Family of 5 living costs in Perth.........sorry old ground I know !

Been working this out (there are 5 of us !).

I should have a company car/car allowance with my job so the OH will need her own car only. I've worked our potential MONTHLY costs out as :

Rent $1950 ($450 a week) although I have seen decent properties around Mandurah for $350 ($1516 PCM) newish 4x2 house.

Electric $100

Gas $50

Water $100

Car insurance $50

Rego $50

Food $1200

Petrol/Diesel $150

Home insurance $100

Phone/internet/TV $109 (Optus $109 Bundle)

Mobile phone $40 (just for the OH, I will have one from work)

Leisure activities $200

Medical insurance $150

Total $3999

Then checked with Centrelink and their online calculator gives Tax credits, rent allowance, large family allowance etc as $1349 ($623 fortnightly)

So that leaves us with total outgoings of $2650 pm.

Assuming I get a $70k job and using www.paycalculator.com we will have a "surplus" of $1874 month.

If anyone wants to pick up on any errors on my thinking I'd be grateful ??:confused:

Been working this out (there are 5 of us !).

I should have a company car/car allowance with my job so the OH will need her own car only. I've worked our potential MONTHLY costs out as :

Rent $1950 ($450 a week) although I have seen decent properties around Mandurah for $350 ($1516 PCM) newish 4x2 house.

Electric $100

Gas $50

Water $100

Car insurance $50

Rego $50

Food $1200

Petrol/Diesel $150

Home insurance $100

Phone/internet/TV $109 (Optus $109 Bundle)

Mobile phone $40 (just for the OH, I will have one from work)

Leisure activities $200

Medical insurance $150

Total $3999

Then checked with Centrelink and their online calculator gives Tax credits, rent allowance, large family allowance etc as $1349 ($623 fortnightly)

So that leaves us with total outgoings of $2650 pm.

Assuming I get a $70k job and using www.paycalculator.com we will have a "surplus" of $1874 month.

 

If anyone wants to pick up on any errors on my thinking I'd be grateful ??:confused:

Hi mate,

were a family of 5 ( kids next year 14,10 & 5) hoping to go across early feb next year on a 176, just sent off WA SS last Friday.

Not sounding too thick but with centreline , do they give you child allowances based on number of children or earnings.

im a plumber but most ads I see want plumbers with min 5 years experience , so who knows .

cheers mate

Hi mate,

were a family of 5 ( kids next year 14,10 & 5) hoping to go across early feb next year on a 176, just sent off WA SS last Friday.

Not sounding too thick but with centreline , do they give you child allowances based on number of children or earnings.

im a plumber but most ads I see want plumbers with min 5 years experience , so who knows .

cheers mate

The estimator (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/online_services/index.htm see under Tools and Options) gave me the following based on our 3 kids and just me working:

Per fortnight

Family Tax Benefit Part A $370.86

Family Tax Benefit Part B $140.00

Large Family Supplement (3 kids or more) $11.34

Rent Assistance $101.08

TOTAL $623.28

Family Tax Benefit is based on both number of children and earnings - complicated like Tax Credits in the UK it seems. It also seems that we will have to wait until the end of the first tax year (30th June) before you can claim as they need to see your tax returns.

There is also a Child Care Benefit to help with Childcare costs but you won't need that as your are all (or will be) school age.

Still working it all out, love some help from some families already there !!

Excuse my ignorance, but what's Rego??

Rego is a bit like car tax, but it includes 3rd party insurance !

the third party insurance is for personal injury only , it dosnt cover damages to your car or any body elses

I wouldn't have suggested anyone rely on just the rego for insurance but a damn fine idea it is, something the UK could do with to help with the idiots who don't bother with insurance at all !

you would be suprised by how many poms think its third party car insurance , i got hit by an old man a few years ago , it was his fault when i got out of the car his son in law was with him they both said its ok we have third party insurance , and i cringed as they thought the rego covered them i had to explain it to them and claim on my insurance and my insurer had to go after them for the money

i was looking at your list remeber to fator in car stamp duty when you buy your wifes car i know its only a one off cost , but so many get caught out with it [ $30.00 per $1000

rent seems about right

my power bills are much higher than you have allowed for [ mind you in summer the aircon has been on a lot

gas seems about right except for winter when it is much higher as im using the gas heater

petrol seems a bit low

but there again house insurance seems a bit high [ i assume its only contents ?

medical insurance seems very low to me is that just auxillary ?

dont forget doctors [ less and less are bulk billing now ]

prescriptions at $30odd dollars a time

school fees uniforms and stationary

rac break down [ well worth it ] about $20 A month

i was looking at your list remeber to fator in car stamp duty when you buy your wifes car i know its only a one off cost , but so many get caught out with it [ $30.00 per $1000

 

rent seems about right

my power bills are much higher than you have allowed for [ mind you in summer the aircon has been on a lot

gas seems about right except for winter when it is much higher as im using the gas heater

petrol seems a bit low

but there again house insurance seems a bit high [ i assume its only contents ?

medical insurance seems very low to me is that just auxillary ?

dont forget doctors [ less and less are bulk billing now ]

prescriptions at $30odd dollars a time

school fees uniforms and stationary

rac break down [ well worth it ] about $20 A month

Glad someone replied ! :wink:

I'm trying to average out the utilities over the year so might be a bit out ! (When we build our own house we'll have solar so making it nice and cheap!)

