ftm2009

One for the people that have been there a short while or longer:
Was wondering what amount in AUD I would need per month to actually live.
I just worry that I cant afford same standard of living as I have in UK at present, with 2 kids to look after my wife wont be working any time soon so we will rely on just my wage coming in.

I am told rental will be in the region of $2000 per month.
Food if same as UK $800 per month
Car Insurance if same as uk $100 per month
House insurance if same as UK $100 per month
Sky/Internet/Phone if same as uk $150 per month
Electric/Gas (any advise please as to heat/cool a 3/4 home)
Petrol (unknown till location finalized)

Anything else I may have missed out please advise me, just need to get into my head that we can do this on 1 wage before i start handing any cash over to agents.
Bearing in mind my wage will not be the greatest probably $20-$30 per hour.

Any advice either way greatly appreciated even if its not what I want to hear in my heart of hearts.

Regards

Steve

jayr

I'll get my response in quick before this descends into arguments over people's costs (which it inevitably will!)

I rent a 4 bed, 2 bath, pool house in quality Brisbane suburb for aorund $2200/month. I would expect $2000/month is about right.

I guess my food/grocery bill (excluding alcohol) would be about $800/month.

Home contents insurance for me is about $50; don;t own a house so no building insurance.

Foxtel (sky) I pay about $80. Packages from about $40-130. Internet (12GB, 15000mbps) I pay about $70. Phone typically $65.

No gas, electric only about $150/month (includes some aircon and pool filter)

Petrol currently $1.15/litre

There is no council tax but if woning you will have rates (includes water). I don;t pay those directly so don;t know.

You might want to have private medical insurance (I don;t) which might be $100-300/month for a family.

Other things you may or may not want/need:
Garden refuse removal - big bag - $13/month
Pool man - probably $30/visit (mine included in rent)

Separately, I estimated your annual salary as $60k, that would give you around $3600/month take home after tax and superannuation.

jayr

I am not sure of your expected visa status nor what benefits require you to be here for 2 years but here are some things to look up which MIGHT help:

Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B provide financial assistance to lower income household with kids

Child Care Tax Rebate allows claiming I think 50% back on any childcare costs (kindy, before and after school care)

New scheme which provides (I think) about $700 per child at school for certain costs; this is meant to include home broadband for example

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/

ftm2009

$3270 isnt leaving me with a lot of comfort zone but then again a job like this at home would also be tight, Can I ask what wage you estimated my monthly salary @ please $20 per hour @ ? hours per week and what % tax is approx. correct to take away.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

I also hope to have around £30k as backup when i do arrive so any advice on prices of a cheap car or places to look for one or any other things muchly appreciated

thanks again

Steve

ABCDiamond

Some of my average monthly costs for last year:
$715 Food & General expenses
$663 2 Cars
$466 Private Education 1 child (inc new uniforms)
$212 Medical
$162 Electricity (no gas in our area)
$188 Rates on own home (therefore no rent)
$ 61 Phones
$ 58 Insurance
$ 50 Internet 1.5Mb 10GB

ftm2009

Thanks for those replies its exactly what I was looking for

Now my next question is what suburbs are desirable near brisbane bearing in mind my type of work (welder) and the need for schools and maybe beach,shops close by, a lot to ask I know but you people that live there can advise hopefully.

Kind regards
Steve

comet555

If you want a beach in Brisbane you'd have to go towards the outskirts, there really aren't any white sandy beaches in Brisbane.

The bayside area is nice, but I'm a bit biased because I live there. It's close to the ocean and does have a few beaches, but they're not the same kind of beaches you'd get at Surfers Paradise.

In general most of the schools in the Bayside area are pretty good. I presume you'd be looking at state schools rather than private.

No idea what would be close to your work though.

skinnygeorge

We have settled 40kms South of Brisbane.There are alot of `Towns` expanding along the Pacific highway and a lot of new factories and units springing up.Our rent is $1500 a month for a 4 bed,With family assistance You also get a bit of help with the rent,We get $375 every two weeks.Car insurance $375 fully comp a year,contents $480.And We spend about £350 a week on food,Though some of that is odds and ends for the house and that adds up.Ant spray/powder,household cleaners etc it all adds up.A 2nd hand Car 10 years old will cost near $3000,rego $400 a year,2 Kids at a state school $1000 just to get them started(uniforms & books).Driving license $70 for a 5 year,So keep a bit put by.

jayr

On theincome thing I assumed $30/hour for 40 hrs/week for 50 weeks a year to be $60k. That would cover (in theory) your annual paid leave as well.

See the attached for a tax calculator; ignore the LAFHA bit unless you are going to be on a 457 visa. Note super is normally 9%; some salaries are quoted inclusive of super, some are exclusive.

ftm2009

Many thanks George do you know if I would be eligible for the family assistance as soon as I got there or would I need to be citizen first ?

kporte

I believe 2 years before benifits of this sort can be claimed, but please check

jayr

North Lakes is a suburb north od Brisbane which I understand is popular with Poms. It is a new suburb and not mature (not leafy) and would likely have small blocks and houses by Austrlaian standards but large by UK standards.

You would be closer to the beach by about 30 minutes than living in Brisbane itself. Similarly, lots of newer suburbs on the way to Gold Coast which would knock 30 mins off getting to the beach relative to living in Brisbane.

Brisbane is great for beaches, it is just that they all take about 1 hour to get to.

jayr

No help for rent assistane for 2 years but you should be OK (I think) for Family Tax Benefit.

As a non claimant I am not sure of the rules and income tests but it appears that you can get up to $128 per fortnight if youngest is under 5 or about $90 if youngest older.

This is for Family Tax Benfit Part B which is for houslehold with one income only and less than $150k per year.

There is also PArt A see here:

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/interne...y_how_ftba.htm

Cant yet establish what the income criteria for that is

ABCDiamond

The majority of new Migrants to Australia will have to wait a period totalling 104 weeks of residence before becoming eligible for most Government Benefits.

However, there are a few that are available without this qualifying waiting period, and these do relate to Families with Children.

The main benefits that are available to new arrivals consist of:

Payments to help raise children

• Family Tax Benefit Part A - for parents or carers to help with the cost of raising children.
• Family Tax Benefit Part B - for single income families or sole parents.
• Child Care Benefit - for families to help with the cost of child care.
• Rent Assistance may also be paid, if you get more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A, paid fortnightly, and pay rent privately.
• Baby Bonus / Maternity Payment - This is a currently a one-off payment per child born, and is currently at the rate of $5,000 (payment rate effective from 1st July 2008). From January 1st 2009 this payment will become subject to an income test, and it will be paid fortnightly and NOT as a one off lump sum.
• Maternity Immunisation Allowance - To help towards Immunisation Costs ($236.70 at 20th Mar 2008)

http://www.britzinoz.com/page.php?151

skinnygeorge

The assistance payment is backdated to the date you arrived in Oz.You should apply for a Tax file number (TFN) As soon as You can and sign up for Medicare.No payments until You provide TFN.They like to know what You earned in the last tax year aswell(Theirs is July to June).