They share the same nights, the same venues and often the same dancers, but salsa and bachata are different animals to learn. Here is the honest comparison, and the good news is that whichever you pick first, the other is waiting one door down.
The case for bachata first
Bachata is slower, the basic is simpler, three steps and a tap, and the music signposts the beat so clearly that finding it takes minutes. Most beginners dance something recognisable in their first session, and that early win carries motivation a long way. If your priority is dancing socially as soon as possible, or you are nervous about rhythm, bachata is the gentler door.
The case for salsa first
Salsa is the bigger scene: more nights, more venues, more dancers, in Sydney and everywhere on earth. It is faster and busier to learn, but it builds sharper timing, and salsa timing makes every later Latin dance easier, bachata included. If you want the biggest social payoff and do not mind the basic taking a little longer to settle, salsa earns its crowds.
The differences that matter day to day
Tempo: salsa pushes, bachata strolls. Feel: salsa is a party, bachata a slow conversation. Complexity ceiling: both run deep, but salsa's turn patterns get intricate sooner. Partner distance: bachata dances closer, which some beginners love and some prefer to grow into. None of these is better; they are flavours, and your taste is the tiebreaker.
Our actual recommendation
Start with the one whose music you would rather have stuck in your head, because you will. Genuinely torn? A personalised program can open with bachata for the early win and fold salsa in as your timing warms up, which is the route our teachers most often build; the private Latin program is designed for exactly that.