Boesman Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Hi all, I have been reading on the forums for a while and it seems to me that living in Oz is actually way more expensive than the UK? Everything costs more from food to cars, houses, clothes ect ect. So do people in general get paid more than in the UK? How does it add up that people want to go for less pay en more expensive living? We are desperate to go, but don't want to struggle for ever or more than in the UK. What things are cheaper in Oz than in the UK? Or how do people make it work? Are there things like tax credits or benefits? Not that we want to use them, but I thought we are going for a better life, weather wise and financially and hopefully will be able to buy a house one day, but if things are more expensive and pay is less than UK in general, why do people go then? :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest girlwizz99 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Hi all, I have been reading on the forums for a while and it seems to me that living in Oz is actually way more expensive than the UK? Everything costs more from food to cars, houses, clothes ect ect. So do people in general get paid more than in the UK? How does it add up that people want to go for less pay en more expensive living?We are desperate to go, but don't want to struggle for ever or more than in the UK. What things are cheaper in Oz than in the UK? Or how do people make it work? Are there things like tax credits or benefits? Not that we want to use them, but I thought we are going for a better life, weather wise and financially and hopefully will be able to buy a house one day, but if things are more expensive and pay is less than UK in general, why do people go then? :wacko: Everything is very very expensive in Australia right now. Housing and rents have risen in recent years to a similar asset bubble as we saw in the UK prior to the recession, food is about three or four times the price as the UK, cars are extremely expensive as well. Wages are lower than in the UK generally although there are some positions which are around par - in order to prevent a brain drain overseas such as teacher, nurse etc. In the two years or so the AUD/GBP forex rate has dropped from 2.5 to 1.66 so if you try to use English savings here it will run out very fast. I don't think anything much is cheaper - may be lower end of the market clothes and chinese plasticy stuff due the freight being lower and meat - although I don't buy meat being a veggie so I am not 100% certain. I don't think the situation will continue like this indefinitely - there are inherent weaknesses in the Aussie economy which will make things cheaper in time and the UK will slowly recover. Unless you are willing to put yourself through a bit of a financial struggle I would suggest waiting for a couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gratom Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Girlwizz99 has hit the financial nail on the head---Oz is no longer a cheap/cheaper country.Good luck:huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesman Posted September 17, 2010 Author Share Posted September 17, 2010 Thanks Girlwizz, we don't really have a choice but wait about two/three years, we are still in the beginning stages of our visa application. How do people survive or is the standard of living just lower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It all depends on what standard of living you are prepared to live to. For us, moving here (rate was 2.53 at the time) enabled us to be financially better off. (2005). WE have stuff bought and paid for. We dont buy unless we can pay for it there and then. Lots of things are dearer but equally lots are cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Australia is not as cheap as it used to be but 21 million folks in Australia seem to somehow survive and have a smile on their face, and by and large have a nice life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Australia is not as cheap as it used to be but 21 million folks in Australia seem to somehow survive and have a smile on their face, and by and large have a nice life. :yes::yes::yes::yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 It all depends on what standard of living you are prepared to live to. For us, moving here (rate was 2.53 at the time) enabled us to be financially better off. (2005). WE have stuff bought and paid for. We dont buy unless we can pay for it there and then. Lots of things are dearer but equally lots are cheaper. Yep I sent my money over then! The Australians had it tough for many years when coming to europe so its swings and roundabouts! We live within our means, I manage to follow my grandparent's philosophy of having an open door policy for all and sundry. There is always food /wine on the table and what we cant afford we do without! Our lifestyle in terms of happiness, togetherness cant be measured and yes for me I am living in one of the best countries of the world Susie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Like anywhere, if you have a good job you will be fine. Don't let all the doom and gloom merchants discourage you. If you have skills which are in demand you will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracy123 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Wages are lower than in the UK generally although there are some positions which are around par I know in Australia my wages are double what they are in the UK...... It all comes down to the way you want to live, if you want to do all your shopping in coles, food shopping will be expensive. If