tuckersgirl Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 hi all, we will be hopefully moving to brisbane end of this year. Need some costs on utility bills ect, we will be on a 457 sponsorship, family of 4 (2 adults, 2 childeren) and will be living outside of the city Brisbane about 10 minutes drive from the centre. where would be a good place to settle with the childeren and how much would you expect to pay in monthly bills? gas,elec, water, schools, tv licence, car insurance, taxes, phone, tv, braodband, food ( we will be eating in mostly), travel costs, a car? also healthcare? iv recently had cancer and now had the all clear :-) im not too sure on what healthcare you need and ambulance insurance? Any help will be mostly apprieciated Sharna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckersgirl Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 forgot to mention we will be renting a 2/3 bedroom house or apartment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fashionably Late Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 We live not too far out from the CBD. We pay $900 a week in rent for a 4 bedroom house. We haven't had to fill our LPG tanks for our gas oven but that's the only thing that's gas in our house (except the BBQ and that cost $28 to refill for a 9kg tank). Our electricity bill was $685 for the last quarter. Our water is paid by our landlord. Our kids are in private school and the school fees for this term were $1400 for our twins and $3700 for our eldest. No TV licence and we pay $76 a month for Foxtel (like Sky). Our phone and broadband are bundled together and it is $109 a month. Cars are dependent on what you want and whether new or secondhand. My car insurance is $76. Our private health insurance is $273.50 a month. We don't need separate ambulance cover in QLD. My husband's train ticket can cost around $3.50 each way from Taringa (we live in Toowong but Taringa station is closer). When he has to go to Ipswich (for work occasionally) is can be about $6.30 each way. We shop around for groceries and it averages between $200-$250 a week. Some weeks are less and some more dependent on what I am planning on cooking. We love where we live and are building a house in this same area. It takes my husband about 7 minutes from the station to get into the CBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faydixon1977 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hi Sharna, I live in Redcliffe which is a 25 minute drive from the city and is a gorgeous seaside suburb (think lapping ocean not crashing surf waves). It is a great area with lovely schools. I work at one of them. We have a gorgeous rental. It is a big three bedroom home and it costs $330 a week in rent. (Only a few years old so it is immaculate). Our electricity is $350 a quarter. We don't have gas. When you rent, you don't pay rates and usually don't pay water. Our phone bill is $60 a month. I have three teenage step children living with us but only at weekends as they live with their mum in the week. There is no TV licence, we don't have cable but that is about $60 a month. I pay $40 a month for broadband. One of the private schools here is $3000 a year, public schools are around $100- $300 plus uniform and stationery costs which are tax deductible. My new car costs $400 a year to insure. I don't qualify for Medicare (public health) so I pay $100 a fortnight for private cover. This is all easy to arrange, you are not eligible for pre-existing conditions for a year. I am about to have a baby which my private cover provides for but the public hospital has a great reputation and I will be treated for free there under the reciprocal agreement with the UK. I have been really impressed so far with the health service. My husband gets Medicare so he pays $30 a week for private cover. We furnished our whole home for $10000 with lovely furniture as we came over with suitcases, nothing else. (Really bargain hunted) The quality of life is excellent here. It is a great community with clean beaches, lovely cafes and lots of community events. We had no desire to live near to the city because we love living by the sea and the lifestyle it allows us to have. There are great parks here including Settlement Cove which is a huge manmade lagoon which is perfect for free days out with the kids. We could have never afforded to live somewhere like this in the UK and I have had to live near the city centre all my life so escaping to the beach really suited me down to the ground and it is way cheaper than many of the more urban suburbs. The train station is ten minutes away and the trip into the city is 30 mins by train. I am a school teacher and my husband is a stainless steel engineer. Together we bring home a decent amount. The costs I have outlined allow us to live comfortably but we haven't been able to save much due to flying back and forth to UK etc, buying for baby etc. I am really happy to answer any more questions you might have. A lot depends on how much money will be coming in. When we came over, we rented a three month furnished rental for $360 a week and it gave us breathing space to find the right suburb and make the right decisions for us. I found it on the internet and we arrived there from the airport. It was the best decision we could have made. Please get in touch if there is anything else you want to ask, no matter how daft it might seem. Good luck with your plans. You will never be able to plan enough but you will find a way through it all. May your good health continue and take care. Fay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faydixon1977 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckersgirl Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 thankyou thats some great tips i got there, my partner is a mechanic so not too sure what he will make somewhere between $50000-90000, once hes found work in the brisbane area i can then see whats about in that area too, iv done care work and a lot of retail work but ideally love to carry on the care work. Do you think we would be able to manage on just his salary until i found work? Thanks so much Fay youve been so helpful Sharna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest31881 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Just to add to the other posts, You do not need Ambulance Cover in QLD, providing you have a QLD address you are covered for ambulance call outs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think bills can vary A LOT!!!!!! Our electricity bill is rarely under $1000 a quarter for a family of 5. Our school fees are $26000 a year at a private school for all 3 children No Gas Rates - $2500 a year - which also includes water Private Health $4200 a year Love Rudi x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Hi it varies drastically in brisbane. I would say you would survive fine one one wage on the higher end of those figures, but 'may' struggle on the $50k this post also has a lot of info, I put all my costs on it a while ago. http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/137484-real-cost-living.