Melbourne or Perth
 

Hello,

I have recently been looking at moving my young family to aus, I have been looking at loads of possibilities. I have looked at job opportunity for myself and my husband and there seems to be good job prospects in Melbourne but have not ruled Perth out either as I will be working as a social worker and my husband is in engineering.

I'd like some areas to look at in regards to moving as I'd like a suburb out of the city but no more than an hour. I've been looking west of Melbourne and north but would like some info on areas. We are planning a rec holiday to check bth cities out next year but would like to have ideas on where to start. We will be going to Perth also and would like some suggestions here. We like the idea of having parks nearby, we like weekends that can be full of family activities, we want sun but would like some kind of winter. We would like to be near a beach.

Also... I've been reading about looking into the cost of everyday items and bills ect, I'm wondering how I would get this kind of info? So I can make some kind of budget so we can take the suggested around six months worth of funds?

Any other advice would be so useful.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

You've correctly identified the number one requirement as being a job. Everything else is irrelevant if you haven't got enough income to live somewhere.

Melbourne and Perth are actually very different cities, and there's tons of info on both on this forum if you search.

If you want to be near a beach, Melbourne South East is the place to be. West Melbourne has some beaches, North Melbourne has none. Perth is probably better for beaches but once you live here a while you will realise that you need more in life than a beach close by, and I would subjectively suggest that there's a lot more variety of life in Melbourne, not least because of its size.

The weather in Melbourne is quite varied, but not unpleasant, think Southern England + 10 degrees, here by the bay we don't get frost or snow, we get a lovely spring, autumn and even some winters days can be 20 degrees, summer is often the problem season as it can be too hot to do anything outside on a few days.

Hope that helps a bit.

BB

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Perth and melb are complete opposites. Perth has wide open spaces, beautiful beaches and low population meaning larger houses are available in a sprawling suburbia. However its well known that theres not much action in perth, not that much to do, after a month you will probably have seen everything. Perth is what you have robably imagined in your mind that Australia is like.

Melb is packed with people and reminds me a lot more of england, it rains a hell of a lot, public transport is like the london tube, rammed with people. Its all a lot like london really both good and bad. You will never run out of new restuarants/pubs and things to see and do.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

I've lived in Perth, and visited Melbourne a few times. If your choice is based on location alone (ie not costs of living/job prospects) then I would say Melbourne would be my definite choice.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Thank you guys, this is all helpful and is giving me some good insight into both areas x

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Yes, the total rainfall in Melbourne is similar to many parts of the UK from memory.
It actually rains a lot more in the subtropics and tropics (and Sydney and Brisbane) so I would not say there is lots of rain - infact for quite a few years we were in drought.

I think the incidence of rain historically is 'high' - in winter, perhaps 1 day in 3.
Might have changed in recent years.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

And interstingly London rainfall is typically less than Perth.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

What a crock. I've been in Perth for 7.5 years - most of it not at my choice - and still finding new things to do and see. It's about the person, not the place.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Agree with Perth and surrounds, 15 yrs here and plenty to see, I think he's just hell bent to hate Australia...

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

I am liking your views on Perth, it sounds like " the Australian adventure" we were looking for but I'm hearing that it is extremely expenisive? Is this true?

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

I don't know that it's true. I'm a single person living on a wage of less than $60k in Perth's northern suburbs and have no problem with my finances. Perth is expensive comparatively, but then wages are also higher.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

The biggest expense is housing and Melbourne is the second most expensive city, after Sydney. For everything else, I don't think the difference between cities is so big as to actually influence the decision on where to locate.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

The best way to choose where to live is to think of the things you like to be able to do for entertainment and travel.

Once you've figured that out then you can investigate those options in both cities.

Housing costs are much higher in Melbourne if that's gonna be an issue.

Melbourne is far more cosmopolitan than Perth but Perth also has a lively cafe/restaurant scene.

A big one to keep in mind is that travel to singapore, thailand, HK etc outta Perth is far cheaper than from Melbourne but European flights not so much. However, Perth is a bit all alone over in WA and internal flights will be far more expensive compared to flying Melb/Sydney/ Adelaide/Hobart.

Just don't consider Brisbane cos IMO it sucks here.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Flights to Europe tend to be cheaper from Perth
Flights to North America tend to cost more (sometimes a lot more)
We are very lucky to have a load of budget airline options to Asia: Tiger, Air Asia X, Air Asia Indonesia, Scoot, Virgin, Jetstar. In a few weeks we are going to Singapore: Scoot there and Malaysian Airlines (via KUL) back - $365

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Holy cod pieces Batman!!! That is frickin cheap compared to Syd/Melb/Bris etc. Easily 4 times that from memory!!!

