Brisbane
 

Hi Everyone,

This is my first thread, so hello!

I have been offered a wonderful job opportunity in Brisbane which I have gratefully accepted and we fly out next February (2017). I have a lovely wife and a 3 year old daughter who will be coming with me. It's early days yet so we're in the midst of the sponsored visa process and putting the house up for rent etc.

Any advice I can get right now would be welcome.

My salary will be 125,000 per annum net of any bonus I may earn and I've been reassured that whilst the cost of living in Australia is much more than the UK, we should be able to live reasonably comfortably off the one wage. My partner is a teacher and will work eventually, but not until we're used to the new way of life and find pre-schools we like etc. So we will save on childcare initially.

Questions I have in particular are just common questions really: how medicare works in practice, hidden costs in renting properties, how expensive home and car insurance is, general stuff really.

If any of you lovely people can help it'd be appreciated and please, ANY information is good information!

Re: Brisbane
 

Congrats on the job offer.

The salary is very good and will go far in the Brisbane area for properties. Check out domain.com.au to get a rough idea.

Your wife may finder it harder than she hopes finding a job, since the market is pretty swamped with teachers. Check out some other threads on this topic. Others will be able to provide more feedback.
Another thing I have read on this forum and other expat forums is how expensive child care is.

You do not mention what country you are coming from, but say you are coming from the UK, there is a reciprocal agreement in place.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/cus...are-agreements

You register with Medicare after you arrive. When booking to see a Doctor, some bulk bill ie cover the majority of the payment and you pay a gap fee others do not so you pay the whole fee and submit a claim to Medicare.

Dental treatment is not covered, so you want to investigate private healthcare to cover this. Not sure if this applies to your daughter.

The only real hidden costs I see in renting is they do not come with white goods ie washing machine and fridge/freezer. Plus unlike the UK you will not pay council tax, the equivalent is covered by the landlord.
For renting, best to bring a credit check, details of your mortgage, the details of renting your property out. A little overkill but will help with your application as you will not have any history here.

Car insurance I think is generally more expensive here, but it was a while since I last had car insurance in the UK to buying a car here. I read lately that car insurance costs have jumped in the UK, so it still may similar. Remember to bring details of your no claims bonus as it is recognised here.

Re: Brisbane
 

........ and how do you come to that conclusion?

Re: Brisbane
 

I wouldn't have really thought that the cost of living in Brisbane would be particularly higher than UK. We found housing in Sydney expensive, other than that it is swings and roundabouts and best not to constantly compare everything.

I don't think anybody should tell you whether you can live comfortably on a particular salary as we all have different ideas on comfort. Best to compare it to your current position, if you think say £60k in the UK is comfortable then you should be fine on this. Note that teacher jobs in Brisbane are going to be VERY difficult to come by.

We found cost of insurance very high in Australiia as there is less competition in the market versus UK, but it is one of those swings and roundabout things and I really wouldn't be focusing on this one expense. I don't know what you mean by "hidden costs" of renting, they told me what my rent would be and that is what it was.

On a 457 visa you won't get full medicare but you get basic reciprocal cover. You will be asked to take out private medical insurance as part of the visa process for that reason, but you don't have to maintain it if you don't want to.

Re: Brisbane
 

It is just what I have read on other forums really. I have no personal experience of it myself. Having looked at property rental prices they would appear similar to London, although you get a lot more house for your money.

Re: Brisbane
 

Yeah, unfurnished in Australia means no fridge or washing machine. But it does include... a dryer! :)

Re: Brisbane
 

Not really. You haven't factores in a London salary and Brisbane salary.

Throw that exchange rate rubbish out the door.

Re: Brisbane
 

I haven't factored in an exchange rate? That would be pointless because all the money I earn will be spent in Australia, so the exchange rate is irrelevant.

What I was drawing a comparison to was the cost of living and renting property in London vs. The cost of living and renting property in Brisbane, which I thought was a sensible thing to do.

If the standard of living isn't going to be better then there isn't much point is there?

Re: Brisbane
 

But how are you making that comparison? The rent is a proportion of your London salary v Brisbane Salary.

If you compare rent on pounds v dollars you will send yourself in the wrong direction.

Re: Brisbane
 

The way I've done it is how much do I pay for rent from my London salary and how much is left. And then I do the same again for my Brisbane salary. I don't directly compare dollars to pounds, just what is left in each country based on that country's salary.

Re: Brisbane
 

Perfect. That's the way it should be done.

Re: Brisbane
 

Not always! :( I'd love a dryer. My unfurnished includes a broken cooker (which is currently being debated with the landlord) and nothing else. Previous rental had just a cooker and a dishwasher.

Re: Brisbane
 

Thanks :-)

From early estimates I do think we'd be a lot better off and you do get more for your money in Brisbane than you do in London. No question!

