Cost of living in Melbourne

[Johnnyboy]

Hello,

The more we think about it, the more we're wondering if it's worth it.

Waiting for visa at the moment but we're still unsure about the move as Mebourne seems to be much more expensive than UK.

Our mortgage is £770 for a 3 bed detached, I doubt we can find something similar for same money...

My salary in UK is £50k, in Melbourne I'll get $85k (plus super). Would that be enough for the same living standard?

Utilities around £300/month, food £5-600/month (family of 4). Still enough left from our income to afford what we wish for: going out, clothes, holidays... and save for rainy days.

My wife is very reluctant about the move, I would still like to have a go and try a different lifestyle.

Thanks a lot

[bristolman]

My honest opinion is no, you are very unlikely to have a similar standard of living on that money especially given how expensive housing is in Melbourne. 

[Johnnyboy]

From our research, renting would be around $2k/month, if we're lucky we might find something cheaper.
Don't know how to budget for all the other things.

[bristolman]

This is not intended to put you off in any way believe me, Australia is an expensive place to live, that is an inescapable fact. Housing, food, electricity and other things are expensive. In the past it has been mentioned many times on this forum that to achieve a similar standard of living you need to use a ratio of anything from 2 to 2.5, so on your current wage somewhere in the region of $100-$125k. I could happily live in Australia again if I had to but I would be under no illusions about it. No doubt others will be along to tell you it is possible to live in Melbourne for less, which of course is true. 

[Johnnyboy]

I'd rather listen to different opinions than to plunge into unknown. 100k is achieveble for me in short term, not sure how long will take me towards 125k though. We don't intend to live in CBD proximity, 1hr is reasonable enough for us.

[Johnnyboy]

If we make the move, it's not for the money, hopefully lifestyle will be better. If we can afford it, that's a different matter.

[bristolman]

1 minute ago, Johnnyboy said:

If we make the move, it's not for the money, hopefully lifestyle will be better. If we can afford it, that's a different matter.

Thats fair enough, can i ask what you mean by better ? How long have you spent in Melbourne ? 

[Johnnyboy]

We've never been to Melbourne [emoji53]

[bristolman]

1 minute ago, Johnnyboy said:

We've never been to Melbourne

Oh right. OK so what do you imagine is going to improve in your life by moving to Melbourne ? You sound as though you have a good life, earn decent money etc. It concerns me that you have never actually been to Melbourne, have you been to Australia ? 

[Johnnyboy]

Less stress, better weather, most people say it's a better lifestyle than in UK. If you can afford it obviously. We'd like to hear different views so we can have a better understanding and then more doubts we'll have [emoji4]

[bristolman]

4 minutes ago, Johnnyboy said:

Less stress, better weather, most people say it's a better lifestyle than in UK. If you can afford it obviously. We'd like to hear different views so we can have a better understanding and then more doubts we'll have

Less stress, how does that work ? Sorry but people work, pay bills, get sick etc. We moved the other direction but feel much less stressed now. Better lifestyle depends what you want out of life really. All I'm saying is make the move by all means but don't go because you think your life will miraculously improve. 20-25 years ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly with those people telling you it's a better lifestyle. Go for the right reasons. 

[Toots]

13 minutes ago, bristolman said:

Less stress, how does that work ? Sorry but people work, pay bills, get sick etc. We moved the other direction but feel much less stressed now. Better lifestyle depends what you want out of life really. All I'm saying is make the move by all means but don't go because you think your life will miraculously improve. 20-25 years ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly with those people telling you it's a better lifestyle. Go for the right reasons. 

Yes Australia has changed and not for the better over the past 30 years.  If you have a good life and a good job in the UK I would be thinking very carefully about moving to a country on the other side of the world just for a so called better lifestyle.  We came here close to 40 years ago when life was relatively easy here.  We could easily afford to rent a nice place then buy our own home.  Both of us had good well paying jobs and we have been very happy here.  Johnnyboy I think you should come here for a visit and check things out first before you make the big move.  Sure it works out for many new migrants but for others it is not easy at all then they end up hating the place. 

