Sharkybabe Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Hi, just wondered if anyone could guide me on the living costs in Sydney. I am in the process of nogotiating a job with my current employers to work from the Sydney office (right in the harbour). I will also be moving out there with my partner and will need to support all his costs for the first few months. I have a good paid job but I need to ensure that I can earn enough money to support two adults. Ideally I am looking to rent a spacious two bed apartment within walking distance or a short bus ride to work (I've seen some places that have swimming pools which I would love). I will also want to get a car so I need to know average running costs (this will be used every weekend exploring and heading out of the city to travel). There is mixed information all over the net relating to costs but I have a list of expected items we would have/need; Two mobile phones Landline Internet (unlimited broadband preferably) Food / toiletries / cleaning products Car Foxtel Utility bills Rental costs Insurance costs One off items like clothing and furniture i will factor in by saying x amount above the salary I require. We dont drink alot although we do enjoy the odd drink and at the weekends we plan to be heading to different beaches and surfing, therefore I would say our general costs wont be too high. It is just our core living costs that I need to get a good idea of. I should receive my offer within the next two weeks so need to be on the ball to ensure I have the funds I require before accepting the position. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarby777 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Second-hand cars are pretty expensive. I got a 2002 Lancer last year with 130,000k on the clock for $8K and thought I was doing quite well. The price of CTP (green slip) insurance is more or less fixed in NSW, so there's no point in shopping around for it. Mine cost $500-ish. Rego (like your UK tax disc) cost me $250. Then the actual insurance (oh yeah - you need two kinds of car insurance) was in the region of $400 fully comp. I'm mid-40s with full NCB, living close to the CBD. Petrol varies a lot, but is typically in the range $1.20 - $1.50 per litre for E10 (91 Octane unleaded with 10% ethanol). Basic fixed-price servicing can be had for $170 with K-Mart. Unit prices vary a lot with the location but in the nicer areas of Sydney it's not at all unusual for the kind of unit that you describe to be in the $700-900 per week range. You can pay $3000 per week for a really nice one, and a nice 2 bed unit with water views can be nudging $1.5m to buy in a nice area. In a unit, you'll probably only have electricity bills to pay (no water, rates, council tax etc). It varies with the season but I think we pay something like $180 per quarter on average. Plenty of good mobile contracts at around $30 per month. For unlimited ADSL2, check out TPG. Maybe $50-70 per month or thereabouts. Everyone's situation is different but based on what you've described, I would say it's going to be a bit of a squeeze on one wage if that wage isn't in or very close to 6 figures in $AUD. Unless you have LAFHA, of course... that changes everything. You pretty much get all your rent and food covered if you have LAFHA, but don't bank on it being around for very long. HTH Tarby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Hi, rental costs in Sydney are rather expensive have a peek on http://www.realestate.com.au as to foxtel/broadband/landline go for a bundle often the cheapest way we had a bundle 50GB (bigpond elite liberty) for adsl 2 which included fox channels platinum value pack 2 x fox boxes & budget phone calls $200 a month plus any additional calls this was all via Telstra - 2nd hand cars here are alot more expensive than in the uk so shop around & often the best bargain will be someone who is returning to the uk or elsewhere & has a car to sell. I think food/bedding/clothes etc is more pricey than the uk the only thing i think that is cheaper is fuel & smokes. Mobiles are a rip off not many companies roll over the minutes etc i think virgin have provided us with the best deal hubby was on a business pack & used his own phone so he was not tied into a contract. Hope this is of some help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natnats Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Hi there, A good piece of advice we were given was to multiply your UK salary by 2.5 to give you the same level of income that you have in the UK now. So, if you currently earn £50k then you'd want to be earning at least $125k to have the same standard of living. Sydney is a great place to live but is quite expensive so be prepared and research prices well! Nats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkybabe Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Thanks for all the advice. I think I'm in a position to get a 6 figure salary and can have the lifestyle I want from considering all the advice. Just got to wait for the formal offer so let's hope they give me a good relocation package too. As soon as my partner can be earning an income then I think we would have a good life. Just got to sort out a visa for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natnats Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Hi sharkybabe, What visa are you coming over on? If it's a 457 then you partner is entitled to work too. All you'll do is add them as a secondary applicant to your visa