CORKER

Hi, Come on which is it to be.....I've read loads of posts but nobody says the same thing...It's got to be one or the other..Wer'e trying to get to grips with this Australian move but the contradictory posts arn't helping much..Do you think we need a poll on the subject.???

Foster Clan

Hi Corker
I've been thinking the same. On Adelaidebrits site someone had actually said that Adelaide was the most expensive State but I thought it was one of the least expensive.

Whereabouts in Barnsley are you? Where are you heading and when?

Joanne

mlbonner

Its cheap when on GBP
Its more expensive on AUD (though I find I manage ok, dont have any credit, overdraft etc)

Just been to America for two weeks, realised again how expensive things are here and how there isn't as much choice on the shelves (which possibly attributes to why its more expensive here)

joh117

I agree having been here 1 year now. When we first arrived everything was cheap but we had the pleasure of living off the GBP for a few months.

Once you start earning the Aussie $ it starts to get expensive.

Toiletries and cleaning products I find extortionate. There are no supermarket brands like Tesco and Asda made (safeway so a homebrand but it looks cheap and nasty). So if you go to buy say Shampoo, conditioner and Shower Gel it will set you back $21 at least.

Frozen food is a no no also as it is sooo expensive but there are plenty of fresh meat and veg but means you have to cook. Something I do not relish after a hard day at work.

On the plus side running a car is cheaper our car insurance has dropped after a year and we pay $29 a month for a 2.1 litre SAAB 1991.

House insurance has also dropped $10 when the renewal came through. Something that is the UK the renewal always went up never came down.

Dentists are expensive and they seem to want to do work that dentists in the UK never even mentioned.

Petrol is cheaper but it fluxuates constantly.

Once you are earning the aussie dollar it is a much of a muchness.

Jo

MrsDagboy

You will never get consensus on this subject as people have different experiences, different lifestyles, different family sizes, different needs, make different choices & live in different areas.

My opinion is its cheaper, but others will disagree.

brisnick

if you are earning in au$ then it's about the same all up. some things cheaper, others more expensive.

brisnick

if you are earning in au$ then it's about the same all up. some things cheaper, others more expensive.

i think i live a better lifestyle over here but then i'm not saving to go travelling for a year, so maybe it's just that i use my money differently.

my weekly supermarket visit is roughly the same (1/1000th of my annual salary) in oz as it was in the uk.

MrsDagboy

Nick brings up a good point.

When you compare bills/groceries/COL in each country, dont compare them against each other. Compare them as % of your wage, that will give a far truer picture than converting $ to pounds (or visa versa).

Ive seen complaints on here that its not cheap or that they arent any better off financially but forget that they spend money each & every weekend going out somewhere or the kids do 3 times as many afterschool activities or that they drink more or whatever. When your lifestyle changes, so do costs! Someone on this forum once said that lifestyle is free - sorry, but thats a BIG mistake to think, particularly with kids involved!

Also on the same theme, often people say that they cant afford to travel o/s from Austalia, what they mean is its more expensive to travel to Europe. In australia, you are also more likely to spend the money that you would save in the UK for o/s holidays on going out & doing things on the weekend.

But remember, if you compare things as a % of your wage you will have a much better idea of the cost of living than converting currency.

Simone

No, you can't say one way or the other.

It all depends on personal situations(what you spend money on, which brands etc etc, what job, kids), location, and where you are coming from.

I think maybe quite a few people are stepping down a bit on the carreer ladder when they come here, so they should be spending less too, but if you don't change your spending habits.....

andrew63

Think I agree with the concensus that it is about the same. Some things are cheaper as % of your wage (eg motoring) some are more (eg flying) but on the whole, they balance themselves out.
I believe that what causes the greatest confusion, other than consiodering the prices of goods in GBP, is whether or not you have a mortgage etc.
Many come over here and have no mortgage and therefore a higher disposable income and mistakenly believe everything here is cheap!
Those that have high mortgages here (3 - 4 x income) end up just as wealthy/poor as they would in the UK.
Any poll should be seperated into 2 sections: with mortgage or without, then; Do you think it is cheaper/more expensive here?
Ironically, I was mortgage free and "wealthy" back in Europe! Now I am mortgaged to the hilt and counting the pennies. Still, I feel better off here because of the climate and lifestyle and would have been just as "poor" if I moved house back Europe. Australia wins!

Andrew

HUP

Funny though how a lot of the its cheaper arguments come from those living in the UK .

Life is full of contradictions and there is not a difinitive answer on the subject. You'll work out your own COL when you get here then and only then can you decide. You don't get the real picture until you live on the AUD.

Billabong

I agree - in most cases the cost of living once you are earning the $ is about the same!! I have no problems with quality or choice at the shops either. Some things are a bit different but hey you just adapt - isn't that what life is about!!

Phoenixuk2oz

There is no definative answer. Everyone's response is relative to them/their lifestyle and their salary. No one person is right or wrong and this is why it's confusing

It's also difficult to compare as a % of your salary, as in my case I am earning MUCH less than in UK therefore food here is proportionatley a higher percent of my income.

I would agree with Andrew63, Billabong and HUP in that some things are cheaper, some more expensive but overall they probably equal the same as in UK.

For us although infanatily less well off money wise here than in UK...we actually feel richer in many ways. After all...no one in their right mind comes to Aus to earn more [although there are some people who have managed to do this....but not many].

In UK I earned great bucks but felt I'd sold my soul to do so

In summary.....I agree with others on here....it's all much of a muchness ....it all depends where you shop, what you do recreationally, where you live...and whether you have in fact changed your lifestyle [which can cost more].

There are so many differences in everyones lifestyles that it's not just about the cost of a loaf in UK Vs a loaf in Aus

Maybe people are comparing the monetary differences when there are too many other personal variables that are not included hence the "cloudy" answers.

Basically, IMHO......it's swings and roundabouts...but I know where I'd much rather live

chocaholic

We think that the general cost of living in Australia is a bit cheaper. The things we find more expensive are medical specialist and dental costs. We have a mortgage and only one income.