Hoping not to use too much petrol and do the school runs by bike/walking mostly.

I probably took home insurance based on owning !

I got a medical insurance quote online but tricky to get your head round what you need !

Doctors and prescriptions I will treat separately as they are ad hoc same as school expenses.

Breakdown cover is certainly something to add :wink:

Cheers !

Glad someone replied ! :wink:

 

 

 

I'm trying to average out the utilities over the year so might be a bit out ! (When we build our own house we'll have solar so making it nice and cheap!)

Hoping not to use too much petrol and do the school runs by bike/walking mostly.

I probably took home insurance based on owning !

I got a medical insurance quote online but tricky to get your head round what you need !

Doctors and prescriptions I will treat separately as they are ad hoc same as school expenses.

Breakdown cover is certainly something to add :wink:

 

Cheers !

I can do thermal solar ( hot water)

give us a shout !!!!!

I can do thermal solar ( hot water)

give us a shout !!!!!

Good stuff, all I need to find is a sparky that does PV panels and I'm sorted.

Do you think air source heat pumps would work in Oz too ???

Sorry, turning this into an eco thread :wacko:

Good stuff, all I need to find is a sparky that does PV panels and I'm sorted.

Do you think air source heat pumps would work in Oz too ???

 

Sorry, turning this into an eco thread :wacko:

I'm not sure mate,

i haven't had much to do with air source.

a developer I work for had a social housing site in Plymouth , he said that they were getting electricity bills of over £200 just to commission the system and having it on to dry the property out.

the tennets ( bare in mind social housing )we're getting quarterly bills of £1500

But recently heard some good reports about them

Hope ths helps

Been working this out (there are 5 of us !).

I should have a company car/car allowance with my job so the OH will need her own car only. I've worked our potential MONTHLY costs out as :

Rent $1950 ($450 a week) although I have seen decent properties around Mandurah for $350 ($1516 PCM) newish 4x2 house.

Electric $100

Gas $50

Water $100

Car insurance $50

Rego $50

Food $1200

Petrol/Diesel $150

Home insurance $100

Phone/internet/TV $109 (Optus $109 Bundle)

Mobile phone $40 (just for the OH, I will have one from work)

Leisure activities $200

Medical insurance $150

Total $3999

Then checked with Centrelink and their online calculator gives Tax credits, rent allowance, large family allowance etc as $1349 ($623 fortnightly)

So that leaves us with total outgoings of $2650 pm.

Assuming I get a $70k job and using www.paycalculator.com we will have a "surplus" of $1874 month.

 

If anyone wants to pick up on any errors on my thinking I'd be grateful ??:confused:

Would be good to see what worked out as you'd estimated and what didn't Chardy with you actually living in Australia now...hope its all going well. We all have these kinds of questions and worries before we make the move as its all ifs and buts, we don't hear much in the way of whether the financial situation is what we had expected it would be

Oh yeah an update would be great Chardy hope you are all well settled now ;-)

Oh yes an update would be most beneficial

I'll sit and do an update when I'm on a PC not my phone, sorry it's been a while !

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OK, update time, actual figures in BLUE:

Rent $1950 ($450 a week) newish 4x2 house. $1840 ($460 a week)

Electric $100 About right

Gas $50 Slightly less

Water $100 $150 averaged out (more in summer with retic, usage only as renting so no rates)

Car insurance $50 $72 for 2 cars (one MPV, one small hatch)

Rego $50 $85 (2 cars as above)

Food $1200 $1000 - $1200

Petrol/Diesel $150 $180 (small car commute 120kms a day for work)

Home insurance $100 $25 (contents only as renting)

Phone/internet/TV $109 (Optus $109 Bundle) $125 Telstra phone and broadband 200GB limit), just scrapped Foxtel of $87 as not using it!)

Mobile phone $40 $66 (just for wifes Samsung S3 with $700 credit on Virgin, mine is company)

Leisure activities $200 $250 mostly State Swim lessons for 3 kids and Surf Life Saving club

Medical insurance $150 $50 (not got yet but looking at ambo and extras cover)

Total $3999 $4200

Centrelink Tax credits, rent allowance, large family allowance etc as $1349 ($623 fortnightly)

Just gone down to $320 a fortnight so $640 a month as my salary is higher now and OH works part-time.

