skyeman Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 After years of thinking about it i did some digging as to how to go about moving to melbourne , Im a mechanic and it looks like my best bet is to do the English language test, a skills test and then apply for a 189 visa which can be as quick as 3-4 months?, I have heard some say that going down this route means you can claim rent allowance and child allowance , some mentioned $500 every 2 weeks which seems a lot? I have been looking at property in Victoria around 40 Km from Melbourne and i can rent a decent place for $1600 a month, I have a wife and a 4 year old son and another on the way. As a mechanic it looks like i would earn $ 57,000 a year which is around $3900 after taxes. Is this liveable? I have a Job secured in Canada with a good package and sponsored Visa but my head is telling me that's not were I want to be, I Would love to see Canada but part of me feels Im only going because of the Job offer, Australia I am genuinely keen to explore so really its boils down to this: If i earn $3900 a month, rent around $1600 leaves $2300 for bills and living, this is before any benefits i may be legible for the kids etc Thanks James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'll swap ya I wish I'd of gone Canada ....oh I do ! Jammie bugga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Mine will be the only salary for a few years, My wife is a secondary school teacher and would hopefully do the appropriate tests and paperwork to start teaching in Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'll swap ya I wish I'd of gone Canada ....oh I do ! Jammie bugga Where did you go instead? Im worried of the very cold winter in Saskachewan, im a sun worshipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Perth originally now qld then I dun no lol where I will end up looking like wa lol ....my hubby did some work in Toronto and it was a toss up between applying there or here I chose here haha it will come good I'm sure ....57000 u say erm I don't want get shot down but I could not live off that but everyone is diff ...lol someone will let u know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Perth originally now qld then I dun no lol where I will end up looking like wa lol ....my hubby did some work in Toronto and it was a toss up between applying there or here I chose here haha it will come good I'm sure ....57000 u say erm I don't want get shot down but I could not live off that but everyone is diff ...lol someone will let u know atleast your getting to see new places and experience them as i said after a few years my wife will return to work and should earn about the same sa me maybe a little more so we should combine about $120,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 atleast your getting to see new places and experience them as i said after a few years my wife will return to work and should earn about the same sa me maybe a little more so we should combine about $120,000 Exactly yes I am lol ....yea 120 u shud do fine with that I shud imagine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 Exactly yes I am lol ....yea 120 u shud do fine with that I shud imagine Hopefully yeah , be nice to buy a place if we settle , we have a house in the UK to sell , it's mortgaged but we ow slightly less than half the houses value and its only 3 years old . Had Australia on the brain for years and a few friends have moved there and not returned and are loving it although they are mostly single guys so less financial strain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hopefully yeah , be nice to buy a place if we settle , we have a house in the UK to sell , it's mortgaged but we ow slightly less than half the houses value and its only 3 years old .Had Australia on the brain for years and a few friends have moved there and not returned and are loving it although they are mostly single guys so less financial strain Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engaus Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 $57,000. Is that including superannuation? In my opinion that's not a lot for a family of three let alone 4. And as far as I'm aware you arnt eligible for rent assistance for a few years. Although you would get family tax benefit. Someone else might know some more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flybyknight Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I think this thread had pretty much answered your question, however i wish to add, canada..... i've only been to edmonton and calgary, but what a place. The people are just fabulous, friendly and actually have time for you, aussies are the same believe it or not, you just have to get out of the city! either way I like your thinking, and I think in either hemisphere, life is going be great for you also dont let the cold of canada bug you, it creates a close culture that's hard to beat & it's not always cold and the houses are built for it, you'll be warm when you need to be. here in melbourne i live in the coldest house i have ever lived in, draughts, condensation, tight chest the whole lot (and we've moved the other one was much the same!) freezing in the morning, too hot by 3pm. it's a hardened tent lol. 'fuel's cheap' architecture i think it's called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 $57,000. Is that including superannuation? In my opinion that's not a lot for a family of three let alone 4. And as far as I'm aware you arnt eligible for rent assistance for a few years. Although you would get family tax benefit. Someone else might know some more info. no that doesn't Include superannuation , I'm not sure what that is Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyeman Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 I think this thread had pretty much answered your question, however i wish to add, canada..... i've only been to edmonton and calgary, but what a place. The people are just fabulous, friendly and actually have time for you, aussies are the same believe it or not, you just have to get out of the city! either way I like your thinking, and I think in either hemisphere, life is going be great for you also dont let the cold of canada bug you, it creates a close culture that's hard to beat & it's not always cold and the houses are built for it, you'll be warm when you need to be. here in melbourne i live in the coldest house i have ever lived in, draughts, condensation, tight chest the whole lot (and we've moved the other one was much the same!) freezing in the morning, too hot by 3pm. it's a hardened tent lol. 