Edited October 24, 2017 by Toots

[Quoll]

£50k equivalent to $85k - nope, not even going to come close to the same standard of living imho. You’re effectively swapping twice the national average of UK for a smidgen over the national average in Australia.

Less stress? Lemme see - fewer rec leave days, probably longer working days (depends on the cut throat-ness and expectations of employer plus the distance you live from the CBD and spend time commuting).  Add to that the stresses of living in isolation from extended family/friends support networks - you have to be incredibly self reliant and somewhat selfish, that imho, adds to stress levels.  Then there’s the financial stress of what to do if you get “the call”, you need to have quite a bit in the bank to cope with air fares etc.

Weather? Well, Melbourne can be cold (colder than you expect) in winter, and hot in summer and the natives will tell you that 4 seasons in one day is not unusual soooo don’t really expect “perfect” weather all the time. The thunder storms can be rippers and the odd sand storm can be pretty spectacular (but generally in drought years).

Better lifestyle - yeah, they always say that. What does your better lifestyle look like? It’ll be different, probably, especially in the honeymoon period when you’re all excited and in semi-holiday mode but very soon you’ll still be cleaning the loo, putting out the garbage, mowing what passes for grass, and generally pretty much what you’re doing now.

You said your wife wasn’t so taken by the idea - if she’s not actually champing at the bit and desperate to go then I’d say you’re probably going to struggle. Nothing worse than dragging a reluctant partner to the other side of the world for huge rifts in relationships.

So, I wouldn’t be doing it for the reasons stated. If you want to do it, do it because it’s an opportunity better than what you currently have and you’re busting for an adventure. Hard to see how effectively almost halving your income in one of the more expensive places in the world is going to do that though.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Quoll

[Guest]

Personally i agree everything Quoll has said Melbourne is an expensive place to live. I think you'd struggle to achieve the lifestyle you are wanting on what effectively will be less income.  Add to that the fact by your own admission your wife is not keen is an added stress to what will already be a stressful enterprise even when both in the relationship are keen to make the move. I'm not in anyway trying to put you off  just giving you a realistic opinion. Sounds to me you already have a good life over there. As they say if it aren't broken why try to fix it. Many a relationship as been broken by the move especially when one partner was reluctant to move in the first place. I think as Quoll says a visit first might be the best way forward.

[ScottieGirl]

My bills excluding rent were about 2k per month. That also excludes car payments as I owned outright an old banger. I am single so for a family of 4 that's gonna be  a fair bit more. If your rent is 2k per month you are going to be financially stressed on 85 k, which is about 5.3k per month.

What kind of work fo you do? Salaries are normally higher in Aus but your seems on par with the UK and that's  with a lousy exchange rate

Edited October 24, 2017 by ScottieGirl

[Perthbum]

3 hours ago, Johnnyboy said:

If we make the move, it's not for the money, hopefully lifestyle will be better. If we can afford it, that's a different matter.

why would the lifestyle be better?

[Johnnyboy]

@ScottieGirl, 2k for the bills seems way too much, I could be wrong obviously as you should know better. Can you get into details, please?  I'm a telecoms engineer. Thanks

[Johnnyboy]

Just now, Perthbum said:

why would the lifestyle be better?

Better weather so we can spend more time outdoor (if we can afford it!), less stress at work (at least that's what I hope!) and a different world all together. Hopefully amazing things to see and experience.

[Perthbum]

1 minute ago, Johnnyboy said:

Better weather so we can spend more time outdoor (if we can afford it!), less stress at work (at least that's what I hope!) and a different world all together. Hopefully amazing things to see and experience.

If only, the weather is hotter believe me, but better? not in my opinion and I come from south africa...less stress? aussie work longer and harder than brits from what I witnessed....different things to see granted, but much different from the UK or Europe? try it, if you dont like it you can always come home....you only have one life.

