Cost of living

[Arcadia53]

Hi all ,

Could some one just give me an rough idea of the cost of living for a family of 4 living in WA. We know about mortgage cost but am hoping I can get a new grasp on new costs for everything else .

Thank you in advance ,

 

Pete 

[Jon the Hat]

We are a family of 4, who frankly don't exactly live frugally, but with the current cost or power, food and fuel, we are spending I think about 4500-5000 a month after rent, and before clothes etc.  If you needed to you could trim 1000 off that, but not a lot more without making significant changes.

 

[rammygirl]

Don’t forget if you buy not rent to add extra insurance and rates.  Those energy and grocery bills look pretty high but ……..

Also with kids don’t forget school costs, unlike in the UK uniforms are more expensive and you are expected to buy books and equipment along with other fees.

Oh and water bills will be higher if you own, renter pay usage and sometimes supply but sewerage and drainage is paid by landlord and can double the bill.

Edited June 28, 2022 by rammygirl

[Marisawright]

I would also note that health insurance is optional in Australia.  There are tax benefits to having it (to do with the Medicare surcharge), so that's something to look into.

Medicare will cover all treatment done in hospital, unless you are fussy about having private rooms etc.   Australians are so used to private health that they'll be horrified at the idea you don't need it. Even some GPs will automatically refer you to a private specialist, assuming you've got private health cover, and you need to point out you want to use the public system.  Yes, there are waiting lists if you don't go private, but if you're happy with NHS waiting lists and treatment in the UK, it's no different here under Medicare. 

Private health insurance doesn't cover visits to your GP.  If the GP 'bulk bills', a visit will cost nothing, but many charge extra. The most extra I've ever been charged was $80.

I would say "Extras" cover is essential for a family, though.  Dentists and opticians are virtually 100% private here, and very expensive.  I don't know if health insurance companies will sell you an Extras policy without hospital cover but it's worth looking at. 

[Ken]

6 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I would say "Extras" cover is essential for a family, though.  Dentists and opticians are virtually 100% private here, and very expensive.  I don't know if health insurance companies will sell you an Extras policy without hospital cover but it's worth looking at. 

Yes you can get Extras policies without hospital cover - but finding one that will cover all you Dental and optical (with or without hospital cover) is very difficult. Most have caps of only a few hundred dollars. Enough for check ups but not if you need anything done.

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Ken said:

 finding one that will cover all you Dental and optical (with or without hospital cover) is very difficult. Most have caps of only a few hundred dollars. Enough for check ups but not if you need anything done.

That's true to begin with, but the longer you hold the cover, the higher your caps get.  However you're right in that they never cover the full cost.  I recently had a crown done and I only got about two-thirds of the cost back.  Even my checkups aren't covered 100%