'fuel's cheap' architecture i think it's called. Thanks for your input . is it a fairly modern house your in ? I kind of thought they would be poorly insulated because of the typical warm weather . I wonder if the recent builds are any better , wouldn't want to much temp flux in the house with young kids around . we're just after a simple life , a decent house , any old banger of a car to run around in . Be nice to make some friends and just enjoy what life has to offer there . Here in the UK it's all possessions and money and I'm tired of it. So much so I sold both my fancy cars and now run around in a 10 year old Peugeot estate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Thanks for your input . is it a fairly modern house your in ? I kind of thought they would be poorly insulated because of the typical warm weather . I wonder if the recent builds are any better , wouldn't want to much temp flux in the house with young kids around .we're just after a simple life , a decent house , any old banger of a car to run around in . Be nice to make some friends and just enjoy what life has to offer there . Here in the UK it's all possessions and money and I'm tired of it. So much so I sold both my fancy cars and now run around in a 10 year old Peugeot estate The houses r pretty standard unless unless up have lots of $ to buy Buckingham palace on the water front ...I pay 520 a week in brissie , I paid 550 a week in wa that included lawn mowing both pretty nice standard houses new builds ...insulation ya freezing in perth in winter I don't know about Victoria ...qld I'm never cold lol just a couple of weeks in August I feel it where I have put me socks on and a little heater ......and sept it's warm again ...but In summer in qld the humidity gets at me and I'm a sun lover ...I clean in it too I look like I've done 6 hrs at the gym when I've finished haha ...Australia is no different in terms of possessions and money lol ...noone can explain to you properly what it's like until uve tried it ...supernation is ya pension if they not going pay ya super that's even worse lol ....you can get rentals around 400 mark but it depends where u wanna live , but I'm not being rude I would not think about it on 57 000 with a family although my friend gets around 68 with a family ...and struggles but manages very basically so it's up to you buying a fairly standard house though you can put ya mark on it make it ya own , I could make them nice if I ever get one lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mehman Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 If you move to Canada, then eventually it leads to getting the legal right to live/work in the US. That could be a +ve for some people as the job market there is better than Australia. Just something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 That salary is I suspect practically minimum wage by Australian standards. Don't move over here for that. Wait until your wife is in a position to contribute.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara8 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hi skyeman, I lived in Melbourne for a short while back in 2012. My base salary was just under $55,000 that's before any extra allowances & tax. There was only two of us, my husband & I, we rented an apartment for $495 per week. I was the sole earner at the time as hubby was struggling to find work. We only just managed to scrape by on this, it wasn't easy. Obviously your looking at cheaper rentals but will have 2 extra mouths to feed. We didn't claim any benefits so maybe that will help. I don't think it's impossible but it might not be easy & when you have to you manage just depends on how much you want to. Sara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 $57k in Melbourne for 4 - nope. Not a hope. Double that and you may be ok. Don't rely on benefits they're quite restricted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 skyeman - I live in Saskatchewan, and yes, winter is very cold....colder and longer than Edmonton and Calgary. Obviously houses are built to stay warm....but you still have to go outside to work/get groceries/be social...you can only stay inside for so long. That 2 minute walk out of the grocery store to your car/loading your car in -50 in bruuuutal. That being said, some people love winter and snowmobiling, skiing, etc (although you still cant do those things a lot of the time because its so cold your skin will freeze in under a minute, haha) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayzeee Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Thats exactly what I currently earn on a flat week. Just moved to Melbourne from Perth. Rent in Mornington will be 400 - 450 per week for 3 to 4 bed house , food 200, bills/budgeting take us up to the limit. It's tight and I have a family of 4. I need overtime to be comfortable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 A single person might cope on $57k. Double for family and even then will be tight. I want some of those $400 rents! Decent place in Brissy starts around $500 for small family house, or 1 bed flat in posh area. I suspect Melbourne rents higher than Bris. Having said that this post will now be flamed by comments from people who earn 50k PA, live in a 5 bed beach front home for peanuts and support a family of 6 whilst taking annual holidays in Fiji and Thailand so I'll butt out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 A single person might cope on $57k. Double for family and even then will be tight. I want some of those $400 rents! Decent place in Brissy starts around $500 for small family house, or 1 bed flat in posh area. I suspect Melbourne rents higher than Bris. Having said that this post will now be flamed by comments from people who earn 50k PA, live in a 5 bed beach front home for peanuts and support a family of 6 whilst taking annual holidays in Fiji and Thailand so I'll butt out! $57,000 will be very tight for a family of four, with family assistance and rental assistance, then a little more doable. The rent is a big factor and it is important to think of other considerations such as dental costs etc. Moving to the other side of the world merely to exist or struggle is a tough one. I would only do it if the salary was high enough and I speak as someone who has been there and done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silencio Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 The OP won't get rent assistance due to the 'newly arrived resident's 2 years waiting period'. For the kids some assistance would apply through Centrelink but not as much to sustain a family of 4 financially as the only bread winner in an expensive Metropolitan city like Melbourne. Even in 'cheap' Adelaide a salary around 57,000 AUD is not much - for 2 persons! In Australia even mum's of very little children can't afford to be a 'stay at home mum' and are all working and paying these bloody expensive child care fees even with the so called 'child care benefits'. All mum's I know - 1 child up to 4 with babies or toddlers - all have a least a part time job. If your wife really wants to stay at home than Australia isn't the 'right' choice for you because no families of 4 can sustain themselves with 1 salary only. By the way Canada is nice, too if only the winters wouldn't be so harsh and long. Good luck for making the right decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Rent assistance used to be immediate when we arrived have things changed then? This was 5 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silencio Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 If you move to Canada, then eventually it leads to getting the legal right to live/work in the US. That could be a +ve for some people as the job market there is better than Australia. Just something to think about. Working in the US wouldn't be my dream especially with 2 kids! Imagine you'd loose your job you automatically loose all health insurance entitlements as well! There is no medicare system - free public health system - like Australia or other Western countries have. Even with a safe job you'd only get basic health insurance through the employer and huge gap fees apply in case of hospitalisation and people need private health cover as well to be safe from escalating health costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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