affording to live !!
 

I have been having a look at cost of living etc and dont understand how people can afford to live in aus .. already had medicals so nearly there ...
we are looking at either Perth or Sunshine coast .. been told bricklayers will earn approx $200-250 per day les tax (alot less that we earn now) ... so 1000-1250 per week less tax less bills
approx $200 per week electric / ins etc
$150-200 per week supermarket
$50-80 per week petrol
ttl $480.00
wages come out with maybe $750.00 - $480.00 leaves $270.00 ..
how can we buy a house for this .. average house £350000 - $ 450000
had a look at what we can borrow on $1000.00 per week and tops $155.000 .. and thats without any medicals bill or clothes ..
Please can someone help .. I really am having sleepless nights as whether we are doing the right thing or not !!!!!!!
We have a nice house good jobs ( I work 2 days a week in travel) and 1 ski holiday and 1 summer holiday per year ... do we go or stay !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: affording to live !!
 

Dont know where you get your numbers from. Everyone is different but for my wife and I living in Sydney we survived on between $1,000 and $1200 per month for all living costs on top of our rent. Those costs included running a 4 wheel drive, transport costs, food, bills, clothes and entertainment for 2 people. We were being quite careful as we were saving for a house deposit, but we didn't exaclty live like paupers for that cost. We had friends there who spent double what we did each month.

Re: affording to live !!
 

Dont know where you got these figure but think you are being over optomististic... Brickies in OZ earn about $750 pw (ave - you might g4et more but bugfet for $750) In Perth its about 650-700 $

Having saidthat I took a 70% cut in salary - Hubby took a 90% cut in salary in ordwr to do apprentoceship - and still we are saving mone6y. Dont have the 4 hols per year but dont want them either. Have bought oour owen house and could pay moprtgge off in 8 years. Would not be poss in UK even on 'full" salary./

Its all about lifestyle

One thing to consider ......... WA has salaries 10-15% below Est coast but house prices approx 40% below East coast - Do the math !!!!!!!

Re: affording to live !!
 

I hate to say this but in reality if someone generally has a good job here, nice house and a couple of holidays per year the chances are you will not be "better off". Of course, it depends what better off means to the individual...

By migrating to another country I believe that one can expect a drop in salary if not grade of employment. We are afterall, migrants in a foreign country, albeit very willing ones!

I believe that its more a lifestyle decision as mentioned above.

Re: affording to live !!
 

dont get me wrong I know the wages will be lower and I know the lifestyle will be better I suppose I am just looking for reassurance that we can live and not think oh we better not buy that this week we dont have the cash ..
its just the closer we get the more I am getting cold feet

Re: affording to live !!
 

if you're anything like me sara, you will be thinking of reasons for NOT going...fear of the unknown etc. i am due to start a new job on monday (only 10 hours per week), but i havent worked for 4 years, so i am a tad nervous (in fact VERY nervous!!). i have also been offered 2 jobs in the past, i accepted them and then turned them down. i had to go in today to sort out my hours, they had to fit in around the kids. i had in my head that they werent going to be flexible and that i wouldnt have the job to go to, as i wouldnt be able to do it. in the back of my mind, do i really want this job?? is it going to be waste of time as were are going to aus next year? (have only told immediate family) is it fair on the little boy? (job is SEN teaching assistant to a child with aspergers).

the crux of what i am trying to say, is that you may think of any reason(s) why you shouldnt be doing what you are wanting to do!!! its the fear factor, fear of the unknown.

we too will be leaving a good life here, but if you dont try it, you wont know.

you'll be fine, you live to your means anyway. i might have to work in australia instead of hubbie, as the travel jobs seem well paid over there. (not that i want to, cant imagine him as a house husband :scared: :eek: ). but needs must, but we wont know until we get out there.

SB

ps. sorry if i sound patronising :(

Re: affording to live !!
 

I guess thats the million dollar question - Its Australia and not Utopia and the visa comes with no guarantees. We've 21 days left in this country and given up work, a sucessful and very stressful business, sold the house and now sorting out the upheaval of our lives. Often we have asked ourselves why are we doing this and what do we hope to achieve. Of course we have panic moments - its the biggest change we have ever made and doubts and uncertainies are part of the process.

