rupertbear

Had an interview recently for a job under sponsorship on the 457 visa. Wages start at 80,000 until trained up which could be 1-2 years.

With a family, wife and two kids, i am trying to work out whether that is a realistic substantial wage to live in or around Brisbane in a nice suburb. There are no plans for the wife to work as she will be looking after our youngest.

Taking tax out etc, looking at rental costs, cost for cars, food etc is all looking a bit daunting, i would not like to lose what we have here for a much worse standard, i know its a gamble, but i'm stunned by how expensive australia appears to have gone in the last few years.

Average 3 bed semi here, average lifestyle, nothing flash, when i saw the original ad back at Xmas i thought 80K in Bris was heaps, but now that dont seem the case.

Any thoughts or help much appreciated

4500 Times

I would say yes it is possible but you would have to be smart with your finances.

Do you want to live in the city ?? How far are you prepared to commute ?? You say you have your own home, how much equity do you have ?? how much cash would you be bringing with you ??
These are all things you need to do / research before taking the step.
As in the UK the closer you are to the city, the more you pay for property, and here it can be staggering, the amount between 2 houses a couple of K's apart.....

We arrived in Brissie nearly 6 yrs ago now, and yeah i know things have changed drastically since then but we are doing good.
I work full time and OH part time, we earn around the 80-90K mark.
We own our own house (mortgaged), run 2 cars and have a really good life.

We had never been to Australia b4, did'nt know anyone so it was a huge step for us. As soon as we could we bought our home rather than renting, fortunately we put down a sizable deposit so we managed to keep the mortgage down to $200,000. We are about 30 mins drive from the city, and about 40 mins drive from the Gold Coast.
Our home is on a quarter acre block, 4 bedder, 3 living areas, 2 bathrooms and a pool....so again it comes back to the questions above......To buy something similar 10K's closer to the city you would be looking at around another $200,000.

So in summary, if you do your homework, gather as much info as possible (knowledge is power) and are sure you really want to do it, then yeah it is possible to have a good life here earning that salary.

BTW We have a 10yr old who is thriving here, the outdoor life really is incredible.....

Weebie

You can live off that whether you can live "well" off 80k as 1 income I very much doubt it. Single income families in Australia always struggle.

Dreamy

No they don't :: sigh ::

To the OP, as said already, it is possible to live on $80k, especially if you have the prospect of a substantial payrise once your training is complete, but you may have to live further out.

Does the $80k include your Super, or is that on top?

macy

It wouldn't be easy, do a search on cost of living as this has been asked a few times before, $80k a year really isn't going to give you a comfortable lifestyle with rent costing at least $350 a week, travel fares/ shopping around $250-$300 a week, electric, etc etc and I am not sure with that visa if you have to pay school fees? Somebody on here with more knowledge of a 457 will probably tell you. I know what you mean about stunned how expensive it all is, I am stunned and I have lived here 7 years......

Rudi

It's certainly not a huge wage, but I know people who live a comfortable lifestyle on not much more. It's the extras that you will find harder to pay for - things like holidays etc.

Love

Rudi
x

bcworld

Are you familiar with LAFHA? Has it been mentioned by your propective employer? It would make a big difference to your take home pay.

bingobob777

Having been here 3 months and also a family of four I would say no.

You could get by, buy a smaller car, cheaper rent etc. Someone above has mentioned $350 a week, but for that don't expect a pool, a nice suburb or easy commute to City.

I wouldn't plan on many fancy meals, nice holidays or building up any savings either.

So to summarise, if a life of getting by in a dodgy house appeals then yes 80k will do.

asprilla

How much are you planning to earn once trained up? $100k? $120k? or more?

what line of business is this?

Rudi

That's a bit harsh! There are some perfectly lovely homes, particularly within small complexes in very nice areas, with a shared pool for between $350 and $400 a week.

A quick search on Cleveland for a 3 bedroomed home for a maximum of $400 came up with this: http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/wi...rrounding=true

http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...land-404709317

Love

Rudi
x

bingobob777

Just think, those are the BEST 4 photos of that house

Weebie

Harsh but accurate.

Rudi

Absolutely not. I stand by my original statement that decent homes in decent areas can be found for less than $400 per month.

Weebie, you need to get out more and stop being so negative in ALL your posts. I pity you the life that you lead that you have to find a negative in everything.

phat-dave

i have to admit, surely youre not saying $400 a week for the above is a good buy - particularly given its a townhouse in a suburb miles away from anywhere with pathetic public transport.....

i love to get into weebie for some of his comments but i'm with him on this...

i lived in brisbane for 25 years and never saw the attraction to cleveland, raby bay or any bayside suburbs mainly because the infrastructure has always been lacking.

Rudi

And yet sooooo many people love to live in the Bayside.

Hardly miles from anywhere. Honestly, where DO you people get this nonsense from!? Yes, the train into the city is not very fast, but there is one! There is also the commuter bus and you can drive into the CBD at rush hour in 45 mins.