mogsandrovers Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Hi guys! now have my nurses reg for OZ (or more like it will be official if i present to them before december) But now were huffin and hawing about the UK and talking about just staying here as its awfully expensive in OZ i have heard?? I lived in Melbourne in 2006-08 as a nurse and remember eating out a lot and must have had a lot of money - have the prices shot up? is the cost of living extortionate now? any advice appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Since from your status it says you are in Kent, providing your salary is going to be at least 2.2$ to the £, I would think you would find it okay. Again from your status it says Adelaide bound so that is in your favour too, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are the most expensive cities. We went to Perth from Scotland and struggled because working in Financial Services in Edinburgh I got higher wages than I got in Perth as well as the higher cost of living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I don't know why you are worrying about the cost of living if you coped OK in 2006-08. Why would things have changed, unless wages have stagnated whilst prices have gone up? Perhaps you just want to stay in the UK and are looking for reasons to do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Adelaide is reasonable I find. Decent property can be bought in many areas although the southern suburbs tend to be more affordable on an average salary. Also the coastal suburbs down south prove popular for a fair number of ex pats. Although they are found all over. Eastern and central are pricier. Can't comment on the norther suburbs as don't really know them. Rentals in our area are around the $350 pw for a basic 3 bed but can be more for a larger house, higher standard of fittings etc or one with a pool. Cars are more expensive than the UK but this would have been the same when you were here last. Budget for an 8-10 year old decent car here to cost around the $5,000 or so, if not more. Newer models cost more obviously. Fuel is cheaper but prices can jump 10c overnight :rolleyes: Food I find more expensive than in England. Bread is horribly expensive. Of course its all relative to earning Aussie $$ but as a general observation, I find it far more expensive shopping here. I budget but can be sure to go over that most weeks. Then things like medical insurance cost us about $180 a month. We are overall better off here and that is on one salary really. I only work part time and then as and when. We don't lead an extravagant lifestyle and are coping fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I think you'll be fine. Prices haven't changed that much from when you were last here except electricity, gas and water are all up. Food is about the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Bread I find cheaper. Well some bread for example good sourdough or artisan loaves are more common here and cheaper. Good ingredients and few of them. a standard sliced may be dearer but I don't buy it. Probably a bread snob but I find mass produced bread doesn't agree with me, i make my own basic bread. Flour, yeast,salt, butter/ oil and water. Oh yes and time......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I guess its all relative. I buy decent bread but find it expensive compared to the same sort of thing in England. I baulk here at spending $3 for a bagel in the market. Daft price. I paid $7 for a loaf the other day. Lovely bread but $7 is a lot. Kids sarnies for packed lunch would cost a forutne if I spend $7 on a loaf each time for them. And yes, we just had a lovely price hike on the old energy bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I don't know why you are worrying about the cost of living if you coped OK in 2006-08. Why would things have changed, unless wages have stagnated whilst prices have gone up? Perhaps you just want to stay in the UK and are looking for reasons to do so? House prices have gone up out of line with wages in Australia, and in the same period (up until very recently) house prices stagnated in the UK (as did wages to be fair) so what someone could afford moving to Australia in 2006 is very different than what they could afford now. In 2006 the median house price in Adelaide was $286k, it is now $408k, a rise of 43% - wage increases will be nowhere near that. I suppose the question for the OP could be, if your salary is going to be 43% more than it was in 2006 then you will be able to afford the same standard of living. The exchange rate makes a massive difference at the point of initially migrating too - we sold our house pre-crash in 2008, as well as cashing in investments and exchanged our equity at 2.6 - that was a big deposit on a property which reduced our monthly mortgage payments obviously and made day to day living more affordable. Someone moving now, unless they are in the London housing bubble is going to get relatively less for their house (compared to an equivalent Australian house) and exchange their equity at a much lower exchange rate so it is harder now for someone to migrate than it was in 2008. Things like eating out, clothing etc. may well have kept pace with wages in Australia (& that's probably why they seem expensive compared to the UK) but housing is most peoples largest single outlay. Not changing my original advice to the OP though - Kent is an expensive part of the UK