belter Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I was just about to do a pro and cons list but I got kind of stuck, I've been up all day from the night shift and my brain's not working so I thought you'd be a great source of ideas if you'd like to help me. So I kind of liked the food in Australia so I would rate the food as better. My hubby says the cars are miles more expensive in Australia for higher mileage too, not gonna stop us moving but just something to budget for. The weather - where we are going to live will be hot and humid in summer and pretty warm the rest of the time. I would class that as better than where we are just now but then in Australia there are much higher risks like bushfires and weather extremes. Where I live it's pretty much cold a lot of the year but we are generally safe. Jobs - I previously had a much better job in my industry in Australia than in the UK so jobs Australia is a pro for me, for the hubby it's a bit unsure. What other things do you think are better/worse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I don't know how long it is since you lived here Belter but I think you will find the cost of living has risen hugely. Good (bad) old Coles and Woolies still have the monopoly so not much competition ................ especially where I live. I'm in Tasmania so it may be better where you will be moving to. Comparing council/water rates with my sister we pay less than she does. She lives in Edinburgh. Not much difference in electricity bills either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 All depends on which part of ‘franchise Australia’ you’re living in. Things that I might dislike intensely in one state/territory, can be the exact opposite In another. So many, if not most immigrants, never work that part out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belter Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, Toots said: I don't know how long it is since you lived here Belter but I think you will find the cost of living has risen hugely. Good (bad) old Coles and Woolies still have the monopoly so not much competition ................ especially where I live. I'm in Tasmania so it may be better where you will be moving to. Comparing council/water rates with my sister we pay less than she does. She lives in Edinburgh. Not much difference in electricity bills either. Its been about 8 years. I must admit I do all my shopping at aldi and I freak out if I have to go to tesco so the groceries might surprise me. I forgot about rates, I'll think about that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Aldi is expanding in Australia and has forced prices down in Coles/Woolies too so not a bad thing. Fruit and veg are more seasonally priced unlike in the UK where many are constant despite season. Currently enjoying soft/stone fruit season here with plentiful and cheap mangoes, passion fruit, strawberries, lychees, peaches etc. I do find the winter fruit selection boring in comparison! Don’t fall into the trap of just converting prices by the current exchange rate, you need to look at earning power. After all the prices of goods don’t change with the rate. Use 2 dollars to the pound minimum more like 2.2 to 2.5 when looking at cost of living. So if you earn 50,000 pounds in UK then 110,000 dollars should give you a similar lifestyle. Obviously up that if you are moving from say Sheffield to Sydney! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 New car prices here are pretty good, although European luxury marques are much more expensive due to the luxury car tax. This may well disappear soon as there is now no local car industry to protect! Asian brands are very competitive. With used cars don’t just look at advertised prices, some are delusional especially in the private market and people will haggle them down. The used market is coming into line now new cars are cheaper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Housing, well Sydney is eye watering in some areas. I did think it was more expensive everywhere here but I looked on line at our old neighbourhood in the UK recently and was shocked at how much house prices had risen in the six years since we left. Our house here hasn’t risen as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 I 'think' the OP is headed QLD way. Second hand cars are more expensive here, but i believe new cars are on par ,some cheaper going off other members posts. The trick with supermarkets like Coles and Woolys is to be when stuff is on special and half priced. They have different items each week so works out way cheaper if you stock pile then. Food i have found to be hit and miss, despite being here years i still miss and prefer lots of UK foods. Electric bills and rates are much cheaper here for us. Rego and Insurance for vehicles seem to be cheaper here ,especially for younger / new drivers. If you have a young family there are many more free water and adventure parks to visit of a weekend. Fuel is cheaper but your mileage per week maybe higher depending on if you use public transport/ where you have to commute to etc. Here you can get a lot more property for your money in a lot of suburbs. Laundry dries in a day without using a dryer most of the year. (good for the environment and your pocket) Red tape and trade licencing can be ridiculous here Not all built up areas here have access to public transport, so if you have older kids be prepared to ferry them around. Cal x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 49 minutes ago, calNgary said: I 'think' the OP is headed QLD way. Second hand cars are more expensive here, but i believe new cars are on par ,some cheaper going off other members posts. The trick with supermarkets like Coles and Woolys is to be when stuff is on special and half priced. They have different items each week so works out way cheaper if you stock pile then. Food i have found to be hit and miss, despite being here years i still miss and prefer lots of UK foods. Electric bills and rates are much cheaper here for us. Rego and Insurance for vehicles seem to be cheaper here ,especially for younger / new drivers. If you have a young family there are many more free water and adventure parks to visit of a weekend. Fuel is cheaper but your mileage per week maybe higher depending on if you use public transport/ where you have to commute to etc. Here you can get a lot more property for your money in a lot of suburbs. Laundry dries in a day without using a dryer most of the year. (good for the environment and your pocket) Red tape and trade licencing can be ridiculous here Not all built up areas here have access to public transport, so if you have older kids be prepared to ferry them around. Cal xsh Even here in Tassie I hardly ever use my dryer. During the winter I use it just to "finish" off line dried stuff. We don't get days and days of wet weather which helps. Yes Cal, I always stock up on half price things. Daft not to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 The in laws are terrible for penny pinching, when they first came out over 10 years ago they would never go to a cafe, they would go back to ours for a sandwich rather than pay “Aussie prices” if they did have to pay it would be a starter course split between them and the 3 grandkids. Anyway over the years they have come around to saying it’s 50/50 some things are expensive others aren’t. They often go home with a suitcase of brand new clothes that they say are cheaper than elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Clothes are certainly cheap here but sometimes they are nasty as well. We went to the uk in October and found food prices very high compared with ours, especially in cafes, restaurants but also for groceries. Clothes are more expensive in the uk but they look better made so probably last longer. Shoes are definitely better in the uk, guess they need to be more waterproof etc. We were appalled at the cost of parking over there but I guess it is necessary as a deterrent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) 54 minutes ago, starlight7 said: Clothes are certainly cheap here but sometimes they are nasty as well. We went to the uk in October and found food prices very high compared with ours, especially in cafes, restaurants but also for groceries. Clothes are more expensive in the uk but they look better made so probably last longer. Shoes are definitely better in the uk, guess they need to be more waterproof etc. We were appalled at the cost of parking over there but I guess it is necessary as a deterrent. One of the things I disliked about England was the cost of eating out. In Sydney, it was possible to eat at some great places very cheaply, and British prices were a shock. However that doesn't necessarily apply Australia-wide. We're in Melbourne now, and the restaurants here are noticeably more expensive than Sydney, even though Melbourne has a reputation as a "foodie" place. I didn't do much shopping when I was in the UK last year but I did shop in the hypermarkets in Europe. Just yesterday I was thinking it would almost be worth heading back to Spain to do some shopping, because I bought some cheap towels and knickers there (long story). The towels are still soft after repeated washings, unlike my Aussie ones, and the knickers haven't shrunk at all (ditto). Much better quality than equivalent prices in Oz. Edited February 25, 2020 by Marisawright 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 When you get old the food is cheap here in Melbourne ( seniors rates!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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