Guest ANDREA WRIGHT Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hi, it's been a few months since I posted and I have read that there's a number of people relocating to Mackay ) Good times.. I wanted to know about the relative cost of living in Mackay, I know the property market (purchase and rentals) are crazy high, double what we pay here in UK on our mortgage (which is high enough) But I understand its all relative. My hubby is a crane driver and is looking for work in this field, preferably in the mines. I have heard what the average mine wage is for Darrens skills but what about outside the mines? What's the average wage within the construction industry, what is the avalibility of crane work? And also, I read on a link from the Local Mercury newspaper that the income tax is really high too. 30-38% :chatterbox: As a rough guide, I calculated the rent/mortgage to cost around AU$1800-2000 per month, other essential outgoing around another AU$1500 per month... I'm kinda panicking that the outgoings outweigh in the income.....:no: (I guess the worst comes to it, I can always go fish for dinner :fish2: :wink:) Thanks, Andrea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 That income tax is probably just a tax bracket rather than being the total percentage of tax that would be taken out of your wage. On an average wage you would lose approx 26% in tax + get money back if you have children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ANDREA WRIGHT Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks fish.01. That sounds MUCH better. So what is considered an average wage in Mackay?? I get such conflicting information so it's hard to pin point.. (and phew! we have 2 kids) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks fish.01. That sounds MUCH better. So what is considered an average wage in Mackay?? I get such conflicting information so it's hard to pin point.. (and phew! we have 2 kids) I don't know for Mackay. I know the Australia wide average for male full time earnings is around $73,500 not including the 9% superannuation the employer must also pay you. (Source: ABS) Mackay may have a higher average due to mining in the area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexi Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hi my Husband and I are waiting for our visa and are moving to Mackay with our 1 year old son this year (fingers crossed for the visa) . My Husband is a Civil Engineer and has accepted a salary of $60,000. He is still classed as fairly junior in his field so I think maybe your husband could expect more. I also thought that rental was high on property but I rang LJ Hooker Real Estate Agents the other night and they told me that I would be able to get a property on the outskirts of Mackay (Bucasia) for $300 per week and that would include electricity, water and cable tv as well as the rent!. I also thought that rental property was hard to come by but they told me this was not the case. I think if you want to live in Mackay harbour area you may pay a bit more and the property we were looking at was a 2 bedroom unit. You also dont pay council tax! Have you applied for a visa yet? Are you looking for a sponsor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks fish.01. That sounds MUCH better. So what is considered an average wage in Mackay?? I get such conflicting information so it's hard to pin point.. (and phew! we have 2 kids) G'day mate, any help? Not everyone is on a high wage | Mackay News | Local News in Mackay | Mackay Daily Mercury Average weekly wage now $1257 | Mackay Money, Business and Property | Business News for Mackay, Australia | Mackay Daily Mercury Mining delivers top pay cheques | Mackay News | Local News in Mackay | Mackay Daily Mercury Don't be put off by the high cost of living, the area is really fabulous and well worth living here; been retired in Mackay for 11 years, now and Jo and I only have the pension to live on and we manage. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eera Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Things do get overblown; the Mercury is always full of "you miners are forcing the prices up and putting us real locals out on the street". It costs, yes, but in reality no more than any other city. $500k gets you a 4 bedroom new build within 5 minutes walk of a virtually deserted white sandy beach, and you can still drive to the centre of town on a saturday afternoon, park and do your shopping. There's massive development in Mackay; it's one of the richest councils in the country and a lot of it's being pumped back into infrastructure (unfortunately not into the potholes, but that's another story). You don't get the vibe of a huge city like Melbourne, but equally you don't get gangs shooting each other either. I couldn't tell you how much crane drivers get unfortunately, Pile driving I have some experience with. Has you OH got any other qualifications? Simply because I've never ever seen a full time crane driver on a mine site, you get operators who drive frannas or katos ocassionally, but they're normally multi-skilled. He'll have a far easier time if he can also operate excavators or something too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedave Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Just been doing some long distance and online research as I have been offered a job in Mackay and this is what I have come up for expenses per month: Rent- $1200-2000 (I will use $1600) Food (family of 4)- $600 Electricity - $100, (Bobj pays 150/quarter but I have 2 electricity wasting teens) Car insurance - $75 (this is for a car not financed with 2 adult and 1 teen driver) Cell Phone -$50 per line x 3= $150 Broadband internet -$50 Health insurance - $200 Gasoline (Petrol) -$500 (I figure fill up once a week plus an extra tank, 75 litres @1.30 x 5) Garbage pick up -$30 (thats what I pay now in the states) Entertainment - $400 ($100 per weekend average) What am I missing? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Just been doing some long distance and online research as I have been offered a job in Mackay and this is what I have come up for expenses per month: Rent- $1200-2000 (I will use $1600) Food (family of 4)- $600 Electricity - $100, (Bobj pays 150/quarter but I have 2 electricity wasting teens) Car insurance - $75 (this is for a car not financed with 2 adult and 1 teen driver) Cell Phone -$50 per line x 3= $150 Broadband internet -$50 Health insurance - $200 Gasoline (Petrol) -$500 (I figure fill up once a week plus an extra tank, 75 litres @1.30 x 5) Garbage pick up -$30 (thats what I pay now in the states) Entertainment - $400 ($100 per weekend average) What am I missing? Dave Cyclone season...:wink: Make 'em pay their own; that'll be entertainment, alone...:laugh: Garbage is in the annual rates. