Jackinabox Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Hiya Mchelle LC. $170,000 what type of lifestyle would that give you? We are looking at a 3 bed house in Joondalup, a car and just to be able to take the kids on days out now and again in the holidays. We are not looking at an unrealistic lifestyle which I guess people would class as a "permanent holiday". My husband is a chef and me a hairdresser so combined our annual wage will be approx $60,000-$70,000. x Renting is likely to cost inexcess of Au$20,000pa. A mortgage on a 3 bed with a pool....probably no change from Au$ 35,000pa or more . I would definily be looking at your potential income figure quoted. Seem a liitle on the low side for your employment types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle LC Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. The only thing I can say is that wages are a lot higher here so you may have a higher combined income than you think. This is a very expensive country. Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Do more research and make a proper budget. There will be loads of things you don't expect to pay for that you will have to pay a lot for (for instance depending on your visa you may have to pay for state education); every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) and things you expect to pay for that you will not need to for instance if you are renting you don't pay rates. I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. Public transport is expensive as are school fees, clothes, ice cream, beer, and anything that involves labour. Minimum wage is $21/hr and on public holidays restaurants charge two or three times as much because of labour rates. Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle LC Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 You came here at the right time mate these people are planning to come now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Post needs to be prefixed with "In my opinion:", in my opinion. ) I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. The only thing I can say is that wages are a lot higher here so you may have a higher combined income than you think. This is a very expensive country. Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Do more research and make a proper budget. There will be loads of things you don't expect to pay for that you will have to pay a lot for (for instance depending on your visa you may have to pay for state education); every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) and things you expect to pay for that you will not need to for instance if you are renting you don't pay rates. I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. Public transport is expensive as are school fees, clothes, ice cream, beer, and anything that involves labour. Minimum wage is $21/hr and on public holidays restaurants charge two or three times as much because of labour rates. Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Post needs to be prefixed with "In my opinion:", in my opinion. ) Definitely! Or "I don't mean to generalise or be judgemental but......." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 There is 'some' validity to the above post, but yes i agree it does need to be prefixed with 'in my/our opinion'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian............ Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. If that is true of Brisbane then all I can say is it must be very different from the part of Australia where I live. None of the kids I know fit in to any of the 3 categories you mention and none of the people I associate with are remotely interested in your income or your possessions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrned Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I have mixed feelings about moving to Oz...........The main one is leaving our entire families behind. So guys is it worth leaving the UK to live in Oz. I do have a brother out there. Personal experiences and opinions welcome xx Vikkey x Vikkey have you already got your visa? and what type visa have you got?if it is a 457 visa I would seriously say forget it, you would not be able to survive financially, unless you are seriously cashed up before you get here. like I have previously stated do your research. start thinking with your head, look at the figures, yes it would be lovely to have a pool but do you know how much it costs to run a pool over a 12 month period. things like this you have to think about, I have seen and heard about many families come to oz with very little thinking oz is paved with gold and they will have this amazing life, only to find differently and have to go back losing everything. And then you have the ex pats here who are mortgaged up to the hilt who dont even have a brass farthing to scratch their ars*# with who cant even afford a night out, a cup of coffee or even a holiday but to keep up with the jones and so their pictures they send back to the uk proves they are living the dream when everything they have is on the tick, this gives a false impression to people like you, and the shows they put on telly a load of crap. There is work here if you want it and we earn a good salary between up we earn about 150 grand between us, and live quite cheaply only rent still at 340 a week, small unit, have plenty of surplus money for holidays, eating out, clothes, pictures etc, your jobs you are in not sure what type of salarys you will get but not great, hairdressing and chef, you will have to work very long hours to get a decent wack at the end of the week and that will be both of you, less time to spend with the kids and to live the dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 We have a pool, not a massive thing 8x4x1.8 ish. It has put roughly an extra $60 on our electricity bill, and we spend on average $30 on pool cleaning products (the more you use it the more you will spend), summer months less in winter but you still have to maintain it unless you want to bomb it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle LC Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 If that is true of Brisbane then all I can say is it must be very different from the part of Australia where I live.None of the kids I know fit in to any of the 3 categories you mention and none of the people I associate with are remotely interested in your income or your possessions. I completely agree about Tasmania (Launceston excepting) I've visited Hobart and Launceston with my husband who spends a lot of time there with work, and we do have good (ex pat) friends there. Hobart is just a marvellous place and the people are really nice too. Saying that even Tasmanians start conversations with a discussion of the value of their property from time-to-time and the prices in Salamanca market are hideous. If this lady was planning a move to Tasmania and she had plenty of money to get on her feet I would be more positive but there are very few jobs in Tazzie and even less with the Greens running / ruining your economy. and be serious even in Hobart what sort of place are they going to get on $80k with 4 kids and a pool you can use three times a year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazsmith Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 In a sense I really do have to agree! We came over with no kids and I thought 65k