For us, its about living a different sort of life and we've just signed out of the UK rat race. Emigration for us is an adventure and like all adventures it will have its ups and downs. I would prefer more ups ;) but it will bring what it brings and whatever that may be we'll enjoy it as best we're able.

When you put it all in perspective we're all on this BE in the top 1% of earners in the world. Enjoy the adventure you've begun. Its one heck of a story to tell the kids/grandkids :)

Re: affording to live !!
 

I am an Australian living in the UK. I earn the same amount here for a 38-hour-a-week job that I used to earn back home for a 25-hour-a-week job.

Re: affording to live !!
 

Don't forget the cold wet rainy windy winter days,little or no summer, the traffic chaos, rip off prices , fuel cost, work.........etc.............etc. Its not all about MONEY,it's the Oz life style.

Re: affording to live !!
 

Have you got kids? I posted an article the other day, it was pretty much ignored too much reality I think :D but it showed 40% of australian families claim more in welfare than they pay in tax, in other words, if you have kids, you would probably get family benefits, its not like the UK, family beneftis are about $5000 a kid, thats how families survive welfare top ups. On top of that many more families are eligible for part benefits. Most immigrants are eligible from the day they arrive, the main pitfall is most see whats available and claim the lot then end up with a whopping over repayment bill when its balanced with their taxable income at the end of the tax year.

Your petrol sounds way to low if your partners a tradesman - need big vehicle and distances, and unless you move somewhere with a bus service two cars is the norm.

Livining costs have gone crazy the last two years, petrol has gone up 30% since february, and food goes up weekly due to lack of competititon, drought and petrol increases, obviously a big factor in a big country. Your figures sound OK for a couple, low for a family. Dont forget to allow for medical costs, education and providing a pension, australais is subject to an asset test, generally its recommended you save and provide your own pension.

Its about time we did a current cost of living thread, they have been done before but even 2004 living costs would be out of date now.

I guess the answer is if you want to get on here, living on one wage is difficult you would probably need 2, just like anywhere really.

Re: affording to live !!
 

So you keep saying, what do you do, where, and where in OZ did you earn this great income and how long ago? You seem very homesick for OZ, why dont you just pack up and go back here.

Re: affording to live !!
 

[QUOTE=sara-anthony3108]
approx $200 per week electric / ins etc
QUOTE]

This figure seems a little little high, should it be about $20pw?

WW

Re: affording to live !!
 

[QUOTE=wanderingwombat]As the only other costs listed were only food and petrol, the $200 etc would need to cover elec, rates, water, house insurance, car insurances, life insurance, superannuation, regos, phones, internet, medical, education, repairs, clothing etc etc etc Dont think it would go far at all :eek:

Re: affording to live !!
 

Well I reckon if your a brickie and good at what you do you will be earning double what you suggest.

Re: affording to live !!
 

I know we're not actually in Oz yet, but went for a two week reccie last August and spent most of this driving around looking for brickies for my hubby to chat to.

No one we spoke to was earning that low - lowest was $500 a day, job ads in WA not that much different either. Guess it depends where and how long you work. My hubby always sniffs out the best prices, moves on when necessary, is prepared to travel and works his backside off.
I guess if you just went on a big site where you work for someone else doing just 4.5 short days a week, then you will earn less

Re: affording to live !!
 

We, like a lot of people we know, do struggle a bit financially out here. Things are not a lot cheaper than the UK, in fact, a lot of things are the same price and when you're earning less..... :rolleyes: When I do my shopping around Coles I have to buy a lot of home brand stuff, but they're ok. A girlfriend of mine is mortified that she has to do it as she used to shop in M & S food hall! That same girlfriends husband is a spark and he is so miffed at what he earns over here compared to what he earned in the UK, for exactly the same hard graft...oh, but he can be doing it in 30/40 degree heat which makes it worse. He's having no end of problems with the unions on his site too, they are insistant that he join but he doesn't want to and they are giving hime severe grief.

We can't afford holiday abroad because getting out of Perth costs such a lot of money, so we've gone a bought a tent! It's the only way we will get a holiday. Although if any bugs get into it on the first night, it'll be the shortest camping expedition ever!! It'll be in the Quokka the next day!! :D

House prices are shooting through the roof which makes it very hard for first time buyers to get on the ladder. This is one thing that is concerning us as we were worried in the UK about our childrens prospects of getting a home of their own there. It's getting that way here too now.

