ABCDiamond

It is important that would be migrants realise that quick trips to Europe will be a thing of the past.

Hopefully most people do realise this, before they make the choice

Unfortunately, some people have come to Australia through no choice of their own, and miss what they wished they hadn't left. That is understandable, and one can understand them sharing their pain with those in similar situations.

It is also understandable that many others, who have chosen their destination, will not understand until they realise why the others did not wish to be in Australia in the first place.

bcworld

I never understand this belief that Australia MUST offer a better quality of life....because of 'the lifestyle'. The way people trot that out you would imagine that all Australians led this mono-lifestyle when in fact millions of Aussies live just like millions of Brits i.e. largely indoors never setting foot on a beach or surfboard.

One Aussie's dream lifestyle is another one's nightmare. Australia offers many lifestyles (as do other countries) and hopefully people can find one that suits them...however if it doesn't suit them it doesn't mean that they have done something wrong or didn't embrace it enough....they just prefer to be somewhere else!

Danny Tiatto's nose

You are missing the point of my reply completely.

In replying to someone who is considering moving over, then advocating that embracing what Australia has to offer is critical. No one said Australia MUST offer a better lifestyle but I am suggesting that by embracing whats on offer it will give you the best chance of settling.

BadgeIsBack

Personally, if it's going to cost me 4x somewhere to live then that is a consideration but see where you are coming from! These threads tend to make people think honestly and transparently which is not a bad thing so I don't knock them.

Can't really argue with that.

ozzieeagle

Well unfortunately for me the beach walks and surf culture, became passe' about 20 years back.

Luckily there are aspects of Australia that really appeal.... Like the food and wine.

Such is the narrow gap in appeal of both countries that for me financial incentive could be a tipping point. I certainly wouldnt move either way, unless I was very sure of being better off financially... which to my mind equates to more freedom from the mundane.

ezzie

So with two of your kids off to Blighty, would you consider a return to the UK too ozzieeagle?

Johnny DT

I have been given a hard time in this thread purely because I am asking if people think that I will be better off financially, bearing in mind their knowledge of the country and the cost of living.

Money is not my sole focus at all. However when considering whether to live in the UK or Australia I would be a fool not to consider if I will be better or worse off financially. On top of this I have a wife and a baby and therefore have a moral responsibility to them to ensure that they have a good standard of life, which includes how much money we will have. Furthermore if after my visit to Australia in January it is a close call as to whether we move or not (based on all the factors i.e crime, weather, education, health etc.), then maybe our financial prospects will be the deciding factor.

To call me greedy because I am considering financial factors when deciding whether to move half way around the world, is ignorance in the extreme....

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Completely agree with you mate, as I did in post #6. Financial security should be one of the major considerations when it comes to migrating, especially with a family.
Far too many people seem to see a nice beach and a sunny sky and make a move based on those two factors alone.

Damson

Have to agree with you IATCFU. If you aren't able to manage financially, then what sort of a life do you have anyway, no matter where you are. I would say money is a very real consideration (especially with a young family) and you are right to be weighing it up. As has been said, if you can manage and prefer the lifestyle then go for it. I know it suits lots of people who emigrate when they are less than sure they can manage it financially and work on a 'things will work out in the end' mindset and I envy them. Personally I'm too boring for that as I just couldn't stand the worry on top of the huge emotions you go through anyway.

There have been some financial comparison threads in the past, perhaps someone can point you in the right direction to some. As you know, it's not just comparison of prices of bread, there's also taxes and energy bills etc to think of.

ozzieeagle

Probably not, but I would like to spend a chunk of each year there when I retire. I'm fairly sure one of the younger two will do the same as my 2nd oldest Daughter.

I'm now curious as to how far people will let lifestyle dictate how much they work.... If they could get away with it, would they live in a nice place on the dole ?

koalakim

I haven't been following all this thread but Johnny DT sounds fairly sensible in considering he may be the only earner in his family after the move!

I've been thinking a lot about Oz in the last few days partly because with the pound plummeting is messing up my plans big time as I've just sold in the UK so I don't even have some where to run back to now (if I wanted to).

I think Australia is a very different place to when I first visited and fell in love with it 12 years ago. Back then the cost of living was so much cheaper - rents, housing, food and my Sydney friends were living on the Northern Beaches and getting by on very little in a fantastic place! Apart from wanting to try out living abroad and as we have a sense of adventure we thought this was a place we could not have to slog ourselves and have beautiful surroundings - the idea was to cut out the holidays and live a holiday. We love beaches, the sea, sun (very shallow!) and hate winter (so what we are doing in Melbourne heaven knows ) so Oz was our kind of place.

However, in Australia around 2004/5 house prices went crazy especially in Perth adding $200k within a year to a house. We did another recci in 2006 and at that time we could have got a fantastic apartment in St Kilda 2 bed for $350 a week by the time we arrived a year later rents had gone up $100 a week. Food had gone up and that is with the pound buying $2.40.

Part of the problem is that it takes so long to get here by the time you've done all your applications, sorted out the move etc etc the economics change and then that messes you up financially. When we accepted the offer on our flat at the beginning of July the pound wasn't great but by the time we've now got the cash it's on the floor and falling so who knows if and when we can buy here as it's thrown all our figures out - wishing we hadn't sold it now!

If you've got responsibilities like a family then you have to consider the financials first as you'll be amazed how much you'll get through setting yourselves up here.

Good luck Johnny DT with your trip and whether you decide to take the plunge or not!

bcworld

My point was....you said that those who embrace what Australia has to offer WILL love it. I'm saying that's not necessarily the case. Some people might decide that life in Australia is fine, but their quality of life was in fact higher somewhere else...that being the case they probably won't love Australia!

Zenshin

Much prefer Johnny DT's approach of seeing if he will be able to cope financially in Australia than some other posts that seem to crop up on here asking what sort of benefits they can receive as soon as they step foot on Aussie soil.

chrisandvee

Some of our friends relies are over at the moment on holiday for 6 months, and they are struggling with the prices because they are buying with the pound.
We went out sat night and the usual $7.50 for a pint equates to 4 quid as they got 1.75 to the pound.
That would def hurt, if your out here for 6 months on a pension.
However when you are earning here things arnt so bad
Def a hard time to make the move when transferring heaps of pounds over, it would make me feel sick transferring at those rates.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

tell you what.. that "usual $7.50" scares the crap out of me as well !

I see those prices mentioned a lot on here, but as I live in one of the cheaper parts of Oz, and only ever really drink in RSL type clubs, paying more than $3.50 is unusual...