would keep us ticking over! Luckily I walked straight into a job paying 35k more than my prediction! We rent and to be honest I don't want a mortgage at this point in time, our focus is to establish ourselves and enjoy life which we are doing quite comfortably, we never came here to get everything on tick and apart from rent and utilities we have a contract mobile each which works out at $120 a month and we have bought a 4x4 which my employer pays 80% of the cost and all my fuel. This allows us a really good life here and my wife is still seeking work which because of the luck we have had she can wait for one that suits her! We love being here and the lifestyle we have and i don't have a single regret, we have made a good few friends in a short space of time and spend weekends in the cafes and nights out without worrying about the money side of things. Its all about living to your means just like how you live in the uk and making the most of what this country offers without breaking the bank. I would never try to deter anyone giving this life a go, what I would suggest is you think long and hard of your priorities and what you want from Australia, a pool sounds great but the atmosphere at the beach is better and is completely free! Good luck in your venture Gary & Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. The only thing I can say is that wages are a lot higher here so you may have a higher combined income than you think. This is a very expensive country. Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Do more research and make a proper budget. There will be loads of things you don't expect to pay for that you will have to pay a lot for (for instance depending on your visa you may have to pay for state education); every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) and things you expect to pay for that you will not need to for instance if you are renting you don't pay rates. I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. Public transport is expensive as are school fees, clothes, ice cream, beer, and anything that involves labour. Minimum wage is $21/hr and on public holidays restaurants charge two or three times as much because of labour rates. Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! :rolleyes::arghh::SLEEP::SLEEP: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 :rolleyes::arghh::SLEEP::SLEEP: Says it all really... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. The only thing I can say is that wages are a lot higher here so you may have a higher combined income than you think. This is a very expensive country. Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Do more research and make a proper budget. There will be loads of things you don't expect to pay for that you will have to pay a lot for (for instance depending on your visa you may have to pay for state education); every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) and things you expect to pay for that you will not need to for instance if you are renting you don't pay rates. I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. Public transport is expensive as are school fees, clothes, ice cream, beer, and anything that involves labour. Minimum wage is $21/hr and on public holidays restaurants charge two or three times as much because of labour rates. Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! Are you for real? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I live in wa so I will give you some "true" figures for living here. House rent ,we don't have a pool but pay $650 a week rent. Rents do seem to be getting dearer. electric is about the same as the uk, we pay about $150 a month. food bill for 2 adults and 3 kids is about $250 a week , you learn to buy stuff on special and shop around a bit. I fill up my car about once per week, mpg I better due topless traffic and better speeds. $80 phone $30 a month. mobile $40 a month each car insurance $50 a month each internet $80 a month gas , we have solar and gas only cost us $120 for 5 months ( on a bottle) gym $60 a month each Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf N Turf Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. You've set up quite the raging debate in our household in terms which outcome we want for our child. I think we're going to plumb for b as she's only 5 so she's a good part of the way there already. However, in order to keep her on track we're going to need some advice. I'd hate to inadvertently create a or c by wandering off course. As precaution, we're going to keep bibles and flannel out of the house in the meantime. Any guidance would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. You wont find it impossible to live. It all depends what you want out of life! If you want big tvs, a huge house, pool, boat, yeah it will be impossible. If you are happy with 3 beds, no pool and getting on with life....you`ll do fine! This is a very expensive country. Lots of things are dearer and equally heaps are cheaper! Most of my bills are cheaper than the UK! I paid in UK over fifty quid a month for electric. I havent paid over 200$ a quarter yet! PRices have gone up heaps. When I got here in `05 I paid 77c per litre for petrol!! :biggrin: Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. Yeah you will have to work long and hard! You are in a new country trying to make an impression! You wont have friends right away because friendships take years to blossom. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Cant say that I notice this in Brissie. Yeah crap like this happens but its not as prominent as the `i want` and the `im entiitled to` generation that was so evident in UK before I left. Regarding holidays......flights are dearer in Oz, cant argue with that but you can go anywhere you want on holiday! All you need is a beach and a tent! A holiday is not about how much you can spend on one, its about who you spend it with. every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) This is not true! If you find a GP that bulk bills it doesnt cost you anything!!! I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. It is not a criteria of living in Australia that you have to have a big house with a pool!!! Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. From my point of view, I find expats are more judgemental! Expats want to know why youre here, when you got here, why you live where you live etc etc. All the comments I ever got from Aussies were ` oh i thought you were already australian` and `its great how you embraced our country`. Anyone that comes into Australia and spends all this time criticising it for what it isnt.......Thats why Aussies are treating you that way! You have come here, complained and insulted the country! Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! I know when we left we sold everything! I always think if you have something to go back to, then there is more inclination to quit the instant things go wrong rather than giving it a fair bash! Just my random thoughts............