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedave Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Thank you Bobj, It looks like I should be able to swing it even after taking 30% off my gross. I suppose Yasi is hittin right about now. Good luck y'all Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkk8 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Food (family of 4)- $600 I think this is unrealistically low. We spend this as a couple each month. Food is really expensive here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedave Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Yes, I just found that out. I have posted this on the bobinoz blog and have been informed that I should plan on $300 per week, so around 1200 per month should do it:shocked: wow....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexi Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Is this just buying at Supermarkets? Can you make savings on buying at markets. I am trying not to panic! Was everything else on yankeedaves list realisitic? Loving the list by the yankeedave & Bobj, I feel better knowing what to expect even if we might not be able to afford to live ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Is this just buying at Supermarkets? Can you make savings on buying at markets. I am trying not to panic! Was everything else on yankeedaves list realisitic? Loving the list by the yankeedave & Bobj, I feel better knowing what to expect even if we might not be able to afford to live ha ha You will be able to live comfortably. We just shop for immedate needs and don't buy silly things like 2, or 3 cartons of coke, 2, or 3 dozen pkts of potato chips etc. We bought extra due to cyclone Yasi and the bill was only $ 125 for the week.:yes: Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexi Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks Bobj, you always make me feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scotland18 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 How bad are the cyclones especially for those who are staying there as a single person without any family and friends? Plus for those living there how often do you see snakes and spiders? Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 How bad are the cyclones especially for those who are staying there as a single person without any family and friends?Plus for those living there how often do you see snakes and spiders? Erin A difficult question, Erin...We had 2, this year and they were not too bad, only had 186 kmh wind gusts...:wink: But for a single person, I think it would be quite harrowing. Got a few 'tail-swipes' in the last 10 years but not as bad as these last 2. Snakes...Our garden backs on to a National Park and only get 3 snakes a week in the breezeway vines in summer. Then again, they are only harmless tree snakes looking for the small green frogs. However, in the city area I don't think people would see as many as we see. Spiders...Quite a few harmless wolf spiders around. Plenty of smaller, harmless spiders. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scotland18 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hey Bobj Thanks for your reply. I have accepted a job in Mackay and I'm starting to regret my decision to work at the hospital as I'd think I might be better off further down in Australia. Cheers Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hey Bobj Thanks for your reply. I have accepted a job in Mackay and I'm starting to regret my decision to work at the hospital as I'd think I might be better off further down in Australia. Cheers Erin The new hospital will be a great place to work and find good friends.:hug: Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SupportPants Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi, it's been a few months since I posted and I have read that there's a number of people relocating to Mackay ) Good times.. I wanted to know about the relative cost of living in Mackay, I know the property market (purchase and rentals) are crazy high, double what we pay here in UK on our mortgage (which is high enough) But I understand its all relative. My hubby is a crane driver and is looking for work in this field, preferably in the mines. I have heard what the average mine wage is for Darrens skills but what about outside the mines? What's the average wage within the construction industry, what is the avalibility of crane work? And also, I read on a link from the Local Mercury newspaper that the income tax is really high too. 30-38% :chatterbox: As a rough guide, I calculated the rent/mortgage to cost around AU$1800-2000 per month, other essential outgoing around another AU$1500 per month... I'm kinda panicking that the outgoings outweigh in the income.....:no: (I guess the worst comes to it, I can always go fish for dinner :fish2: :wink:) Thanks, Andrea. The average mines wage in Mackay is $110k and general average $70k just for your guidance (statistics from may 2011) - wage growth and prices are apparently outpacing national inflation. Try http://www.realestate.com.au and search through the rentals for some idea of how far your $ goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frutsel Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Hi Everyone, I have been given a chance to go and work in Mackay. The info here has been very helpful. The last entrys I could find are from 2011, can anyone give me an update of what the costs are now in 2012. I understand that the prices like elec, water and gas have gone up ? What are the shopping bills these days ? Any other info would be very welcome. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhampa Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 bump :em3900: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candygirl Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Hi, We have the chance of sponsorship and we are still doing our research as to what Mackay can offer us and what we can offer it. I have been looking at the rentals and they are not cheap compared to some other areas, but for instance a house we have looked at today online is a 5 minute stroll to an absolutely breathtaking beach, you couldn't get that everywhere. We are looking at the Northern Beaches and I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere as my OH will be on call some nights and I don't want to be out in the stix on my own (prices range from $380-500). I have also compared the prices in Coles, Woolies & IGA, no more expensive than any other areas of Oz. There are some markets held on Sat and Sun so I am sure the fruit and veg will be cheaper at those as well. I have been advised to shop in local shops i.e. butchers and greengrocers as they often have better deals and a better quality of produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhampa Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I found this, not sure how accurate it is though. http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Australia&city=Mackay&displayCurrency=AUD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 $132 for a week's groceries in Woolies last tuesday for the 2 of us. Last leccy bill was about $230. Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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