you want to live right near the CBD houses are expensive. etc, etc, etc Like everything it takes time to find out where the bargins are. (last year) 2 scotch fillet steaks in coles $10, at the market a tray of 10 scotch fillet steaks $10, same for the fruit and veg. Going out, change your Friday to a tuesday and you get mid week specials. People seem to want do things the same way they did as in the UK, people need to remember that Australia (even though part of the commonwealth) has a different way of doing things. Get into the Aussie way of doing things and you will find things are no more expensive than the UK, and your life will be all the more richer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I know in Australia my wages are double what they are in the UK...... Im earning more than in UK too. Going out, change your Friday to a tuesday and you get mid week specials. Cant beat cheap **** Tuesday pizza!! People seem to want do things the same way they did as in the UK, people need to remember that Australia (even though part of the commonwealth) has a different way of doing things.Get into the Aussie way of doing things and you will find things are no more expensive than the UK, and your life will be all the more richer. You`re reading my mind!! Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I earn a lot less here than in the UK (in IT) and we've had to pay much more to get a similar size house but overall I think the cost of living is about the same. It probably seems expensive if you are coming over now because of the exchange rate but that's irrelevant once your £ are spent and your earning $. And it's a cheaper lifestyle if you choose to live the Aussie way, days at the beach, picnics, BBQ's etc. One things for sure though most people would be financially better off if they didn't make the move and for the 1 in 5 that go back it's crippling financially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix16 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 We have been here 4 months now and initially we went through the stage of comparing everything to the UK in terms of prices. But the fact is, we live here in Australia and not in the UK, we have stopped comparing prices and we have stopped comparing rents and gas and electricity. What we cannot stop comparing is the quality of life, how quickly we can get to the beach if we want to, how lovely the weather is, how much more quality time my husband gets with our daughter, how short is commute is (20 minutes here compared to a 200 mile trip to london sunday night and 200 mile trip to Yorkshire home on a Friday night every single week) and most importantly of all, just how bloomin happy we are here. Think about all the reasons you want to do this and which ones are most important to you. Australia is not a cheap place to live but like other posts have said, 20 million + Australians have found a way to have a happy life here and although Im not yet an Australian Im with them all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 We were in Brisbane for a month in April 2010 on our reccie and we priced everything up and its swings and roundabouts and i would say that overall Australia is a tad dearer than the uk and i said a TAD, which means hardly noticeable. If you are visting the uk from almost anywhere else in the world it will seem really cheap here because almost every currency is stronger than the pound due to the huge financial crisis the uk has suffered. People will come on here and say, its cheaper, its dearer, no its cheaper, but..................... i found it to be almost the same, from actual experience and not guessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest32776 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We were in Brisbane for a month in April 2010 on our reccie and we priced everything up and its swings and roundabouts and i would say that overall Australia is a tad dearer than the uk and i said a TAD, which means hardly noticeable. If you are visting the uk from almost anywhere else in the world it will seem really cheap here because almost every currency is stronger than the pound due to the huge financial crisis the uk has suffered. People will come on here and say, its cheaper, its dearer, no its cheaper, but..................... i found it to be almost the same, from actual experience and not guessing. I earn a lot less here as a commodities broker (less than half the amount) but I realised that when I asked to be transferred. I thought I would prefer the life style to London with the beaches and outdoorsy lifestyle. I took a long lease on a very pricey flat to be in the heart of the CBD based on what I earned from my 3 bed flat in Islington, UK but as the exchange rate weakened things have got tougher for me. Having said that, it is my fault for relying on Mother England!! I agree what people are saying about shopping around at markets, cheap tuesdays etc - it can make it cheaper -but who the heck really has the time to do that!? I would say, with the cost of getting over here with your family, your stuff containered, a car and a lease down payment you will feel (in the words of the Peep Show which I am watching now) , as though you have just had a tabasco enema!!......I can't find an exact emoticon but this will do :emoticon_doctor_sna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life on easy street Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Australia was a cheap country to emigrate to before 2003 you could buy a house one a single wage in most states. But unfortunately house prices have more than doubled and in some areas are 3 or 4 times