Aeronaut

Hello everyone,

I am sure this has been discussed to death but i am looking for some up to date info here and really appreciate your input.

I am looking to move to brisbane later this year with a job offer at hand and need some real life cost analysis.

Salary offer 120K AUD: Any good for a family of 4???. Young kids. 3 year old and a new born. Not looking for extravagant lifestyle, but a 3 bed house/flat rental close to town and able to enjoy occasional dinning out/ movie/ join sports club etc.

How much electric/gas bills can I expect for a 3 bed flat/house with airconditioning?

Any council tax to pay on a rented property

Water bill?

Telephone/broadband internet typical cost?

Car insurance/Tax on a 2003 BMW 320 with 9 years NCB from UK?

Are expats entitled for goverment Child Care Rebate (CCR)?

Have many more but will stop here :-). Really appreciate your help guys and gals out there.

Regards,

A

ABCDiamond

My replies in red

JAJ

As always the visa question ... will it be permanent or temporary?

Aeronaut

It is a permanent job offer so i assume the visa will be permanent. I am currently earning 60K GBP here in london and wonder if 120K AUD will get me as far in terms of lifestyle etc in Brisbane?

sonlymewalter

Presume you already have the visa or something in place to live here?

To answer your question: You can live on that amount with your family albeit won't be an extravagant lifestyle, it is manageable.

Good luck mate

ABCDiamond

You may find you come over on a 457 Visa, 4 year temp. So do not rely on family benefits.

The average QLD salary is $72k, so your $120k is about 1.6 times average.
How does your £60k compare to the average UK salary ?

That may give you an idea.

sonlymewalter

Depends though mate. Depends if he has the average Qld mortgage and how much money he brings over i.e. start up costs.

Steve2009

Most people find it's not worth the hassle of bringing a car over. You'll have a lot of hassle with customs and quarantine, the car must be microscopically clean from what I've been told. UK imports will be hard to sell on also from what I've been told. As for insurance costs, with 9 years NCB on that type of car it should be reasonable. For the record I personally think that cars age better in Australia as long as they are stored out of the sunlight.

Steve2009

He has said he intends to rent, and rents are cheap as in Brisbane.

If you are on a 457 you may be eligible to claim LAFHA depending on circumstances and interpretation of the regulations. LAFHA may include childcare I'm not sure.

sonlymewalter

Yeh I read that however depending on the kind of rental,and where in the city depends on how easily he'll be abe to manage on $120k pa mate.

$120K pa isn't a bad salary - but it aint that much if you have rental, kids and wife at home and you want to see something of Aus. It's not a bad salary and it's manageable, but Aus aint cheap any more even if you are renting, and especially if you've no reserves from bringing cash from UK.

It's manageable and can be done

Steve2009

I'm looking in Paddington at the moment, not sure if it's a great area for kids but I personally like it. A beautiful three bed family home can be got for about $570 a week. That should be manageable on $120,000 p.a.?

ABCDiamond

A quick calculation:

Compared to a lower income with no rent or mortgage costs:
And $72k is more than we get, so you will be better off than us

Steve2009

A note per ABCDiamonds tax calcs above, if you are temporary resident then you are medicare exempt. If you are eligible for LAFHA then your rent will come out of your before tax salary and you will also get a food allowance. I'm unfamiliar with the allowances for childcare etc. I had a boss who was deployed here temporarily with his family and I understood he was getting subsidised childcare.

ABCDiamond

Childcare benefit residence rules are here:
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/interne..._residence.htm
Normally you need to be Citizen or PR.

Maybe his was subsidised by the employer ?

Steve2009

Yep, it's entirely possible it was negotiated as part of his package. If I was aksed to ship my family half way around the world for an extended period I would be looking for a few sweeteners.