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Well thank you for your opinion on my opinion, I wont second guess or try to disprove yours, or put you down. I don't think thats in the spirit of the site, everyone's entitled to their own views and none is the 'correct' answer.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

MEL-KUL return has recently been on sale for a tiny bit under $500. And of course that price, cheaper in fact, would be available many times a year when Air Asia is having a sale.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

AAX are awesome. We've done PER-KUL return for $300, PER-Japan for $500 etc

I hope, as rumoured, that they go back to London. We did it for $600 return but I know people who got it for $400-odd

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Here here old boy. I hate Brisbane but many people don't and if they like it then good for them. Doesn't offend me :)

As for the flight pricing who's AAX? As being able to leave Brisbane more easily (cheaply) would be most welcome.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Air Asia (X)...they fly from Gold Coast to KL. You can also take Scoot from Gold Coast to Singapore.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Ta muchly :D

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

So can anyone give me so hints on how to figure out a budget? I have no idea how much things cost in aus, for example renting, shopping, bills ect ?

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Read through the threads on here - loads of them about the cost of living in different places, and most of them have links to calculators, shops etc :)

Coles Supermarkets will give you a start for food items

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

realestate.com.au is the best site to search rental prices. Rents in Perth vary enormously, from $300 per week for a basic one bedroom flat, to $5,000+ per week for a big house on the river or ocean. A 3 bedroom 1 bathroom detached house could be $400 per week in a cheap area, the exact same house in a premium area could be $1,000 - $2,000.

Neither Perth nor Melbourne is better than the other, but they are vastly different cities. Definitely job first, the rest follows :)

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Perth if you like bungalows and farms; melbourne if you like hipsters and cafés

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Yup. I live in a small 2 bed, 1 bath house on a cottage block about an hour's commute from the city and pay $370/wk. If I had moved 5 km south of where I am I could have had a 4 bed, 2 bath house on a large block for the same amount - only in a much less desirable suburb.

FWIW, I've never been "happy" in Perth, but would much rather be here than Melbourne. I have only visited, but I'm just not suited to a city that big anymore. It's great for a few days of shopping and theatre, etc, but not where I personally would want to live.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Yes, funny how people forget they can get a basket of goods online.
They can divide their salary expectations by the cost of a basket of goods and do the same for their current UK situation. An immediate idea - in one area - of the cost of living without relying on FX rates.

It's a very good point - that perhaps Perth is not so isolated after all.
Have to confess, I have no recent experience of crossing Asia to get to Europe as it is the case, and will continue to be so, that family trips will stage via the US.
Although I will be travelling globally next year with work.

I have been rationalising the fact that Melb-US is give or take a ton, whereas Melb-London might be quite a bit more.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

The level of isolation of Perth is directly linked to the whinginess of the pom

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

:lol: Hope you have your flack jacket on!

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

We had friends who got the 'big seats' KUL - London return for around $1,200 - wish they'd bring these flights back too.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

I was born at St Anne's Hospital, Mt Lawley and lived in WA for the first 30 years of my life - Perth to me is isolated. Living back there with my kids, it seemed that a lot of the things available to us on the East coast are much harder on the West. For example, if I want to take the kids to Sydney for a dance workshop, it's an hour on a plane and only a couple of hundred bucks - you can be home before bed time on the same day. Much harder to do those type of things from Perth.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Disagree wages being much higher. It depends on lifestyle. Paying rent or mortgage or free of that? Like going out or staying at home? Like to travel within Australia or the state expensive. Likewise overseas.
While $60,000 may well be the average income it does not go very far although of course doable.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

I believe it's been rated the eighth most expensive city. Yes I do find it expensive. As do friends coming to stay from Switzerland and Germany.
Wages are higher in certain areas but from all and it greatly depends on your circumstances.

Housing is very over valued, while may suite oldsters who can cash in, hardly fair on first home buyers. Rents have declined a little though and a lot more available than a year or so back.

Perth is perhaps the most suburban city with a sprawl to match in the world. Suites some while not others.
Meanwhile the State of WA has far more to offer in my view. A very large area and hardly cheap to visit but has some magic locations.

It is for the OP to decide if they are more at home in a urban environment then Melbourne, or suburban one then Perth.
A very individual thing and both have pro and cons.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Isolation is a state of mind

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Hardly Pom unique. Aussie kids relocating to East Coast in some number among people we know. Most likely not to return. Three inside eighteen months just to Melbourne.

Even well travelled Aussies find Perth hit and miss.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

No in the case of WA it is a reality.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Hehe, as you've said before - but the reality is, it's much less isolating for my family and I to do the things we want to do living on the East coast. So many more opportunities for young people in the eastern states. And you know what I really noticed about last time I was living in Perth in 2008, the divide between the people doing well and the not doing so well has become gaping.

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

People moving around for work/opportunities/fun, who'd a thunk it?

My neighbour's daughter moved to Melbourne a few years ago for work. She recently moved back to Perth
My other neighbour's children all moved to other parts of the world/Australia. Some stayed there, others moved back to WA

All part of the ebb and flow of life

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

Isolation is a state of mind

Isolated from what? WA is closer to SE Asia and flying times to Europe are less. We are going to Singapore on Saturday - flight time of 5hrs. From Sydney it's over 8hrs. In this instance, Sydney is more isolated

As usual, it's whatever you want it to be

Re: Melbourne or Perth
 

For instance, kids can go away to study in other states and be home more quickly than the train and bus ride from Perth city to Helena Valley. So they can come home every weekend if they want instead of just on longer holidays.