Hi all,


I plan to move to Sydney in October 2015. I have previously worked in Australia for about 4 years and managed to get permanent residency while I was living there. I spent most of my time in Brisbane which I loved. However, I always wanted to live in Sydney for a while...despite all the obvious drawbacks (like higher rents, crazy traffic etc.) - but I always loved the metropolitan "big city" feel, the beautiful beaches and national parks at its doorsteps plus there seem to be a lot more job opportunities. I work in the healthcare industry (physiotherapy) so salaries aren´t necessarily higher in Sydney than in Brisbane.

Anyway, I moved back to Europe in 2012, mainly due to family reasons and also decided to enroll in a distance learning program (Master of Health Management). Things have gone back to normal and I finished my degree so I´d like to return to Australia. Generally, the job market in Australia for physios seems quite good plus I´d earn more money than here (Germany) - despite higher living costs. Also, my Resident Return Visa will expire in December 2015 so I definately want to make the move and not risk of losing my permanent residency.

My only concern is if I´d be able to afford a nice place to live in Sydney. I am 38 years old, single, no kids, no financial commitments and probably will arrive with around 40,000 AUD in savings to cover my initial costs. I will also bring some of my furniture and personal belongings with me so I don´t have to buy everything from scratch. I have shared houses before when I lived in Brisbane, but to be honest, I am bit over it and definately want my own place. Nothing big, just a nice 1-bedroom-apartment. Being single, I don´t want to live too far out in the suburbs...even though I´m over the clubbing/party scene, but I like to have a few restaurants, cafes and bars at my doorstep and relatively easy access to beaches on the weekends. I had a look at suburbs like Surry Hills, Balmain or Glebe - they seem to have a fair choice from 1-bedroom-apartments. I understand these suburbs are very popular and expensive but after looking at potential rentals on realestate.com.au etc., it seems that the average rental budget for a decent 1-bedroom-apartment in a fairly central location seems to be around 450-550 AUD per week. I´d also rather spend a bit more on rent and have a nice place (tiles or wooden floors, lots of natural light, modern bathroom/kitchen).

Just wondering if that´s breaking my budget, given the fact that you shouldn´t spend more than 1/3 of your net income on rent - but that seems to be really difficult in Sydney. I don´t have a job lined up yet since it´s more common to have face-to-face interviews in my industry but I suppose, I can get a job fairly quickly once I arrive. I suppose, a realistic salary for me will be around 75-80k (plus super) initially, even though I hope to step up the ladder after a year or two. So that means, my weekly income will be around 1,1000 - 1,200 AUD. As a result, I´d spend almost 50% of my net income on rent... Would that be completely crazy?
I don´t have an extravagant lifestyle. Love the outdoors, occasional drinks/eating out etc. To give you a comparison: When I lived in a shared house in Brisbane, I earned around the same money and paid 240 AUD rent per week but managed to save 1000-2000 AUD a month. So I suppose, there´s some wriggle room.
Initially, I am not trying to save for things like mortgages etc.

I´d like to hear your opinions regarding my salary/rent-ratio. Anybody in a similar position? Or any hints on "hidden gems" suburb-wise?

Thanks for reading all this

Hi physiogirl76,

Thanks for sharing, and from the looks of it, I reckon you've put a fair amount of thought & research into this. I reckon what you're proposing ($550/week) is very realistic for an inner city suburb. You could take a look around HERE for suburb reviews with a "personal touch" (the example hyperlinked is the review page for Annandale, but you could easily click & choose other suburbs).

As for spending about 50% of your expected salary on rental, I've never been much of a percentage player - if the place feels right, and as long as you earn more than you spend (that being the key phrase, obviously), just do it!

You're single, your commitments are mainly to yourself, and to use a phrase one of my local (Singaporean) friends taught me, "there are no drawers in the coffin", i.e. you can't take it with you. Spend it wisely, enjoy what you spend it on, and life is suddenly so much more fun to live . The $40,000 in the war chest you'll be bringing over will certainly be a comfortable buffer to tide you over until you land yourself a job and get the money flowing in.

Just my 2¢ worth on all this, and I'm sure there'll be many others that'll offer you wiser and more experienced viewpoints.

Happy moving to Sydney!

80k for a physio seems a little low. Maybe for a starting point, but I'd guess once you got your foot in the door that figure could increase. I pay about double your proposed rent costs but we have dual income and 1 kid. We could pay less but its worth paying more, live centrally, near the beach, in my opinion

Thanks for your input, greatly appreciated!

@ xizzles: Thanks for suggesting the website, will definately have a look at it, great site for research.
@ Beoz: You´re right, once physios move up into more senior/management positions, they can make more money than the suggested 80k. This was just a rough estimate as a starting salary for someone who´s just arrived.

I agree with the two of you, I´d rather spend more money on rent so I can live in a nice place in a decent location rather than saving 100$ more a week but spending most of your time commuting back and forth...
Based on my research, it seems that the inner suburbs also offer a better choice of modern 1-bedroom-apartments than further out. You get bigger apartments/houses (2-/3-bedroom apartments) for around $ 550 there - but I don´t really need those extra rooms.
I suppose, I´ll have a look around once I get there to get a feel for the place.

I might be wrong but Surry Hills, Balmain, and Glebe are mostly terraced houses. Would these be one bedders? You might fancy looking something more apartment based. Neutral Bay, Kirribilli, Rose Bay, Bondi, Zetland, etc.

Campderdown has seen a mushrooming of smaller-sized apartments, as has Glebe (Harold Park immediately comes to mind) - these are quite new, very modern, and flipping crazily expensive, but because there are so many of them, asking rentals should be quite competitive, which benefits a prospective tenant.

Sorry, maybe "modern apartment" wasn´t really an appropriate term...It just looked that the inner suburbs had more modern places available - like modern interior like kitchen/bathroom, nice wooden floors - instead of that shabby 80s look

Thanks for pointing out those suburbs - will definately have a look at them!

I am a bit older than you and male. I spent a year working in Sydney, keeping rent cheap as family stayed renting in Melbourne. I ended up in Potts point as the place has a really villagey feel to it. I stayed in studios for about $370 and really wish I paid a bit more for an apartment. Next to Kings Cross which may not appeal. I walked to work across the Botanic Gardens through Wooloomaloo. But the Cross is OK during the day.

The good thing was access along that coast (check out the jpg). I walked a lot and there are nice bays to visit - or maybe live in - although very expensive real estate. Or a bus to Bondi and lots of walks along the coast over that way. Hard to believe you were on the doorstep of Sydney CBD and one reason why I really liked it there (wanted to wife to move there)