MartinH

Which to some would be unbelievable ......but it is true.

comet555

Some do live that way. I'm not sure it's fair to use the word most though. I saw a lot of that back in the last mining town we lived in, there were people in million dollar homes who were getting all kinds of assistance (using the food bank and getting gifts from Santa's anonymous).

There were also plenty of people in the mining town who lived quite conservatively (us included). Here in Australia my husband still has a very high salary but you'd never know it by looking at us. On the other hand I have friends with less than half the income who have fancier everything and kids in private school. So it works both ways. Plenty of people live beyond their means regardless of their income, and of course there are plenty who are conservative too.

davidb1989

wow ok you guys 1 a lot of you live in sydney the most expensive place in oz to live by a long way, i moved over in june and i would say here on the gold coast it is on par with the uk in living costs, there is one big difference and that is the quality of life here 10/10 in the uk 2/10 i didnt do too bad in the uk but we just love it here, i live with my partner who is 20 and at college and my son which is 18 months old, i am also 20, we have a 3 bed 3 bath house with access to a pool and tenis courts in runawaybay gold coast a very nice area, we can only work 20 hours per week each at the moment and i earn about $40k a year and my partner earns about $9500 as she is at college so we have a small income compared we live a great life wouldnt change it for the world, we also have to pay $310 a week in child care alone, so i think the main poster just has issues trying to accept that he ISNT a millionare and its about how you manage the money.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

I would be really interested to know what industry pays a million euro's a year and isn't part of financial services.

Vash the Stampede

I think he was an East European dictator.

MartinH

That is true. We have everything we want but are not extravagent. My main aim is be in a position to retire as early as possible (by 55 at the latest - I am 46 now). That's not to say I would retire but I want the option.

4500 Times

Where's the original poster disappeared to..!!!!!!!!! Thought they may have some responses..

Budawang

Anyone who migrated to Aus circa 2000 and bought a house soon after they arrived is likely to have done very well financially. In our case we moved from Canada back then and the value of our house (which we thought was quite expensive at the time) has more than doubled in value.

We're definately better off financially here than we would be if we had stayed in Canada. We have by no means a frugal lifestyle, with at least one overseas trip a year as well as domestic travel, a share in a yacht, eating out etc but can still save about 3K per month on top of superannuation contributions. The big factor for us is we have no mortgage because we bought when property was reasonably priced. We could save a lot more if we tried. Our combined income is about $170K ex super (a bit above average I guess) and we have two teenagers. Australia has been very good to us.

Seabird

We live in Adelaide and are definitely better off financially, not only financially but in richness in our lives. As a single parent, I never got out in the UK whereas here I'm able to afford the odd concert, and even a decent hairdresser. That said I do have a good job now. Nonetheless, as a permanent resident you are entitled to the Oz equivalent of Family Tax Benefit, which can make a difference in the early stages if you have children

In part it is because (a) rents are cheaper in Adelaide even though wages are lower too. I currently pay $310 per week for a 4-bedroom halfway between the beach and the city with around quarter of an acre - 10 minutes to each. Within 20 minutes I am out of the sprawl in any direction, and can get out to the Hills. We have a 2 minute walk to the tram to either city or sea, and less than $2 to get there. That said there are far fewer jobs in Adelaide, and I had one to come to and by the time I needed to change to a permanent position I had a good network of contacts.

I took on an older house, with the original bathroom and kitchen and asked if I could do a bit of painting! A similar house in good condition would have cost me alot more probably around $400 a week, but prices are still alot cheaper here than Sydney. Love it here, been back to the UK and realised just how expensive it is there for housing and petrol, although you get better food bargains and cheaper electronic goods.

So I guess it depends where you live as a key factor from what others have said on this thread.

Maybe visit the Adelaidebrits website and ask the same question. You may get similar answers, but I'd have a go to see if others have found experiences like mine.

Good luck

Seabird.

kporte

Better off financially and have been happier in general, although have had a rough couple of months not related to Australian life.
Still miss lots about the UK but no deal breakers.....
Cost of living in my opinion works out around the same, groceries and house more expensive, running a car and rates cheaper and so on.
I never compare now, there is no point, I live here now. I didn't compare groceries in Belgium when I lived in the UK. I think this train of thought is bad if you really want to settle and make it work.
I think if you enjoy life here and the income is sufficient, you just forget about this stuff. If you dislike life here or are unsure, you will inevitably compare and question things across the board. I often think a simple love it or hate it scenario is the best, it makes things a bit clearer

Amazulu

Much better off in Australia.
I earn more than I did in the UK - and have a better job
I live in a better, bigger house
I live in a nicer environment
I pay more tax
I think the COL is similar - food more expensive here, durable goods (electronics, furniture etc) about the same, running a car, insurance cheaper

It's all good.

Ms_Fi

We're definitely better off here than we were in the UK, even if we've had some seriously dodgy weeks since we arrived!

My new job pays £10K pa more than the same job in the UK did, and the promotion/training opportunities are much better.

The rent on the house is 1/3 more than we were paying but it's a much nicer house! We've got loads more space than we did and we've gone from a 3 bed terrace with a tiny box room and small living space to a 3 bed detached with 3 double bedrooms, huge open plan living space and a spa in the back garden!

Petrol is loads cheaper than in England - about 76p per litre - but the food bill is about 1/3 more than we paid in Morrisons.

At the end of the day we are solvent, debt free and once I start work on Monday we'll have money left over at the end of the month and will be able to start building up our savings again.

Geelong Gent

IT
Pharma
Mining
Manufacturing

pazza

How differcult is it to get into a mining job if you've got no experience ?

Alfresco

I don't know but you'll probably have to dig deep.