As everyone says, the beaches and the parks are free and the environment is cleaner and safer (most of the time) so it's up to you what you are prepared to sacrifice. Good luck. :)

Re: affording to live !!
 

if I am being over optomistic then thats even worse than I thought how can u live on 750.00 per week - tax .. I have seen adverts that offer bricklayers 250 per day (Perth that is ) also our uncle who lives that area and is in the trade say they are paying $1.17 per brick .. now my maths say that works out alot more than 250.00 per day as hubby can lay easy 500.00 bricks per day .. over here anyway .. maybe slightly different over there .. if u know of any bricklayers than can give me more info pls let me know ..

Re: affording to live !!
 

what type of job do u do

Re: affording to live !!
 

One thing worth considering is that it is quite normal to have to economise.
Families have been doing it for years. Problem is, many families take their 2 car, 2 holiday + house for granted, come over here and regret it.

AUS1000 a week is quite adequate for a family. You won't have enough money to meet all your wishes or even requirements - but then that is what wishes, and budgets are for- for when you have the money saved. ;) Our parents might reno a house over 10 years, and get want they want over a lifetime now people want it done now.

I love the idea of cheap family camping holidays. Really looking forward to all that.

Badge

Re: affording to live !!
 

500 a day think they were giving you the spot the pom wind up ;) The principal contractor charges around $650 - $700 per tho bricks, - GST and he supplies mortar. Gangs of blokes work for the contractor, 4 is the prefered number and they get paid out of his takings, current rates Ive heard of from PM questions are $18 an hour in perth to $26 gold coast.

But Perth had a building backlog that the rest of australia got over a couple of years ago, its usually a bit behind, and rates at the moment would be a bit higher than normal, similar to what happened on the east coast, but when things go back to normal so will wages. 2 of our brickes just went Mount Isa way even out there they are not earnng $500 a day :D Australian houses are full of large windows most bricks end up being cut, there are very few straight runs on a house, except the garage wall.

Re: affording to live !!
 

This does not seem to be the norm though according to a lot of posts on this site. I'm surprised you are not on the first plane home! :)
You must be desperate to leave West Brom - I would be :D

Re: affording to live !!
 

Yes kids prefer them to expensive holidays in hotels. I love camping in France.

Re: affording to live !!
 

Me too Badge!! :D Just hope the pesky wildlife understand the "NO CRITTERS ALLOWED INSIDE" notice pinned to me tent!! :D

Re: affording to live !!
 

I saw something in the Age a couple weeks back and it suggested that when you balance the tax and welfare a single income (2 parent) family with 2 kids doesn't start paying tax until about $40,000.

A :)

Re: affording to live !!
 

first of all do you have any children.

Re: affording to live !!
 

yes one ahed 5yrs

QUOTE=cranni]first of all do you have any children.[/QUOTE]

Re: affording to live !!
 

[/QUOTE]
Here goes- we have been here 9 months, south west, they are crying out for brickies down here in case you are interested.
If you are bringing a good amount of money with you , you will be ok, remember you are coming out for the lifestlye, we dont feel we need a holiday, as it is like a holiday still, my hubby is plumber/gas fitter average wage for tradesmen is about 1000 per week, and then you will have your wage, or centrelink make your money up, family allowance is means tested here, we have 3 kids here, and get 500 per fortnight.
When i start work then the family allowance will go down, i am at college at the moment.
average rent is about 250 per week for a nice place. For 3 of you your food will be about 200 per week [average].
and say about 100 per week for domestic bills, this is a rough example.
My hubby is on half the money he earned in UK but we lovethe lifestyle, and we have a great outdoor life which is mostly free.
The dollar goes further dont compare to the pound.
We are comfortable, but we are all different and it depends what you want.
best of luck Denise

Re: affording to live !!
 

thanks denise .. think u r in dallyellup arnt u .. I`m sure u replied to my post re living there .. anyway r u looking at buying or r u going to rent for a while . how long have u been there for ... how do u find out what family allowance we will get and what amt of tax does ur hubby pay .. ie on 1000.00 per week what do u actually get in ur hand ..


