expensive
Feb 29th 2008, 8:50 am
#91
Always the last to leave.
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,399
Re: expensive
I see these posts about the cost of things a lot and don't really agree most of the time.... sure I see that some things are more expensive, but many of the other things aren't and it evens itself out....
I live half my life in Australia and half my life in the UK, on comparable jobs and in comparible parts of the country...
petrol is cheaper here, as is eating out (we can eat out in our local town for under $50 and for less than $70 you can get some real;ly flash places - and this is considered to be one of Austrlias most expensive suburbs), my council taxx in Australia is $1300 per year, for my house that overlooks the beach, compared to 1350 POUNDS in the UK for the my one bedroom apartment...my electric bills, phone etc much cheaper here (internet still sucks), I spend less on going to the pub because the beach in the afternoon is a better investment of my time.......
I have to say that financially I fee better off in Australia, but probably not by much - I live in a nice place, always have, and I lived in a nice place in the UK. The thing is, in the UK I didn't have an apartment in Chelsea with great views.....so I wouldn't expect to have a house on Sydney Harbour or overlooking hte beach ......
Many of the English people I know make that mistake - move to Australia from some little town or medioclre sized city, and want to live in the middle of Melbourne....or overlooking Manly Beach..... thats the same as my parents moving from there 5 bed house on the mid-north coast NSW to London and complaining that the can't afford even a tiny bedsit in Kensington....
I said it on a post here the other day - lifestyle (for me) there is nothing like Australia, and much of it is free...... but this is a personal decision for me (if you like the pub egery night, then perhaps the UK is the best for you.... I like the pub everynight....for about 2 years, then I long for hte beach again)...
I can't find anything better than coming home from the office and going for a surf, or a walk on the beach, or just being outside in the garden digging up stuff cause its warm and sunny (not today, admitedly)....
Money is not everything, and if its lifestyle and happiness then I'm a far wealtheir man for the times that I am in Australia than the times I spend in the UK.....no question.
I live half my life in Australia and half my life in the UK, on comparable jobs and in comparible parts of the country...
petrol is cheaper here, as is eating out (we can eat out in our local town for under $50 and for less than $70 you can get some real;ly flash places - and this is considered to be one of Austrlias most expensive suburbs), my council taxx in Australia is $1300 per year, for my house that overlooks the beach, compared to 1350 POUNDS in the UK for the my one bedroom apartment...my electric bills, phone etc much cheaper here (internet still sucks), I spend less on going to the pub because the beach in the afternoon is a better investment of my time.......
I have to say that financially I fee better off in Australia, but probably not by much - I live in a nice place, always have, and I lived in a nice place in the UK. The thing is, in the UK I didn't have an apartment in Chelsea with great views.....so I wouldn't expect to have a house on Sydney Harbour or overlooking hte beach ......
Many of the English people I know make that mistake - move to Australia from some little town or medioclre sized city, and want to live in the middle of Melbourne....or overlooking Manly Beach..... thats the same as my parents moving from there 5 bed house on the mid-north coast NSW to London and complaining that the can't afford even a tiny bedsit in Kensington....
I said it on a post here the other day - lifestyle (for me) there is nothing like Australia, and much of it is free...... but this is a personal decision for me (if you like the pub egery night, then perhaps the UK is the best for you.... I like the pub everynight....for about 2 years, then I long for hte beach again)...
I can't find anything better than coming home from the office and going for a surf, or a walk on the beach, or just being outside in the garden digging up stuff cause its warm and sunny (not today, admitedly)....
Money is not everything, and if its lifestyle and happiness then I'm a far wealtheir man for the times that I am in Australia than the times I spend in the UK.....no question.
Feb 29th 2008, 9:18 am
#94
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2004
Location: Umina, NSW
Posts: 2,453
Re: expensive
We do splurge and buy fresh fish from local wharf and experiment sometimes. Otherwise basra is good in a nice parsley sauce (home made of course) or in currys. I am not big on very fishy fish and it is quite a bland fish. Like swordfish too but thats a treat and we buy prawns.
Ok do spend more sometimes if I run out of all cleaning stuff but still can I come and live with you.
Jo
Jo
Last edited by joho; Feb 29th 2008 at 9:21 am.
Feb 29th 2008, 9:39 am
#95
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: expensive
I lived in Richmond just outside London in a 1 bed flat on a main road (45 mins to 1 hour to get into central London) which we sold for the equivalent of $850,000. In Melbourne I have just bought in Bonbeach (again 45 mins to 1 hour into CBD) for $392,00 only it's a 3 bed house. Okay so Bonbeach hasn't got the fabulous shopping centre/sense of glamour that Richmond had but it has got a gorgeous white sandy beach
My view is that Australia is not worth migrating to now for many. It just isn't - unless you want to get into a niche situation - like semi-rural or country, but many people want a 4x2 in the same old areas and in Melbourne and capital cities the median price on a family home is half a mil + (and the rest).
We got lucky to get a cheaper home in a great area, but it was literally one of the last going begging.....as my boss said, the last decent land left in Melbourne in that bracket - quite literally.
Unless you're downsizing I would'n't be migrating now unless I was desperate - or flush.
edit- in the light of a positive post on the COL I've just read:
For some of us that are here already - we find that the cheaper things more than mitigate the more exy things - rates, utils, eating out, mortgage, equipment, servicing, insurance, petrol (just!) all seem cheaper.