application. Nats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkybabe Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 My mom was born in Australia and in April this year I got my citizenship by decent. On Monday I have my Australian passport meeting. We are just in the process of getting my partners police clearance. We are still a little unsure on what visa is best to get him. Due to our circumstances all our household bills are in his name. I was originally giving him cash and when we realised we needed evidence I started transferring money monthly to his account. I can get statements from friend, neighbours, family and other Australian citizens. If we can't obtain a visa for him then he will be using long term holiday visas and flying back to the uk regularly until we can get a visa for him that will give him the right to remain. He has good qualifications but can't get a skilled visa as his job falls between two categories and doesn't quite cover one soley. We are in the process of trying to get advice on all this stuff and hopefully my work would assist with it. I think it would be easier if I was going a visa route to get him out there with me but I think the only way forward for us is he will get ssome sort of visa and I will sponsor him as an Australian citizen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natnats Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 What does he do? A sponsored 457 might be a good option for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hi, just wondered if anyone could guide me on the living costs in Sydney. I am in the process of nogotiating a job with my current employers to work from the Sydney office (right in the harbour). I will also be moving out there with my partner and will need to support all his costs for the first few months. I have a good paid job but I need to ensure that I can earn enough money to support two adults. Ideally I am looking to rent a spacious two bed apartment within walking distance or a short bus ride to work (I've seen some places that have swimming pools which I would love). I will also want to get a car so I need to know average running costs (this will be used every weekend exploring and heading out of the city to travel). There is mixed information all over the net relating to costs but I have a list of expected items we would have/need; Two mobile phones Landline Internet (unlimited broadband preferably) Food / toiletries / cleaning products Car Foxtel Utility bills Rental costs Insurance costs One off items like clothing and furniture i will factor in by saying x amount above the salary I require. We dont drink alot although we do enjoy the odd drink and at the weekends we plan to be heading to different beaches and surfing, therefore I would say our general costs wont be too high. It is just our core living costs that I need to get a good idea of. I should receive my offer within the next two weeks so need to be on the ball to ensure I have the funds I require before accepting the position. Thanks. Mobile phones can be had for $30-$50 a month, PAYG or contract. They're not expensive, I have a $29 a month deal with 5GB data, no need for contract for me Landline, Internet best to bundle IME. $60-$100 a month Food/toiletries/cleaning products, more expensive here than UK. Reckon on $1000 a month or so (we spend over $1500, family of 3, but my missus is a spendthrift :wink: ) Car, you won't get much for less than $10K. Go Japanese or "local" for value Car insurance and petrol as per tarby's post Utility bills, expect to pay pretty much what you do in the UK. Per unit prices are higher, but you should use less (especially in an apartment). Don't expect to get away without heating in winter though, and standards of insulation are cr@p (personally hobbyhorse!) Housing is the biggy. If you want a central apartment at a halfway sensible cost I would say one with a swimming pool (or use of a pool) is a massive ask. Not really necessary anyway IMO, there are so many outdoor public pools. You need to budget at least $500 a week and probably more for a flat. I have friends living in nice spacious 1 bedders in Neutral Bay, Cremorne for $500 a week. 2 beds about $100-$150 a week on top of that. Inner West prices seem to be similar, as are the grungier bits of trendy areas (like Redferny end of Surry Hills). Eastern Suburbs and trendier areas (Surry Hills, Pyrmont etc) more expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkybabe Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 My partner is a resource manager in logistics. He currently manages a large fleet of agency hgv drivers and has some import export experience. He also has a degree in business and finance. The sponsored 457 visa, he would need to secure some sort of position whilst still in the uk. My work plan to move me out quite fast so we might not have time for that. I think we will be fine on the whole money side of things.I wil be coming over as a finance controller for a large international company. Even with the lowest possible offer I will get I can pay for both of us. Ideally at the moment I am considering living in pyramont until we can find our feet out there. The location is ideal for me with my work and probably ideal for my partner to seek employment. I love the idea of a jap car being value for money. I've had a jap sports car in the past and I loved it to bits, best car I ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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