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missymoggs174 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi everyone would love some advice I am a single parent wanting to emigrate to Austrailia, I have taken the skills visa test and passed (very early on I know) I just would appreciate any feedback, would I be ok to move to Brisbane alone with my 3 year old daughter? I am 26 and not scared of making the move but want advice on everything really, I have been in recruitment since i left school at 16 and know there is a demand in Austrailia, Any help would be appreciated xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jzombie Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 hi all, we will be hopefully moving to brisbane end of this year. Need some costs on utility bills ect, we will be on a 457 sponsorship, family of 4 (2 adults, 2 childeren) and will be living outside of the city Brisbane about 10 minutes drive from the centre. where would be a good place to settle with the childeren and how much would you expect to pay in monthly bills? gas,elec, water, schools, tv licence, car insurance, taxes, phone, tv, braodband, food ( we will be eating in mostly), travel costs, a car? also healthcare? iv recently had cancer and now had the all clear :-) im not too sure on what healthcare you need and ambulance insurance? Any help will be mostly apprieciated Sharna Hi Sharna, You might also find the following international cost of living comparison website helpful: http://www.expatistan.com Uses actual costs posted by others to come up with averages. According to my visit today, the overall cost of living is 12% lower than London. You can also compare with your hometown too. Good luck on you move - we'll be emigrating to Brisbane at the end of July with our 3 kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hodgson2710 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 My wife and I are looking to migrate this year, cannot decide between Perth or Brisbane. We have been to Perth and loved it, but I have a good chance of transferring within my company to Brisbane. This may sound like a foolish question but is the rain (flooding) and humidity as bad as some say, and how do you manage with the "wildlife" (spiders, snakes, cane toads etc)? My wife is a secondary school teacher so is interested to know how you find teaching in queensland. Any help you can give us with making our decision would be really appreciated. Why come to Brisbane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger2shirts Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 @Missymoggs make sure its Permanent Resident status you apply for as then you are immediately eligible for Centrelink / Medicare / schooling etc and it gives you a safety net. Also you need to get all the legals done for your child to be eligible to emigrate i.e, father etc. But yes you can do it and Aus is a better place for your child to grow up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger2shirts Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Brisbane is not as isolated as Perth - biggest difference - buts its significantly further from the UK. Perth has lots of English there. The snake , spider, toad thing - they are here but really are not an issue if you just play by the rules and be sensible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebo Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Hiit varies drastically in brisbane. I would say you would survive fine one one wage on the higher end of those figures, but 'may' struggle on the $50k this post also has a lot of info, I put all my costs on it a while ago. http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/137484-real-cost-living.html I also think you may but it all depends on the lifestyle you're used to but I think $50k is below the national average, a good rule of thumb is spend no more than 30% of your income on rent which would mean about $320 pw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilharrison_253 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Hi Sharna, I live in Redcliffe which is a 25 minute drive from the city and is a gorgeous seaside suburb (think lapping ocean not crashing surf waves). It is a great area with lovely schools. I work at one of them. We have a gorgeous rental. It is a big three bedroom home and it costs $330 a week in rent. (Only a few years old so it is immaculate). Our electricity is $350 a quarter. We don't have gas. When you rent, you don't pay rates and usually don't pay water. Our phone bill is $60 a month. I have three teenage step children living with us but only at weekends as they live with their mum in the week. There is no TV licence, we don't have cable but that is about $60 a month. I pay $40 a month for broadband. One of the private schools here is $3000 a year, public schools are around $100- $300 plus uniform and stationery costs which are tax deductible. My new car costs $400 a year to insure. I don't qualify for Medicare (public health) so I pay $100 a fortnight for private cover. This is all easy to arrange, you are not eligible for pre-existing conditions for a year. I am about to have a baby which my private cover provides for but the public hospital has a great reputation and I will be treated for free there under the reciprocal agreement with the UK. I have been really impressed so far with the health service. My husband gets Medicare so he pays $30 a week for private cover. We furnished our whole home for $10000 with lovely furniture as we came over with suitcases, nothing else. (Really bargain hunted)The quality of life is excellent here. It is a great community with clean beaches, lovely cafes and lots of community events. We had no desire to live near to the city because we love living by the sea and the lifestyle it allows us to have. There are great parks here including Settlement Cove which is a huge manmade lagoon which is perfect for free days out with the kids. We could have never afforded to live somewhere like this in the UK and I have had to live near the city centre all my life so escaping to the beach really suited me down to the ground and it is way cheaper than many of the more urban suburbs. The train station is ten minutes away and the trip into the city is 30 mins by train. I am a school teacher and my husband is a stainless steel engineer. Together we bring home a decent amount. The costs I have outlined allow us to live comfortably but we haven't been able to save much due to flying back and forth to UK etc, buying for baby etc. I am really happy to answer any more questions you might have. A lot depends on how much money will be coming in. When we came over, we rented a three month furnished rental for $360 a week and it gave us breathing space to find the right suburb and make the right decisions for us. I found it on the internet and we arrived there from the airport. It was the best decision we could have made. Please get in touch if there is anything else you want to ask, no matter how daft it might seem. Good luck with your plans. You will never be able to plan enough but you will find a way through it all. May your good health continue and take care. Fay Hi Fay Thanks for the awesome load of Information. We head over in September this year and just about to book short term accommodation. Would you mind letting me know where the short term 3 month let you organised was located and if you have any of the details of it. That would suit me very well indeed!! Thanks in advance Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Hi Sharna, I live in Redcliffe which is a 25 minute drive from the city and is a gorgeous seaside suburb (think lapping ocean not crashing surf ....Fay Hi Fay, that really is a great post. I imagine people will find it very helpful. Was confused by one thing though, you say "I don't qualify for Medicare (public health)" but then you say "and I will be treated for free there under the reciprocal agreement with the UK" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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