[m90]

I see the U.K. brigade are out in force on this thread.
I'm making the same move hopefully, I've been and I love it in Melbourne, it's my favorite city in the world (from where I've visited).
I do agree 85k in Melbourne vs 50k in the U.K. wont get you out on the winning side financially. It depends what you spend your money on in the U.K. but I did a detailed budget of everything I spend here vs equivalent in Australia, id advise doing the same as it will level your expectations financially rather than getting there and being disappointed.
Places are what you make of them ultimately and Melbourne is everything I love about a place and the U.K. is becoming everything I hate.
It's your choice, don't let everyone here put you off or tell you it'll solve all your problems because only you can decide that. Do your own planning on work life balance, financially, family etc as everyone's circumstances are different. There are people here who love the U.K. and people who love Australia, only you can decide which you are!

[Perthbum]

6 minutes ago, m90 said:

I see the U.K. brigade are out in force on this thread.
I'm making the same move hopefully, I've been and I love it in Melbourne, it's my favorite city in the world (from where I've visited).
I do agree 85k in Melbourne vs 50k in the U.K. wont get you out on the winning side financially. It depends what you spend your money on in the U.K. but I did a detailed budget of everything I spend here vs equivalent in Australia, id advise doing the same as it will level your expectations financially rather than getting there and being disappointed.
Places are what you make of them ultimately and Melbourne is everything I love about a place and the U.K. is becoming everything I hate.
It's your choice, don't let everyone here put you off or tell you it'll solve all your problems because only you can decide that. Do your own planning on work life balance, financially, family etc as everyone's circumstances are different. There are people here who love the U.K. and people who love Australia, only you can decide which you are!

Bit unfair  to call people on this forum "the UK brigade"  what about the "oz brigade" bit childish isnt it, people just give their honest opinions of their experiences of Australia good or bad, better than "wanted down under" 

Edited October 24, 2017 by Perthbum

[kevsan]

Agree with both sides of the above and having lived in Melbourne for over 2 years, we wouldn't change a thing. And we definitely enjoy the weather more. We certainly have more time outside and at the beach. Its still early spring but have been to the beach a few times, and even swum in the the sea last weekend when it got to 35degrees! For balance, its 18 and raining today!

Only you can make the call about if it will work money wise. The best advice i had was to do a spreadsheet and work out as a % what you spend now vs what you plan to spend, you can then see if you are 'better' financially. I'll try and dig out the spreadsheet if you are interested.

Again, money is only half of it and we are not richer in a money sense than when we were in the UK, but our money goes to different things now - the kids are in private school, we have a brand new car, we have paddleboards and kayaks for play time etc. BUT, having no money to spend will leave you miserable.

 

The other thing to bear in mind is if you are reliant on your salary in total, or will your wife work? that can make significant differences.

[Peach]

UK average salary is about 27K GBP, so currently you're on nearly twice the average wage.  Average salary in Aus is $78K, so you'd only just be over an average salary.  It would feel the same as if your UK pay was cut in half.  Melbourne is still a lovely place to live though.  I would do some research to see if you're being sold short: https://www.hays.com.au/salary-guide/index.htm

I've seen many people say their terms and conditions are much more favourable here, that may help your decision.

[Johnnyboy]

Thanks a lot for all your replies so far, really helpful. If you don't mind, please PM me with some facts about the monthly cost (food, utilities, etc) so we can have a better understanding of what to expect if we make the move. THANKS

[m90]

Bit unfair  to call people on this forum "the UK brigade"  what about the "oz brigade" bit childish isnt it, people just give their honest opinions of their experiences of Australia good or bad, better than "wanted down under" 

I wasn't referring to all people on the forum, I was referring to every post so far had told him not to go, the lifestyles crap, you won't be able to afford to live properly, the weather isn't better (compared to the U.K.? Really?), your other half won't take to it (how does anyone here know that?) etc where was the balanced advice? (I see someone else has posted some now)
People have been prejudiced to what they've done. I'm unashamedly pro Oz but I also point out the negatives and not push my viewpoint on people without being balanced in it, we aren't living our own lives again through another. None of us know what he and his family main priorities are but we can tell him Melbourne's crap and the U.K. is much better?