Cost of Living - Sticky?

[Guest laura1009]

Hi, do you know of any good house sites for renting? :cute:

[pablo]

Hi, do you know of any good house sites for renting? :cute:

 

 

I look on REALESTATE.COM.AU, theres HOMEBOUND or something as well,i usually just type in HOUSES FOR RENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA,loads come up for all over oz

[Guest scoop]

Hi, are the fees for state or Private school? Cheers

[brideycollette]

:eek:why didn't i see this before yesterday !!!!!!!!!!!!:cry:

Have been trying to find out about household expenses for WA state sponsor so we have some info ready for the 20th dec:huh:

 

:wubclub:i'm going to have a look now lol :tongue:ty peeps .

:embarrassed:I will probably be back again :wubclub:so you have been warned lol

 

Brides x

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

To make a proper comparison need to calculate in pounds so that people in the UK know exactly what their spend would be:

 

I have picked a few things from the threads and given a comparison.

 

Kiely's thread

 

3 litres milk $3.89 = L2.38

Total $75.35 = L46.28

 

Anya Thread March

 

$2669.70 = L1639.89

 

This way I think it may be easier for people to understand as people tend to still think in pounds rather than dollars.

 

So if you have an income of

 

$60,0000 its equivalent in pounds is 36,853

 

Hi petals

 

these calculations are only correct if you are on holiday in Australia, but once you emigrate you will be paid in dollars and the current exchange rate is pointless, because Australian wages are roughly paid at a $2.2 to £1 rate. This is based on nurses pay, tradies, government jobs and several others.

 

Your estimate of = $60,0000 its equivalent in pounds is 36,853. Is nearer £27,000 and its is very important that people emigrating are aware of this, so they don't accept a wage at the current exchange rate of $1.55 to £1, because if they do, it would spell disaster for them.

 

 

Based on the commonly accepted PIO rate $2.2 to £1, below are my monthly outgoings in the uk and someone living in a bigger house in Australia, in red.

 

Rates/ £1450 per year/ $3300 is it the same?...... approx $1600 in Brisbane

Gas/electric/ £1600 per year/ $3500 - how much do you pay?...........approx $1900

Petrol/ £1.18/ $2.50 how much? .................diesel - $1.20

car insurance/ £500/ $1100 ? ................incl Rego & fully comp approx $1300

yearly water rates/ £400/ $850 ?................ $416

 

 

These are only 2 peoples figures living in a 4 bedroomed detached house in both countries, but the figures will vary from state to state. On the face of it, it looks like it is alot cheaper in Australia, but there are other things you have to pay for, which makes it very similar, in my opinion it is just slightly dearer in Australia, if i had a hidden agenda i could make out that it is alot cheaper in Australia, but what is the point of lying to people, it is very similar as long as you get a job with a wage similar to the one you had in the uk, based on the $2.2 rate, if not you will struggle.

 

Best of luck.

[Goochie]

I've been trying to get a feel for the relative cost of living in WA and the UK. In order to do so I've come up with this excel spreadsheet:

 

http://www.philgooch.com/Australia/costs.xlsx

 

You'll find it filled with some very approximate costs and a random UK and Australian salary. If you input your own details in the blue coloured cells, it will then highlight those which will be more expensive down under.

 

Because everything is calculated as a percentage of your monthly income, everything is relative and not affected by the exchange rate.

 

Its a work-in-progress that will be added to in time (I'm thinking about putting food items on a second sheet for example) - any feedback would be appreciated.

[Guest Stevebel]

I've been trying to get a feel for the relative cost of living in WA and the UK. In order to do so I've come up with this excel spreadsheet:

 

www.philgooch.com/Australia/costs.xlsx

 

Great idea, and really useful for us still peering over the fence, but I'm obviously missing something here. The link actually opens a ZIP file and I don't see any XLSX files in there.

 

If other people tell me they can see it ok then I'll try from home this evening - I have more up-to-date tools there than in the office, but exporting to an older format so that those of us stuck with older viewers can see it would be appreciated too

[Guest guest30038]

Great idea, and really useful for us still peering over the fence, but I'm obviously missing something here. The link actually opens a ZIP file and I don't see any XLSX files in there.

 

If other people tell me they can see it ok then I'll try from home this evening - I have more up-to-date tools there than in the office, but exporting to an older format so that those of us stuck with older viewers can see it would be appreciated too

 

When I clicked on the link it automatically downloaded an unzipped excel file.

