Australia: From lucky country to land of rip-offs

[jennlx]

The major thing i worry about is that i may never be able to own a house over there eventually, thats something id really like but like you colin as long as my lifestyle was good in other ways then i could put up with renting. Thats what we've done here for the last few years

 

This is my biggest concern too. Admittedly, we have always rented in the UK and couldn't afford to buy here but we're not far off a deposit and there's not too much difference in rental v mortgage repayments. Buying property in Australia seems to be hugely, scarily overpriced - and the difference in rental v mortgage repayments gives me a coronary so frankly, I can't see us ever buying in Australia. Which is depressing considering that we have two kids (well, will have 2 kids soon anyway) and I would love to give them a real home of our own.

 

I think some Australians don't realise the situation (ps. I am Australia). Take my own father, for example....he has been outside of Oz for a month in his entire life and so has no point of comparison. He told me that I should be delighted that 10% may come off house prices due to European recession, and my (silent) response was "ONLY 10%!? Big bloody deal!". But I'm also guilty - I even remember being a young spring chicken in Oz in about 2000 and two Americans exclaiming over the price of clothes, telling me there was no way they would pay such extortinate prices in USA. My response was a bored "yeah, really?".

 

I guess the thing is, if Australia had the affordability of the UK, there would be tons and tons more emigrants - not a bad thing at all culturally but wages would reduce, houses would be divided up into bedsits, no green spaces, cattle-cart train systems etc. This is what I tell myself anyway!

[BuddysMum]

Statistics can say what the statisticians want them to say.

 

I haven't studied that article in depth, but two things struck me straight away:

Firstly, the price of bananas in Australia has only been this high since the banana crops were destroyed in the floods last summer. I appreciate that the prices may have been artificially kept high, but still, one has to acknowledge that they weren't always so high.

Secondly, the country by country comparisons are made for effect. The same countries are not compared for each product. The UK doesn't feature in the cinema tickets example. For a very good reason, apparently. I have just checked the price of cinema tickets in Reading and find that they are $13.27

 

I have always been happy to agree that some things are more expensive over here. However I feel that sufficient things are cheaper to make me believe that overall it is cheaper here.

 

When I have a bit more time, I would like to read that article properly. I just wanted to point out some anomalies.

[Rachael R]

All I can say is things cost what they cost! The cost of living is only one thing ( I know its a big part of it ) Think of everything esle and why you are moving to OZ and just SMILE!

[northernbird]

All I can say is things cost what they cost! The cost of living is only one thing ( I know its a big part of it ) Think of everything esle and why you are moving to OZ and just SMILE!

 

 

It's the biggest part of it, don't underestimate it.

[Guest JemGerrard]

All I can say is things cost what they cost! The cost of living is only one thing ( I know its a big part of it ) Think of everything esle and why you are moving to OZ and just SMILE!

 

 

What is the everything else as you see it Racheal?

[heyyu]

no matter where you live you can make it as cheap or as dear as you want it is i believe down to the person how they want to live .i live quite well on the pension,food i pay the same as everybody else rates,electricity,rego fuel insurance are the same as a working person . its up to the individual. i don't need expensive clothes ,i brew my own beer ,my oh and i go out once a week to a restaurant cost 50 dollars with a few beers meat and veg is not dear side of rump 4.50 a kilo.the only cost for entertainment for me is fuel.there is a lifetime of things to do for free if you take the time to look.shop wisely and haggle

[legoman]

like many said before, aus is expensive no matter which way is said, needs to be considered, free things like the beach do lose their novelty value after a while and so does free parking, and standard of living usually means what luxuries one has and can afford, Perth is bloody expensive. thought i'd treat us to a bar of nougat from IGA, the assistant asked if i really wanted it, why? i asked. well its 12 dollars. back it went.

seems to me everyone wants to use the mining boom to up their prices regardless of whether it impacts them or not. my pal just bought house on a half mort half rent deal, 45 years old with a 30 year mortgage, doesnt add up.

[Sherbetdip23]

Hiya

 

Heres my two-pennarth..... Australia may be expensive but so is the UK nowadays - the cost of living in the UK has gone up horrrendously in the past few years. We as a family of four used to spend around £80-£90 a week food shopping (4 or 5 yrs ago) but now easily spend £130-£140 a week. And yes, I know you can do a weekly shop for 4 cheaper than this but this is comparing what we bought 3-4 years ago to exactly the same things today. Also, shopping isn't the only thing that has increased :mad:

[Rachael R]

What is the everything else as you see it Racheal?

