Philly Posted March 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I feel like these threads keep cropping up because people don't like the answers on the other 'can I survive on this?' threads so they ask a new one in the hope that things have changed. I asked my OH yesterday if we lived extravagently - because we are currently on one wage (not through choice) and have been for over 7 months now. We have much more than $65k a year coming through and we find it hard work to make the bank balance come the end of the month - and there are only two of us. His answer was, he didn't think so. So my 2 cents worth.... $65k (plus super I'm assuming) would equate to $4,280 per month Renting a $500 per week house would be $2,166 per month 2 Mobile Phones PAYG = $60 p/m Broadband = $50 p/m Gas = $30 p/m Electric = $150 p/m Medical insurance = $200 p/m (basic cover for couple + 2 kids) Fuel = $200 p/m Food/Household items = $150 per week ($650 p/m) This leaves $784 for non essentials - some of the above, such as broadband, medical insurance and mobile phones might be also classed as non-essential if you were really cutting costs, but I'd also add Foxtel ($100), Home Insurance ($100), Car Rego & Maintenance ($??) to that list above as well. And I've also been very conservative with the cost of things - they can cost a whole lot more depending on your usage. That leaves $180 per week for saving for holidays, clothes, school fees & sundries - basically everything you can't plan for. For me personally, that is not enough to live on. We try to have $500-$600 per week left over for things you can't plan for (having a life) and most weeks that's not enough. This is exactly what I was looking for, car, phone and fuel does not apply to me as I get a company car with my job which is fully paid for including insurance, along with fuel and company phone. We would also receive benefits of around $470 every two weeks. our long term plan would be for my wife to work, we would just like to get the kids settled into a school before she looks for a job. I appreciate the time you have taken to respond to my query. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest9824 Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 This is exactly what I was looking for, car, phone and fuel does not apply to me as I get a company car with my job which is fully paid for including insurance, along with fuel and company phone. We would also receive benefits of around $470 every two weeks.our long term plan would be for my wife to work, we would just like to get the kids settled into a school before she looks for a job. I appreciate the time you have taken to respond to my query. Best of luck to you Philly and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 This is exactly what I was looking for, car, phone and fuel does not apply to me as I get a company car with my job which is fully paid for including insurance, along with fuel and company phone. We would also receive benefits of around $470 every two weeks.our long term plan would be for my wife to work, we would just like to get the kids settled into a school before she looks for a job. I appreciate the time you have taken to respond to my query. Please please do not include benefits in your assessment. We are almost certainly going to get a new government and it is pretty certain that they will make some massive cuts to benefits. There is also a lot of talk even amongst the current government about cutting what migrants can claim. The current mob look like they are going to raid pension funds. The next mob will try to save money by cutting benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andig Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 hi all, am reading all this with interest, i am starting my process on a 489. i am a plumber by trade but also do air con. i would like to come out with about 50K, poss get a good job with about $80-$90K, but if i validate my visa when required, i would look to move to the Bunbury area next year in July 2014 as then my OH would have her teaching qualification with 4 year training and NQT year all done so hopefully would be out earning as well. as we are a family of 6 i think this would be a must, but i have managed to just about survive in UK being the only bread winner. I'm hoping that if i stay away from Perth it will give me a better chance of renting and keep my cost of living down. any advice appreciated but we have other reasons for leaving UK and its not all about money, and I've seen people achieve they dream with nothing. age is against me so if i don't try it now i will always regret it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Cow Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 hi all, am reading all this with interest, i am starting my process on a 489. i am a plumber by trade but also do air con. i would like to come out with about 50K, poss get a good job with about $80-$90K, but if i validate my visa when required, i would look to move to the Bunbury area next year in July 2014 as then my OH would have her teaching qualification with 4 year training and NQT year all done so hopefully would be out earning as well. as we are a family of 6 i think this would be a must, but i have managed to just about survive in UK being the only bread winner. I'm hoping that if i stay away from Perth it will give me a better chance of renting and keep my cost of living down.any advice appreciated but we have other reasons for leaving UK and its not all about money, and I've seen people achieve they dream with nothing. age is against me so if i don't try it now i will always regret it!!! Hi, I think if you don't do it, you'll regret it! Coming here with some money in your pocket will always be beneficial, and sensible. If you can make it work, it's a good life. I would never advise anyone not to come as if someone had said that to us, and they did, it made us all the more determined. Having said that, it's not easy, and less so now