Re: Brisbane
 

It could work in your favour. Pump all extra savings into USD and wait until the next market meltdown on Wall Street. US Dollar will get even stronger, Aussie Dollar will go into freefall like a base jumper, and that dream property will be that much more affordable. :)

Re: Brisbane
 

Twinny, you do not mention if you get Super on top on your salary or if it is inclusive? What about benefits ie healthcare, life assurance, disability, mobile etc? These can work out an expensive add on.

As for lifestyle, you will more than likely get more bang for your buck in property in Brisbane verses London, but COL I would say overall is generally higher, lack of competition and even buying goods online comes with a delivery charge, where as the UK much is free delivery. There is a bill going through to add GST to online goods under $1000 bought online which is not good for online shopping and will add to costs.

Even during my last few trips back to the UK, the choice and costs at supermarkets and retail stores appeared to be cheaper than Australia. Sites like Numbeo do offer comparisons on COL, but I think you need to take them with a pinch of salt.

Public transport will not be as good as London and will suspect you will need to drive more.

Overall I suspect your standard of living will be better, but if your wife struggles to find work then she may not be happy especially if she wants to work in her career choice.

Also you should factor in the costs of getting back to the UK and the time it takes, around 36+ hours door to door for me. This is a bit of a killer and means very few trips back and also can be hard if an emergency crops up.

Re: Brisbane
 

125K a year!
just dont worry at all! it puts you in the top bracket of earners in the country!
earning over 10k a week, means you can rent what ever you want.
1000 pw puts you in beautiful areas.
you will be having a wonderful life .. congrats!

Re: Brisbane
 

I think you have some maths problems there. This means take home of $1,700pw so I don't think OP will be wanting to spend $1k on rent..

Re: Brisbane
 

Thanks for that. We had noticed that the general prices of things like groceries, meals out etc., were all higher than the UK. The salary is net of Super and bonus and we do get private heathcare as part of the package. My partner would only work part time at a maximum because she hasn't been well over the last 12 months and the idea is she takes some time off working to spend some time with our daughter before she gets to school age.

The distance from home is a bit of a bummer, but in reality it is probably the reason the salary offered was so good, because it means that people in the UK with my skills (which are sought after in Australia) are less inclined to make the move; so, less competition equals a bigger salary.

Re: Brisbane
 

Welcome, good package. The healthcare is a bonus, as can work out expensive if you have to get a decent package yourself. I assumed until recently that it was standard from companies in Australia but not. Find out if it covers your wife and child.

Another thing to consider, and not sure if still relevant is if you have a private pension you may be able to transfer to your AU Super. At the time I was not made aware of this, then again I did not look into it myself. Just double check to see if still possible as would have made a huge difference.

Re: Brisbane
 

oh sorry, didnt he say NET? so I thought it was 2600pw not including bonuses and such he added.. but yeah, he probably wont want to spend half on rent!

Re: Brisbane
 

I was looking to spend about £500 per week on rent. Possibly up to £650 for somewhere special.

Re: Brisbane
 

No he didn't say net. He said $125k per year which would net him about $1700 per week. No clue on bonuses.

Re: Brisbane
 

I hope you mean $ not £.

Re: Brisbane
 

Sorry yes, dollars!

Re: Brisbane
 

he did mention net.. maybe TWINNY can clarify this again.. as I am confused here... Twinny will you be getting 125K NET! meaning take home after taxes!

Re: Brisbane
 

I think he just means $125k before bonuses. Salaries are not usually quoted net of tax!

Re: Brisbane
 

Hi, it said 125k, net of bonuses.

Bonuses will be between 25 and 75k, dependent on performance.

Re: Brisbane
 

Obviously we all have different priorities and what one considers livable versus someone else's interpretation of that. When we arrived in Brisbane and started looking at rental properties nearly 2 years ago we also said let's limit ourselves to $650 a week. Well after viewing horrible places in nice locations we soon realised we were going to have to pay more for a nice place in a nice location!

Also we were surprised that at viewings of nice places, the scramble to get the application in was unbelievable and people were offering over and above the stated weekly rental. This was not something we realised and lost out twice because we offered the asking price and other people offered more (in one of those instances they offered an extra $50 p/w). We ended up 7kms from the city in a nice enough house in a nice suburb at $850 a week. We then chose to move after the first year lease was up and moved 25kms from the city but on a train line (40 mins to work) and now have a lovely home in a fantastic location (in our view) for around the same weekly rental.

Be warned that what you see online on the rental websites are almost never realistically portrayed, their cameramen need to win prizes for creativity. You may well find, like we did, that the $500-$650 a week rent will not get you what you hope for, certainly the nearer into the city you are (but then commute costs need to be factored in).

Re: Brisbane
 

Thanks for your advice, I've heard the gripes about misleading photos before actually. In terms of where we live I think we can realistically position ourselves far enough out of the centre of Brisbane to get a good deal. My partner will be at home with our little one so she doesn't need to commute and I will be on the road around Queensland and in the office in Brisbane occassionally. I get a company paid car so that will be my mode of transport.

