Living Costs in non state capital cities

[seraphim]

HI,

 

I am wondering if anyone living outside of the major cities can give me a heads up on the kind of figures they’re paying for bills? Specifically East Coast, I’m looking around Lake Mac and Newcastle.

 

I’ve made some estimates below but can you let me know if they’re wildly out (too much, too little etc.)

Also if I’ve missed anything!

Our situation is, we’re PR, family of 3 (child still small hence the decision to move before school etc.) Only I would be working at least at the start until settled, would like to live in a not too rough area thanks but we’re not snooty either, good neighbours is more important than wisteria lane type massive houses! A 2/3 bed house in a reasonable area with access to the lake/beaches within a half hours drive would be nice, I’d assume you’d have to pay around $400 a week for that based on realestate? (fairly certain we can’t afford the suburbs like eleebana valentine etc but I’m sure there are OK suburbs for less than this?)

We’d hopefully run 2 cars (A smaller efficient commuter for me for work and a bigger safer 4x4 for partner/child and weekends visiting national parks/unsurfaced roads), so partner and little one can get around and start to integrate, and yes we shop at Aldi in the UK for most things so are quite happy to do the same here with the odd visit to the bigger supermarkets and real markets for other things!

My main criteria is can we live on the 1 salary as partner may not find/want to work or may want to do voluntary work which I’d love to be able to support as the whole idea of the move is better quality of life family time and enjoying life so I’m hoping we could afford partner would be able to do something she finds worthwhile and satisfying (working with animals etc.) rather than at the grindstone just to stay afloat. We’re not extravagant people so won’t be eating caviar (as it’s disgusting!) but the odd steak on the BBQ/glass of red wine wouldn’t go amiss every now and then!

 

Rent = (400pw) $1733pm

Council Tax = $0 if renting?

Gas = $70 pm (don’t even know if houses in Aus HAVE gas and if so, what for, as it’s hot all year round (compared to here anyway, I had to scrape ice from my windscreen this morning = :arghh:!)

Electricity =$250 pm (assuming AC is expensive to run all year round and if we managed to get a place with a pool would this cost double?)

Water (Usage Only) = $85 pm (standing charges paid by owner if renting?)

Contents Insurance = $35 pm (we’re not bringing much and nothing of value other than ourselves!)

Broadband Unlimited (not foxtel) = $93 pm (essential for entertainment, Skyping and job hunting!)

Groceries = ($225pw) $975 pm (2 adults 1 small child who eats well!) is this enough?

Private Medical = ($66 pw) $285 per month OR ($18.20 pw) Extras only = $78pm

Life cover, Critical Illness, PTD Insurance = $90pm

Income Protection for 2 years = $66 per month

Dentists x 3 = $450per year checkups (3 x $150?)

Long Day Care 1-2 days a week (I have NO idea how much nurseries charge, but we should be eligible as ‘low income <150k PR holders for some CCB) Anyone know how much this might be in this area and how easy it is to get little one in to start integrating?

 

 

I’ve also thought about cars, mobiles, hairdressers, contact lenses, etc but these are all very personal and not as easily compared whereas a lot of people will have the above costs!

 

Can you let me know if these are rightish for living out of the cities in a smaller city and if yours are different, what yours are and your situation (i.e family size rough location house size and are you both working or just 1 person etc)

 

 

Thanks!

 

(wow just reread this and I have lots of questions on the cost of living!) :biggrin:

[Chardy]

Gas is usually for the hot plate (hob in the UK) but a hob here is what the bath and shower are built on !

There might also be bayonets for gas heaters to plug in as the winters can get cold at night especially once you've acclimatised!

No council tax (rates) for renters and yes you only pay for water used not rates.

[Jurls]

lol houses in Australia definitely have gas. Some parts of Australia get very cold in winter. Canberra where I live is one of them! You may not need heating up there though so gas costs would be minimal if anything, might depend if your hot water service is gas or electric.

 

For Childcare you will possibly be eligible for CCB and CCR depending on a number of factors. You can get up to 24 hours a week CCB without your partner working if you meet other requirements. Have to use approved care though. CCR you would need to eligible for CCB (incl at zero rate) and meet the work, study, training test. Voluntary work counts for this. More info on links below.

 

Rates Estimator

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/online-estimators

 

Info

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/assistance-with-child-care-fees

[Jurls]

Sorry, should add, you can try looking at the my child website to do a search of places and costs in areas of interest. Site is being revised though so not sure what changes will be made when Abbott has finished his overhauls...

 

Our daycare in Canberra is $95 per day per child before rebates for over 3s. Food etc all inclusive. But as a city I'd hope smaller towns would be a bit cheaper.

 

http://www.mychild.gov.au/

[Rupert]

Personally I would look at it the other way round. Try to build up your expenses from the bottom and you are certain to miss things, everyone gets the big things but forgets about those day to day costs that add up. Do top down, what do you think you will earn in Australia? Compare it to what you earn in UK - by translating at about 2-2.5 as things costs about that. Is it in the same ball park? If yes then you will feel about the same.

[Guest]

Personally I would look at it the other way round. Try to build up your expenses from the bottom and you are certain to miss things, everyone gets the big things but forgets about those day to day costs that add up. Do top down, what do you think you will earn in Australia? Compare it to what you earn in UK - by translating at about 2-2.5 as things costs about that. Is it in the same ball park? If yes then you will feel about the same.

