to work in Australia. No official Home Affairs page we found makes an exception for remote work for an overseas employer; migration agents describe an unpublished policy tolerating limited online work, which could not be verified, so do not rely on it. Working holiday visas (417 and 462) do allow work, and their holders pay working holiday maker rates on income earned in Australia. For tax, a short-stay visitor is usually a foreign resident, but any pay for work done in Australia is still Australian-source.

Schemes for newcomers:

- **Temporary resident foreign income exemption** (no fixed end): Foreign dividends, interest, rent, pensions and other foreign income are not declared, and capital gains on assets that are not taxable Australian property (such as foreign shares or a home abroad) are ignored. Australian-source income, including pay for work done in Australia, remains taxable, and some pay for work done overseas while a temporary resident can be taxed. The full 50% CGT discount is not available. Who qualifies: Anyone holding a temporary visa whose spouse (if any) is not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or protected Special Category visa holder, and who has not been an Australian resident without a temporary visa since 6 April 2006. It applies whether you are a tax resident or a foreign resident.
- **Working holiday maker tax rates** (no fixed end): 15% from the first dollar up to $45,000, then 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000 and 45% above (2025–26 table, the latest on the ATO page on 27 October 2026). Compared with foreign-resident rates, this halves the tax on the first $45,000. Who qualifies: Holders of a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa, on income earned in Australia, whether they are foreign residents or residents not from a country with a non-discrimination treaty article.

Official sources: [Tax rates – Australian resident](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/tax-rates-australian-residents) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Tax rates – foreign resident](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/tax-rates-foreign-residents) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Tax rates – working holiday maker](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/tax-rates-working-holiday-makers) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Your tax residency](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/your-tax-residency) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Residency – the resides test](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/residency-tests/residency-the-resides-test) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Australian resident for tax purposes](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/your-tax-residency/australian-resident-for-tax-purposes) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Foreign and temporary residents](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/coming-to-australia-or-going-overseas/your-tax-residency/foreign-and-temporary-residents) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Foreign and temporary resident income](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/income-deductions-offsets-and-records/income-you-must-declare/foreign-and-worldwide-income/foreign-and-temporary-resident-income) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Foreign resident employers – your tax and super obligations](https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/view.htm?docid=%22AFS%2Fforeign-resident-employers%2F00001%22) (Australian Taxation Office (legal database), read 2026-10-27); [Super guarantee](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/super-guarantee) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Not entitled to Medicare benefits](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/medicare-and-private-health-insurance/medicare-levy/medicare-levy-exemption/not-entitled-to-medicare-benefits) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Medicare levy surcharge income, thresholds and rates](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/medicare-and-private-health-insurance/medicare-levy-surcharge/medicare-levy-surcharge-income-thresholds-and-rates) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [CGT discount](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/calculating-your-cgt/cgt-discount) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Your residency status and CGT](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/foreign-residents-and-capital-gains-tax/your-residency-status-and-cgt) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Budget 2026-27 tax system changes](https://treasury.gov.au/policy-topics/taxation/budget2026-27) (The Treasury (Australian Government), read 2026-10-27); [Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 (No. 49, 2026)](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00049/asmade) (Federal Register of Legislation, read 2026-10-27); [If you are a beneficiary of a deceased estate](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/deceased-estates/if-you-are-a-beneficiary-of-a-deceased-estate) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Apply to buy residential property as a foreign person](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/foreign-resident-investments/foreign-investment-in-australia/residential-property-application-for-foreign-investors) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [What is surcharge purchaser duty](https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/taxes-duties-levies-royalties/transfer-duty/surcharge-purchaser-duty/what-is-surcharge-purchaser-duty) (Revenue NSW, read 2026-10-27); [Registering for GST](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/gst-excise-and-indirect-taxes/gst/registering-for-gst) (Australian Taxation Office, read 2026-10-27); [Work restrictions](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/work-rights-and-exploitation/work-restrictions) (Department of Home Affairs, read 2026-10-27); [Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)](https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601) (Department of Home Affairs, read 2026-10-27).

Not yet reviewed by a person. General information, not tax advice. US citizens are taxed by the US wherever they live.

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 24.6 | 94 | 65 | yes |
| Feb | 23.7 | 87 | 70 | yes |
| Mar | 22 | 80 | 71 | yes |
| Apr | 19 | 28 | 71 | yes |
| May | 15.1 | 28 | 69 | yes |
| Jun | 12.6 | 39 | 75 | no |
| Jul | 11.6 | 20 | 70 | no |
| Aug | 13.1 | 27 | 63 | no |
| Sep | 16.9 | 29 | 60 | yes |
| Oct | 20 | 64 | 59 | yes |
| Nov | 22.2 | 72 | 60 | yes |
| Dec | 23.7 | 100 | 63 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport | WTB | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Brisbane Airport | BNE | 90 | 38 | 3 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 91, of which 38 international (Wikipedia, 2026-11).

## Similar cities

- [Gold Coast](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gold-coast) (65.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gold-coast-vs-toowoomba)
- [Byron Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/byron-bay) (65.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/byron-bay-vs-toowoomba)
- [Townsville](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/townsville) (66.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/toowoomba-vs-townsville)
- [Sunshine Coast](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/sunshine-coast) (65.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/sunshine-coast-vs-toowoomba)
- [Newcastle (NSW)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/newcastle-au) (68.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/newcastle-au-vs-toowoomba)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Toowoomba as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $3,350 per month in Toowoomba (a country-level estimate for Australia). That is a 15/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Toowoomba safe for digital nomads?

Toowoomba scores 82/100 on safety. Australia records 0.94 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 79.3/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Australia have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Australia as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US need an electronic travel authorisation (eTA), bought online before the trip.

### How fast is the internet in Toowoomba?

Measured median download speed in Toowoomba was 47.4 Mbps (upload 15.2 Mbps) across 1,626 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Toowoomba?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Australia (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Toowoomba. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Toowoomba and how many nonstop flights are there?

Toowoomba is served by Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport (WTB) with 12 nonstop destinations and Brisbane Airport (BNE) with 90 nonstop destinations, 91 unique destinations across all of them, of which 38 are international. 3 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-11.

### When is the best time of year to be in Toowoomba?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 53°F (12°C) in Jul to 76°F (25°C) in Jan (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Toowoomba or Gold Coast: which is better for digital nomads?

Gold Coast is the city with the closest factor profile to Toowoomba in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Plan a trip to Toowoomba](https://dashboard.navoy.io/trip/new?utm_source=nostos&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=plan_trip&utm_content=toowoomba&destination=Toowoomba%2C+Australia) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

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