Guest SueRich Posted September 7, 2011 Report 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 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...
leedslass123 Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hi Sue We have been here a few years now orginally from Leeds Cost of living in general is higher but like you say the wages are alot higher as well so its all relative we find Costs all depend on whether you would be renting or owning a home as well as how many people in house etc etc. Just to give you a rough idea pls see below what we pay in a 4 x2 home with a mortgage (all in $ not sure what rate is back to pounds) Mortgage - $2600 per month Gas - $126 per quarter Elec - $ 120ish per quarter (depends if we have had air con on or not) When we rented it was $320 per week but average os anywhere between $300-$600 per week depending on house, location etc Council rates $1600 per year in our area, not payable if you are renting home owner pays, they are paid for the full year in advance but you can split them into 4 equal payments Home Insurance - $135 per month with contents Car Insurance - $90 per month for 2 cars. You get 3rd party insurance inc in the rego (car tax) but we choose to upgrade to fully comp Car Tax (rego) - $1000 per year for 2 cars Health Insurance - $120 per month full cover (for 2) inc hospital cover etc, lots of different plans so again price is variable Foxtel (sky) - around $50 all depends on what package you choose Petrol is around $1.32 a litre at the moment Our food bill is about $120 per week as we only buy tinned food/bread etc in the supermarkets and shop for fruit/veg/meat at markets which is alot cheaper. There is no TV licence to pay here and also one thing to bear in mind is that we dont pay things like National Insurance. We live on just one wage and manage more than comfortably. At first it can seem really expensive as you still convert everything back to pounds. Once you start earning dollars and paying in dollars its all relative. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cozzy Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Good ask Sue Rich!! And Great reply LeedsLass, Thank you for taking the time to do this. Its really good to hear it from someone whos doing it over there. If you dont mind me asking what does the Salary earner in your household do for living ?( I understand if im being too nosey here). Im a plumbing and Gas engineer and we (Family of 5/Me+ Wifey & 3 Saucepan Lids + dog!) coming over middle of next year and just trying to gauge things a bit as to what i will earn against what we will be able to afford. My first reaction to your thread was $2400 a month on the morgage, i was like whaaaaat!! but then having thought about it a bit its not so bad against the expected salary! I think im doing the old mistake of thinking in ££££ like you mentioned. Thanks for your help and sorry to Sue for hijacking the thread a bit! Dave (Cozzy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give me a break! Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 We are far better off financially here, my OH is on three times the salary he was on in the UK. There are many things that are cheaper here than in the UK and many things in the UK that are cheaper than here. It is all realative and once you weigh it out we are much better off here than in the UK. People who are quite well off in the UK then come here seem to have a harder time in my opinion. So if you are a top earner with a top propery you may be worse off I dont know as I was never well off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedslass123 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi Dave My OH is a diesel mechanic based in perth he doent work away or anything. Like you say its all relative when you compare it to salary and other things. The worse thing you can do is compare it in pounds to the wage that you earn in the UK. My OH is on a salary around 2.5 times that he was on in the UK as well. There is so much that can be taken into account but I always find that you spend what you earn and live within your own individual budget and circumstances. As mentioned there are things that are cheaper and other things are more expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4575 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Just to say thanks - great thread, really helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cozzy Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Thanks again, great thread. Threads like this help sooo much. Cant wait ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest martync Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Are wages higher over there? They are if you work in a salaried job - PAYE but what I'm worried about is that i work as a contractor here in the UK and earn a good living. I have my own limited company. I have not heard much about contractors working in Oz at all and my job if i work as a PAYE (staff) is naff here in the UK and only a bit better in Oz. Can anyone shed light on this? I work as an engineer in Oil & Gas normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stu Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I was a scummy contractor in Oil & Gas as well. It depends on what field you are in but with some of the big projects I've heard of contractors getting stupid sums (more stupid than the UK!), I have heard $2500 to $3000 per day being talked about but not actually met anyone getting that! I would speak to Hays here or the like to see what they say. I came across and took a slight pay cut (however got 25% increase after the first month to reflect the market) and I would class the wage to be about middle of the road. This has got us a nice house with pool, near the city, and two foriegn holidays a year, with one being back to the UK, so I think we're doing pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charmedp3 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 We too are in a far better situation here than we were in the UK and in the UK we both worked... here, only