laguna33p

I certainly think so, been in Victoria for 6 weeks and compared to the UK I have not found a single thing cheaper except for fuel. You need to be earning megabucks to buy even the basic of items here,food is x2-4 times more expensive. Public transport is almost non-existent and forget owning a new car unless you're lucky to win the lottery. I thought the UK was bad for exploitation, even worse here.

furkew

what exploitation????

if you had come over with an exchange rate of 2.50, we would only hear abut how wonderful & cheap Australia is.

I lived in Holland for 20 years, and couldnt believe how cheap cars are over here when we arrived 3 years ago.

IndieG

It is very expensive, you're right there. But not the most expensive country in the world.

http://www.mercer.com/costoflivingpr#Top_50


I think even Bombay (or Mumbai as it is now known) is more expensive than Melbourne. Although I do whinge a lot about prices here, my cost of living in Mumbai (where I spent a couple of years) could easily be twice what it costs me to live in a really nice suburb in Melbourne. And spending all that money to live in what can only be described as a huge sprawling, crowded slum

Amazulu

Deal with it or move on.

mr mover

Ah another client for my soon to leave list..........mm

DeadVim

Mate, imagine if you had to live with them ... you'd be utilising them moving skills pretty damned quick

Geelong Gent

Quality costs more

steve`o

its to keep the riff raff out

coolshadows

I think regardless of the exchange rate (unless you are bringing over a LOT of money), it's all about how much you can earn.

When I first arrived I took the first job offered, paying only $50,000. Luckily I got offered another job within a couple of week on a lot more - god knows how we would have survived.

I still need to be earning a lot more before I'm in the same financial position I was in the UK (and I'm earning more than $2.30 for every £1 I earned in the UK). I had plenty of spare cash then and we even had a motorhome. No spare cash now - too many bills.

Cant rain all the time2

Nice response...not.

I've been here 2 1/2 years earning $'s so exchange rate has nothing to do with it. This place IS expensive, maybe not the most expensive.

coolshadows

Isn't that what Rudd is trying to create in 'BIG Australia'?

Cant rain all the time2

What quality? Like the houses built about as well as a B&Q garden shed!!!

Grayling

Already created...it's called Brisbane

loz

Its as expensive as you want to make it.........................we haven't had a problem.
Been here nearly 4 years, have a beautiful house, decent pre-loved car, eat out at least once a week,can afford weekends away and holidays and certainly don't scrimp on food and drinks etc and we haven't got mega paying jobs.
I work in a pharmacy and hubby works for QLD government but our standard of living is way above what we had in the UK.

Public transport is much cheaper as is fuel, utilities are way cheaper, and if you are a canny shopper (not buying everything from Aldi........in fact we don't use Aldi) your food bill need not be huge. We find fresh meat and seafood cheaper and a lot better quality.

Geelong Gent

exactly

buy on the cheap because the rooms sizes were more appealing or that fresh coat of paint

There is quality but you need to look, and pay for it.