than when we came five years ago. We have a good combined income but no children here. We have worked bloody hard and will continue to do so but were not loaded with cash, by any means. If you are prepared to do the same then it's not impossible. Good luck and keep us informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza18 Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 Hi go for it mate I won t be much over when I go but feel I,v just got to go as it cost alot to get my visa Ive had my visa a couple of years now but due to some unforseen circumstances couldn t go over straight away and the current economic climate means I have had to dip into my savings errrrrrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andig Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 thanks, i know what you mean, i was offered a job in NZ back in 2005, went out for 5 weeks and loved it. but at the time my OH said it was to far to be away from family, but life moves in strange ways and the last few years have not been good. so this has opened my eyes even more to give my family a fresh new start, so i am very determined to give them this opportunity. i will keep you posted the only thing I'm not looking forward to is i need the points from the IELTS test, haven't done a english test since school so shock to the system!!!!! and tomorrow the clocks go forward, start of british summer time, and its still freezing!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Davies Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Hi, I'm new to this site and think its excellent, but reading this section is really getting me worried about moving to Perth. If we come I'd be coming on a 457 visa and will be sponsored by the company ill be working for. They have offered me a starting salary of $100.000 which I thought would have been fantastic money, but now reading all your comments on this site and I've looked on the bob in oz site it sounds like that sort of money in perth will only just get you by. I have 3 children, I won't at first have that much money to bring with me due to trying to sell my house in the UK. I've tried to work out what my take home pay would be but that seems to be different on every site I visit.. The company ill be working for is based south of perth so ill be looking to rent in that area first. Could anybody tell me if this sort of money is a good wage or is it an average one. I'm not expecting a really high life but just one that's comfortable with the family etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frets Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 It really depends on how you live. I earn $40 approx and hubby earns $80. We are doing well now. But before I was earning that much we didn't struggle but we weren't on the bread line either. You can over spend if you want to or you can only spend what you need to. Hubby says that start up wage is a good salary. He's not on that. When we first arrived and for a couple of yrs we weren't on that and we survived, and we bought a house!! Look all the scaremongers out there will have you running for the hills, don't listen to them if you want to succeed you will. My daughter is married they bought a house and having a baby, and they are surviving too. He's a graphic designer and she's an EN. Is not been easy but they are coping, stopping eating out and only buy essential foods etc and you'll be fine. It's still a way better place here to live. In england I doubt they would be as well of as they are here. The bonus is your coming out here with a job...things aren't that great here now. My hubby is a sparky and he says jobs aren't that easy to come by just now. A friend of his is looking for a job he's been here 6 yrs got his A grade electrical licence and has been working the whole time he's lived here, now he's out of work and looking. So you have a head start there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Hi, I'm new to this site and think its excellent, but reading this section is really getting me worried about moving to Perth. If we come I'd be coming on a 457 visa and will be sponsored by the company ill be working for. They have offered me a starting salary of $100.000 which I thought would have been fantastic money, but now reading all your comments on this site and I've looked on the bob in oz site it sounds like that sort of money in perth will only just get you by. I have 3 children, I won't at first have that much money to bring with me due to trying to sell my house in the UK. I've tried to work out what my take home pay would be but that seems to be different on every site I visit.. The company ill be working for is based south of perth so ill be looking to rent in that area first. Could anybody tell me if this sort of money is a good wage or is it an average one. I'm not expecting a really high life but just one that's comfortable with the family etc. It depends entirely on your expectations. What kind of lifestyle do you want? How do you measure 'getting by'? People come here with completely different expectations, we are all different and my wife has staff who are living perfectly comfortable lives earning $50k. They may not be living close to the river or driving a V8 but they're happy without those things. We arrived on a 457, I had no job, no savings, nothing to transfer over and my wife's probationary salary was $55k. We didn't eat out at all, bought all our food from the wholesale markets, bought clothes from Op (charity) shops and walked or took the bus everywhere. That was for the first 5 or so months but we loved it. I have work now and life is different but not by much. We have a small house, a battered, hail damaged car, we still shop frugally, grow our own veggies, keep chickens and I'm investing in a beehive. We've stopped drawing comparisons, happiness for us is not measured by walk in robes, swimming pools, shiny cars or having the latest gadge, it's a state of mind and for the most part, we love