So that leaves us with total outgoings of $2650 pm. $3560

Building a house now so will have a mortgage of $2400 plus council rates, water rates and building insurance to add when complete !!

Hope this helps !! :wink:

Good stuff, all I need to find is a sparky that does PV panels and I'm sorted.

Do you think air source heat pumps would work in Oz too ???

 

Sorry, turning this into an eco thread :wacko:

If you want solar PV, go with Solar2020 as they are Brits and excellent prices and high quality workmanship. Be aware if going for solar hot water that Conergy have gone into administration and a lot of people are still trying to flog their systems. I can also give you the name (via PM) of the company that we had to fit our solar hot water. They subcontracted it out and the standard of workmanship was very poor. If you want to know who they are, send me a PM and I will tell you.

OK, update time, actual figures in BLUE:

Rent $1950 ($450 a week) newish 4x2 house. $1840 ($460 a week)

Electric $100 About right

Gas $50 Slightly less

Water $100 $150 averaged out (more in summer with retic, usage only as renting so no rates)

Car insurance $50 $72 for 2 cars (one MPV, one small hatch)

Rego $50 $85 (2 cars as above)

Food $1200 $1000 - $1200

Petrol/Diesel $150 $180 (small car commute 120kms a day for work)

Home insurance $100 $25 (contents only as renting)

Phone/internet/TV $109 (Optus $109 Bundle) $125 Telstra phone and broadband 200GB limit), just scrapped Foxtel of $87 as not using it!)

Mobile phone $40 $66 (just for wifes Samsung S3 with $700 credit on Virgin, mine is company)

Leisure activities $200 $250 mostly State Swim lessons for 3 kids and Surf Life Saving club

Medical insurance $150 $50 (not got yet but looking at ambo and extras cover)

Total $3999 $4200

Centrelink Tax credits, rent allowance, large family allowance etc as $1349 ($623 fortnightly)

Just gone down to $320 a fortnight so $640 a month as my salary is higher now and OH works part-time.

 

So that leaves us with total outgoings of $2650 pm. $3560

 

Building a house now so will have a mortgage of $2400 plus council rates, water rates and building insurance to add when complete !!

 

Hope this helps !! :wink:

 

This is a great info post Chardy, I think its a good breakdown and will help some who are trying to estimate things... really pleased for you to see that things aren't too vastly different to what you expected...seems like its going well for yous, better wage and building a house!! Must be well settled....or getting there anyway. Great stuff. Keep us updated with how things are going and how you're all finding your new life

Food is an area where there are HUGE variations depending on what you buy/eat. We spend less than half the $1200 you estimate but we buy mainly fresh, raw ingredients and cook them for ourselves with a menu planned so we get multiple meals out of lots of things. For example, our roast chicken last Sunday became chicken fried rice a couple of nights later and a chicken & vegetable soup a day or two after that. (For those who know we're a family of 3 normally, for the past couple of months we've been five--stepson and grandson are staying with us as he's moving here for work and looking for his own place.)

However, if we lived mainly on convenience foods, that $1200 could be low. Depends on your family!

There is nothing left of the roast chicken to become anything else with our kids !

We make a lot too but meat and fresh fruit is so pricey.

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There is nothing left of the roast chicken to become anything else with our kids !

We make a lot too but meat and fresh fruit is so pricey.

 

 

That's not a chicken....THIS is a chicken. Seriously, we make a point of buying a bigger one that we need for a single meal just for the leftovers.

I think Toowoomba is lucky to be in a fruit and veg growing area but I find buying fresh and cooking for myself far more economical than processed food. Similarly, meat isn't bad--but we often use cheaper cuts to make stews and pies rather than steak or lamb chops every time. A kilo or so of "gravy beef" can make a beef and mushroom pie big enough for two means for the clan. Or 150gm of beef mince with lots of tinned tomatoes makes a great pasta sauce, probably better than a really meaty one.

Ravioli tonight....about 250gm of veal mince stuffed enough pasta for all five probably with some leftovers.

Yeah, I'm mean! But I want to preserve cash for essentials like wine, Bundy and Foxtel!

Unfortunately we are in pricey Perth !

Save money for Foxtel ???? Just cancelled ours as we never watch the crap on there, the freeview does us when we don't download US series to watch !

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We also cook everything from fresh. However, we spend a huge amount of money on food. We do not buy the cheapest and tend to go for organic and things. For example, i did a roast pork for sunday lunch, we bought it from boat shed and it is the best pork in WA by far. But, a piece big enough for two with enough left for a sandwich was over $40.

That is why i think there comes the cat fights on here about cost of living. If you are used to buying fairly regular supermarket food, it probably is not too much more expensive. If you bought small farm / rare breed and things or lots of game in the UK then the prices are incredible. I used to go to a specialist butcher in the UK who specialised in the sort of meat that we like. Game, rare breed / organic and things. A weeks worth would cost me maybe 50 pounds. Here, the same shop costs me closer to $400