susan Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Please forgive me ignorance, hubby and i are currently looking into moving to Melbourne. He has the opportunity of a job in Melbourne with a salary of approx £75k, Would this provide us and our three children with a reasonable standard of living. I too can work (as a civil engineer) on the visa, but our youngest is a baby and ideally i would like not to work for a year or two? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Dollars or pounds???? It's not huge if it's dollars (as in the title) - only just over the average wage really so whilst it wouldn't be baked beans on toast territory it wouldn't be caviar. If it's £ then it would be twice as comfortable. Personally, I'd be aiming for more than that for a family with kids ($). If it's a temp visa (457) then I'd say it's even riskier because you don't get any benefits and you're not a terribly attractive proposition to an employer as a temp visa dependent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 If your talking dollars, then I would say it would be a struggle. for a start, you would need to get a rental for about $400 a week. I don't know Melbourne, but can't imagine you getting anything half decent for that price...may be wrong though. then taking into account, food, school, kindy fees, utility bills, transport costs. I feel you would have to do a lot if scrimping. Hopefully someone in Melbourne on here, can advise you better though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellers and Whitehead Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 No way x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Please forgive me ignorance, hubby and i are currently looking into moving to Melbourne. He has the opportunity of a job in Melbourne with a salary of approx £75k, Would this provide us and our three children with a reasonable standard of living. I too can work (as a civil engineer) on the visa, but our youngest is a baby and ideally i would like not to work for a year or two? Your visa is pretty important here. If it is a temporary employer sponsored you are going to be living on $1,100 a week and unless you spend more than half of that on rent, I would say you will be living in pretty awful accommodation and will be watching every dollar spend otherwise. If you do have a permanent visa, then it gets a bit better because of benefits, but you have to think do you want to move to the other side of the world when only benefits make it viable (genuine question, I know some won't mind but others will). Australia is expensive and families often need the dual income, baby or no baby. If you are comfortable now and you don't need to work now, I would not even think about it to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic1171 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I earn approx $80k and have a nice lifestyle but theres just the 2 of us, dont think it would stretch to 5! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Just reading with interest although not relivent to us as we don't have any kids. However it leaves with a simple question, is the cost of living so high in Australia that it is difficult for young couples to have a family without benefits etc? The UK is certainly heading in that direction with friend with kids really struggling with either only one working or trying to find the money for extremely expensive child care. Seems a pity to me, so many people suggest their main reason for moving to Australia is to benefit their children but then seem to struggle financially because of the kids and the cost of living! S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Just reading with interest although not relivent to us as we don't have any kids. However it leaves with a simple question, is the cost of living so high in Australia that it is difficult for young couples to have a family without benefits etc? The UK is certainly heading in that direction with friend with kids really struggling with either only one working or trying to find the money for extremely expensive child care. Seems a pity to me, so many people suggest their main reason for moving to Australia is to benefit their children but then seem to struggle financially because of the kids and the cost of living! S I think it is more that $75,000 is just about the average salary (its a bit higher) and it is tough for a family of 5. That is all. A family of five might struggle on a single average UK salary of GBP27k too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spratnat Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I'm interested in this too, What about a family of 7 on $120? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Unless you have a family support network here, and your children are all teenagers and can cope on their own without having to fork out for what I believe is extremely expensive childcare, you are going to feel isolated and financially broke. For or a childless couple, $75k might just about do, but for a couple with three children this is not enough. If both adults can work to increase that figure then maybe.... Australia is just another developed country at the end of the day. If you are thinking of Melbourne and you are coming from NI, I would recommend that you give London a go first - similar climate, closer to family, urban environment where it's more happening I imagine than Belfast. I suspect job prospects in London would be better as well, at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 If your talking dollars, then I would say it would be a struggle. for a start, you would need to get a rental for about $400 a week. I don't know Melbourne, but can't imagine you getting anything half decent for that price...may be wrong though. . Depends where you live, you can rent new 4 x 2 houses in the Western Suburbs for about $300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucharmily Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Well we're in Darwin (where rent is expensive - $800 for a a 4 bed with pool). We have a combined income of $132000, 3 children, 2 at school, 1 in childcare 1 day a week costs $70. TBH, what sounds like a fantastic