cazmayo Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Cost of Living Just found this website, found it good for comparing prices. Food wise, oz isnt much different for me (I lived in Ireland) somethings cheaper somethings dearer. The biggest different is that we will have a bigger mortgage for a smaller house. I dont mind a smaller house but hate the idea of a bigger mortgage. Housing is overpriced in Oz if you ask me!! Thats my main concern, not the price of a loaf!!! A house will be our biggest purhcase and also their interest rates are alot higher. Hmmmmm. Still going!!!! Better work prospects. cheers Caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeza Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 good on you! As they say, life is not a dress rehearsal, and you only live once. Go get those work opportuities, or someone else will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazmayo Posted June 30, 2010 Author Share Posted June 30, 2010 Hi Jeza, How does the cost of living in NZ compare with OZ?? I had booked to go to NZ a few years back when i was backpacking but never got there! Lots of my irish friends came back from backpacking were all raving about NZ. thanks for your comment, ive lived in Perth before, and feel its calling me back!!! cheers caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I'd caution people to be very cautious of this sort of cost of living index. In terms of the biggest expense (i.e. housing) there are huge variations depending on your location...and that study seems to only list a few of the major capitals. It'd likely be better to do a Google for real estate agents in the actual place you plan to live and get some real costs. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazmayo Posted June 30, 2010 Author Share Posted June 30, 2010 hi Bob, i have spent a year studying the real estate websites and have an idea of area and price. My house in Ireland has a mortgage of 240,000 euros, big detached house on 3/4 acre. Interest rate 2.15% presently. A house in Carramar 4bed 2 bathroom would be between 500,000-600,000 at interest rate of 6%+, so 500,000 at today exchange rate would be 353,400 euros. So bigger mortgage, higher interest rate. I know interest rates here are artificially low, but the forecast is they wont go up for another 2 years to aid recovery. I found the food prices interesting, as Ive noticed alot of posts on here complaining about the price of food. Ireland is alot more expensive to the UK. Yesterday I heard a report that said Ireland was 30% more expensive than the UK for food. So I guess the price of food wouldnt really sting me, but the housing market is my only concern and the exchange rate. (peoples equity has drastically shrunk due to exchange rate). The average house in Perth is 9 times the average wage, so I conclude housing very expensive!!! Cheers Caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 From those prices, I think I may give up on Australia and move to Ireland! Seriously, that house for 240,000 Euros is a snip. To put it in perspective, my pokey little 3 bed semi about 45 miles outside London (i.e. an hour each way commuting) sold for £195,000 in 2007. That said, up here in semi-rural Queensland (Toowoomba...a city of about 100,000), a 4 bed/2 bath detached in a nice area can still be had for about $350,000 so, as I said, the regional variations can be huge. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazmayo Posted July 1, 2010 Author Share Posted July 1, 2010 I know, Im having a battle of the head and the heart!!!! Thats the situation at the mo, but if the exchange rate was to improve it would close the gap. Also the house is or was worth much more, we built it ourselves (well hubby did:biggrin:, hes a cabinetmaker) a big timerframe house with stone frontage! Its just the housing market is very slow here and some houses have dropped by 40-50%, it would all depend on what we could get for it when and if we get a visa. Ive seen houses here 3 bed semis for 140,000 euros, crazy when they were 200,000 2 years ago!!!! ...... but if you are a tradie, Ireland is not the place to be in my opinion. 450,000 are unemployed here and a high percentage are trades. Mosts trades are at home minding the kids while their wives are out working. My hubbie is lucky he is working, but lost his own business due to the recession, hes had several paycuts, lots of unpaid overtime just to keep a job. So all we need is the exchange rate to improve and the housing market to improve in Ireland, oh and a visa!!! and we can then realise our dream of returning to Perth. We lived in Perth 10 years ago and it was the cheapest city to live in, but think it seems to have caught up to the others. Selling here at the bottom of the market and buying into the oz market at the height, doesnt make sense to me. So the price of milk doesnt worry me (by the way its cheaper in Perth than Ireland!!) but the housing in both countries and the exchange rate are my biggest hurdles. Thanks Bobsy for your comment. Kind Regards Caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratchet Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 It all appears to be on the ball. i live in melbourne. My bills are pretty much this. Its not cheap here anymore, easily on line with cost of living in london. Your wages tend to weigh out on the costs. Its all relative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 I know, Im having a battle of the head and the heart!!!! Thats the situation at the mo, but if the exchange rate was to improve it would close the gap. Also the house is or was worth much more, we built it ourselves (well hubby did:biggrin:, hes a cabinetmaker) a big timerframe house with stone frontage! Its just the housing market is very slow here and some houses have dropped by 40-50%, it would all depend on what we could get for it when and if we get a visa. Ive seen houses here 3 bed semis for 140,000 euros, crazy when they were 200,000 2 years ago!!!! ...... but if you are a tradie, Ireland is not the place to be in my opinion. 