Why FIFO
The fastest way to get ahead in Australia, if you do it right.
The pay is high and your living costs on site are close to zero. Here's the honest version: what it pays, what it takes, and who it suits.
01 /The numbers
Why people do it.
FIFO pays for remoteness and long hours. Because your accommodation, food and flights are covered on site, much more of that pay can be saved.
- A$75k–A$110k
- Typical entry-level pay, no experience needed
- A$135k–A$191k
- Qualified trades and experienced operators
- A$0
- Rent, food and flights while you're on site
- 122
- Days a year at home on a 2:1 roster
Pay is cash per year, not including super, based on the GoFIFO Salary Guide 2026 and common entry packages.
A year on a 2:1 roster
Two weeks on, one week home, all year. You work more hours than a city job, but your time off comes in week-long blocks.
FIFO vs a city job
Same person, same skills, different deal.
| City | FIFO | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical pay, entry labour | A$55–70k | A$80–105k |
| Rent and food on workdays | You pay | Covered |
| Commute | Every day | One flight per swing |
| Days off per year | ~115 (weekends + leave) | ~122 in week-long blocks |
| Realistic savings rate | 5–15% | 30–60% with a plan |
| Hours | 38–40 / week | 84 / week on swing |
Typical ranges for illustration. Your role, site and roster will vary.
02 /FIFO careers
The money is real.
Getting ahead feels harder than it used to: rent, deposits, and a wage that never quite catches up. FIFO won't fix everything, but for a lot of people it's the clearest shot they've had in years.
Build a career
Start where you can get in, stack tickets and site time, then move into trades or ops that stay well-paid for years — not just one lucky swing.
Find my pathwaySprint a house deposit
Treat a year of disciplined rosters like a project: camp keeps living costs low on swing, and what’s left can fund a deposit faster than most city jobs.
Read about it hereGeographic arbitrage
Earn Australian site rates while basing yourself somewhere cheaper — lower rent and costs at home, same (or better) pay when you’re on roster.
Read about it here
03 /Honest fit check
Is it for you?
FIFO changes your life in good ways and hard ways. Better to know before you spend money on it.
It suits you if
- You want to save hard for a house, a business or an exit
- You're fine with 12-hour shifts and early starts
- You like blocks of time off more than weekends
- You can be away from home for two weeks at a time
- You'll follow safety rules even when no one's watching
Think twice if
- You need to be home every night for kids or care
- You struggle with isolation or broken sleep
- Your plan is “spend it all on the week off”
- You can't pass a drug and alcohol test
- You're hoping a guide will hand you a job (nothing can)
04 /How to get there
Still in? Here's the route.
Four stages stand between you and your first swing. Each guide covers one, so you can start wherever you are.
A$49 each · Chapter 1 free
- 01 · Before you flyGuide 01
Visa Path
Enter, stay, and work legally
Visa Path
Which visa actually gets you on site, and how to prove it in under a minute.
7 chapters · 1 tool · 4 checklists
A$49Read ch. 1 free - 02 · When you landGuide 02
Relocation Guide
Move to Australia without the chaos
Relocation Guide
Which city to base yourself in, how much cash to bring, and your first 30 days.
7 chapters · 4 tools · 3 checklists
A$49Read ch. 1 free - 03 · On the groundGuide 03
Get Hired
Resume. Tickets. Get seen.
Get Hired
The right first role, the right tickets, and a resume that gets the call back.
7 chapters · 5 tools · 4 checklists
A$49Read ch. 1 free - 04 · Once you're paidGuide 04
Wealth & Exit
Earn big. Keep more. Leave clean.
Wealth & Exit
Keep the money, then work out the number that lets you walk away.
7 chapters · 3 tools · 3 checklists
A$49Read ch. 1 free
Need more than one stage? Take the whole route.
All four guides for A$149 instead of A$196. One payment, yours to keep.
Still in?
See your route in.
Answer a few questions and get your visa route, base city, first job, tickets and budget. It takes two minutes and it's free.