every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 (edited) Hi, I'm new to this site and think its excellent, but reading this section is really getting me worried about moving to Perth. If we come I'd be coming on a 457 visa and will be sponsored by the company ill be working for. They have offered me a starting salary of $100.000 which I thought would have been fantastic money, but now reading all your comments on this site and I've looked on the bob in oz site it sounds like that sort of money in perth will only just get you by. I have 3 children, I won't at first have that much money to bring with me due to trying to sell my house in the UK. I've tried to work out what my take home pay would be but that seems to be different on every site I visit.. The company ill be working for is based south of perth so ill be looking to rent in that area first. Could anybody tell me if this sort of money is a good wage or is it an average one. I'm not expecting a really high life but just one that's comfortable with the family etc. Could anybody tell me if this sort of money is a good wage or is it an average one. I'm not expecting a really high life but just one that's comfortable with the family etc. It is a good, very good starting salary so don't worry about that. Everyone is different and so the key is to work out your budgets asap so that you can see what kind of shape you will be in. Also due to the high cost of living here bringing as much as you can when your first come over will help because it will help you to keep your debt lower. To budget just deduct 30% from your salary to see what take home pay may look like. Also please do not panic. Things are what they are in terms of what things costs here and you cannot change it. However there will be a job to come to which is a huge plus, what you will earn to start with is known and you can work out your budgets and costs from information received and researched within a week or so. If after you do your sums things, and you have factored in the opportunity of a lifestyle change for a few years, if it does not stack up then you do not need to come over. Finally send me a private message with your e-mail address and I will send you a budgeting spreadsheet. You can complete that and it will let you see roughly what things will look like and how much disposbale income you could have at the end of each pay. Edited April 14, 2013 by StraighttothePoint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 It all depends on what you are used to. If you currently earn £30k, then you will find you are better off. If you currently earn £50k you will find it a struggle. Just one thing. I would be a bit careful about selling your house in the UK and coming here on a 457 visa. It is a temp visa and many find that at the end of it they are going home. Or, if you lose your job you can find yourself going home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Davies Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Thank you all with your comments, there quite a bit of info there now we can consider. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 hi all, am reading all this with interest, i am starting my process on a 489. i am a plumber by trade but also do air con. i would like to come out with about 50K, poss get a good job with about $80-$90K, but if i validate my visa when required, i would look to move to the Bunbury area next year in July 2014 as then my OH would have her teaching qualification with 4 year training and NQT year all done so hopefully would be out earning as well. as we are a family of 6 i think this would be a must, but i have managed to just about survive in UK being the only bread winner. I'm hoping that if i stay away from Perth it will give me a better chance of renting and keep my cost of living down.any advice appreciated but we have other reasons for leaving UK and its not all about money, and I've seen people achieve they dream with nothing. age is against me so if i don't try it now i will always regret it!!! Andig I like your attitude and I hope it works out for you. There are a lot of schools, both private and state, in Bunbury and your wife should be able to pick up some relief (supply) teaching to start with. All jobs for government schools are advertised through http://www.jobs.wa.gov.au. Usually private schools advertise through seek.com.au or employment agencies - sometimes they advertise in the Saturday West Australian newspaper too. Bottom line is if you are prepared to do anything (legal that is) for work to start with and are prepared to give anything a go, you have much more chance of making it than someone who will only accept their "perfect" job. Good Luck to you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JUSODI Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 Hi all, I keep hearing mixed opinions from others saying that the cost of living is reaaly expensive, and you could'nt survive on a salary less than 100k. I will be moving to Perth WA with my wife and our two children (11&7), I will be the only one working and will be bringing in a salary of 65k. We are going on a 189 visa which is a permenant visa, this allows us to claim family benifits through centrelink, according to their website we should be allowed around $470 every two weeks. We are looking around the Kinross area, we expect to pay rent arount $500 a week. From these figures Ithink we should beable to live a decent life, I am fully aware everyones situation is different, we are not expecting to live like millionaires, we just want to pay the bills, beable to save for holidays and christmas and get through each month without worrying. Does this seem ok? Anyone else in a similar situation in Perth? Any correspondance would be appreciated. hi, Philly, We arrived 8 months ago and we have noticed that the cost of living is really high. The closest to Perth city the more expensive. We live close to Rockinham 45 min by train from Perth. We have been trying to find another place where to live a bit closer to the city and it is really expensive usually the weekly rent is over $500. What I know about centre, link is that if the family income is lower than $49000 you will get $460 fortnightly, but if you earn more is much less. i hope this helps!