Worried about the cost of living

[charmedp3]

Hi guys,

All opions welcomed I have just been offered a job in Perth on a 457 visa which will give me $69,888 before tax so I'm guessing about $56000 net. Will this be enough to live on for a family of 4, who will have 2 cars? most importantly would we be able to afford to buy a 4 bedroom house????

I feel that whilst you might get by on that, it would probably be a struggle and that running 2 cars, feeding a family of 4 etc would be tight.

Also, I'd imagine that unfortunately you wouldn't be offered a decent enough mortgage on that salary.... I think (depends where you live) you'd be hard pushed to actually find a house priced as low as the mortgage you'd likely be offered (I reckon you'd only get offered around 250/300K on that salary).... also, I don't think on a 457 visa you'd qualify for the first time home buyers grant... mortgage repayments on a 400K mortgage are "approx" $700 pw, so sure they'd be less on 300K.... but you have to take into consideration what sort of house you'd get for that price. I think you'd be better off renting as you'd likely get a nice 4 bed house for around $350 - $450 pw....

[jeffxx]

Hi all,

Great post and lots of very useful info.

I have a very similar query. I have been offered a salary of $110000 as an IT Manager in Perth. Would that comfortably support myself, my wife and our one year old son? And does anyone know if that's a good salary for the job type?

Thanks in advance

[Hassan]

Dear All;

Excellent information....keep nurturing the knowledge sharing culture !!

Thanks

Hassan

[martync]

If you are coming over on a permanent visa then you can go contract but like a lot of people in the oil/gas/mining industry they come over on a 457 temp visa and you are then limited to work for one employer. You can set up a company once you have PR but it isn't like being Ltd over in the UK, not by a long chalk. The oil/gas/mining industry pays good wages and if you are in demand you can earn up to $200k per annum.

Hi Arwen

What do you mean contracting in perth isnt like the UK by a long chalk? Does that mean worse or better? Is tax much higher?

[Arwen]

Hi Arwen

What do you mean contracting in perth isnt like the UK by a long chalk? Does that mean worse or better? Is tax much higher?

Much higher. Working in Australia is nothing like being Ltd in the UK.

[tsderby]

Great thread,
We are worried about the cost of living, my OH is always saying if we will be better off. he is a rope access electrician and works offshore, he is on a good wage but we also have big bills over here, like most people still we live month to month really as i dont earn a great deal as its only now im getting my carreer back up and running after getting our second child in full time school. He also has been advised by friends who have mates working in OZ that he could earn anywhere up to 3000 dollars a day, we understand he may have to work away but we are ready for that and hopefully if he does get a good wage it would only be until for a few years. we are looking to go soon after xmas as he is waiting to hear of any job offers before then. Its a scary thing but also i cant wait. We just have to decide on where to live now...lol, i think the wanted down under programme scares you a bit as they always say they can only get them a pokey little house within their £350,000 budget, but i know after research that this is not the case. thanks for great info , will keep being nosey!!

[giles]

Hi guys,

All opions welcomed I have just been offered a job in Perth on a 457 visa which will give me $69,888 before tax so I'm guessing about $56000 net. Will this be enough to live on for a family of 4, who will have 2 cars? most importantly would we be able to afford to buy a 4 bedroom house????

Hi , im about to get a mail from Komastu on when to take a trip over for a walk about , im on the to be offered list and HR has spoken with a friend there off the record that they want me to work for them. Yes thats about the starting money @ 40k uk , with papers i should be able to do 60 k in the workshop with a bit of ot and top money fifo is 160 - 180 k !!!

please let me know how you get on

Giles , Janet , Jack 13 , Lucy 9

[northwest]

Hi All,
Very new to this forum so please bare with me!
These threats are great well done all the info is very valuable.
I am in similar situation, i have a painting and decorating business in the Isle of Man, i am probably taking about £75,000 - £100,000 a year (with low tax rates!). We have our PR visas (wife and two young kids) and plan to move in Aug/Sept 2012 but i am having a wobble because of the cost of living.
I will need to find a job and will just be working as an ordinary p & d on the usual wage. Wife wont be working as she will be looking after the kids or maybe a part time job and kids go to nursey/childcare depending on the cost. I know we are going to be worse off money wise but i need to know if we can survive, this is our only worry about the move. I see the kids alot because i do alot of paper work from home, what i dont want to do is to go from here and have to work like a dog to make ends meet and not see the kids and wife! I have been really positive up till now but after watching wanted down under and doing abit of research about coat of living and being realistic about the wage i might earn out there its started to play with my head! I heve been like 'yeah everything will work out, am just going and never think that it wouldnt work out' kind off attitude all my life but now with wife and 2 kids i really need to look at it logically.
Could anybody help and answer some of the questions below?
Is there alot of painting and decorating jobs in Perth and how much are they on annually?
What are the costs of nursery/daycare?
When do kids go to pre-school, does it cost and how many days and the times thay are there throughout the day?
How much rent for a 4 x 2 with pool north of the river doesnt have to be by beach or near good schools (as kids are to young).
Are you guys having better family time and enjoying the lifestyle?
Thanks for reading and it would be great to get some feedback and sorry for going on and on!
All the best
Ste

