stevio Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Hello there, I am looking for a bit of guidance from anybody who can help please. We are a family of five currently living in sunny England! In around eight months time we will be looking to move over to Queensland, possibly in the Brisbane area because we have recently been granted our Permanent Residency Visa's. Our family of five will consist of Dad (me), Mum, Daughter aged 22, Son aged 17 and our youngest daughter aged 2....yes a big gap! I would be most grateful if you could advise on what we could expect (roughly) to spend each month on property rental,food, household bills,car hire/purchase etc etc just to give us some idea of where we need to be with regard to our finances. Thanks very much Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Hi, Good luck with the move. It varies so much, just like in the UK, dependant on what you eat and where you shop. I spend a lot of food, but we source bulk and organic Rent can vary pending location and can be roughly $300-800 per week. You can get a good idea by looking on realestate.com.au, and put in your areas and requirements, then you can see what they are in your area. renting here, you dont pay rates, the owners do and some dont pay water, some do, pends on what your contract states, we didnt pay water unless it went over a certain amount. You dont pay building but you do pay contents This is roughly ours. our rent was $450 first house, $530 second house, weekly Food $350-450 a week (family of 6) Gas ( we have bottles, for hob and water, roughly $35 a month) We used to have only electric in our rental and we paid $180-200 roughly a month. Electric $160 a mth Foxtel full package, phone line and internet $220 Insurance home $60 ish Car $37 a mth fuel is impossible too add, depends where you drive and how far. mobile varies so much other insurances vary so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footballnotsoccer Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Hi, we have lived in rentals for 5/6 years here in Oz, I made a calculation that the rent on your chosen house will reflect the lifestyle you lead..!! ie if you rent for $300 a week, you will spend 300 $ on bare essentials and another $300 on luxuries, If you go for $500 rental, then the essentials will be $500 too and also $500 for the luxuries. This is a formula that I am happy to stand by...!!! Whatever you feel you need to have to cover your costs i think you should double your estimation, there are so many things you need to start over, they all add up. Good luck with your budgeting, all part of the Oz experience, Cheers, FNS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingtongman Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 cant tell you too much but if you click my blog link, I am living in Queensland for $500 a month all in. just one male. However Im not in Brisbane nore do I have a family to feed. So I dont know how relevant that will be too you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 As a rough rule of thumb, your Aus income (in A$) needs to be about 2 - 2.2 times your UK income in GBP to maintain a similar lifestyle to that you lived in the UK. That is probably a better starting point. There are so many variables if you start with 'how much does x cost?' since people's expectations vary so much. Some things in Aus will cost you more (food, used cars, clothes), some less (public transport is certainly relatively cheap in Melbourne, entry to sporting events, petrol, new cars, and the VAT equivalent is only 10%) - some things in Aus that you have to pay for in the UK you don't pay for here (rates if you are renting, for example), and some things you don't pay for in the UK you have to pay for here (health insurance, school fees and books). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi there, Thanks very much for your help, it certainly gives us some very good areas to now research. Where in Manchester are you from, we currently live near Bolton but I am from Oldham....where it is always -20c!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi fensaddler, Very useful information and thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi tingtongman, It seems like you are getting a good deal! Alas I will have to bring my better half and the children........or will I??!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi FNS, Thanks for your reply, I think that doubling my estimation may be a great starting point...it really is proving to be a very interesting exercise! Cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi, we are from Flixton and urmston Hi there,Thanks very much for your help, it certainly gives us some very good areas to now research. Where in Manchester are you from, we currently live near Bolton but I am from Oldham....where it is always -20c!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic1171 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi mine is rent 520 week this is for 4 bed bungalow with pool on the Gold Coast telstra 120 a month for phone Internet and TV - basic channels electric averages 30 a week food 200 a week this includes a coffee date with girls and a takeout one night contents insurance 30 a month rego like car tax is about 700 for the year, maybe a little less so I budget some monthly petrol 40-50 week but obviously this is relevant to what will need car insurance about 360 a year, lucky to buy car outright so no monthly charge no gas and haven't had water bill yet. Can't remember how it works exactly I'm allowed so much then pay above a certain amount, we have a pool so guess there will be a bill at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABL275 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hello there, I am looking for a bit of guidance from anybody who can help please. We are a family of five currently living in sunny England! In around eight months time we will be looking to move over to Queensland, possibly in the Brisbane area because we have recently been granted our Permanent Residency Visa's. Our family of five will consist of Dad (me), Mum, Daughter aged 22, Son aged 17 and our youngest daughter aged 2....yes a big gap! I would be most grateful