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andig Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 Andig I like your attitude and I hope it works out for you. There are a lot of schools, both private and state, in Bunbury and your wife should be able to pick up some relief (supply) teaching to start with. All jobs for government schools are advertised through www.jobs.wa.gov.au. Usually private schools advertise through seek.com.au or employment agencies - sometimes they advertise in the Saturday West Australian newspaper too. Bottom line is if you are prepared to do anything (legal that is) for work to start with and are prepared to give anything a go, you have much more chance of making it than someone who will only accept their "perfect" job. Good Luck to you all! Thanks Rossmoyne, i think your right, i cant go all that way and expect to have what i have now, it has taken me 20years of hard work, but for what. the bank own most of the house, i hardly see the family, i do 200 miles a day on top of actually working, which is sometimes 16hr days, petrol parking and congestion charge all cost me £100 per day. Water board just fitted compulsory water meter, they say this will benefit me, but water bill gone up by 1K a year, lost Child Tax credit, may lose child benefit, all because i work hard to support my family, but in return get nothing. so the way i look at it is i don't mind having to work hard, it all about getting the balance, I've tried it here and its not working for me. so will it work in Oz, who knows but unless i try it for myself, its the only way to find out, everybody is different, moving to Oz is good for some but not others, i read all the threads good and bad with an open mind, this is just another chapter in my life, and an adventure for my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 Thanks Rossmoyne, i think your right, i cant go all that way and expect to have what i have now, it has taken me 20years of hard work, but for what. the bank own most of the house, i hardly see the family, i do 200 miles a day on top of actually working, which is sometimes 16hr days, petrol parking and congestion charge all cost me £100 per day. Water board just fitted compulsory water meter, they say this will benefit me, but water bill gone up by 1K a year, lost Child Tax credit, may lose child benefit, all because i work hard to support my family, but in return get nothing.so the way i look at it is i don't mind having to work hard, it all about getting the balance, I've tried it here and its not working for me. so will it work in Oz, who knows but unless i try it for myself, its the only way to find out, everybody is different, moving to Oz is good for some but not others, i read all the threads good and bad with an open mind, this is just another chapter in my life, and an adventure for my children. Awesome attitude dude. You know what, I think you'll be alright. It is the little things that make a difference here, like being able to drive into the city for an 8.30 meeting and not have to leave at 6 to drive the 10k to get there. No congestion charge! Parking is a breeze and cheap and in the burbs you can park almost anywhere without worrying that the council are gonna paint lines on the road and fleece you out of £80 for a minor infraction. You'll love it here and your kids will think they've died and gone to outdoor heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 I posted here some of my rough figures as an estimate .. http://www.perthpoms.com/forum/money-finance/10546-80k-year-enough-2.html#post55999 Rent $500 a week ($2000 a month) House Bills $100 a month Fox / internet $200 a month Mobiles $100 a month Car repayments $200 a week ($800 a month) Insurance (health, car, house) $400 a month I've worked out that my house outgoings at the moment are a smidge under $60,000 - without food, entertaining/socialising, holidays, fuel, etc. And with regards to work life balance. I now work longer hours (37.5 vs 40), but my commute is shorter (30mins vs 60mins each way). I no longer commute by car, I get the train (50 quid in petrol vs $20 a week - no stressful traffic to deal with). I get to spend more time with the wife, we have newer "stuff", a bigger house, spend more time doing "things". I'm home most days by 4pm, I'm healthier, I'm happier, I'm more relaxed. Just wish a pint wasn't $10, and a 911 GT3 RS wasn't $300,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 (edited) I've worked out that my house outgoings at the moment are a smidge under $60,000 - without food, entertaining/socialising, holidays, fuel, etc. Just to give the readers of this thread some clarity around what you are saying here.... If your house outgoings are circa $60k per annum and you have to add on all those other things you mention, (say $200 per week food, $150 week spending, $50 a week petrol,one annual holiday of say circa $5k and an emergency fund of say $5k = circa $30k per annum), then before tax folk would require a wage or household income of circa $110k per annum to achieve similar to this lifestyle? (I am simply taking the total outgoings figure and adding 30% tax onto it to get the "top of the line pre-tax" figure. Is that correct do you think? (Assuming my maths is correct but please anyone change it if I am wrong.) If it is then this $110k per annum figure is the one that currently crops up as the target income on many of these posts as one which would give folk a very good lifestyle here. Interesting if it is. The only other parts of the jigsaw that are missing from having the complete picture I suppose is you do not say if you have kids or not and also how much arrival / set up costs did you have to use? Only