OH works. He is earning nearly 3.5 times what he earned in the UK and so the cost of your weekly bills really is relative to the increased earnings. We personally found car insurance to be really cheap.... $330 for my small car and $500 ish for a landrover discovery... contents insurance around $30 pm, health insurance is around $180 pm, You also learn to shop around and where to get the best bargains on your weekly groceries. Fuel is cheaper Monday to Wednesday and even DVD rental is cheap on a Tuesday.... you don't pick these things up right away but you soon figure it out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pabloadriang Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I didn`t understand how big is the house and how many family members? Sorry i live in NY- USA moving to Perth in the near future Thanks. Pablo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KerryandCraig Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hi Leedslass, thank you for your post, it is really helpful. We are from Garforth, Leeds & emigrating in January 2011 x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandkelly Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Great thread with useful info. Thanks everyone who has given their opinions. We are hopefully heading to Perth mid oct (yes i know its not far away lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SueRich Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Thanks for all the responses. We would be renting when we first get to Perth so it's good to know that we don't have to worry about council rates, building ins and some of the water charges. Also, we have 2 cars now but in Perth we might just have the 1. Leedslass123 - Thanks for all that info that was really helpful. Martync - My OH is also a contractor (tiler) with his own limited company and his company has a very good turnover. We are wanting to move to Perth for the lifestyle - My OH currently works away from home alot or if he's not away from home he still works long hours and gets to spend very little time with our 4 year old. I don't care if he doesn't earn as much over in Oz as long as we can spend more time as a family and earn enough between us to get by - That's why I was worried about the cost of living cos it seems more expensive which makes me think you would have to work longer hours but this doesn't seem to be the case at all. Can you get someone to look after your business while you move over to Oz to test the waters? My OH has a friend who is going to run his business and if things don't work out we can always come back to the UK and the business would be here. It's nice to here that you all feel you are better off in Oz than you were in the UK - Eases my mind alot! Sue x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cozzy Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I also have my own limited company (Plumbing/Heating/Gas) which i am going to sell and let someone else have all the stress while im doing back stroke in my pool:cool: Cozzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arwen Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 Are wages higher over there? They are if you work in a salaried job - PAYE but what I'm worried about is that i work as a contractor here in the UK and earn a good living. I have my own limited company.I have not heard much about contractors working in Oz at all and my job if i work as a PAYE (staff) is naff here in the UK and only a bit better in Oz. Can anyone shed light on this? I work as an engineer in Oil & Gas normally. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cozzy Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 Arwen.....You've made my day!(should just get by on 200k!) We are coming on a 175 visa. Really not interested in working for myself. Just want to secure a nice well paid job and live the life. Is what we hear about the mines true? is it as good as they say with lots of work and big bucks on offer in mining? Obviously your away from your family for weeks on end (mine are like ..go on dad go mining!!) but i've been told rewards are pretty high. Dave (Cozzy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris and sandra Posted September 15, 2011 Report Share Posted September 15, 2011 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???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bec36 Posted September 15, 2011 Report Share Posted September 15, 2011 Great thread....really useful info. Bec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give me a break! Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 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???? Gosh this is a difficult one I always try and be very positive but I like to be honest too. I think you are really going to struggle if that is the only income. My Husband cleared $100,000 last year and we have a good time but not an overly expensive exhistance. We only have the one son at home and we only have one car as my OH has a works ute. If you are only going to be taking home $1000 a week that is only going to leave you $600 a week approx after rent. Your food bill I would guess at about $200 per week. Leaving $400 you then have your gas,electic,broadband. I really think you could struggle if I am honest on the one wage. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong who has managed on this wage I hope so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charmedp3 Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 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.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeffxx Posted September 30, 2011 Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hassan Posted October 1, 2011 Report Share Posted October 1, 2011 Dear All; Excellent information....keep nurturing the knowledge sharing culture !! Thanks Hassan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest martync Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arwen Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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