450,000 are unemployed here and a high percentage are trades. Mosts trades are at home minding the kids while their wives are out working. My hubbie is lucky he is working, but lost his own business due to the recession, hes had several paycuts, lots of unpaid overtime just to keep a job. So all we need is the exchange rate to improve and the housing market to improve in Ireland, oh and a visa!!! and we can then realise our dream of returning to Perth. We lived in Perth 10 years ago and it was the cheapest city to live in, but think it seems to have caught up to the others. Selling here at the bottom of the market and buying into the oz market at the height, doesnt make sense to me. So the price of milk doesnt worry me (by the way its cheaper in Perth than Ireland!!) but the housing in both countries and the exchange rate are my biggest hurdles. Thanks Bobsy for your comment. Kind Regards Caz Hi caz, We too have the same dilema as you. We are a family of 5 living in Clare. I was born in UK but my family are from ireland. myself and my husband moved back here to ireland 12yrs ago when there was the boom, and loads of work. He is a carpenter, and like you say work for tradies here is scarce to say the least......its a real struggle isnt it! We are hoping to move to Perth if and when we ever do get our visa. We put our house on the market about 2yrs ago, and it was valued at 500,000...........the value has since plumeted so we decided to take it off the market. As you say, houses are going for silly prices now, and given the high prices in perth, we are now wondering if we will ever be able to afford to move there now. The cost of things here in ireland really sticks in my throat.....having lived in uk all my life, i realise how much we are being screwed to the wall for just about everything. As you say, i dont think those from ireland would notice much difference in everyday costs, but people in the uk would, as things are much cheaper there. What a rip off, my car tax alone costs nearly €1,000 per year for a 12yr old people carrier. I wouldn't mind so much if i had a plush car for that money, but its not! what a joke!!!!! it makes me so mad Anyway, rant over, was nice talking to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest girlwizz99 Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Rents are relatively cheap down here. You can get lovely properties for the price of a bed sit in London! The housing market, in Queensland, at least, is incredibly slow and I have seen properties not move for 2 or 3 years. There is also no real correlation between the cost of the property and the rent you could achieve on the letting market - whereas in the UK it is around 4-5%. Additionally, Australian interest rates are very high compared to the UK and in light of a very meagre exchange rate you might be better off renting for a while.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazmayo Posted July 5, 2010 Author Share Posted July 5, 2010 Hi ehawton, Yes we are very similar, I spent my early childhood in Lancashire and then secondary school here in Ireland and then London, so Ive bing bonged over and back to the UK fairly frequently!! We went to Oz in 1997 and spent 3 years there mainly in Perth and loved it. We came back in 1999 when things very good here (came back reluctantly as sponsored retired) and just got on with it. We have decided we want to go back to Perth as we see no future here and I have always pined for Perth. Problem is we have picked the worst time with the dam exchange rate and housing market!! I guess we could try and rent out house here and then rent in Perth. When my cousins come over from Manchester they are always telling me its so expensive here, you just dont notice when you live here until you go away. By the way, I have heard they are in desperate need of tradies in WA!!!! plenty of work. I tell myself all these changes are for a reason and by the time we get a visa, the exchange rate will be back to 2:1 and the housing market will have somewhat recovered. A half decent offer would be nice!!!! (please dont burst my bubble guys!!!!). Co Clare is beautiful by the way, I have family in Ennis. Your car tax is mental!!!! Ive just had a 3rd child and was thinking of getting a people carrier, didnt realise that!!! The cost of living in Perth was cheap when we lived there before, so I have been doing some research so I go with my eyes opened. When you compare now with such a cr*p exchange rate its madness, as this is the worst rate in years. I have been working out living costs versus wages. If I can help you in any way just pm me. Hi girlwhizz99, thanks, yes I think renting is the way to go if thats possible, as a double hit on price of house and the exchange rate could wipe any equity entirely. Hi Ratchet, thanks for your comment, I think some people think oz is still cheap. Ive lived in London before. As long as the wages are sufficient, sure they have to, the ozzies survive on them!! kind Regards, caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moirclan Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 i dont know about being desperate for tradies , im in the service industry and things are really quiet every where, i have a lot of business owners as clients and nearly all have said they managed through the last lot of recessions but this time they have had to borrow against their homes to keep their business afloat. my husband is in construction commercial and he said there is little going on at the moment a few govt jobs available and every one is being screwed into the ground on price . my son lost his job due to the down turn [ a duct installer [] he took a job labouring on lousy money just to make ends meet , today he was told he was finsihed as some one was on long service leave and they are now back , and he knows how hard it is out there , i suppose it depends on what job you do , but i definatly dont think they are crying out for people , i think things are getting hard and i think its going to get worse . i dont want to bust your bubble but i think its better to get a realistic idea of how things are here job wise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazmayo Posted July 5, 2010 Author Share Posted July 5, 2010 Hi Moirclan, Thats not good to hear, I believe in speaking honestly, so thanks for your experience. We have friends in Perth who both own businesses so we have been skyping them. one said it was happy days when the gov gave that 1000 incentive as he sells wooden floorboards so his business was boosted, now thats gone, he has to work at it!! I think its a waiting game, we havent a visa and are waiting on WA SMP list, so its just trying to gauge when to jump country. My hubbie is working, so we are not rushing over. Its a long term plan! Hope your son gets sorted. cheers caz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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