 

I tend to agree with you Rupert but depending where you are moving to and from exactly housing costs can be significantly different so for everything else I'd take X2.5 (they used to say 2.2 when we moved but I think the GFC has made Australia relatively more expensive) but for rent/mortgage the actual cost. I also think people focus on rent and you should budget on the mortgage of the kind of house/area you'd want to live (or take the median for the city if you haven't a clue) - rent is significantly less than a mortgage (very different in the UK) and that caught us out (we also found that the 'median' house in the older areas we were interested in living in wasn't really habitable so what we thought we'd have to spend and what we actually ended up spending was about 50% more. Different in the new build estates where the median price will get you a nice house.

 

I did have to smile at the 'hot all year round' - I've never been so cold as I was in Perth in winter.

[Rupert]

I tend to agree with you Rupert but depending where you are moving to and from exactly housing costs can be significantly different so for everything else I'd take X2.5 (they used to say 2.2 when we moved but I think the GFC has made Australia relatively more expensive) but for rent/mortgage the actual cost. I also think people focus on rent and you should budget on the mortgage of the kind of house/area you'd want to live (or take the median for the city if you haven't a clue) - rent is significantly less than a mortgage (very different in the UK) and that caught us out (we also found that the 'median' house in the older areas we were interested in living in wasn't really habitable so what we thought we'd have to spend and what we actually ended up spending was about 50% more. Different in the new build estates where the median price will get you a nice house.

 

I did have to smile at the 'hot all year round' - I've never been so cold as I was in Perth in winter.

 

True. Another option would be to take UK income after accommodation costs and take the Australian after accommodation costs. Then compare the remainder at a rate of 2 - 2.5.

[Guest]

True. Another option would be to take UK income after accommodation costs and take the Australian after accommodation costs. Then compare the remainder at a rate of 2 - 2.5.

 

Yes, that's was what I was suggesting - you put it more succinctly!

 

We got that bit wrong & naively thought money didn't matter if the sun was shining!

[seraphim]

advice is appreciated. there is one large difference between 2x and 2.5x salary though even at a low salary 20% is a lot to have as a shortfall. I've based my coats on 2.5 as the worse case of the 2. thanks for the childcare info, I have looked at centeelink but my child so v useful. childcare seems to be between 67-95$ a day.

 

were the amounts I guestimates for bills about right, as that's really what I wanted to find out from this thread! especially as it applies to smaller city living.

 

current costs can't really be compared as were mortgage free here and both working so v different situations.

 

re:the cold. I'm sure we'll acclimatise and find mild UK cold if we ever visit but over the last 12 months there has been around 5 out of 52 weeks where UK was warmer than the hunter valley, and that's our summer to your winter! I'd imagine houses get cold due to construction style from what I've experienced.

 

anyway, thank you all who've replied so far for the info, hopefully I'll get some more info regarding the bill amounts.

[Guest]

I don't think the costs beyond accommodation will vary that much living outside a capital city - I will give you my personal opinion on the figures you've quoted based on my family of two adults and a 10 year old.

 

Electricity =$250 pm (assuming AC is expensive to run all year round and if we managed to get a place with a pool would this cost double?) - ours was half that but we didn't use aircon - our first rental didn't have it and we built a solar passive house (our second rental was ancient and had an ancient zircon - we used it one month and the bill was $400 so we never used it after that)

Water (Usage Only) = $85 pm (standing charges paid by owner if renting?) Ours wasn't even that for a year - $35!!

Contents Insurance = $35 pm (we’re not bringing much and nothing of value other than ourselves Ours was a LOT more but we had $70k of stuff insured (sounds crazy but when it was itemised for shipping that's what it added up to replacement value - and we have nothing fancy other than bikes and guitars!)

Broadband Unlimited (not foxtel) = $93 pm (essential for entertainment, Skyping and job hunting!) We paid $50 with iiNet

Groceries = ($225pw) $975 pm (2 adults 1 small child who eats well!) is this enough? Definitely enough we ate very well and spent around that if not less most weeks

Private Medical = ($66 pw) $285 per month OR ($18.20 pw) Extras only = $78p We got HBF through our employer and it was quite a bit less (you do get tax rebate which you can take off monthly or have as lump sum at the end of the year)

Life cover, Critical Illness, PTD Insurance = $90pm Didn't have

Income Protection for 2 years = $66 per month Didn't have

Dentists x 3 = $450per year checkups (3 x $150? Free with most health insurance

Long Day Care 1-2 days a week (I have NO idea how much nurseries charge, but we should be eligible as ‘low income <150k PR holders for some CCB) Anyone know how much this might be in this area and how easy it is to get little one in to start integrating? Not applicable to us but paid about $300 a month for private schooling

Not sure if that helps at all but it sounds like overall you are quite realistic about the costs.

Take your current 'cost of living' expenditure x 2.5 add to that expected accommodation costs in Australia and compare that to your current income x2.5 (it really doesn't matter whether you both work now - unless one of you is going to earn significantly more than 2.5 the UK salary then you are going to be worse off - especially if you don't have rent/mortgage to pay now)

 

 

 

[Jurls]

Some bills from us in Canberra, 2 adults and 2 kids:

 

Electricity 150 per month

Gas 110 per month

Water 100 per quarter

Internet and phone with Telstra 100 per month

 

Our private health insurance is $267 per month but really you need to get prices tailored to the cover you need rather than compare with others as may not be like for like.

[Rupert]

advice is appreciated. there is one large difference between 2x and 2.5x salary though even at a low salary 20% is a lot to have as a shortfall. I've based my coats on 2.5 as the worse case of the 2. thanks for the childcare info, I have looked at centeelink but my child so v useful. childcare seems to be between 67-95$ a day.

 

.

 

So go down the line at 2.25. And it is only intended to give an indication of roughly how well off or otherwise you will feel financially. Again, I think the approach of trying to build this up from the bottom, which many people do, is completely flawed because you will miss a lot of things. I call it over engineering.