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. I do not agree with this statement - i see this as more likely to be immigrants who are already here living the dream and getting more and more on tick, most of the 'Aussies' i talk to couldn't give a flying you know what as to what we all have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 You've set up quite the raging debate in our household in terms which outcome we want for our child. I think we're going to plumb for b as she's only 5 so she's a good part of the way there already. However, in order to keep her on track we're going to need some advice. I'd hate to inadvertently create a or c by wandering off course. As precaution, we're going to keep bibles and flannel out of the house in the meantime. Any guidance would be appreciated. For a) Take her to Coles in here jim jams and let her wear socks with her thongs For c) ensure she has a really bad run of luck...............a close death in the family works well here................then let her answer the door to Mormon/Evangelist/Baptist callers etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Just my random thoughts............ I'm surprised that you wasted them on that dribble :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdk43 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Its been an interesting read through this thread. We have been in Perth all of 8 weeks. So very new. We have both got jobs sorted, have been in the long term rented house for 6 weeks, daughters in school, and life although new, is very similar! I work part time, a good few less hours than in Scotland, husband works full time, and our daughter is in school. All this talk of money makes me smile, as I have met a lovely bunch of Australian girls. Each one of them have a very small income, all seem truly happy with their lot. They have lovely happy kids. The girls I have met live a simple life. Our hope for us as a family, is to have a nice life, but a happy child. The things that we have taken from our short time here really are not about what Australia can give us financially, its the opportunity to spend time as a family outdoors at the beach, at the parks having quality time together. I think that we could all live with a lot less money, you spend what you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I'm surprised that you wasted them on that dribble :wink: Wasnt going to!!! The post pushed my buttons. Posts like that, which generalise and are not the whole truth shall we say........could put someone off of coming here and gaining a while new experience and life for theirselves. Everyone deserves a chance of a new life here and that post could be the one thing that wrecks someones dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Does it? Our eldest is in year 12 and you'd think that if it were going to change, it would have done so by now. He is monolingual and has no mathematical ability. By year 12, school should have given him that. He is briight and has good ideas when it comes to English, history, etc. And I know that there is an argument that pupils will be better at some things than others - but I do think he has been let down by school in some important areas. He does do some homework - mostly computer based, but very little of it seems to be in the traditional essay or project format. Maybe I am an old fogey who is out of touch with the needs of modern society (I hope so, as it would be better for the kids tobe right and me to be wrong), but I do think that education in the UK seemed to be better planned and schools to be held moreclosely to account. Perhaps it's different schools, my daughter is in year 12 and has heaps of homework every week for her 6 subjects and spent a lot of the recent school holidays doing assignments, essays and revision. (Some of her tests have been at 7.30am so that the time in class hasn't been taken by doing a test). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I am really very sorry but if your combined income is $70k you will find it almost impossible to live, save and go on holiday. The only thing I can say is that wages are a lot higher here so you may have a higher combined income than you think. This is a very expensive country. Also it is possible that you will have to work so long and hard that you will end up not really having friends and you will feel lonely. In terms of the kids, Australia is a very dangerous place to bring kids up they have three major outcomes over here (a) Bogan (sort of chav but much worse); (b) consumerist / narcissist with a massive sense of entitlement or; © right wing Christian. Clearly there are loads of lovely people too but the society is very different, do not underestimate this. $170k will allow you to have a reasonable break even lifestyle near any major city. Do more research and make a proper budget. There will be loads of things you don't expect to pay for that you will have to pay a lot for (for instance depending on your visa you may have to pay for state education); every trip to the GP is $80 ($35 refund from Medicare) and things you expect to pay for that you will not need to for instance if you are renting you don't pay rates. I would guess that in WA for a house (4 kids) with pool near work would set you back $700-$800 per week; travel will be expensive everything is a long way away and your weekly food bill will amount to $400(ish), in WA you will be paying about $200-$300 per month electricity and you will have to maintain the house (every three to six months sprayed for insects and spiders) and every six months have your pool serviced. Public transport is expensive as are school fees, clothes, ice cream, beer, and anything that involves labour. Minimum wage is $21/hr and on public holidays restaurants charge two or three times as much because of labour rates. Ex pats will be your best bet for mates. People are not straight with you nothing anyone says turns out be true over here, I'm not saying they lie I'm saying that they are almost always wrong and if you hear 'no worries' you better start worrying because the tradie, rental agent, visa agent, employer, telephone sales man, etc will not be worrying. Finally most Australians are superficial and will judge you by your job, how many houses you own, what you look like physically and your car and boat. Australia is nothing like we thought it would be. If you come do not burn your bridges back in England! We're on nowhere near a combined income of $170 yet seem to be enjoying the lifestyle you've said we shouldn't be living, I live in a nice area, have a pool, nice (not flash car), we go on holiday and have some savings, my electricity bills are nowhere near $200 per month (never mind $300), and the most i've paid for food (having a splurge) has been $300 for a family of 4 (all eating like adults) and we only do an annual spray (which we do ourselves) and I even have some great Aussie Mates (as well as ex-pat ones). Which part of WA did you live that you were paying $800 pw rental? Having ex-pat friends who are renting, I can say that the scenario you've described hasn't been their (or our experience) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munchkinella Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Wasnt going to!!! The post pushed my buttons. Posts like that, which generalise and are not the whole truth shall we say........could put someone off of coming here and gaining a while new experience and life for theirselves. Everyone deserves a chance of a new life here and that post could be the one thing that wrecks someones dream. Thankyou Joanne! Agree completely! :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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