dotty

On my last trip to the UK ,2001, I found most items, especially basics, milk bread, biscuits, and vitals like veggies much cheaper in the UK. Meat was cheaper in Australia. If you took wages into that account, you would find food in the Uk would be comparatively cheaper by far. 10 years ago I would have said Australia was cheaper for almost everything, but not now, GST, inflation and economic factors such as drought have well and truly taken care of that. Perhaps the perception that Oz is cheap is based on what it was like in the 80,s. Also it is perceived as cheap by people in the Uk on a UK wage, that does become rather irrelevant once you are on a Aussie wage.

jeannie

Dotty. this might mean something different in Aus but did you say G.S.T

IS THAT GOODS AND SERVICE TAX ???

dpr21

dpr21

Bernie - sorry missed the post doh!!

I am not sure how you define material but I would say it depends on the type of lifestyle you plan on having out here. I, as a physiotherapist, have far more disposable income in Oz than I had in the UK. But I don't eat out a lot, am a cultural philistine (relatively speaking), don't have to travel far and enjoy wasting my time outdoors spending little cash. Depending on your wants and requirements there are situations where the reverse could clearly be true.

Determine what is important to you and do your homework properly (PB/Madmancunian!!). I am pro-Aus but have to agree with one of the supposedly 'negative' posters that if you are aware of potential pitfalls you can at least plan for or avoid them. Good luck

DPR

jockney

In the area Ilive ROMFORD HORNCHURCH you can pay 1,000,000 dollars for a boring semi detached but in an upmarket suburb in adelaide Ican buy a large more interesting house for 400,000 or less if I WANT.I would think Icould fund the bread out of the difference.And council tax dont even go there. jockney

Grotbags

Here Here Jockney!!

With the sale of our little 3 bed semi in Surrey we can buy a nice big house outright in the Bayside suburbs of Brisbane with bay views(and yes, most of us who are planning to move over there have had the sense to research prices and areas, although the whingers would have us believe we are all stupid disillusioned fools hoping to buy a beachside mansion for 30k!)

With no £850 a month mortgage to pay any more I for one will be extremely happy to pay an extra few pence for a loaf of bread! I think we can make that sacrifice!

michael29

To be honest with you i dont think the UK is alot cheaper in the way of food prices,i'm a retail supermarket manager and have worked for Coles supermarkets Australia for 12 years and currently now working for Sainsburys there's not alot in it between the two countrys and personally i would be more concerned with the prices of houses as that to me was more of an investment than a loaf of bread.I comfortably lived in a $300,000 house in Perth while i struggled to get a shoe box for the same money converted to pounds back here in Surrey.

Don

Hi all,

Just to say, even in real mainland Europe the old GBP100-200K goes maybe 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 times better than the UK depending on where you choose to settle. So it's not surprising that in Aus or NZ you can get better value for money than UK. When I was in QLD I remember seeing fantastic Queenslander type house with good land, on the beach (Mission Beach), for GBP30K. OK, up North but great value.

Cheers - Don

PS Saw lots of Cassowary too

Devlin

Yes, it was introduced in July 2000.

jeannie

I thought Canada was the only one to have G.S.T. i'ts the most hated tax EVER!! the govenment could'nt manage the revenue they got, so they just made up another tax!!!. our Premier is leaving in the next couple of years, we all wanted to put money in a hat and ship him off sooner !!!! how about OZ ??? LOL

jeannie

[QUOTE][SIZE=1]Originally posted by Marlo
[QUOTE][SIZE=1]Originally posted by Bernard

Thanks Bernard, I am looking for a different life style nothing like the shallow materialistic one that is pushed upon us over here. It just makes me laugh on here when you disagree with someone or put a point over they just assume that you are dreaming about a place that doesn`t exist. IF we do decide to emigrate to Oz we will definitely live like the aussies and not harp on about the UK like so many do, if you make yourself a minority you`ll stay one. Not everyone is miserable in Australia and for those groaners some of us have, friends & relations who have lived out there for 20 & 30 years and are happy!! It`s all down to the individual to what they want out of life. Just remember it`s just your own personal experiences that you put on here it`s not shared by everyone. This isn`t aimed at you Bernard.

Get on and have a life!


When I came to Canada I did one very smart thing, I went out and found Canadian friends right away, I DID NOT MIX WITH ENGLISH PEOPLE, I came with idea of a new life otherwise I should have stayed home. and if you think it was easy back then it was"nt I spent many a night in a small flat in tears. I had canadians Tell me I would'nt last a year, and if I did I'd be on the streets earning a living as "English girls could'nt cut the mustard" but the old saying is "when things get tough the tough get going".
Most all of the people on this forum have got it made, they are with another people they have kids, they are even taking furnitur for God's sake, what a great adventure makes me wish I was 30 years younger I would give Australia a go LOL

brox

This seems to be a small argument. How much steak could you buy in the UK for I hour's work compared to OZ(I'm talking south west WA prices)? How much petrol for an hours work? Yes the loafs of bread from say Safeway's is cheap(say 22p) but what about the quality? From what I can gather most of the moaners and groaners seem to be ex pom's! What happens when a 747 lands at Sydney? The captain turns off the engines but the wineing continues. Me, I can't wait to leave the UK. Whatever happens it's not going to be any worse than here.

ex kiwi

Forget house prices & the “Bread Index�. Here is the only currency that matters to me………

The International Beer converter !!!

Example: 12 pack of Carton Crown Lager (375ml)

Aussie - $25.50
NZ – $20.95 ($18.45 AUD)
UK - $??? (Probably 3 times the Aussie price.)

Remember: Beer should be consumed COLD! Cold enough that you can’t hold onto the bottle. No Bitta beer for me Gov.

Bernard

Jamesy

I came here from the North of England where house prices are far more reasonable than in the South East UK - also the roads are quieter and there is lots of nice scenery.

Australia has lots to offer, especially the outdoor lifestyle and good weather (which I really enjoy). However, having been here two years I have to say that I do eventually indend to return to the UK (no rush though - I'm still quite young!).

As a teacher in the UK I could reasonably aspire to earning £30k+. Living in the north I could easily buy a nice detached house (I have a bit of equity) for £100k. My salary and holiday entitlement would allow me to spend, say, 6 weeks vacation a year in Aus (or almost anywhere else in the world for that matter) each year.
My Aus salary is a lot lower and I don't find the cost of living proportionately lower - in other words my standard of living is a bit lower. International travel inevitably involves long (and therefore expensive) flights so I feel a bit 'stuck' here.

Frankly I find Aus a bit 'utilitarian'. I rather miss old buildings, pretty scenery, a sense of history and culture. I also miss the opportunity to take relatively cheap breaks in places like Italy and France. I've even begun to miss the changable British weather (never thought I'd say that!!).

I'm not whinging - I'm really quite happy here at the moment, but you sometimes don't realise what you miss until its not there any more.

I guess if I'd come here from a terraced house in Plumstead I'd have a different opinion!

Herman

Bernard, you just summed up some of how my wife and I feel and we've been here for the same length of time as you. The only other major factor for us is family and old friends. We love Australia and have had a great timel here, but it was never supposed to be for ever. We are going back in April next year and now the date is set we are trying to enjoy and see as much as we can before then. We are buying a digital camcorder next week to get as much of the beautiful scenery on tape as possible! In truth we will step on that plane in April with very mixed emotions, but in the long run it is, and always was, England for us.