Here goes- we have been here 9 months, south west, they are crying out for brickies down here in case you are interested.
If you are bringing a good amount of money with you , you will be ok, remember you are coming out for the lifestlye, we dont feel we need a holiday, as it is like a holiday still, my hubby is plumber/gas fitter average wage for tradesmen is about 1000 per week, and then you will have your wage, or centrelink make your money up, family allowance is means tested here, we have 3 kids here, and get 500 per fortnight.
When i start work then the family allowance will go down, i am at college at the moment.
average rent is about 250 per week for a nice place. For 3 of you your food will be about 200 per week [average].
and say about 100 per week for domestic bills, this is a rough example.
My hubby is on half the money he earned in UK but we lovethe lifestyle, and we have a great outdoor life which is mostly free.
The dollar goes further dont compare to the pound.
We are comfortable, but we are all different and it depends what you want.
best of luck Denise[/QUOTE]

Re: affording to live !!
 

I just paid our brickie $250 per day, but that was a "cashie" done at the weekend......(Melbourne)

To the OP you are right to be cautious because at least this way you hopefully will be prepared for the worse. If the worse doesn't happen then you can sit back and say phew and smile:)

Re: affording to live !!
 

Hi Sarah
We our feeling the very same way as you. But if we don't go will we regret it later in life.
Amanda x :o

Re: affording to live !!
 

I'd not use the word adequate here, but it really depends on your family I suppose.

We live 1 hour out of Melbourne and do not have a huge mortgage. We have 2 cars and a motorbike (which we own outright), but the costs insurance, bills, groceries, medical fees, school fees (and I'm not talking about private school), out of school activities etc all add up to a tidy sum!

Our holidays mainly consist of camping trips and you seem to have forgotten that most families will be trying to save to visit relatives who live overseas.

Things are hard, even when you are earning what is classed as a decent wage.

Most of the families that we know are in this same position.

Re: affording to live !!
 

oh indeed. 1000 is a good aussie wage is all I am saying. What I am saying is that many families have to get by on less.

It is not enough to do all the things you WANT to do as you say. Tough. Many people WANT to have a house to live in , with water etc. Its a case of priorities. We say we can save money to pay for flights for people to come to us - it is cheaper. Camping is the best vacation you can have as you can combine travel, education with a bit of character building too. Actually right now, I can't think of a better holiday for a family old and young enough to do it. We know a family - quite well off- and they have camped the whole of Australia it seems.

When I was a kid, my parents sat me down with the bills and told me they couldn't afford a car, x, y and z as they only had x cash in the bank. Myself and my brother had to stay at school when all the other kids went away with the school on holidays - eventually the headmaster coffed up for some of them. My dad saved his money and got an automatic washing machine when I was in my late 20s.He now has a new kitchen - finally - to replace the 1960s one we had when I was growing up. My mother did all the washing by hand until I was 17 when they got a twin tub, and my Dad sold their only car so they could have us - he never got another one. His driving licence expired in 1977. It was another 20 odd years when he got into my car which I bought. I respected them when they told me they refused to go into debt just so that we could have exactly what other kids had at school. The thing is we went to a half decent school and ended up doing OK. Cue the Monty Python jokes from some of you - but although we were skint we were always the 'posh' kids at school lol we defo weren't 'chavs', if that is how we seemed lol. (!)

Its all relative. I am glad I live in a house in Australia so that my wife can unload shopping and carry a baby in to the house without going up flights of stairs and not go to work. (last point is our situation - and I thank our lucky stars). All you migrants - keep things in perspective. That 'little house' you had in the UK, 2 cars, and 2 hols a year is pretty good. that house you own in Australia and the life you lead is probably not that bad either.

Badge
;)

Re: affording to live !!
 

All I can tell you is our situation. we have been here for nearly two years, 18 months on the Sunshine Coast and recently moved to Brisbane. Some close friends live on the Sunshine Coast - he struggled to earn $25 an hour. My husband's a plumber and he earned $19-$25 an hour depending on whether he was working on a union site or not. If you can go in as a sub contractor then you'll be looking at $30+ an hour in the Brisbane area. Unfortunately my husband having done a 4 year apprenticeship and working as a plumber for 16 years was told that he couldn't set up a business on his own for 2 years! He now earns much more on a night shift in a metal working company!