Last edited by BadgeIsBack; Feb 29th 2008 at 9:43 am.
Feb 29th 2008, 9:39 am
#96
pink 'n' bouncy
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Zombie nation
Posts: 6,087
Re: expensive
But you cant pay the mortgage on fresh air
The intention of this thread was purely to make some people aware that some things in Aus are seriously expensive (just as in the UK) but Aus still has a reputation for being a 'cheaper' place to live.
Lee
Feb 29th 2008, 9:41 am
#97
A rather curious boy
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 5,917
Re: expensive
I must admit I buy in bulk from the butchers. $6 a kilo for whole rump which I cut or ask to be cut into 3 joints or slices depending, makes a nice joint. Chicken breast are cheaper in bulk same as mince, chops etc, I bag them into family sizes for the month. Plus cereal is whatever is on offer and if cordial is on offer I buy more etc. Mostly I send hubby out cause I hate it so much and he buys whats on the list only.
We do splurge and buy fresh fish from local wharf and experiment sometimes. Otherwise basra is good in a nice parsley sauce (home made of course) or in currys. I am not big on very fishy fish and it is quite a bland fish. Like swordfish too but thats a treat and we buy prawns.
Ok do spend more sometimes if I run out of all cleaning stuff but still can I come and live with you.
Jo
Jo
We do splurge and buy fresh fish from local wharf and experiment sometimes. Otherwise basra is good in a nice parsley sauce (home made of course) or in currys. I am not big on very fishy fish and it is quite a bland fish. Like swordfish too but thats a treat and we buy prawns.
Ok do spend more sometimes if I run out of all cleaning stuff but still can I come and live with you.
Jo
Jo
You can visit for a fortnight, if I can holiday with you for the same!
Feb 29th 2008, 9:44 am
#98
A rather curious boy
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 5,917
Re: expensive
Australia is definitely not cheap.
I am very lucky to earn a good salary and my OH is more of an average earner. We have a equity. In the last six months, since we stopped being cash rich brits and actually living by the dollar, we think that is slightly more expensive than the UK. There are very few deals here, little buy one get one free or great offers. If you are exchanging pounds for dollars and are not minted, I think these are sobering times indeed.
Feb 29th 2008, 9:46 am
#99
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: expensive
Lee, I agree with both you and Badge.
Australia is definitely not cheap.
I am very lucky to earn a good salary and my OH is more of an average earner. We have a equity. In the last six months, since we stopped being cash rich brits and actually living by the dollar, we think that is slightly more expensive than the UK. There are very few deals here, little buy one get one free or great offers. If you are exchanging pounds for dollars and are not minted, I think these are sobering times indeed.
Australia is definitely not cheap.
I am very lucky to earn a good salary and my OH is more of an average earner. We have a equity. In the last six months, since we stopped being cash rich brits and actually living by the dollar, we think that is slightly more expensive than the UK. There are very few deals here, little buy one get one free or great offers. If you are exchanging pounds for dollars and are not minted, I think these are sobering times indeed.
Feb 29th 2008, 9:46 am
#100
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Feb 29th 2008, 9:51 am
#102
A rather curious boy
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 5,917
Re: expensive
Honestly, when we got here we were paying out $2500 for tv cabinets etc because compared to Uk for handmade solid hardwood, it was so cheap.
Now I would expect a good carpet for that price throw-in!
Still earn good money, just more frugal with it!
Feb 29th 2008, 10:07 am
#103
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 1,256
Re: expensive
I haven't read the whole of this thread but...
I'm not moving to Oz for a cheaper life.
I'm moving for quality of life, the weather (I'm not good with the cold due to bad circulation) and in the summer I suffer with awful hayfever. Both of those things disappeared when I was over there.
With regards to house prices, I don't have a mortgage here, but a 2 bed house in the UK in my area is approx. 6.5x my salary. Looking at what I can expect to earn in Oz, and what I have seen on the net and from what my relatives have told me (cousin has just bought a 2 bed place over there) house prices are about 5.5x my expected salary, and I'm using a low expected salary. So it's going to be the same for me starting here or there.
Give it 5 years or so, and I can see companies like Tesco breaking into Oz and giving the likes of Coles and Woolworths a kick up the backside. It seems Oz is about 10 years behind the UK in aspects like that.
I'm not moving to Oz for a cheaper life.
I'm moving for quality of life, the weather (I'm not good with the cold due to bad circulation) and in the summer I suffer with awful hayfever. Both of those things disappeared when I was over there.
With regards to house prices, I don't have a mortgage here, but a 2 bed house in the UK in my area is approx. 6.5x my salary. Looking at what I can expect to earn in Oz, and what I have seen on the net and from what my relatives have told me (cousin has just bought a 2 bed place over there) house prices are about 5.5x my expected salary, and I'm using a low expected salary. So it's going to be the same for me starting here or there.
Give it 5 years or so, and I can see companies like Tesco breaking into Oz and giving the likes of Coles and Woolworths a kick up the backside. It seems Oz is about 10 years behind the UK in aspects like that.
Feb 29th 2008, 10:31 am
#104
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Somers;Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 241
