bennyboybuster

Hi
Could somebody advise as too how much we would need to survive.

I have a job but my partner has not so will be out looking, we laso have a 3yr old that will need to go to nursery .

Is rent of $ 350 a week enough plus bills ( elect / gas ) and food of $200 ?

Nursery somebody said $ 300 a week.

Do you pay any kind of council tax ???

Hope you can help.

We have £ 12,000 to bring over is this not enough ?

Sherlock Holmes

Hi there. Can't give too many specifics but some parts of Adelaide are probably more affordable than the other Australian cities.

$350.00 might be a bit low.

Local taxes are like the rates used to be in the UK so you won't pay a personal levy.

$12,000 - well, some would say definitely not, some would say go for it anyway.

If it isn't too rude, some idea of your salary would perhaps help others here assess your position.

If you don't want to disclose it, work on 2.2 to 2.5 times your UK salary (unless you are on megabucks then it won't matter anyway).

Hope that helps a bit.

A.

bennyboybuster

Hi salary not great in UK terms it is £ 42,000 UK pounds. Same wage to move over here !!They will be giving me a car allowance.

Just concerned over Nursery fees and OH not getting a job straight away !

Thanks

Sherlock Holmes

Forgive me but what exchange rate are you using?

£42,000 x 2.2 would be fine but maybe not at 1.6.

bennyboybuster

Hi

Would you know what the exchange rate would be from UK to Australia.
if 1.6 then I would be on $ 67,200 AUD i think ?

Is this going to be a struggle, what if we brought over $20,000 aud ?

This is concerning

coolerkingcooler

The rent in the southern suburbs is about that. There is a thread on here that some smart person did with a spreadsheet that shows/does calculations on cost of living - have a look. The visa you are on can make a big difference as you maybe able to claim benefits including rent assist and child allowance etc.

Cooler

coolerkingcooler

What is the quoted salary in AUD, not with a conversion?

Cooler

Sherlock Holmes

Whilst the exchange rate is curently 1.56 (and moving up and down) the cost of living in dollar terms is more than double. By which I mean, the cost of living is about the same (maybe Oz is a bit higher) so you need to earn twice as many dollars as pounds, very roughly speaking.

My view is this: If you are young family, with plenty of earning years ahead of you then it doesn't matter if you live on two minute noodles for a year or so. If Australia suits you and you are happy, you'll manage.

You have a visa (I assume) and a job. That's more than many have. If you can bring more dosh with you then that would help.

There aren't many Adeliaide dwellers on B.E. (I'm not one either) but I'll PM our local friendly Aussie Adelaide poster and ask him to post some thoughts. I know that he is on a tight budget and is perfectly fine.

bennyboybuster

Appreciate your help !!!

I have a ENS 121 visa .. company sponsor.

coolerkingcooler

I don't know if that means you can get centrelink but I will take a guess and say it will. Have a look at the website, if you can get rent assist, that is helpful.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/interne...home/index.htm

Cooler

Vash the Stampede

$350 a week will get you a reasonable 3 bedroom house in a good suburb like Fairview Park, which is ~25 minutes from the city. Your landlord will pay the council tax; you only pay for utilities. Food @ $200 per week is enough for a family of 3.

Electricity is expensive, so try to find a place with solar panels, even if it's only for hot water. We have solar panels and our electricity bill was ~$700 for the last quarter, although that's the highest it ever gets in a year. In summer we'll pay 30% less than that. I don't know about the cost of gas because our property doesn't have it, but it's definitely cheaper than 'leccy so get it if you can. We pay $60 per month for unlimited broadband and $10 per month for a VoIP phone service.

No idea about nursery costs since I'm studying and my wife doesn't work, so there's always at least one person home with the kids (we have two children, both under 3 years old). We pay ~$150 per week for food and ~$900 per month for our mortgage. We don't have private health insurance and I suggest you shouldn't bother with it either. The public health service is good enough.

£12k is a good amount to bring over, and will help you get settled faster than most people. We came here with less than £5k, but because I'm Australian we were able to buy our house here before moving from the UK, which made life a lot easier. A single salary of $67k should be enough to support the three of you if you only have one car, rent instead of buying a house, don't use childcare, and don't mind skipping luxuries from time to time.

We live on a combined income of just under $30,000 a year, but it's pretty tough. Once I've finished my studies and returned to the workforce we can start eating red meat again.

Pollyana

OK,so what salary has your employer promised you? Must be mentioned in the contract? And is it a position offering any salary packaging or sacrificing?

Bermudashorts

Are you transferring with your current company? If so telling you that you are staying on same salary and then converting your 42k at 1.56 is really screwing you over IMHO. You should ask they use a more "normal" conversion of at least 2 not this historically low one as prices have not dropped in line with the exchange rate.

You have got a good visa lined up and as you have a child there is some kind of child or family benefit you would get from day one but you wouldn't be allowed any other benefits for two years.

ROMFT_WO2RN

Thinking of Adelaide myself next year, so if you don't want the job I'll have it

Seriously though if it's a 121 I presume they're paying relocation expenses? Are they providing temp accom whilst you sort your life out on arrival? If yes to both of those and with 12k I reckon you'll be fine, altough as mentioned above I'd be looking at a min 2x UK salary.

good luck

xzibit

Wages in Adelaide are lower than many other cities, but it is offset by cheaper rents.

We pay $330 a week for a 2 bed house, but it's in a nice area one street back from the beach and a 2 minute walk to the train station. We could get a nice 3 bed for that, but would have to sacrifice the beach.

Hallett Cove is a reasonably priced suburb, although full of Poms. It's down south of the city, and is close to beaches. You'd be looking at a 45 minute commute to the city.
Obviously the closer you get, the more you pay.