salary on paper does not stretch far. We do have to budget carefully to ensure we don't run out of money by the end of the fortnight and only have the odd treat. In the UK, I didn't work so we were on 1 income and often had to rely on the visa by the end of the month. Here we don't resort to a credit card but this is negated by working long hours (hubby does a 168 hour fortnight, then 6 full days off where I have to squeeze in 4 8 hour shifts). So to summarise, we earn more here but work more and our family/worklife balance is pretty dire. I've never lived in Melbourne so can't advise on costs there but I'd have to agree with most other posters that $75000 would be a struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Since I was made redundant I am looking at a career change and we have calculated the minimum we need to "survive". That is $75k. We have no children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I think $75K is do-able for a single person who is happy to live in a share house. We have had periods where we have had to survive on hubby's $80k (family of four) but that's it, survive - no takeaways, fancy food, clothing, cut your cloth. No prospect of a holiday. You think twice about medical care, especially dental care due to charges - and this is tough with kids. If you rent a family house in Brisbane for $400 it would have to be way out of the city for it not to be a complete doss hole. Sensible rent guide for something OK - $600 to $700 (and no you probably won't get a pool with that) Melbourne, Sydney way more expensive. if you're determined, prepared to live like scrooge, live hours from a major city and account for every cent then go for it. IMHO all the sunshine in the world doesn't make up for living in poverty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinker78 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 no way if it's in $. we are three and struggle on 65,000 and often have to rob peter to pay paul. we have no spare money for things such as clothing, holidays or whatnot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I think the families who do manage well on this amount most likely have been here a while and benefited from high UK house prices and lower Oz ones and a good exchange rate. This meant they had good sized deposits and low mortgages. Nowadays housing costs are much higher and little benefit from any UK sales. if you do get someone saying they live well ask how much their mortgage is a month. as said before the visa you come on can also make a difference to your costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I'm interested in this too, What about a family of 7 on $120? Depends how you cut your cloth. I imagine one massive struggle. But having 5 children sounds like one massive struggle anywhere :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeegieDave Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 A family of 5 on $75k?.. That would not be a wise move IMO. You would struggle big time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled Pink Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 For a couple I'd say no problem.... for a family of five? not a chance without (as many others have already said) a struggle. There are so many things to pay for here that you don't necessarily have to factor for in the UK where kids are concerned - e.g. dentistry, doc visits, sports clubs, books etc for school (even school fees - dependant on visa type and state). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We couldn't cope with that even for just three of us. For 5 you'd need at least $100,000 check the contract though because you may find this is basic and other things willcome in to top it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowsEng Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 My wifes a Civil Engineer in Melbourne and earns over $100,000. Why don't you go to work and hubby looks after the kids? Or get part time work and then earn over $125,000 and live comfortably? It will all depend on where your jobs are and where your happy to live or how far you want to travel each day for work. Where is the job that is being offered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I think the families who do manage well on this amount most likely have been here a while and benefited from high UK house prices and lower Oz ones and a good exchange rate. This meant they had good sized deposits and low mortgages. Nowadays housing costs are much higher and little benefit from any UK sales. if you do get someone saying they live well ask how much their mortgage is a month. as said before the visa you come on can also make a difference to your costs. This is our situation. We managed as a family of four (in Sydney) on $65k for the first three and a half to four years, and whilst we were fine to start with, towards the end of that time it did begin to become more difficult, and the only way we kept our heads afloat was due to our large deposit/small mortgage and consequently small monthly payments for our home. To be completely honest, whilst it will depend to a large extent on where you will be living, I think that it would be difficult to live on $75k now. The cost of living has risen so much over the past few years, that I think it would be a bit of a struggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I would say it depends a lot on your visa and your rent. We did it on a 457 and managed fine but we are a family of 4 in Brisbane and rent was $450 a week. On a PR visa we would've been entitled to family assistance etc and it would have been a lot more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susan Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 Thank you all for you replies, it has definitely given me food for thought. Looks like i will have to work too, which is not really a problem as i have always worked, now need to check out what prospects there are for a civil/water engineer and how much childcare costs!! If you know anyone looking an hydraulic engineer/modeller please point them in my direction !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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