if you could advise on what we could expect (roughly) to spend each month on property rental, food, household bills, car hire/purchase etc etc just to give us some idea of where we need to be with regard to our finances. Thanks very much Steve Hi - I posted this yesterday in response to query about how much it would cost to move and set-up in Australia so apologies if it's not spot-on (we also live in Canberra so prices may differ but hopefully there's still some useful stuff in here): Some thoughts/experiences on living costs and some typical pitfalls: - Australia is quite a socialist country, the worker is king and so the minimum wage is relatively high and so is just about anything that involves any sort of labour element. Although the exchange rate is currently about £1=$1.8 I reckon you should budget on the basis of £1=$2.2 to get a truer reflection of many prices. - We rented out our house in the UK with a full set of white goods. In Australia (apart from dishwashers) you're expected to provide your own so that was $2,000+ additional cost. - pretty much all the utilities will charge you a connection fee plus some sort of month's charge in advance so you will effectively pay double or more in the first month/quarter for any services connected. We pay about $220 a month for a bundle from Telstra/Foxtel which provides fixed line, internet and all cable channels (bar HD). I've also got a $60 per month deal with Optus which provides (virtually) unlimited national calls, data and texts for my mobile (pretty sure that also included mobile purchase too). - when you get a car you'll need register it and in Australia registration includes compulsory third party liability - so it'll cost you $800-$1,200 per year just to put your car on the road - a fair bit more than the road-tax in the UK. - Australian healthcare again mirrors the US approach more than the UK and so you'll need to ensure that you have appropriate private health cover. - virtually all contacts with government will cost you; when I went to register my daughter for school there was a 'processing fee' of around $400 (they also wanted $9,500 per annum in fees in the ACT but that's a separate matter). - heating/air conditioning can be very expensive; in QLD you probably won't need the former but probably a lot of the latter. Try and rent/buy somewhere with a decent a/c make (NOT Brivis!) that has the capability to just operate in limit sections of the house e.g. just the bedrooms. Note that although big open-plan houses may look great they can be hugely expensive to heat/cool. - we had to buy a lot more 'replacement items' than expected; my iPhone was under a Vodafone contract and couldn't be unlocked so I ended up having to buy a new one. The child's car seat needed replacing as it seems to be Australian practice that when they introduce new regulations they use the UK or US as starting point and then just increase the standard a bit so as to force people to buy Australian. TVs, DVD players and a whole load of other things need to also be replaced. - a purely personal view but I've always thought that in the US they count in dollars while in the UK we still count in (and mind the) pennies. Australia seems more US-oriented; the smallest Australian coin is the 5c piece and there was talk recently of even getting rid of that as it's considered so worthless. I guess it gives a sense of Australians being less money conscious and consequently prices being higher. As everyone is different you'll need to do your own research so here's a few starting points: Renting/buying houses: www.allhomes.com.au/ is pretty much the default followed closely by www.domain.com.au. In most cases rates etc. are paid by the landlord not the tenant. Apart from the bond (deposit) which is normally 1 month's rent there's generally no hidden costs. Electricals: www.binglee.com.au and www.thegoodguys.com.au are two of the biggest retailers. They'll also haggle over prices. Furniture & household: www.harveynorman.com.au are Australia's biggest and most widespread. Department stores: www.davidjones.com.au and www.myer.com.au are your John Lewis and Debenhams equivalents. General stores: www.target.com.au and www.bigw.com.au are like your old UK Woolworths. Groceries: Try either www.coles.com.au or www.woolworths.com.au These two operate a cosy duopoly and have probably cornered 80+% of all groceries which leads to frequent accusations of profiteering. Many Australian industries/retail sectors seem to be controlled by just one or two large players. DIY/garden etc. www.bunnings.com.au are again Australia's biggest and most widespread. Telecoms, TV & internet: www.telstra.com.au - the BT equivalent, www.optus.com.au/ - the original competitor and there's a whole raft of smaller and regional operators Utilities: Most are regionally-based, but there are generally plenty to choose from. Health cover: Again, plenty of providers but www.bupa.com.au and www.medibank.com.au seem to be the big two that crop up most. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toodolou Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 thanks nic and abl275 for the great info , all noted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 - when you get a car you'll need register it and in Australia registration includes compulsory third party liability - so it'll cost you $800-$1,200 per year just to put your car on the road - a fair bit more than the road-tax in the UK. Ours is $700 a yr, so may vary? - Australian healthcare again mirrors the US approach more than the UK and so you'll need to ensure that you have appropriate private health cover. not needed unless a visa requirement. Medicare provide free treatment in hospitals. Dr's you have to pay for anyway, unless they are bulk billing. I have had 3 operations all 3 excellent service before and after. I have friends with private and they are always thousands out of pocket! My friend who has been here for 23 yrs has never had private and neither have any of her family or husbands family. The main issue is long waits for non urgent surgery, not being able to pick your surgeon and being on a ward with lots of others, pretty much like the NHS. If its urgent, your seen quickly. - virtually all contacts