ABCDiamond

It really does depend on what you spend your money on.

Some people may say that everything is more expensive.... however, are they right, are they being serious... ?

Petrol is cheaper
Restaurants ? How much is a steak dinner in a London restaurant now ?
Fresh Fruit and Veg may be cheaper, depending where you buy it.
If people buy in Woolworths and Coles, then yes it will be more expensive, unless of course you normally buy yours in Harrods.

At a guess, many things will be more expensive to begin with, until you learn the ropes.

ABCDiamond

Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/6302.0/

May 2009 Average Male Full time total earnings: $1,346.90
x 52 = $70,038.80

Where did you get your figure ? How accurate is it ?

A News of The World article quoted this in Dec 2009
But the UK government figure was $27k so I compared like to like.
Maybe your $57k is comparable to the NOTW £21k ?

ABS Annual figures

ABCDiamond

Eating out in Sydney

Starter:
Garlic Prawns $13.95
5 marinated Tiger prawns pan-fried with crushed garlic, served on a bed of Cajun rice, and finished with a white wine cream sauce.

followed by:
Main:
Rib and Steak Combo $29.95
We combine a flame-grilled sirloin steak and a small rack of baby back ribs smothered with hickory smoked BBQ sauce to give you the best of both worlds. Served on Cajun rice with Fries and salad.

and for desert:
Banana Split $8.50
An old 50’s favourite served with crushed nuts, cream & ice cream, and garnished with a chocolate wafer. Add your choice of topping - chocolate, strawberry or caramel. An oldie but a goodie!


Total $52.40 or 3.9% of the gross weekly adult average full time wage.

wilf70

Overall,I thought it was more expensive--particularly housing.Increased salary didn't compensate.

Sushimania

Thank you so much for your answers. We have a little place in Kensington and was hoping to get something with a bit more space. Do cars tend to be more expensive as well in Australia?

wilf70

Yes second hand cars are quite a bit more expensive.New ones evenmore so--though petrol is cheaper.Cars tend to last longer because of lack of salt etc on roads in winter---be careful what you buy.There is no MOT etc and old bangers;wrecks etc abound.

ABCDiamond

New cars have often been cheaper, but do not depreciate as much, consequently the used ones end up being more expensive. FX rates though may change all perspectives, if you are buying with £'s.

Price example:
New Hyundai Getz S Hatchback 5dr 1.4i $12,990 drive away.

PS: Never pay RRP for anything... eg: Above car is $18,313 RRP.

ABCDiamond

There is an annual safety inspection, but it isn't called an MOT.

No safety inspection notice = no registration.

Deancm

Who'd want to buy a piece of rubbish such as a Hyundai? If you want to buy a decent car such as an Audi or BMW that are very common in the UK, expect to pay double in Australia. Even Toyota, Honda and Mazda are far more expensive in Oz.

ABCDiamond

Many people buy Hyundai, however, lets look at the Toyota for you then...

New Toyota Corolla Ascent Sedan 4dr 1.8i $20,990 Drive Away Price.
How does that one compare to the UK price ?

European cars will of course be more expensive in Australia, just as Australian cars are probably more expensive in the UK.

Top selling cars:
3 Toyota's in the top ten, and 2 Hyundia's

From Hyundia NSW, May 2009 Hyundai moves up to 5th best selling brand

Amazulu

Sure, but unless things have changed very recently, rent/buying in London ain't exactly cheap either.

Deancm

I don't know where you got that price from. From Toyota.com.au drive away price for Toyota Corolla Ascent Sedan 4dr is $26,892. Same car in UK £14,455 ($24,222 AUD).

Deancm

What I was paying in London is pretty much the same as what I am paying now for a similar property in Melbourne.

Amazulu

I checked, and the VW Jetta that I have ordered is cheaper here than in the UK. Surprisingly the Aussie model has a better spec than the UK model.

AllGoode

The biggest cost of cars is their depreciation in value in their early years - a higher cost than fuel, service, repairs, insurance and taxes for all most all owners.

UK:
http://www.whatcar.com/car-depreciation-calculator/

Aus:
http://www.redbook.com.au/