[giles]

Hi All,
Very new to this forum so please bare with me!
These threats are great well done all the info is very valuable.
I am in similar situation, i have a painting and decorating business in the Isle of Man, i am probably taking about £75,000 - £100,000 a year (with low tax rates!). We have our PR visas (wife and two young kids) and plan to move in Aug/Sept 2012 but i am having a wobble because of the cost of living.
I will need to find a job and will just be working as an ordinary p & d on the usual wage. Wife wont be working as she will be looking after the kids or maybe a part time job and kids go to nursey/childcare depending on the cost. I know we are going to be worse off money wise but i need to know if we can survive, this is our only worry about the move. I see the kids alot because i do alot of paper work from home, what i dont want to do is to go from here and have to work like a dog to make ends meet and not see the kids and wife! I have been really positive up till now but after watching wanted down under and doing abit of research about coat of living and being realistic about the wage i might earn out there its started to play with my head! I heve been like 'yeah everything will work out, am just going and never think that it wouldnt work out' kind off attitude all my life but now with wife and 2 kids i really need to look at it logically.
Could anybody help and answer some of the questions below?
Is there alot of painting and decorating jobs in Perth and how much are they on annually?
What are the costs of nursery/daycare?
When do kids go to pre-school, does it cost and how many days and the times thay are there throughout the day?
How much rent for a 4 x 2 with pool north of the river doesnt have to be by beach or near good schools (as kids are to young).
Are you guys having better family time and enjoying the lifestyle?
Thanks for reading and it would be great to get some feedback and sorry for going on and on!
All the best
Ste

Hi there ,
My friend sent me a spread sheet based on 4 , me the wife and 2 kids he spends around £34000 on keeping the house inc rent ect ect , he is running one car as the other is a company car and his phone is also paid for. I think to a point its the quality of living out there not rushing around like a idot all the time and of course the climate. Im waiting for my offer of work to come through the post at the moment so up to yet i dont know what i will be earning. I i recon
i will need min of 40 uk + overtime to make the move. They are going to put me though night school and training to gain
heavy diesel fitted papers then its a question of how much do you want to earn !

Good luck and keep in touch with your plans trails and ups and downs becouse there seems to be a lot of those !

[verystormy]

Hi All,
Very new to this forum so please bare with me!
These threats are great well done all the info is very valuable.
I am in similar situation, i have a painting and decorating business in the Isle of Man, i am probably taking about £75,000 - £100,000 a year (with low tax rates!). We have our PR visas (wife and two young kids) and plan to move in Aug/Sept 2012 but i am having a wobble because of the cost of living.
I will need to find a job and will just be working as an ordinary p & d on the usual wage. Wife wont be working as she will be looking after the kids or maybe a part time job and kids go to nursey/childcare depending on the cost. I know we are going to be worse off money wise but i need to know if we can survive, this is our only worry about the move. I see the kids alot because i do alot of paper work from home, what i dont want to do is to go from here and have to work like a dog to make ends meet and not see the kids and wife! I have been really positive up till now but after watching wanted down under and doing abit of research about coat of living and being realistic about the wage i might earn out there its started to play with my head! I heve been like 'yeah everything will work out, am just going and never think that it wouldnt work out' kind off attitude all my life but now with wife and 2 kids i really need to look at it logically.
Could anybody help and answer some of the questions below?
Is there alot of painting and decorating jobs in Perth and how much are they on annually?
What are the costs of nursery/daycare?
When do kids go to pre-school, does it cost and how many days and the times thay are there throughout the day?
How much rent for a 4 x 2 with pool north of the river doesnt have to be by beach or near good schools (as kids are to young).
Are you guys having better family time and enjoying the lifestyle?
Thanks for reading and it would be great to get some feedback and sorry for going on and on!
All the best
Ste

Your not going to earn even close to that here even in straight dollar conversion. I have a couple of neighbours in the painting and decorating game and if they put the hours in they can clear $90k at a push. Thats about 60k pounds. Tax is also a fair bit higher here. To have the same lifestyle here as you do now you need a dollar salary of about $225 - $300k. Even giving up what you do and getting a job in the mines (which is harder to get than you think) your not going to get close to that sort of money.