jamiesharman10

Good evening

I apologise if this has been covered already but could somebody please let me know what monthly outgoings I should expect living in Adelaide (I have assumed a mortgage/rent at $2000 pcm)
I've attempted to work it out myself and after looking on forums have guessed at the following:
Gas/Elec - $200 Mobile 2x $70 Broadband $70 Water $100 Council rates $150 Home and contents insurance $70 Life Insurance $40 Pet Insurance $40 Food $720 Car monthly payment $400 Plus spending money, fuel and savings

Is there any obvious bills I'm missing? Who takes out medical insurance straight away?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance

Pollyana

What visa are you coming on, and how old are the kids?

jamiesharman10

greg123

You'll also have car insurance, rego and breakdown cover.

rasen78

Think you have underestimated your medical insurance. Take it out straight away if you intend to have it, as there are tax implications if you delay it. You do not necessarily need it as the public health system is quite good here in SA, however, for us it has been invaluable for dental, a couple of emergency surgeries with specialists and other things. Pet insurance as well, will depend on age, type of pet etc, so again, that may be on the optimistic side. If it's a dog, you will have registration fees to pay (I think they differ from council to council) and you may need to pay to have new microchips. ALL cats and dogs have to be de-sexed, microchipped and registered with the council (cat registration is free). If you have a cat, be aware that some councils require a cat to be either indoor or enclosed or on a night time curfew.

Kids school fees - there are fees even for the public schools, and uniform costs, Out of school house care, holiday care etc.

There are plenty of deals for mobiles and broadband, so I think there is room to reduce those. Water is conservative. You are looking at $75.40 a quarter supply charge, then sewer charge if you are on mains sewer and then the usage charge SA Water has the new rates for FY19/20

Your rental/mortgage allowance will be very much dependent on where you live, they type of house you have etc. The closer to the city, the more expensive (generally), but the western suburbs, some of the north and Hills tend to be more pricey. Real estate will give you more indicative prices. Rental market is hot, so if you are able to offer extra things such as 6 months bond, excellent references, work reference etc, these help with rental applications.

Electricity prices are incredibly variable so shop around. A home with solar panels will help (if you're lucky you may even get a government feed in tariff). i know of some homes that have quarterly bills of $1500+. We have a 5kw solar system and our bills are usually around the $250 a quarter mark (we have a pool too). There are many different providers in the metro area and the deals vary greatly. The recent budget has also said that the energy providers have to cut costs for the customers.

Car rego includes 3rd party insurance, and now there is a choice of provider, so you can make savings there - the providers have to provide the exact same cover, but they have different prices. You do not have to have comprehensive insurance, however, in our experience it is wise to have it. Cost of rego will depend on age of car, size etc.

jamiesharman10

rasen78

I think primary fees were around $300 per child. There are also after school sports to pay for, club sports if they are interested etc. Some school trips may need to be paid for too and other things such as graduation (yes that is a thing!). High school fees this year are $420 per child. But you are still expected to pay for equipment such as iPads/laptops, stationery, specialist equipment for optional subjects, ie musical instruments, dancing equipment etc. Extra trips also to be paid for.

We have the top medical insurance with hospital cover (we have had to use this a few times!) We pay around $100 a week. Think we need to review it! If you choose not to take out medical insurance, I do recommend you take out ambulance insurance. An emergency ambulance is around $1000 and you might also want to check that it covers you for interstate travel too.

Areas to avoid: in the North, Elizabeth, Salisbury, Munno Para. In the south, Noarlunga (not to be confused with Port Noarlunga which is lovely), Morphett Vale, parts of Hackham and Reynella. If you want to live a bit further out, McLaren Vale and Willunga are lovely and surrounded by fabulous wineries, micro-breweries and eating places.

Tram goes from Glenelg to the city, trains from the south, the Hills and the North. Plenty of bus routes. In the Hills, the further out you go the more affordable. Mt Barker (not on the train route)is now a large town with large new estates going up. This link takes you to all the suburbs the train network goes through

If you want to send me the names of some areas you are interested in, I can give some information (if I know them!)