alrobson

I ask this question because I was under the impression from reading this forum (a while back) and speaking to people that it was much cheaper to live in Australia than the UK.

I'm emigrating to Perth next year so I went to validate my visa in November 2003. Whilst there I noticed that some things seemed cheaper but quite a few things seemed the same price or more expensive, food, DVD's, CD's etc. Electrical stuff seemed much more expensive.

Now obviously this won't put me off moving there but I was wondering if I was going in the wrong shops or if other people thought that it was more or less expensive than they thought. A TV news program highlighted whilst I was there that Perth had seen a 15% increase in food prices over the last year. You get much better value houses in Perth so maybe it all works out evenly once you start to take things like much cheaper petrol prices into account as well.

What do people think? Australia has a lot more to offer than just material things, but I think it's an interesting subject which many people will be interested in.

Thanks,

OzTennis

This topic crops up quite frequently and a search will show all that has gone before. As you say some things are cheaper, some things are dearer and it gets further complicated by differences in incomes and fluctuations in exchange rates. For example in the last year the £ has gone down by 50 cents against the dollar which affects price comparisons. The general impression you would get from the new life down under series and the 7 families they've done so far is that on balance it is cheaper to live in Australia. You have opened a can of worms mark my words!

OzTennis

ABCDiamond

As you both say, somethings are cheaper others are higher.

I've just completed another 4 years in OZ, and did 5 years before that in UK, with the previous 10 years in OZ.

My definitive answer is that I don't really know..... sorry

The one thing that I can say is that when your income is in UK pounds, and your expenditure is in OZ, then your life style can be better in OZ.

Once you begin to live in another country, you also begin to find where to buy things at the right prices. eg: at Woolworths you can get Rump steak for $10-$12 per kilo. I buy it for $6 or $7 per kilo, because I now know where to buy it, at the right price. There will be many examples like this in both countries.

You mentioned Electrical stuff, these prices can vary enormously, if you know where to go.
You also said "obviously this won't put me off moving there ", thats the right attitude, and once settled you will find the right places to buy.

Thats my opinions

alrobson

Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far!

Yeah, I realise that it's a 'can of worms' subject. Interested to see how big the can is!!

I think sometimes when you ask these questions you kind of know the answer yourself but just want other people to give their thoughts. When I go shopping for stuff in the UK, I know that I can walk in one place and find a DVD at £17.99 yet walk in another and find it at £13.99, and knowing where and when to buy comes with knowledge of the area. When we were in Perth we only went to Woolworths and Coles so we didn't compare any other food places, but then again we didn't know where any more were!

Regards,

bondipom

A year ago a pound got you 2.9 pesos and now it gets you 2.3 pesos. All those previous calcs that would have made Oz cheaper will now make it more comparable to the UK. Especially when you consider the increase in Oz housing.

S Oldfield

Whilst we were there last year we found DVD`s, CD`s and video`s much cheaper 9according to my 16 year old who was buying them by the truckful)
He also said the `Sporty` shops that sell Nike and Adidas were a lot cheaper.

ABCDiamond

My wife bought a music CD in "Sanity" music shop for about $33 recently, but Target had it for $21.

Just another example of prices.

If you live in Sydney, you can buy them in Cabramatta even cheaper

S Oldfield

Once you begin to live in another country, you also begin to find where to buy things at the right prices. eg: at Woolworths you can get Rump steak for $10-$12 per kilo. I buy it for $6 or $7 per kilo, because I now know where to buy it, at the right price.


Are you going to let us all know where you buy it as such a good price.......I promise I wont tell everyone.......

ABCDiamond

Pattons Butchers on Old Cleveland Road, Capalaba.

I just checked on a ChateauBriand cut of steak there today, its $18.00 per kilo. A UK website I looked at was £21 ($48) for .9kg

We get most of our meat at Pattons. The $5.99 rump isn't always the best, so sometimes we splurge, and spend $7.99 for the good stuff

Let me know if you are local and want to find them....

PS: 2 litre milk for $1.86 and 700gram sliced white bread for 95c, at SummerFresh, Victoria Point.

jandjuk

all the british media reinforce the idea that the UK is the most expensive country in the world to buy goods.... (which in a way, it is)

they're always comparing what it costs to buy something in the UK with what it costs in Europe, USA, or Aus - but what they leave out is the fact the UK also one of the strongest currencies in the world! even all the emigration programmes always give costs in pounds - which is meaningless once you've emigrated!

When converted directly back to pounds, these prices will always be cheaper - but there is a whole range of other factors that go into the pricing and affordability of a product, so it's not a realistic comparison.

Converting prices directly back to pounds is a waste of time. When you start earning the local currency you'll find it is by and large no cheaper to live there. As others have said, some things are, some things aren't.

It's like a Brit going to live in India because it's mega cheap to holiday in Goa with their pounds. Once you get and get paid in rupees, you're not so rich anymore.

sjn2003

Exactly what I was about to write ! People need to split pricing for holidaymakers using £ from when emigrating when you will be eventually paid in $. In relative terms (ie to earnings) I don't reckon there will be much difference for most stuff and any differences are surely due to taxes (petrol) or local supply considerations (housing).

Timber Floor Au

we were in capalaba last year and i still have trouble pronouncing it is is

capa LARBAH
or CAPAL abuh




nice place, love wellington point just up rd, not fond of mt gravvatt

OzTennis

So your wife pleads in Sanity for spending $12 too much?

OzTennis

P.S. On the price differences I've mentioned before about supermarket 'own brands' vs 'branded' products in Australia. You used to be able to locate a manufacturer's code number on all products. So you could look for the 'own brand' number and match it with the 'brand' number to find out which product it is. Then, if you like that particular brand you buy the own brand and save a lot of money.

You can't do this in the UK because the law does not require the manufacturer to be identified. I guess if it was too obvious people wouldn't buy the branded product. People elsewhere have said how superior M&S food is. Well, I know of a large food processor in Carlisle which supplies M&S with much of their range as well as many of the supermarket chains with identical product.

ABCDiamond

The two are NOT comparable Wellington Point is great. They are releasing 27 blocks of land for sale almost at the point next week. I'm going to have to check the sale prices.

Mt Gravatt has got some good shops though, but that's about it I think.

CA PAL A BAH, just practising how I pronounce Capalaba

OzTennis

I agree with nearly everything there but don't minimise the fact that to take advantage of your strong pounds you need to leave the country and also if people take proceeds of house sales and their nest egg it's going to take a long time before the 'Goa effect' kicks in and you feel you are no better off.

It amazes me when I look at A Place in the Sun and see how relatively inexpensive property is in other countries. For example, they were in Florida one program I saw. For the price of a one bedroomed flat in London (probably that cupboard we had posted a few months ago) you can get a place in Florida with swimming pool 4 or 5 bedrooms etc and have change left over - and this was Miami which is the most popular place in the USA for people to move to. Food is cheaper there, electrical goods are cheaper there etc, etc and yet wages and salaries are much higher. Something tells me 'rip-offsville' somewhere (the strong currency can't explain this one away).

In the interests of a good debate.

OzTennis