Initial Budget

[StevelandWonder]

We have just got our visa and although we have saved and researched now it come to actually starting to splash the cash. What has other peoples experiences been with what to budget for the 1st month or so. We are planning to go to Sydney, Northern Beaches. We though about a furnished rent initially followed by a non furnised rent. Any advice appreciated.:xmas24:

[egrek]

Expensive. Normally more costs than you realise. Where are you planning on settling?

 

 

RENT:

* Melbourne is about $2-300 a house in the suburbs, to $300-500 easy in the CBD for one bedroom flats. Bonds are normally 3wks to 3 months rent - all upfront costs (we saw one place for $450 a week, but $4000 bond - it was very swish!) renting rooms in shared housing can be a lot less ($100?) - I believe Sydney is normally considered x1.5-x2 the costs of Melbourne.

* Furnished seems to be a lot more atm? We were told $100-150 more A WEEK!

* Just met with a friendly guy yesterday saying basically, if you're staying for up to 6m, furnished is better. More than 6m, unfurnished and get your own stuff. Frankly if the cost is not $100-150 more a week... we're just looking at unfurnished now - Ikea, gumtree and others are great for cheap furniture!

* And if you can, shop around, it's AMAZING the difference you get. Paying more DOES NOT mean you're getting better, by a long way! We've been amazed what some people are charging for some places (and they are going too!)

* Rent (at least for us) was the main spend - taking half to a third of our take home pay - depending on the place and the jobs!

 

FOOD: Eating out can be really expensive. When we first arrived, EVERYTHING was too much. We struggled to buy at the supermarkets! Coffee and cake for one here was (is) more than a full meal for two in the UK. It's scary and crazy. (I should point out, now we've been here over a year, are earning and settled, have money and comfortable, everything seems quite reasonable!)

 

VOUCHERS: Ourdeal, Groupon Scoupon etc. We've used them a lot and found for meals and tickets to things great (not so much on diving courses) - getting a banquet meal for two with a bottle of wine for $30? Yes please! Just read all the small print to make sure you're getting what you think (and the locations)

 

TRANSPORT: Melbourne is about $6 a day all day travel near the city. I hear Sydney is a lot more (and some say worse?) But compared to home it seems cheap!

 

FLIGHTS: Double going to the UK than from the UK. Best idea we had (and others on here say the same) is get return flights to the UK, if you want to head back once a year. About $2k a ticket going to UK return. Some deals can get it to about $1500 that we've found, but they are getting rarer!

 

So we really scrimped and saved when we first arrived, till we both had jobs and started getting money in. Our friends did the same. it was difficult not to with the exchange rate. But once you're getting paid an Aussie wage and more settled, it all flattens out and start becoming normal. I can't wait for our holiday back to the UK, all our friends who have been say it's so cheap!

 

What else you want to know?