 

A better life for my kids and us. We run are own body shop and it will be nice to have alot less stress! We both work very very hard and it will just be nice to have a life. We all have are own reasons for wanting to move so the cost of living is only one thing. I never underestimate anything!

[bunbury61]

Can’t really argue with it. Same as previous posters, love Oz, hate all this nonsense.

We’ve only been here 4 years but have watched the cost of living shoot up. There’s no way we’d have been able to make the move with the way things are now. The houses that were up for sale with ours 4 years ago, half still are and are 40k less. And they won’t be going up again any time in the next 5 years. We just wouldn’t have bothered; the exchange rate only compounds it.

That said, I am obviously fantastically grateful that we missed all that, I just feel for anyone starting the process now that isn’t absolutely minted.

As for the great Oz rip-off, I genuinely think some retailers just take the mickey. We have shopped for everything possible online for about 18 months now. Obviously, food, petrol etc. you can’t. I picked up some small bits for Chrimbo a couple of weeks ago but, as for going shopping centres etc. I think I’ve been about 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years.

Eating out and drinking in Perth is criminal. But, have to say, I refuse to give it up. We earn enough so we deserve it, we enjoy it. I don’t worry about the cost because it’s our treat. We took the Mother-in-law to Hillarys the other week for Sunday dinner, the fish main course I had was $48 (32 pound). The whole thing, for bread & dips, 3 mains, 2 desserts, 3 or 4 drinks was over $250.

We do earn twice as much over here as we did UK, and it does kind of balance things out, although that is no justification for being ripped off. Above all else, alongside being fleeced, generally service is poor and quality of goods is low.

 

 

$250 ......youve got to be having a laugh

[bunbury61]

Hiya

 

Heres my two-pennarth..... Australia may be expensive but so is the UK nowadays - the cost of living in the UK has gone up horrrendously in the past few years. We as a family of four used to spend around £80-£90 a week food shopping (4 or 5 yrs ago) but now easily spend £130-£140 a week. And yes, I know you can do a weekly shop for 4 cheaper than this but this is comparing what we bought 3-4 years ago to exactly the same things today. Also, shopping isn't the only thing that has increased :mad:

 

Yes fully agree ......but ask those on here .....living in Oz ,how much a full weekly shop would be for a family .....no bias here ....the food in the u.k is some of the cheapest in the western world ......i know what the prices are in oz , and in europe .

Our petrol prices are ridiculously high , but our clothing and food prices are very low...... also i have 4 mobile phones with our little business ......fully inclusive internet , texts , calls £30 each ....ridiculously low

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Its been said many times on here before, gas/electric and rate bills are far cheaper in Australia, but then again cars are dearer in OZ, petrol is extortionate here in the uk, especially compared to Australia, but beer is mega dear there, but wine is really cheap. Some food is dearer, some is cheaper overall i found food slightly dearer in OZ and houses are dearer in Australia, but they are twice as big as houses in the uk. You see its hard to get to the real truth of the cost of living in each country and the truth of the matter is, most people are getting by ok in each country so to me that tells me its not much different and that is what we found out when we were there.

[Guest guest59177]

Well, I think, just to add some perspective, here are some rates in Pakistan in terms of Australian dollars at today's exchange rate of Rs. 88.9432/- to 1 AUD.:

 

Full loaf of bread - 0.595897 AUD

Eggs - 1 AUD per dozen

Milk - 0.786888 AUD per litre

Chicken (Live) - 1.46136 AUD per KG

Flour - 0.337127 AUD per KG

Sugar - 0.786888 AUD per KG

Petrol - 0.999907 AUD per litre

Bananas - 0.674043 AUD per dozen

 

Salary of an upper middle class person: 1,179.29 AUD per month.

[Sherbetdip23]

Its been said many times on here before, gas/electric and rate bills are far cheaper in Australia, but then again cars are dearer in OZ, petrol is extortionate here in the uk, especially compared to Australia, but beer is mega dear there, but wine is really cheap. Some food is dearer, some is cheaper overall i found food slightly dearer in OZ and houses are dearer in Australia, but they are twice as big as houses in the uk. You see its hard to get to the real truth of the cost of living in each country and the truth of the matter is, most people are getting by ok in each country so to me that tells me its not much different and that is what we found out when we were there.

 

So true!

[amibovered]

Its been said many times on here before, gas/electric and rate bills are far cheaper in Australia, but then again cars are dearer in OZ, petrol is extortionate here in the uk, especially compared to Australia, but beer is mega dear there, but wine is really cheap. Some food is dearer, some is cheaper overall i found food slightly dearer in OZ and houses are dearer in Australia, but they are twice as big as houses in the uk. You see its hard to get to the real truth of the cost of living in each country and the truth of the matter is, most people are getting by ok in each country so to me that tells me its not much different and that is what we found out when we were there.