with government will cost you; when I went to register my daughter for school there was a 'processing fee' of around $400 (they also wanted $9,500 per annum in fees in the ACT but that's a separate matter). no charges like this in my experience in brisbane, so depends where you live. Never had to register a child for costs and No yearly fees at the public schools mine have attended. - heating/air conditioning can be very expensive; in QLD you probably won't need the former but probably a lot of the latter. Try and rent/buy somewhere with a decent a/c make (NOT Brivis!) that has the capability to just operate in limit sections of the house e.g. just the bedrooms. Note that although big open-plan houses may look great they can be hugely expensive to heat/cool. get a place with decent insulation or add it yourself, we used the air con a LOT in our rentals, but our own house has great insulation and we have only used the air con over these last 2 days of extreme heatwave, otherwise not touched it in 6 mths. - The child's car seat needed replacing as it seems to be Australian practice that when they introduce new regulations they use the UK or US as starting point and then just increase the standard a bit so as to force people to buy Australian. Most countries have their own legal requirements, standards etc.. its not unusal, you need to use a car seat made for that country and standard. TVs, DVD players and a whole load of other things need to also be replaced. We never replaced any of these items, infact we still have a UK TV going strong multi region DVD players work here. still using my stereo, etc.. Deals direct are great to buy products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowPod Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 As everyone else has said, It depends where in Brisbane that you live. Like every other city, the closer you are to town the more expensive the rent. Living in the outer-suburbs of Brisbane you will have no problems finding a house to rent between $350 - $800 (expect AirCon, pool, large open living areas) a week. Every city has it's less desirable areas which I won't mention so as not to offend anyone, but I'm sure an Estate Agent will be very honest with you on where to perhaps not settle! Brisbane Public transport is great, although expensive depending again how far out of town you live and even driving is not as busy as the UK, coming from someone who drove in London for 9 years it's absolute bliss!!I will warn you QLD Aussies, of which I am one, are horrendous drivers so ensure you're on a train or bus route! We moved back to Oz (Sunshine Coast) after 9 years in London and found that the cost of living here is perhaps on par with that of the UK. You don't have as many choices for Supermarkets & Utility Companies hence the higher costs. However, sometimes it cheaper and easier to shop 'Hunter-Gather-Style' as we call it, at the local Fruit shop, Butchers, Bottle Shop (liquor store as we don't sell alcohol in supermarkets here in QLD) & then just get your necessities from your local supermarket. Aldi has made it here on the Sunshine Coast & I must admit, I'm no longer an Aldi-snob as over here in Oz they're pretty good stores I would say our grocery bill from Sainsbury was probably cheaper than over here due to the competition and ease of 'imported' goods. Anything grown, built, designed outside of Australia is way more expensive (for example Ikea is 3 times the price of the UK) ..... leading me to this final suggestion........ When deciding what to pack and what to leave behind/throw away... bring everything! This is only our experience, but to replace like for like over here was very costly and to find the same quality of goods from the UK in furniture, tools, kitchen goods, sporting equipment was a costly exercise & we felt it would have been cheaper to bring the lot!! Maybe not everyone's experience but definitely ours & it makes life much easier when you're settling to not feel like you're constantly haemorrhaging cash! Best of luck with the move... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Hi, Thanks a lot nic1171, all this info that you and everybody is giving me is really helpful so thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Wow ABL275, I can't believe the trouble you've gone to with this information, thanks a million! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Cheers Fairystar32, going to look at Deals Direct shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Thanks for the info Snowpod, I have been trying to convince my better half that I need to take all my kitchen equipment with me....and there is a lot, your advice may just swing it for her! Mentally I think i'm prepared to pay more for my groceries in Oz, but having said that the prices here in the UK are getting hiked up every time I go shopping, I would have to sell one of my kidneys to afford a cauliflower in Tesco at the moment so I too am a fan of Aldi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Aldi is great here, I try to go most weeks but we moved furthur and end up at Wollies or Coles for the extras we need. We get our meat bulk in a co op and our nuts/flours/ fruit/veg/egss the same, so I go to the supermarket for the kids really. I much prefer Aldi, its great quality and the kids prefer the stuff from there too but its now 25 mins away and when its hot, I cannot be bothered driving there LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevio Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Ha Ha we don't have the heat problem getting to Aldi at the moment, we have just got mass flooding throughout the UK......really bad in parts but surprisingly not too bad here in Manchester! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flathead Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Ha Ha we don't have the heat problem getting to Aldi at the moment, we have just got mass flooding throughout the UK......really bad in parts but surprisingly not too bad here in Manchester! When you get to Queensland you will have both the heat problem and flooding....something to look forward to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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