ABCD......

In May 2012 the Median weekly total cash earnings for all ADULT full-time employees was $1,261. (A$65,572 per year).

• One in ten full-time employees received weekly total cash earnings of $738.00 or less. (A small number of low earners biases the number.)
• One in ten full-time employees received weekly total cash earnings of $2,364.00 or more. (A small number of high earners biases the number.)

Australian Median Wage 2012

The median income seems to be about 86% of the normal quoted average income. This was 85% last time I checked in 2009.

stuckinblighty

Totally agree...my experiences tell me that the average joe earns approx 50 odd k a year...25 bucks p/h.
Tradies can earn obscene ammounts of cash. ...way more than in the UK.
Then theres the dentists....dont get me started on how much that mob 'earn' over here.
Lots of dreamers and fantasists on the site selling the dream destination.If you aint loaded then dont make the move to aus cos you'll struggle financially.

Lee
:-)

old.sparkles

Can't work out what you're trying to say

It's too expensive unless you're a tradie or a dentist

As for people on this site selling the dream, I would have to say that for the most part they are probably overly pessimistic and rather than 'sell a dream' pretty much repeat your words and say 'don't bother, you can't afford it'

And as an aside - you can earn obscene amounts as a tradie in the UK too

stuckinblighty

Im not 'trying to say' anything other than what I have observed

brushmate

very expensive,we lived in Sydney(Maroubra)for just over 12 month(came back November 2012)because everything was so expensive,better wages than uk but really it does not work out like that

fish.01

If it is any help the 2011 census reported the following medians in 2011 for Greater Brisbane. Note Greater Brisbane region also includes Ipswich, Logan, Moreton and Redlands.

Median Total Household Income: $73,716 (includes single person households)

Median Total Family Income: $86,060 (excludes single person households)

Median Mortgage Repayment (for those with mtge): $1993/month

Median Rent: $330/week

Source: ABS 2011 Census. Note when searching use: Brisbane, Urban Centres and Localities (Code UCL301001 (UCL)) NOT Greater Brisbane as the ABS includes the whole of SEQ under this classificaton.

ABCD......

Based on that, the median Greater Brisbane family, (not singles), pays 28% of gross income as mortgage payments, or 20% if they are renting.

The median Family disposable income (after Tax and Mortgage/Rent) therefore worked out at either $914 per week (Home Owners) or $1,044 per week (Renters) in 2011-12.

Home Owners
$86,060 Gross Annual (60%-40% wage split)
$71,465 Net Annual
$23,916 Annual Mortgage Payment
$47,549 Annual Disposable after tax and home payments
$914 Weekly Disposable

Renters
$86,060 Gross Annual (60%-40% wage split)
$71,465 Net Annual
$17,160 Annual rents
$54,305 Annual Disposable after tax and home payments
$1,044 Weekly Disposable

lumpommer

Almost everything is way too expensive in Australia.

ABCD......

Some examples of average prices ? as percentage of average income ?

Let's use ALDI prices as examples in both countries ?

using $914 Weekly Disposable income after tax and mortgage
compared to ??? for the UK.

$ 0.99 650g/700g BAKERS LIFE ™ White Sandwich Sliced
$ 1.49 650g/700g BAKERS LIFE ® Multigrain Bread
$ 1.99 2L FARMDALE ® Milk Full Cream
$ 2.99 340g HYDALE ® Corned Beef Canned
$ 2.99 2kg Imperial Grain ® Long Grain White Rice
$ 2.99 500g BRANNANS BUTCHERY ® Sausages Pork/Italian Fresh
$ 6.00 1kg COWBELLE ® Tasty Natural Cheddar Cheese Block
$ 7.99 Per kg Pebble Creek ® Pork Leg Roast Boneless Fresh

That small group of groceries is $27.43 or 3% of the median weekly family disposable income.
How does that compare to other ALDI stores ?

But then... the cost of Electricity ??? It is VERY expensive. !!
cents per kilowatt hour
25.378 normal power meter (£0.17) inc GST/VAT
12.110 Hot water meter (£0.08)

Maybe prices are high because we are all middle class

old.sparkles

Only had 1 meter in UK - all were £0.13 inc VAT so not that much cheaper really (and still had standing charge on top of this so comparable)

Amazulu

PPP (and actual exchange rate) is all that matters

neil248

Even housos would be considered middle class by world standards with a free commodore, nice lowset etc, the cost of living is not high with cars, white goods etc cheaper in real terms than they have ever been. petrol is far cheaper per litre than the coke bogans buy when they fill up and moan about the price of fuel.

If you choose to live in QLD have a few consecutive years of natural disaster then hey your insurance premiums are likely to increase somewhat as we have found out.

Australian wages apart from mine have also increased year on year unlike most of Europe.

Amazulu

Paying for my fuel yesterday afternoon, there were 2 bogans behind me in the queue who looked like they were buying most of their weekly groceries. They were moaning about the cost of things.

There's a Woolworths about 1km away
It was open
They had a car

Go figure

neil248

Have noticed with Bogans and the 4 litre car that $5 goes in the tank, the remaing $40 on red Bull and ciggies so the 1 km to the Supermarket would use a fair proportion of available fuel.

The amount of young guys I have worked with who have no money for petrol but have a V8 is rather amusing apart from when it's me lending them $20. Especially when they need another $20 the following day just to get home!

ozzieeagle

It's been my observation over the years, that the poorest in society tend to shop at very expensive outlets and buy expensive products and then whinge their bloody heads off crying poor. I'm not saying all, but a fair few of the younger ones tend to.

The number of people I saw when I first came here, from the poorer areas that would go down to a Milk Bar on a daily basis to get a sandwich made, rather than go to a supermarket and get a few ingredients astounded me. Laziness, stupidty, instant gratification and poor planning all rolled into one.

It's almost a syndrome IMO.

Edit probably says something negative about me when I think about it. Because I have a cut off point for heaps of things price wise where I refuse to buy even basics if they hit a certain pre ordained price point that I have locked in my head. Had all sorts of trouble buying bread recently when they hiked the price up permantly to 7 bucks for two loaves of Helgas..... I even queried the baker reps that stack the bread about that one.... That caused me grief for about 2 months LOL.