and Adelaide a relatively cheap part of Australia so providing the salary stacks up cost of living isn't a reason not to go. There could be others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I can vouch for house prices in Adelaide.We are in the process of selling Mums house,and she had a modest 3 bed bungalow,and the appraisals we recieved for it were imho ridiculous.I later checked other estate agents houses online just to see if the agents were being overly enthusiastic,and nope they were'nt! My nephew and his wife had a house built,nothing too flash,and now have to sell it so they can afford to start a family! I did'nt find grocery shopping overly expensive,mainly toiletry type stuff,washing powder ect.Fruit and veg seemed ok,as did meat.Utility prices seem expensive to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 House prices have gone up out of line with wages in Australia, and in the same period (up until very recently) house prices stagnated in the UK (as did wages to be fair) so what someone could afford moving to Australia in 2006 is very different than what they could afford now. In 2006 the median house price in Adelaide was $286k, it is now $408k, a rise of 43% - wage increases will be nowhere near that. I suppose the question for the OP could be, if your salary is going to be 43% more than it was in 2006 then you will be able to afford the same standard of living. The exchange rate makes a massive difference at the point of initially migrating too - we sold our house pre-crash in 2008, as well as cashing in investments and exchanged our equity at 2.6 - that was a big deposit on a property which reduced our monthly mortgage payments obviously and made day to day living more affordable. Someone moving now, unless they are in the London housing bubble is going to get relatively less for their house (compared to an equivalent Australian house) and exchange their equity at a much lower exchange rate so it is harder now for someone to migrate than it was in 2008. Things like eating out, clothing etc. may well have kept pace with wages in Australia (& that's probably why they seem expensive compared to the UK) but housing is most peoples largest single outlay. Not changing my original advice to the OP though - Kent is an expensive part of the UK and Adelaide a relatively cheap part of Australia so providing the salary stacks up cost of living isn't a reason not to go. There could be others When I live in England, I get paid in pounds, and when I live in OZ, I get paid in dollars. Naturally, when I transfer money to one or other of the countries, I am affected by the FX rate, but apart from that, I never bother comparing prices. I would have thought that after you've been in a country for more than a few weeks, you forget about prices in your previous country, otherwise you'd drive yourself batty, forever comparing prices, converting them from GBP to AUD and vice versa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest226914 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 You need to look at how much money is left over at the end of the month and compare that rather than how much things cost. I would say things are more expensive living in Sydney but mine and my partners salaries are higher so we have more disposable income than in UK. If I just looked at costs compared to UK it would probably scare me off but if you have a higher salary you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 When I live in England, I get paid in pounds, and when I live in OZ, I get paid in dollars. Naturally, when I transfer money to one or other of the countries, I am affected by the FX rate, but apart from that, I never bother comparing prices. I would have thought that after you've been in a country for more than a few weeks, you forget about prices in your previous country, otherwise you'd drive yourself batty, forever comparing prices, converting them from GBP to AUD and vice versa? I agree 100% absolutely - the only impact is when you are transferring money but that makes it harder for people migrating now than when I did. Once you're spending money earned in dollars it is irrelevant what the exchange rate is. The median house price as a proportion of wages matters though - my 4-bed detached here in Scotland cost 2.4 times my UK salary, my similar sized house in Perth was 5.6 times my Australian salary - whichever way you look at it an awful lot more of my income went on my mortgage, which left less for fun Plus I get to live in a 'desirable' area here whereas we could only afford 'up and coming' in Perth - not that it mattered, I liked where I lived. Of course where you move from/to has a huge affect on that - Kent to Adelaide could well be the other way around with Adelaide offering more affordable housing than Kent (depends where in Kent too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogsandrovers Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 Thanks for all your advice - yes it is the rise in housing prices and outlays for bills I am concerned about - but I guess anywhere in the world can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it to be by living within your means and being frugal (my word of the day) Living in a cheap area of Kent sets ups back over £1000 / month As for "looking for reasons to stay in UK" - surely if one has to look for reasons to stay in a place then its time for a change onwards and upwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I'm sure as a nurse you will be better paid in Aus not to mention having your skills appreciated and having a higher quality of life in Aus. The Uk NHS treats nurses appallingly in terms of pay and hours! ( I'm sure you are aware of that already!) So the move for anyone depends on what your job is here vs what the pay/ conditions are in Aus. If a loaf of bread costs twice as much but you are paid 3x as much what would it matter?! For some migrants it doesn't work that way around so it's all down to individual situations. Everyone needs to research their own circumstances / prospects before they move. Of course money isnt everything and some might be willing to take a pay cut to have a better lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 (edited) OP,not sure why you asked the question then if you're 100% sure you're going?If you have to ask,can you actually afford to go?Just a thought! Edited September 25, 2014 by Jacaranda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogsandrovers Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 OP,not sure why you asked the question then if you're 100% sure you're going?If you have to ask,an you actually afford to go?Just a thought! where did i say i was 100% sure were going? i asked about the recent rise in prices in Oz - to which my question was answered so we can make a more informed decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 You said yourself,if you have to look for reasons to stay in the UK,then its time for a change?Onwards and upwards???Go for it!:huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogsandrovers Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 You said yourself,if you have to look for reasons to stay in the UK,then its time for a change?Onwards and upwards???Go for it!:huh: ah - yes i said that because someone earlier on this thread suggested i was "just looking for reasons to stay in the UK". no futher questions. thanks for all your answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Good luck hon,Im sure all will be fine!All of us always have enough money for what we need at the time.Don't over worry what you can't control.xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul1977 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Has the op ever been to aderlaid ...? May be worth a visit to check it out... Heard it's very small and very quiet... Heaven for some hell for others . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraxFM Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Since from your status it says you are in Kent, providing your salary is going to be at least 2.2$ to the £, I would think you would find it okay. Again from your status it says Adelaide bound so that is in your favour too, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are the most expensive cities. We went to Perth from Scotland and struggled because working in Financial Services in Edinburgh I got higher wages than I got in Perth as well as the higher cost of living. I know this seems complicated but I can't get my head around it! When you say as long as your salary is 2.2$ to the £ do you mean once it's converted? ie 30k in £'s is converted into 49k$ If you use the the current rate or do mean that you would have to be earning 2.2 x your salary ie 2.2 x 30k so you would need to earn £66k and then convert it into $?? I have confused myself now!! The reason I ask is that we have 2 years left on a PR visa and are thinking the exact same things with regards to the cost of living but we are thinking of Queensland areas possibly near Brisbane. My hubby earns 30k here and me 10k working part time but he thinks we will struggle in Oz due to the high cost of living. We came over 2 years ago now for a reccie and did find things were expensive but we had earned our money as £'s and spending it as $ made it seem a lot more expensive. Even things people have mentioned already, such as bread and milk I thought were extortionate. I feel we will manage but do we want to just manage after moving to the other side of the world and giving up your relatively safe job and selling your home (renting isn't an option for us) and all of your possessions?? So many questions, my head is rattling!!!:wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 A couple of years ago the pound was so weak against the dollar that would have been expensive! If you are on 40k combined I would say you need to be on about 90k here for similar lifestyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali B Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Utilities are dearer. Especially electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraxFM Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 A couple of years ago the pound was so weak against the dollar that would have been expensive! If you are on 40k combined I would say you need to be on about 90k here for similar lifestyle Again though, do you mean we would need to be earning the equivalent of 90k English for similar lifestyle or 90k once it's been converted into dollars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 The 2.2 is just a number thing forget about currency. So 50k in uk times 2.2 represents 110k in Aus just ts converting using currency gives say 90k. After all peoples wages are not dependent on currency movements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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