Having looked online, we are tempted to buy because it would naturally be less aggressive than the rental market and renting is also 'dead money'. We have a property in the UK and a share of another, so buying has always served us well.

We just need to rent whilst we get a deposit together really.

What are your views on getting in there prepared to get the best rent deals (other than being prepared to pay over ask!). We've been told having part completed paperwork is a good idea, so you can submit your application there and then. What other documents would we need to provide? We've only ever bought properties before!

Re: Brisbane
 

I made a pack of things like copy of 457 visa letter, employer's letter stating salary, past references, copy of passport, other ID ( we had our Australia drivers license already which helped for the 100 point ID check). Part of my relo package included 3 months temporary accommodation while we waited for our goods to arrive so we were able to get a good look around various suburbs to get a feel for where we wanted to live, what the traffic was like, ease of getting to the city and more local facilities etc. As we had this head start we got the AU drivers licenses, bank accounts etc. all this helped in the credit checks for the rentals. If you see somewhere you think might be good, do the obvious things like drive past and around the location. Look online to see what type of application they accept as not all agents use the common application (can't recall what they call it) and so if they don't accept that one, might be worth dropping into the agent of the places you like the look of and picking up their bespoke application forms ahead of the open house. We had a relocation agent working with us as part of the relo so she was very helpful and tried to get us private viewings instead of open houses when possible.

I can't speak with any authority at all as far as rent vs buy while on a sponsored temporary visa so it's just my personal opinion. In our experience the place you can afford to rent is a nicer property than the one you can afford to buy without a substantial deposit so if you haven't already got that (you mentioned saving it up) you might find that renting gives you a nicer home/lifestyle. For example both the home we originally rented near to the city was $850 P&W rent but valued around $1m. The home we are currently renting for similar rent is valued around the $1.5m mark apparently (the owners had considered selling instead of long term renting so they had it valued). Also if only a temporary resident here you might decide not to stay long term or you don't get PR/ renewed visa and then you might have to try and sell a property quite quickly, assuming of course you can get a mortgage with little/no credit history here. Many moons ago a financial adviser friend of mine said it rarely works out financially beneficial to buy a place unless you don't need to sell within the next 5 years. I'm sure someone with more recent experience or who has done the sums for rent vs buy for a potentially short term investment with chime in with their pennies worth as well.

Re: Brisbane
 

[QUOTE=Twinny2014;12052758]We had noticed that the general prices of things like groceries, meals out etc., were all higher than the UK.

I used to always think the same but I'm not quite sure nowadays. Not that long ago the GBP was 2:1 to the AUD, and if I cut all the supermarket prices in half and pretended that the figures represented Pounds then suddenly things didn't seem that expensive. :)

Then again I will do a comparison next week when I'm back in the UK for a short stay as I haven't been resident there for over a decade and a half...

Which sector are you in? It is just Australia that's in particular demand for your services or would the same apply if you were after a move to Singapore for instance?

Re: Brisbane
 

[QUOTE=astera;12057414]Singapore pay more too I believe. I work in the insurance sector (I am a Chartered Loss Adjuster).

Re: Brisbane
 

Super and annual bonus is not included in the 125 000 quoted, but I did include the car allowance I get in there, plus company mobile phone. All in all, from the other posts I've seen since my initial post, the salary seems fairly attractive.

I've now had my 457 visa approved and have signed contracts sent off etc. Just need to book flights now and arrange shipping now!

Thanks for your advice guys, it is much appreciated.

Re: Brisbane
 

Enjoy your experience! you will surely be financially secure!

Re: Brisbane
 

Bear in mind that when you buy a property in QLD - there is stamp duty to pay on top of the purchase price. We bought our house a couple of years ago for $660k and had to pay almost $20k in stamp duty. It's a rort.

Re: Brisbane
 

Oh QLD stamp duty now looks a dream :lol:

Now mainly in Victoria, stamp duty is crazed, average old shack, needs demolish or renovate, say price 800,000 stamp duty is about 46,000. Yep for those thinking, typo forty six thousand dollars.

Given you could easily pay double that in a decent suburb for a house, its best to know the rates.

For those buying stamp duty calculators are easy to find. :thumbup:

Re: Brisbane
 

That's a bargain. I'm about to part with about $80k of the stuff in NSW.

In fact its the reason why property prices haven't subsided like in other states. People don't move house any more. They can afford to upgrade to a more expensive house, but can't afford the stamp duty. Therefore there is no stock on the market.

Re: Brisbane
 

Oh man, forget Australia then. Singapore all the way. :)

Re: Brisbane
 

Indeed, QLD stamp duty is one of the least expensive in Oz. :thumbup:

Re: Brisbane
 

That's because its cheap. You pay for what you get :)