Guest SueRich Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hi All, I'm starting to get a little concerned about the cost of living in Oz and just wanting some advice and someone to ease my mind! I have looked at all the bills we pay here in the UK and then all the bills we would have to pay in Oz. Apart from the odd one or two things (for example fuel) everything else seems to be more expensive in Oz! I know there are some things we would save on (do not have to have MOT each year) but this is give and take as there are also extra bills (for example health insurance) that we would have to pay down under. I have looked at wages and if I work in the same sort of job and the same hours in Oz as I do here in the UK then I would earn double what I earn now so I guess this evens everything out... But i'm still worried! Advice and reassurance needed please. Sue :confused: Ps: This is what I have estimated that we would pay in Oz per year for some bills (in £'s not $) - Gas & Elec: £1700, Rent: £12000, Council Rates: £1000, Home Ins: £600, Car Tax (for 2 cars) £250, Health Insurance: £2000, Equivalent of Sky TV: £850, Water Rates: £450. Do you think I have budgeted enough or too much??? Also, does anyone know if you have to have a TV licence in Oz - Can't seem to find this info on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 You don't pay council rates as a renter. The owner pays that. There is no TV licence fee in Australia. the general concensus on here is you need to earn about 2.2 x your UK salary to come out about even. Foxtel has some good deals on at the moment. Get Started plus Sport for $50 per month fixed for 12 months and free installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 When renting your only liable for Contents insurnace not full house insurance , the owner sorts that. Personally i wouldnt even be looking at Foxtel until you know what you can afford and what you can't, normal freeview TV isn't that bad at all. Finally, you arent responsible for all the water rates either, what you pay for varies, agent to agent and state to state but the majoirty of renters i have met just pay for excess water charges. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairystar32 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I never even looked at outgoings here, we never came for financial reasons and my husband did have a job to come too. IMPO you make things work, you manage.. People loose jobs in the UK all the time and manage. If you have a job and a little money to rent and pay the bills thats all you need. But then I am not materialistic... We live in a huge 4 bedroom home here with a spa, 3 x the size of our UK home, yes we rent, no we dont own and nope we dont have any money left at the end of the month, but we couldnt be happier... Depends what you want out of life and what you will put up with. However, saying that, I would never come here with no job to go too, unless I was mega rich going by your figures we pay $2700 pr yr just in eletric and we dont use the air con that much! we pay more than double that you have quoted in rent You dont pay council rates, renting or building insurance just home and contents and we dont pay private health as comming from the UK, you dont really need it. we dont pay water rates, its included in the rent, unless you go way over the top with usage. our car tax equivilant is around $600 pr yr for one car and $800 for the 4 wheel drive (approx) we pay $240 a mth for mobile,foxtel,homephone and internet. BUT someone once told me, there is NO point converting to UK £ as you are NOT earning UK £ your earning aussie $$$$ so its irrelevant and they were right.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi Sue, It may help to let us know where you are thinking of moving to, and on what visa? For info, we have just been through the annual process of reinsuring and rego-ing one of our cars and don't have much change from $1500 (rego + CTP + fully-comp) on a mid-sized family car in Sydney. We pay $100 a month for phone and internet. $10 a month for two mobiles (low users). $2 a day on electric and about $3/day on gas during the winter. Much less than we used to in the UK. At the end of the day, you cut your cloth to suit. The first few months are the most difficult as you seem to haemorrhage cash setting yourself up but it does stabilise eventually. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SueRich Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Thanks for all the responses. I also posted this on Perth Poms and had a lot of responses on there too. Everyone seems to agree that there is no point comparing the UK to Oz and trying to convert £'s to $'s. My mind has definately been eased and i'm sure we will manage once we are out there it's just such a big step to take that obviously I worry - Looks like I worry abot too much! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursealli Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi, I've been deliberating the same regarding NZ. I want to move and be able to explore the country I'm in; and knowing that wages are soooooooo much lower in NZ with a high cost of living, I'm thinking OZ maybe a better choice initially. I would be able to visit NZ then and not sit in NZ thinking i'd like to visit OZ but couldn't as I had no money!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Hi Sue, I think its pretty impossible to work out your outgoings tbh before you get here. Very, very roughly if you have no huge outgoings like debts/car payments etc and your main outgoing will be rent I think a figure of approx $60k is the minimum for a family of 4 to live on...remember I said very roughly, if you want luxuries/hols/new stuff/ new cars etc think around the $100k and 2 persons earning. Seemed to work for us. I reckon a joint income of %130 plius and you'd be in clover here in Perth. Its not that expensive IMO, its swings and roundabouts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibbah24 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Hi.... We've been in Melbourne since April and have been really surprised at all the fuss about the high cost of living here. We really haven't seen much that's more expensive. Food is pretty much the same with most things cheaper, fuel is half the price, clothes are just the same as are most electrical items such as TV's etc. Our electric and gas prices are pretty much the same as are our telephone bills. Rents are dearer as are cars but these are obviously not things you buy on a daily basis. Mobile phones are also a nightmare. A lot of people bring up the cost of healthcare but we have always been to bulk billing doctors and have been charged nothing and the service has been very good and better than we received in the UK. My son is having to see a specialist next week which will cost $200, however, things move much much quicker here and remember that you do not have to pay any NI contribution......you only pay for what you use. As everyone has said.....once you are earning $AUD it gets even better!!! Don't be scared off by those bleating on about high costs........!! Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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