thinking that if somebody has kids then the Foxtel for an example would be a luxury item and one that they could possibly ill afford. Good picture though of someones thoughts on the issue. Edited April 19, 2013 by StraighttothePoint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 You know, if I'd read this thread before we came out I'd have shat myself! It all happened so quickly for us, we had no plan, Mrs P was offered a job and we went for it. We planned to sell our London house to pay for everything but after 2 months we'd had 3 viewings. We had no money so borrowed enough to pay for flights and shipping. Family helped with packing etc, Mrs P had 2 months here on her own before we joined her and she lived like a nun in that time, saving every penny. We landed knowing one person - the stepmother of a distant friend in London, someone we'd only met once. In the second week here, with no job I started doing some voluntary work and that led to meeting the most incredibly generous, kind and loving people. We were loaned furniture, bikes and all manner of stuff and had the most extraordinary few months. I cleared out the last few pennies from my UK account in the third week and Mrs P was only on $50k! That was almost two years ago and we're a lot more settled now, we've cleared the debt and we're doing well. Some might say we were lucky but I do think you make your own luck. Attitude is everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andig Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 I have shat myself!!!!!!!!! But I'm not looking to become a millionaire overnight, unless I win the Lotto tonight!! Money is not everything, it helps but greed can be the downfall for some, being happy with the simple things in life, far more important. I don't have sky here, so I wont have Foxtel there, it's not about affording it its giving into to commercial pressures of life. Why pay for Sky Sports when you can watch the football free via Internet in Europe, and its legal. But still working out the budgets, certainly won't be better off, but hopefully no worse either. But my eldest will be looking at Uni in 2014, so am trying to work out those cost, do they offer student loans as they do in the UK, as the fees do look expensive?? All the best to all. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Andig - as Portlaunay says, attitude is everything... you have the right attitude and I hope it all works out for you along the way. Being a migrant is not an easy path - all of us have had many challenges along the way, but your attitude will support you... as well as us on PIO of course!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 (edited) I have shat myself!!!!!!!!! I don't have sky here, so I wont have Foxtel there, it's not about affording it its giving into to commercial pressures of life. Why pay for Sky Sports when you can watch the football free via Internet in Europe, and its legal. Once you start to watch freeveiw over here then after a few months you will be up the wall and be begging in the street to get the money for Foxtel Also wait and see the internet connections here as well. Slow. My 85 year old mum gets across the road quicker In some suburbs it is still dial up!! I gave up trying to watch a football game here on the Internet after 5 minutes and signed up for Foxtel and Setanta. Look all of this is irrelevant because as Porty says it is all about attitude. You will be fine. Nae money but sunshine. At the moment if you pay up front for the annual uni fees you get a discount however the current government is trying to stop that. Uni fees are based on what courses they take. My son thankfully has just done a professional writing degree and it was only, I say only, $5k a year plus. However if your eldest goes for a "real" degree, (my son says his is a pretend one), like engineering or medicine then sit down and take two painkillers immediately as that type of study is horrendously expensive. And yes you can get student loans. Let them rack up the debt!! Edited April 19, 2013 by StraighttothePoint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ and claire :) Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 This is what I worry about, russ is a nurse so will be earning approx A$73000 at level 1.9 depending on jobs, this doesn't include overtime or shift allowance I think but we are a family of 5 and I won't be earning if we go out there as I'm only an o.t tech, no qualifications other then an nvq3 and I will be sorting out the kids first and getting them settled. We won't be coming out with a lot unless we sell the house which I'm not sure I want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ged1967 Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Hi just got back from hols hope to be out permanantly later in year was over last October and it seemed more expensive then the things I find expensive are things like eating out chinese is not expensive though pubs are dear looking on average at between 8 and 10 doolers and pub food is dear to but if you go to the bottle shops you can get a 24 carton of corona or sol for 50 dollors or even cheaper if its on offer so for alittle over 2 dollers each about £ 1.60 not a bad buy the other the other things that are expensive are some days out getting to Rottnest Island I thought was really dear $74 each return then you have to get around the Island we got the bus $14 each so pretty expensive to sit on the beach for 3 hours but thats only a few things in a place were thers lots to do the transport system I though was good $11 day ticket and you can go virtually anyware in Perth or even down to Mandura Some things are more expensive and some are cheaper it depends on what life style you want to have Hope this helps Gary Can someone please look out for the punctuation that has been stolen from this post as it is very difficult to read! Ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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