 

kev

[Guest Bobby]

Hi petals

 

these calculations are only correct if you are on holiday in Australia, but once you emigrate you will be paid in dollars and the current exchange rate is pointless, because Australian wages are roughly paid at a $2.2 to £1 rate. This is based on nurses pay, tradies, government jobs and several others.

 

Your estimate of = $60,0000 its equivalent in pounds is 36,853. Is nearer £27,000 and its is very important that people emigrating are aware of this, so they don't accept a wage at the current exchange rate of $1.55 to £1, because if they do, it would spell disaster for them.

 

 

Based on the commonly accepted PIO rate $2.2 to £1, below are my monthly outgoings in the uk and someone living in a bigger house in Australia, in red.

 

Rates/ £1450 per year/ $3300 is it the same?...... approx $1600 in Brisbane

Gas/electric/ £1600 per year/ $3500 - how much do you pay?...........approx $1900

Petrol/ £1.18/ $2.50 how much? .................diesel - $1.20

car insurance/ £500/ $1100 ? ................incl Rego & fully comp approx $1300

yearly water rates/ £400/ $850 ?................ $416

 

 

These are only 2 peoples figures living in a 4 bedroomed detached house in both countries, but the figures will vary from state to state. On the face of it, it looks like it is alot cheaper in Australia, but there are other things you have to pay for, which makes it very similar, in my opinion it is just slightly dearer in Australia, if i had a hidden agenda i could make out that it is alot cheaper in Australia, but what is the point of lying to people, it is very similar as long as you get a job with a wage similar to the one you had in the uk, based on the $2.2 rate, if not you will struggle.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

 

I do not understand you Hoff :eek: the current exchange rate is 1.57 dollars to the pound, how can you quote 2.2 dollars to the pound?

[Goochie]

Great idea, and really useful for us still peering over the fence, but I'm obviously missing something here. The link actually opens a ZIP file and I don't see any XLSX files in there.

 

If other people tell me they can see it ok then I'll try from home this evening - I have more up-to-date tools there than in the office, but exporting to an older format so that those of us stuck with older viewers can see it would be appreciated too

 

Here you go:

 

http://www.philgooch.com/Australia/costs2.xls

 

If you left click that link it should download the excel file in an older format. Right click as select "Save Target as..." to download it and open it yourself.

 

I used some auto-formatting options in excel 2007 so fingers crossed it all still works as an older version file.

[Guest keelbeal]

Hiya, Ive been lurking for weeks and finally posting...

 

We applied for our state sponship for victoria this week. im just trying to get a rough idead of cost of living out there. could some one please tell me if the figures are ok ....

 

council tax equivilant $117 per month

water $70 per month

water rates $21 per month

buildings insurance $45 per month

contents insurance $30

electric $100

gas $48

phone $121

internet $40

 

private health care on website said would be $236 a month another said $75 (i know depends on package but which sounds closer to the mark)

 

food $1000 a month

 

these are all based on a family of 4. I know if you rent you dont always pay water and council tax but id rather over estimate.

 

thanks in advance

xx

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Hi mate could you copy and paste thes figures and put them on my household bills thread, it makes interesting reading, the private health insurance seems alot.

[Guest laura1009]

Is it that price in most hair dressers?

 

Thanks

[godfather]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/latest/a/-/newshome/9316531/australian-groceries-more-expensive-7news-international-survey/

[Guest gill w]

Is it that price in most hair dressers?

 

Thanks

 

Hi

 

Apologies Laura but I don't know what area you're looking at to live!

 

I've been here for 7 months and have visited 4 different hairdressers in the Bunbury area, due to the shock of the price at my first couple of visits - my first was at a very basic salon purely for a roots touch up and blowdry (- no cut) and it was $90 - eqivalent to about 60 pounds. I've now discovered this is the going rate so expect to pay 2-3 times what a local type UK salon would charge.

 

Overall I'm finding absolutely everything to be way more than what you'd pay in England - this isn't a dig at Australians, it's just my findings. Beauticians probably double (25ish quid for a bikini wax) and eating out is astronomical, even at the dodgier places! Cinemas are way below the UK standard here and the prices are higher.

 

I know the cost of living is rising everywhere but I really have been shocked at the difference, and making the move of paying a mortgage in England at very low interest rates to paying more or less 7% here.......ouch!!!

 

Be prepared for all this!!

[LaraBond]

We moved from Kent to Brisbane on a 4-year business sponsored visa 6 months ago and regret it right from the start.