We both work - 1 child of 4 and 1 child of 12. We bring in approx $1600 after tax a week and we are comfortable. How you would survive on $720 I'm not sure - bearing in mind we only have a £190K mortgage. A 350 - 450K mortgage would cost $500 - $700 a week here at todays interest rates. You do get generous top ups if you are on a low income up to a threshold (not too sure here as we don't qualify any more) but you'll only get some until you have been here 2 years. You get medicare, child benefit (equivelant), rental help and some help on child care - which is pretty generous considering you've just arrived. When we got here and I hadn't yet got a job we were claiming all we could - that worked out to $250 a week - not bad at all, but if you are only earning $800 a week that's not going to get you a big house and a trip home to blighty every other year. I guess what I am saying is that you may have to consider both working or rent until you have been here for a while and worked out what you can afford.

It is a great country with a fantastic lifestyle. There are many amazing places to visit and domestic airfares are as cheap as chips. I am sure you'll love it! - we are enjoying our time here. I wouldn't worry too much - rentals are cheap. As the property market is a bit shakey at the moment it may pay you to rent for a year or so until your hubbys sussed out a good paying job anyway. Good luck - not that you'll need it I'm sure.

Re: affording to live !!
 

This month average household debt in the UK is approximately £7,684 (excluding mortgages). You can of course debt that a lot younger people are worse off than the average since there are a lot of elderly people who tend to not owe such sums.

I see a lot of posts on this board saying that when I pay off the debts we'll be left with £xxx to come to Oz with.

Interestingly the UK lifestyle of the house, 2 cars, 2 holidays does seem to come at a price doesnt it ? Just to put the whole starting in a new country debt free into perspective :)

Re: affording to live !!
 

Good to read your positive helpful post and glad you are enjoying life in Australia. :)

How does the $83k net income compare with your salary/ies and lifestyle in the UK? Are you now much better off? I just thought that sounded like quite a high income, or maybe I just don't have any idea how much your husband would have earnt in the UK.

Re: affording to live !!
 

I guess we are about the same - we earn slightly less here but with our place being a bit cheaper to buy (since even cheaper - but hay ho!) we are about the same. I earnt £22k a year in UK and $50K here, Paul earnt £30K in the UK and $55K here (not including overtime) - we do both work full time though. We were hoping to avoid that but unfortunately I'm not able to find a part time job in my line of work. There isn't much here in Brisbane and what there is is full time - not a winge though as I love my job and the people I work with. My youngest goes to a great pre school (he would be due to go to school in the UK in Sept anyway) and some days Paul has to fight to get him to leave at 3pm! Our elder daughter is in a school she loves. It works for us and we are happy with our situation. Things haven't always been this way and we have had to rely on one wage for a few months last year when I was looking and then this year before Paul found this job. We have got some debts because of this so it'll be a few months before we'll be see any of our wages!

Re: affording to live !!
 

u say ur husband could not set up on his own .. how do we find all this out we are looking at the sunshine coast .. do u know of any web sites we can get the info off .... also can u just work as a sub contractor or is there a clause to that aswell ..

Re: affording to live !!
 

Our friend lives in Noosa - he is a brickie. He got $25 an hour self employed - he went onto the ATO (tax office) website and got an ABN number. With an ABN no you get paid gross and pay your tax at the end of the year - self employed effectively. He had no problems working as a self employed person I reckon it is just plumbers that have that restriction in Queensland. Paul's got the night off and is in bed so haven't got the heart to wake him up! This does seem to be the country to be self employed or run our own business in - you seem to be able to claim alot against tax. I have several friends who do very well - nothing dodgy.

I should add though that our brickie friend didn't like the work out here in the heat - he also said that he was working with 'red necks' and they drove him mad! He has since set up his own pest company and seems to be doing very well.

Where are you heading for on the Sunshine Cost?

Re: affording to live !!
 

Before we moved here I remember seeing on a website about how may $'s you'd have to earn to have the same standard of living in Aus from the UK (I think it was go matilda???)

It roughly worked out that you have to earn twice as many dollars as you do pounds. I'd say that for us, that this is fairly accurate.

Now I know that most people have different view on costs and standards of living that vary, but this is just a guide!

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I've never heard that before but reckon that that is spot on.