 

I'm sorry but that's just not true gas/electric is not cheaper here, nor is wine, I paid nearly $700 for 2 months gas for a small three bed-roomed house and there is nobody in during week days, you can buy Aussie wine cheaper in Tescos than you can here.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

I'm sorry but that's just not true gas/electric is not cheaper here, nor is wine, I paid nearly $700 for 2 months gas for a small three bed-roomed house and there is nobody in during week days, you can buy Aussie wine cheaper in Tescos than you can here.

 

You must be paying for next doors as well.

 

i pay the equivalent of 3,500 dollars per year for my gas and electric here in the uk and several people living in OZ have previously said they pay far less than this and wine was really cheap when we were there you could get 5 litres of fruit of the loom i think it was called for just over £10, its double that here in the uk, beer and spirits are dear though.

[amibovered]

You must be paying for next doors as well.

 

 

You'd think so, I know you see Australia through rose tinted glasses but I would guess that most people who actually live in Australia will tell you the cost of living here is very high, as for all the free things beach ect, I'm working 50 hours a week just to keep my head above water, who's got time for the beach! we have been here 2 years on this visit to Australia and our standard of living is worse than it was in the U.K, for some people it'll be a bit better, I'm not saying I wouldn't advise people to move here because of it, but don't think you'll be better of financially, because you may well not be.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

I will personally be alot worse off in Australia and i have said some things are dearer and some things are cheaper, i don't have rose tinted glasses at all, i actually went there and researched the costs and i have lots of friends and family there and from what i have discovered, things are dearer there and they are also dearer here in the uk and thats on top of no pay rise for 4 years, i found out that the overall cost of living is very similar unless you try to equate the costs using the exchange rate, which is pointless when your getting paid in dollars at a far higher rate than the chronic current exchange rate.

[Perthbum]

I found in Oz that they try to "rip you off" far more than in the UK, the UK far better at consumer protection at "buyers rights" than in Oz, it is the old saying "buyer beware" I am afraid.

[Harpodom]

I found in Oz that they try to "rip you off" far more than in the UK, the UK far better at consumer protection at "buyers rights" than in Oz, it is the old saying "buyer beware" I am afraid.

 

Agree perthy

much more in the way of corporate complacency here: supermarkets, banks, clothes retailers etc

Taking the supermarket example, one of the supermarkets here is directly opposite a fruit and veg shop (I often park in supermarket car park and cross road to this place). Recent examples of price disparity:

 

Apples....supermarket $4 a kilo, other place $1

Oranges...supermarket $3 a kilo, other place $0.49

 

To me this is just the supermarket taking the p1ss. This is the norm not just an anomaly with regard to these 2 shops. I've never seen anything like this before.

[boomerang]

Yeah but you should also look at the interest rates that the banks are giving for savings in both the Uk and OZ.

[Petals]

Aus has very good consumer protection laws but our business people know that we are an idle lot and cannot be bothered to use them if the amount is not great.

 

Interest rates, we need them higher, why because some of us live on interest in fact as the boomers retire most will be living on it.

 

Rip offs, well books etc, have always been dearer but then there is the second hand book market which is cheap.

 

Libraries are free

 

Clothes, lack of diversity especially for those of us who are larger than a peg. So America is the place to shop.

 

Food is seasonal, always has been, but if you shop properly instead of lazily like me then food is not expensive.

 

Lets face it short news day on an article that everyone was aware of anyway. :SLEEP:

[heyyu]

where do people equate the house prices to uk or oz do they take the price from the area they left or do they average from a comparable area in the uk .i check house prices in the uk by internet and i can't see anything that i would consider cheap doing a two for one exchange .depressed areas will always be cheaper no matter which country you live in

[gpo1971]

My leccy is $100 a month (we have r/c air con, pool, dishwasher, 2 fridges, 3 tellys), gas is about $40, rates are about $140 although it goes up and down and is not paid over the full year so the payment has to be higher, water about $50, car insurance $40-odd, $60 private medical, $50 buildings insurance, $50 contents insurance.

Telstra is $200-odd, that's a rip off, the mortgage is $3k a month.

We spend about $160 or so a week in Woollys (for 2 of us). Petrol is about $50 a week, full tank in medium size car.

Honestly can't remember how much my UK bills were.

[Guest51810]

cheers, it always helps to see a rough estimate of things, obviously it varies but still helps a little