Our first shock was the cost of living and prices in general. The cost of living here in general, the food is double the price of that in the UK. Can you ever imagine bananas, cherries and vine tomatoes costing $13 per kilo in high season? I forgot what they taste like! We never had to scrimp and scrape on food in the UK and we could buy clothes and household stuff pretty cheap back home. Have you ever seen a cooking pan in a department store for $400? I have not bought a thing here since we came and I regret we didn't bring more! Cars cost 50% more, road tax is $700-800 per year and house prices are like at the higher end in the Home Counties . To rent a 3-bed house you would pay about $500 per week on the outskirts of Brisbane. Hairdressers are also twice as expensive.

But the worst thing happens when you get ill. We did not expect that with a reciprocal health agreement and a private health insurance you still end up paying loads. I was unfortunate enough to get something as trivial as an ear infection. It took me 5 visit to a GP (you pay about $30 each time) and a visit to a consultant (I paid 50% fees which cost me another $150). Many prescriptions are private and could cost a fortune. But the worst thing is the absence of the NHS dentists here, they are all private and charge at least three times as UK private dentists . I tried to complete all my dental work in the UK before I came here but it turned out that my old root canal problems re-appeared big time. Guess what, within 2 months I spent thousands here just on the root canals at a regular dentist, a root canal specialist quoted me here nearly $3,000 per tooth and new crowns would cost $1,500 each!!!

Now after only 6 months I cannot wait to go back to the UK to sort my teeth out, the alternative is to travel to some other countries but unfortunately my treatment would require several visits. We dread to think what would happen if we get seriously ill. We can’t go back for the first 2 years as we would have to pay back our relocation expenses and pay again to ship everything back home.

In a nutshell, if we knew all this beforehand, WE WOULD NOT COME HERE

[Guest siamsusie]

. We dread to think what would happen if we get seriously ill. We can’t go back for the first 2 years as we would have to pay back our relocation expenses and pay again to ship everything back home.

In a nutshell, if we knew all this beforehand, WE WOULD NOT COME HERE

 

I am being treated for a serious illness which incoporates local and main land hospitals and I cant sing their praises highly enough. 5*.

Although I am a Medibank private subscriber everything is being done on Medicare.

I am more than impressed.

 

Rural WA and Perth hospitals are included in my findings.

 

Whatever Visa you are on as an emergency patient you will be seen FOC so I personally cant see the problem. This isnt America!

 

Susie

[Guest hels]

i think the problem mainly is what your used to.

We rent a 2 bed apartment in Buswood for $600 per week its beautufil, quiet, has its own gym, pool gardens, 5 mins train from the city and has amazing views of the golf course, river and perth skyline, hardly what i got in the UK. Renting is chaper than buying

We pay roughly a month - rent $2400, electric $100 (same as the uk) gas $50 (half what i paid inthe uk) water $60 (more expenisve) food $500 , eating out $400, dont pay council tax ina rental.

$100 wireless unlimited broadband and unlimited uk calls, $100 foxtel hd etc etc

Rego $500, insurance $500 per year,

Medical insurnace $100 a month for both of us combined.

i agree cars are waaaaaay to expensive, but i find most things the same as the UK, going to the hairdresser in the Uk always was in the region of 150quid and now i go to a feiends salon and she cuts my hair for $150 so im happy there

Seems fairly the same as the Uk to me and my husband, oh and petrol is cheeeeeap to which is lovely as i fill up every week.

[Guest gill w]

I am being treated for a serious illness which incoporates local and main land hospitals and I cant sing their praises highly enough. 5*.

Although I am a Medibank private subscriber everything is being done on Medicare.

I am more than impressed.

 

Rural WA and Perth hospitals are included in my findings.

 

Whatever Visa you are on as an emergency patient you will be seen FOC so I personally cant see the problem. This isnt America!

 

Susie

 

I'm still finding the medical system extremely complicated - I'm covered with HBF and visited a dentist this week who had a sign in the reception area saying that HBF patients were entitled to a FREE clean & polish every year so I booked myself in. I was then charged $27 difference as I left.......I attempted to understand the reason but it was lost on me!

I'd always been of the opinion that the medical system here would be fairer than the NHS as I thought you only pay for what you need, but I'm finding it more expensive overall - and like another member, I'm terrified of getting ill as just a consultation with a GP is $65 - any treatment/prescriptions/tests are all on top and it seems impossible to know what's covered on your private health care. Also, talking to those unfortunate enough to need hospital treatment, I was surprised to hear that the standard of care you can expect to receive is no better than home.

I used to slate the NHS quite regularly, but not now!