what they were before 2003. You now need to work in the mines or have 2 wages to afford a house unless you have substantial Equity to bring with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 My OH's wages are twice what they were in the UK and he also has unlimited overtime. In the UK the house we were renting after we sold, was a 3 bed terraced with one bathroom and a postage stamp for a garden. For the same rent we have a 4x2 with an office, a laundry room, double garage, theatre room, the family room in massive and a cricket pitch for a garden. My 9 year old son has huge bedroom and a spare room for the Wii etc, we grandly call the games room. In the UK he had a bedroom that could just about fit a single bed.I can afford not to work here and would have had to work for the forseeable future in the UK. . These are the facts for me, living right by the sea (another thing I could not of dreamed of affording in the UK!) In a lovely area low on crime and accessible to the CDB with good schools.:wubclub: OOH add to that we can get a family ticket for the train into the city at $9 and it costs nothing to park in the train stations or the hospitals, or the foreshore :shocked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 food is about three or four times the price as the UK What?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Lass Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Hi all, I have been reading on the forums for a while and it seems to me that living in Oz is actually way more expensive than the UK? Everything costs more from food to cars, houses, clothes ect ect. So do people in general get paid more than in the UK? How does it add up that people want to go for less pay en more expensive living?We are desperate to go, but don't want to struggle for ever or more than in the UK. What things are cheaper in Oz than in the UK? Or how do people make it work? Are there things like tax credits or benefits? Not that we want to use them, but I thought we are going for a better life, weather wise and financially and hopefully will be able to buy a house one day, but if things are more expensive and pay is less than UK in general, why do people go then? :wacko: Much of that will depend on where you want to live, what sort of work you do and can do if what you want isn't easy to get into, and where you are from as to how you will find the cost of living. It's hard to give you a clear answer without knowing any of that. I had a good quality of life in the UK but felt that it was marred by long commutes and too much traffic. There is much less traffic here and thus a far shorter commute time so that is a huge improvement for me and almost worth moving for that reason alone. My quality of life has improved in every respect and the only thing missing now is a job but that will come. Until then we are living on a modest budget and are managing that happily; it is a fact for me to say that we are better off here than we would have been if we were living in the UK. My advice is to forget the comparisons and look at how you will manage on your salary as it will be over here. Best of luck. :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 you can grow your own veg like we do all yr round , save `heaps`on veg shopping once you get a good routine .........in wa the wages are defo higher ....i have been told that CosTco is coming to Oz soon so that should be good for competition....we do need an Aldi or Lidle to come to wa tho...i believe they are in the other states all ready .....like above we are more than happy with the WA lifestyle ...so chilled over here and as cool as a cucumber...we defo made the right move , should have got here sooner ........................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We have Aldi and Lidl over here. Have heard the Costco rumour too. Wonder where it will go!!!! I did notice when we were in Perth this year that cost of living was highher for most things. QLD was a lot cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Lass Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We're hoping for Costco, Lidl and Aldi over here. :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We're hoping for Costco, Lidl and Aldi over here. :smile: forgive me for asking but where is Hobart ? ......and are lidle and aldi still good prices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gail.crease Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Food, houses, communication (Phone and internet), cars, medical bills are much more expensive. It's not so much the cost of houses but the crippling interest rates and high stamp duty. We expected to get lower salaries but ended up earning more and with the exchange rate in Oz favour it's even better. The one area we have lucked out on is childcare. It's much cheaper anyway (nursery and after school care) plus the government give back 50% of it. If you're on a low income you can claim even more back. This is a huge help so both can work which is a barrier for most people in the UK where childcare costs can be higher than a daily wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Lass Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 forgive me for asking but where is Hobart ? Hobart is in the south of Tasmania: Tasmania, Australia holidays - accommodation, travel activities, itineraries, maps - Discover Tasmania This Wiki link has a little bit more information about the area itself: Hobart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It's a beautiful place to live. :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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