Natz15 Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Hi all I'm new to this forum, myself, my husband and my new baby son have been living in Melbourne oz for the last 5 years. We are thinking about making a return to the uk to be closer to family. We are not from England but London seems to be where the jobs are so we are looking at moving to an area close to London but is family friendly. It's obviously a huge decision and although I really want to go home I have reservations as England will still be a new adventure. There are a few things I was hoping you guys could enlighten me about. Specifically costs involved in moving back. 1. How much is childcare for a child under 2, would you get any government help with these costs? 2. How much is it to ship things back home, or do you think it's easier to start again? 3. What are the general costs of living in the uk? 4. Can you give me an idea of where to live, somewhere commutable to London and family friendly a must. thanks for all the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Give a little bit more information, do you have British Passports, you say you are not from England but you are going home. Providing your status lets people give you more informed answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I lived in St Albans in Hertfordshire which is one of my favourite places in the UK - It is very expensive to live there however due to its popularity and proximity to London. If you have deep pockets and well paid work however, I'd definitely consider it. Otherwise there are other places commutable to London (e.g. Haywards Heath in the south) that are a bit cheaper. Right of abode comes first though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomthepom1 Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 1. How much is childcare for a child under 2, would you get any government help with these costs?2. How much is it to ship things back home, or do you think it's easier to start again? 3. What are the general costs of living in the uk? 4. Can you give me an idea of where to live, somewhere commutable to London and family friendly a must. Hi Natz, I also live in St Albans, Hertfordshire which is a great place with loads of child friendly restaurants and things to do. Commute into London is very desirable as its only 20 mins to St Pancras/Kings Cross. Chortlepuss is right, St Albans is fairly expensive, but not as expensive as living in London. Would be great to know what your approx budget is for a house and what approx combined income you'll be on. We have a daughter (2yo) who is in Busy Bees nursery. It costs us about £1,150 pm (prices can get to about £1,350pm) in St Albans. Until the ago of 3 there's no Government help with child care (although some employers offer child care vouchers which give you the tax back on 55pw) At 3 you get 15hrs free child care per week, but be careful as some places do not offer this such as child minders. Furniture and general house stuff can be bought fairly cheaply especially if you buy during the sales, so I guess it depends how much stuff you need. We are heading over to Oz in a year and we'll be bringing everything, but for us it's a convenient thing to do rather than the cost. Cost of living wise, we spend on average about £1,750 per month on our general house cost (excluding mortgage), running a car, childcare and food shopping. My wife commutes into London which works out to be £3,300pa for train only, add tube onto the train and it costs £4,300. Let me know some more details and I'll try and give more specific answers. Good luck with your decision making. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natz15 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Hi Natz,I also live in St Albans, Hertfordshire which is a great place with loads of child friendly restaurants and things to do. Commute into London is very desirable as its only 20 mins to St Pancras/Kings Cross. Chortlepuss is right, St Albans is fairly expensive, but not as expensive as living in London. Would be great to know what your approx budget is for a house and what approx combined income you'll be on. We have a daughter (2yo) who is in Busy Bees nursery. It costs us about £1,150 pm (prices can get to about £1,350pm) in St Albans. Until the ago of 3 there's no Government help with child care (although some employers offer child care vouchers which give you the tax back on 55pw) At 3 you get 15hrs free child care per week, but be careful as some places do not offer this such as child minders. Furniture and general house stuff can be bought fairly cheaply especially if you buy during the sales, so I guess it depends how much stuff you need. We are heading over to Oz in a year and we'll be bringing everything, but for us it's a convenient thing to do rather than the cost. Cost of living wise, we spend on average about £1,750 per month on our general house cost (excluding mortgage), running a car, childcare and food shopping. My wife commutes into London which works out to be £3,300pa for train only, add tube onto the train and it costs £4,300. Let me know some more details and I'll try and give more specific answers. Good luck with your decision making. Tom thanks for the responses. I'm from Northern Ireland and my husband is Scottish so there are no issues with working in the uk. We are both in the construction industry so I think salaries might be in the range of 30 to 35 each. Hubby is a drafter and I'm a quantity surveyor. We are are on good salaries here, although I am on maternity leave just now, so I'm trying to do a budget for both here and uk and weigh up the pros and cons in moving back. Childcare in Melbourne is around $25000 per year although you do get a rebate from the government of 7500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natz15 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 I should have said we would prob rent so I can get a good indication of that from right move. It was more the cost of living that I'm not sure on so thanks for your comments tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natz15 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Ok I have had a go at a budget, which I will list below would be great to get any feedback on the accuracy of these costs. All costs are monthly estimates travel into London for 2 people 716 tv 12 internet bundle 32 shopping to include nappies etc 300 gas total guess 50 electricity 50 water 30 car insurance, tax and petrol (not commuting) total guess 175 childcare 1 child 1200 rent 1500 council tax 175 total 4240 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Ok I have had a go at a budget, which I will list below would be great to get any feedback on the accuracy of these costs. All costs are monthly estimates travel into London for 2 people 716 tv 12 internet bundle 32 shopping to include nappies etc 300 gas total guess 50 electricity 50 water 30 car insurance, tax and petrol (not commuting) total guess 175 childcare 1 child 1200 rent 1500 council tax 175 total 4240 Hi, Water might be a little low but not much. Also, Id say that food will be £400-£450 a month. Other wise, I think you are about right. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomthepom1 Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I agree with Dan, food should be higher. We spend on average £100 per week, but that includes some beer and wine. Good luck with the rest of your planning. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.