2plus3

I would love to know if anyone has or knows where I can find something along the lines of those costs of living comparison calculations they have done for them on Wanted Down Under ... we're going to Melbourne so if anyone has any kind of living costs like this it would be very useful.

Kari

kporte

Try under the search function at the top of the page. Much debate on this but suffice to say if you earn less here than you did in the Uk it will be tough.
It's broadly the same here overall, depending on your needs.

viviennef

Not sure on Melbourne but I have lived in Sydney, Brisbane, canberra and Sunshine Coast

cost of living is higher here

I cant believe how much things cost but import a lot of things from UK still (after 8 years)

But my life is better, well more decent anyways, at least I am out of the pub

kporte

Are you worse off here Viv? For the life of me the cost of living seems the same but I may be skewed by earning more here. It seems swings and roundabouts for me.....

viviennef

Definately worse off. I think its to do with being male and not wanting to shop for home.

I earn probably more here. at least I am not earning less but I am much worse off. at home I had paid off lots of things and shopping is so cheap in britain -clothes, household goods etc.

Andrew says he is far better off ,earns more here etc but he doesnt shop. I live in a house that looks like a council house - huge garden, pool now but am trying to get it up to scratch and its much more expensive. I seriously shop regularly in teh uk and just import a lot of things

kporte

I do all the shopping though and most of the cooking. Also pay the bills apart from the $60 mascara the wife buys

viviennef

My Oh does most of shopping and cooking too but its the general stuff that is more - household furniture and fittings, building, cds and things

tesco, cosco, m&s, primark seem so cheap - I buy all my stuff from debenhams etc and get it posted and its still cheaper.

I suppose it depends on where you are from but most women I know think its expensive. I seem to have hardly any money ever where at home I was quite comfortable.

designer clothes are also crazy prices here not that I care but OH has fits whenever he gets a tshirt

viviennef

actually we should swap lives, I want to think its more affordable and be depressed!

kporte

I just think it's similar... The pills are dearer!

bcworld

I'm getting very bored of the whole topic!

The conclusion I've come to though is, very generally:

The utility bills, council tax/rates are cheaper here (unless you're an aircon junkie) - if you're savvy then phone / internet should be similar - if you go with Telstra then more expensive....

Servicing a home loan - more expensive here, renting - cheaper.

Buying housing - it's very difficult to compare - where should I compare Melbourne prices to? Not London IMO, so where? When I watched a couple of episodes of WDU I was shocked to see what some people's houses in the UK were being valued at - there was some real value there. It scares me when I go to auctions around here!

Almost everything where you hand over cash in a COMPARABLE shop, bar or restaurant - more expensive here. The have VB in Tesco kporte (just in case you head back)! It's $9.80 a 6-pack at Today's exchange rate....that's cheaper than here!

Overall I reckon from the above, Aus will work out marginally more expensive...but if you do a lot of discretionary spending...MUCH more expensive.

Buzzy--Bee

The whole question is very subjective due to the exchange rate.

Something reasonably priced when comparing at AU$2.5 = 1 pound suddenly appears rather expensive when it is AU$1.6 = 1 pound.

I find Melbourne on the whole to be the same cost of living as London, some things are cheaper, some more expensive but overall I have about the same disposable income as when I lived in London, and I earn exactly the same as I did in London.

However all of this is based on an exchange rate of $2.5 to the pound which it was when we arrived.

If I based my experiences on $1.7 = 1 pound then I would be earning considerably more than I did in the UK but also things would cost a lot more.

Hope that makes sense.

Buzzy

hollykimalan

I am sorry you are getting bored but......You are using the exchange rate to compare which is just nonsense!

Here is another example for you and it doesnt involve beer.
In the UK I earned around 24,000-26,000 POUNDS per year as a Nurse. When I started this process I was looking at jobs here with wages of $72,000 per year which at that time worked out to be about 30,000 POUNDS per year. Which then I thought was a good wage.
Now I earn +$78,0000 which works out at today rates at over 43,000 POUNDS per year.
I dont feel like I am earning the equivalent of 43,000 pounds but it does feel better than the UK.
According to your type of calculations I now earn 13,000 POUNDS per year more than I would have August 2008.
Things in the UK only appear cheap cos you are spending Aussie earned money!

Sorry your bored!
HKA

bcworld

No. I used the exchange rate to compare ONE ITEM. An item imported from Australia to the UK. Seems reasonable to me - how did the UK retailer pay for said item?

I know approximately what I would be earning now in pounds & I know that as a proportion of that most discretionary spending in the UK would be cheaper....and other things not, as I said.

Apologies to the OP...the bored comment and accompanying smiley was tongue in cheek. Never mind.

Amazulu

COL is similar to the UK.

slipshot

Not far wrong. Melbourne was cheaper when we lived here in 2002.

Moved to Surrey and UK was more expensive.

Moved to Warwickshire and it was cheaper than Surrey

Moved to Melbourne and it's more expensive than Warwickshire.

But that's mainly gut feel than anything - although one restaurant we love that we used all the time in 2002 used to cost about $150 for the meal. It's not changed at all in that time and the menu is the same (it;s for meat lovers really) and it now costs $250 for exactly the same. Good indication of Melbourne's price rises.