Stitch

It's changed a lot in the last four years. We came for a reccie in 2003 and finally moved in 2006. The cost of living alone in Brisbane has shot up. Rent prices are unbelieveable and the interest rates are continually rising. Mortgages for first time buyers is practically non existant. It's not the land oh plenty that it used to be.

Cheers

Ginny

coriuk

what is fuelling the house orice boom, if the wages are generally so crap.

alipally

probably the load of pommies moving over every year!!

snappy

Personally I agree with one of the posters saying that when you initially get here you spend a small fortune - we did and so now we have signed up for a mortgage that we would never have considered in the UK as a result of our over spending (all of which I wouldn't have changed as we had a blast when we first got here travelling around). That said what we will get for the mortgage is just something we would have only dreamt about in the UK, 4 times the size with a pool. So financially on the house front I think we are better off as it is a wise investment for the area we live with huge financial prospects.

The wage situation has been a difficult one as initially both of us have had to start at the bottom (well almost), my wages are now better than in the UK (took 2 years to sort it out though) and working less hours which fit in great with the kids. Hubbie has struggled and gone from job to job but has never been worse off on the hourly rate just that here he gets rained off when the wet season starts causing the loss of his wages, so over the year he earns less. He is now looking at setting something up himself which would allow a bit more flexibility so he could earn better money during the dry weather which would counteract the wet season.

So over all in my opinion we are better off just that when you sign up for that huge mortgage and convert things over from dollars to pounds you do give yourself a minor heart attack. The lifestyle is just heaps better for us here and you just can't put a figure on that one. You just need to be prepared to work hard for the level of pay you are after and maybe swap jobs a few times to get the job you desire when you move here - plus allow a bit of time to do all of this!

NickyC

They barely make a dent - a few UK migrants arriving with their couple of hundred ks each are hardly going to fuel a house price boom.

The growth of SE QLD is mostly due to loads of cashed-up, baby-boomers moving north from Vic and NSW (where wages aren't crap) to escape the winter and retire in the sun.

The wages paid in QLD don't make the slightest difference to these people, they pay cash for their houses and are living off super.

Possums

wage wise better in uk on about half of what we earned in the UK.

financial lifestyle wise better of here due to UK house sale. Mortgage free etc.

themerlin

We seem to be a lot better off, but we moved to Brisbane before the house prices went crazy so that helped.

I was on the same wage as back in the UK, but I think I was being underpaid there.