[Guest siamsusie]

Hi Gill,

 

"I'd always been of the opinion that the medical system here would be fairer than the NHS as I thought you only pay for what you need, but I'm finding it more expensive overall "

 

There are a few of our members who are extremely good at explaining the system namely "Fish" in Brisbane or Kev (It couldbeworse).. I agree it is complicated as you are used to one system namely the NHS.

When I worked in the UK I paid NHS on a PAYE system which was extortionate , I would much preferred to have had the choice and gladly paid into a BUPA fund for example.

If you are working in the UK you are paying for the NHS.. for some fortunate people living in Scotland for example prescriptions are free and granted medications can be expensive here off the PBS.

 

Personally I dont advertise the fact that I am a Medibank member (we are members purely for tax reasons) and as I said Medicare have come up trumps for me.. All consultants are and have been FOC.

This includes all appts. for x rays and MRI's, which are carried out here in Launceston Tasmania in the private hospitals in the main who work in conjunction with the main hospitals.

 

I feel safe!

 

Dentistry is expensive but then for me I never left a NHS dentist without dipping into my purse either, and to to find a practice to take on a patient in inner London is a rarity .. Medibank do give a subsidy granted but yes having major work/children with braces etc must be horrifying at what you do have to spend.

 

 

Susie x

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Hi petals

 

these calculations are only correct if you are on holiday in Australia, but once you emigrate you will be paid in dollars and the current exchange rate is pointless, because Australian wages are roughly paid at a $2.2 to £1 rate. This is based on nurses pay, tradies, government jobs and several others.

 

Your estimate of = $60,0000 its equivalent in pounds is 36,853. Is nearer £27,000 and its is very important that people emigrating are aware of this, so they don't accept a wage at the current exchange rate of $1.55 to £1, because if they do, it would spell disaster for them.

 

 

Based on the commonly accepted PIO rate $2.2 to £1, below are my monthly outgoings in the uk and someone living in a bigger house in Australia, in red.

 

Rates/ £1450 per year/ $3300 is it the same?...... approx $1600 in Brisbane

Gas/electric/ £1600 per year/ $3500 - how much do you pay?...........approx $1900

Petrol/ £1.18/ $2.50 how much? .................diesel - $1.20

car insurance/ £500/ $1100 ? ................incl Rego & fully comp approx $1300

yearly water rates/ £400/ $850 ?................ $416

 

 

These are only 2 peoples figures living in a 4 bedroomed detached house in both countries, but the figures will vary from state to state.

 

 

I have just re-posted this post because it is so relevant for people trying to assess the costs in each country. When this thread was started in 2008 the exchange rate was for a time at $2.5 to £1 and now it is down to $1.5 to £1 and theres no point in using the exchange rate when assessing costs, the best way is to use the the average skilled wage in Australia, which is roughly paid at $2.2 to £1, because when you are in Australia, you will be earning AUS dollars and English pounds will not be relevant at all.

[ABL275]

Regarding regional variations, don't underestimate howmuch more expensive Canberra can be!

 

We constantly have business colleagues coming over from Sydney saying they can't believe how it expensive things are.

 

Our rent for a 4-5 bed suburban house will pool is $3,450/month and the consensus amongst work clleagues is that we got a good deal because the house is pretty old (by Australian standards)

[ABL275]

As a very rough estimate we reckon that the 'real exchange rate' in many things (i.e. the Australian dollar cost divided by the cost in pounds for the same thing in the UK) is about 2.2 or higher - which is what the average exchange rate had been for many years up until the financial crisis hit.

[Guest richsaint18]

Hi there!

 

we are just applying for visas and wanted to know what the cost of living was like: e.g. how much is loaf bread, milk etc?? Much diff to UK?

 

ALso, why are people including in their monthly expenses mortgage & rent? Do you not pay one or the other??!!

Can anyone help here? Does your wages tend to cover your cost of living comfortably like here?

 

Judith:twitcy:

 

Check this comparison out for daily items - http://www.ozvuk.com/groceries.htm

 

You should live very comfortably in OZ; depending on your expectations. i.e. you will probably pass allot less tax, however a night down the pub will probably cost you double.

[Guest pomgoddress]

Renting is about 100-300 per bedroom in Perth depending on area up or down. 100-300 per bedroom in Sydney. I cannot get a one person flat under 200 in an area I would feel okay in and that is one that needs a reno and is in a sea of tarmac. It used to be SO cheap in Perth. Best kept secret as the Eastern States people thought it was awful here. But it isn't. But the mining boom spoiled all that..................