Career Advice:Move to Australia - Take a Job in Sydney or stay in current job in the US

[maliluv]

Hello there,

 

I have been researching a lot about moving to Australia (Sydney or Melbourne) and I finally mustered the courage to post a question in this forum. I currently have a job where I make $120k USD. I am stuck in the immigration limbo in the US. I have been here for 8 years and I just applied for my permanent residency. Atleast 2-3 years away from permanent residency. Since I don't have my permanent residency, my opportunities for growth cannot be fully realized. My spouse is not eligible to work and is still applying for a work visa.

If I switch jobs and I get lucky I could land $140k USD in my next job.

 

All the above made me to do some soul searching. I have already been invited to apply for Skilled Independent 189 visa and I have already applied. To my surprise I also have a job offer for $160k ( + additional super annuation). And my wife is looking to get a break and start working in IT. I am now contemplating my next move.

 

I work in the field of Business Intelligence. How is the market in general ? I ask this because I am in a somewhat unique situation I am seeking to get to the next level and my wife is looking to get her break. Her field is IT business analyst/project management with 2 years of experience.

 

Can a kind soul relate to this ? Would it be advisable to make the move and/or take the risk ?

[Joanna82]

Mate, you write about your job and money. Sure these things are important, but have you been to Australia before and know what to expect? As to the salary, 160k AUD are roughly 140K USD, so if you currently live an expensive part of the country you'll do ok.

[maliluv]

Thank you Joanna. I am trying to understand if I can maintain or exceed my current standard of living. I used to live in California and then came to DC as a tourist and loved it but I am dealing with bad winters and the social scene here in DC is not as good as in California, what you see as a tourist can be deceptive. That is why I wanted to get a local's perspective as to whether I can match or exceed current standard of living based on numbers. All other things being equal safety etc,. to me quality of life is based on (quality of off time + job you like). Assuming I have the second part locked down. I am trying to get a sense for the quality of off time.

 

With my current scenario, I can afford a 4 week vacation for two at $8000, spend $1200 on food and entertainment on a monthly basis, pay a mortgage ($2000/month) and own a car ($600/month) and still save 20% of my income. Would this be possible in Sydney ? In the US mortgage is about 20%-30% cheaper than rent if you can afford a 10-20% down payment and you get tax rebates. If renting is cheaper in Sydney then that's fine. Also, I am not frugal but a smart shopper. Can I save 20-30% of the 160k AUD on offer and still maintain the same or similar standard of living. Possible Anyone ?