lynnbrooks

Hi there,

I am doing my homework on the cost of living in prep for moving(to WA),
I am managing to find out a lot, but there are certain costs that are a little trickier to find, please help with an average cost if you can and state whether weekly/monthly,thanks very much,

An average cost of a visit to the dentist
medical insurance
school dinners
school fees for state schools(what are the fees for2)
a driving lesson
rent of a 4 bed house
car running costs(economical car)
general utility costs(gas,elec,council tax,water etc.)
t.v. licence
Also,could anyone tell how much a family gets in the child benefit that all families get?

thanks, Lynn

kiwichild

Some questions i can maybe answer but not others.

You could pay around $2,500 for family medical insurance BUT for many people the medicare scheme is fine and free (paid for thru taxes)

Public dental care is also provided at nominal rates if you are under a certain income level (you would need to check this out) Average visit under this scheme maybe $50 but depends on what is done

at present state school fees are not compulsory and in any case I think they may be discounted for those who choose to pay but dont have a high income

There is no tv licence to pay for in australia

4bdrm house in an ok area, around $200-$400 per week. Can pay more if you want to go to more leafy/upmarket suburbs

I don't run a car at the moment

I live alone and it cost me around $100 for 2 months gas and electric

you dont pay council tax unless you own the property

Driving lesson prices vary from around $25 per hour to double that depending on the outfit you have them with.
Some offer discounts for students etc

ozzieeagle

Dentist, bit hard to answer, but my 6 year old chipped his front tooth recently, emergency queue jump saturday morning fix up, cost 140 bucks, I had medical insurance so 70 bucks out of pocket expense. I would guess just a check up about 90 bucks, with 45 bucks rebate.

Medical insurance, 70 pct cover, with the lot, (dentist through to podiatrist and everything else you can think off) 155 bucks per month full family cover via HCF.

School dinners, what school dinners, you make their lunch, or they get take away from a shop out by someone from the school.

School fees, primary at present, my younger two, about 250 bucks each, that includes a school pack of pens and stationary etc.

4 bed house, Anywhere from 240 bucks per week, outer melbourne suburbs, right through to 600 bucks inner melbourne subs.


Car costs, no less than 70 bucks per week, including tyres, rego, insurance, petrol, servicing, probably closer to about 100 bucks per week.

I pay 190 bucks per month, on dual fuel easy pay, for Gas and electricty, Water is about 190 bucks per quarter, rates 190 bucks per month.

Child benefit stops for two kids, at 88,000 bucks gross income per year

lynnbrooks

Thanx for that,it's a start for working it all out,not sure if it's any cheaper than the u.k.,then again i didn't expect it to be really,just warmer which is worth all the bills!

Also,here in the u.k., when our children are born,we get 'child benefit',it's the same amount for everyone and it's not means tested etc. Do you have the equivalent? If so,what is it called?
Can I also ask with regards to the 'family tax benefit',what is the difference between fam tax A and fam tax B, because it's not hugely clear on the au/gov website,
thanx,Lynn

jskogsta

Does this mean that if you make more than 88.000 a year you are not entitled to any child benefits?

/Jørgen

ozzieeagle

Yes as far as I know, that is the correct cut off figure for a two child family, For one child, the figure would be even lower, Conversely for 3 children the figure would be higher.


Trust me, you are miles better of not dealing with centre link anyway, they are a bureacratic nightmare.

jskogsta

True indeed. Just good to have plans ready I guess. What I am dreading is the availability of daycare for our kids; 2.5 years and ~1 year when we get there.



/Jørgen

ABCDiamond

FTB-A is for any Parent/Guardians, including foster parents and grandparents, responsible for the day-to-day care of children/grandchildren.
It applies if they have a dependent child under 21, with their own taxable income of less than $10,948.

FTB-B gives extra assistance to families with only one main income, including sole parents, where the youngest dependent child is under 16 (or up to 18 if they are a full time student and do not receive Youth Allowance or a similar payment)
If there is a secondary earner in a partnered relationship, you can earn up to $4,000 each year before it affects your Family Tax Benefit Part B.
Payments are the reduced by 20 cents for each dollar of income earned over $4,000.

Shellfish

Is this federal or state? Does this mean it's $88k regardless of which state you live in?

Megalania

Family tax benefit calculator

jwinch

Our FTB part A was stopped when our daughter reached 16, after 16 you can claim austudy if they are still at school, but only if you are an australian citizen

Koza

An average cost of a visit to the dentist $70 - 130 for a simple filling
school dinners Lunch $2-2.50 plus drinks (1.50-2) in a public school; 4-8 $ in private
school fees for state schools(what are the fees for2) Primary - $100-300 pa plus excursions ($5 pm); High - $200 for school, $ 200 for books and teaching materials, about $50-100 in stationery etc, $150 for the camp.
a driving lesson Depends... about $25 for a 45 min lesson
rent of a 4 bed house 200 - 500$pw, depending on location
car running costs(economical car) Rego $700 pa, insurance comprehensive - $700pa, petrol 90-100c/l,
general utility costs(gas,elec,council tax,water etc.) For a family of 3 - electricity 90-150 $pm, gas for heating in Sydney - $50 pm rates - about $120-150 pm (includes water, sewerage and council fees)
t.v. licence nil Foxtel $ 97 pm for all channels
Also,could anyone tell how much a family gets in the child benefit that all families get? Depends on your income! But it's not huge money.

Cheers

ozzieeagle

Federal award.

Jskogsta also asked the following


This is why I always keep harping on about New migrants to move into as close to the innercity as possible, (just whilst one establishes oneself in a new enviornment) as the more densely populated areas, give one more choice in all areas, especially things like childcare.

If one moves out to a new type suburb, with shiney new "neighbours" type houses, you are generaly moving into an area full of young families, Hence more demand for those types of services.

I would guesstimate, that there are at least 20 creche's maybe more, within 20 mins of where i live.

ABCDiamond

That'll be covered under the condition: I assume that if they aren't eligible for that, then FTB-A would still continue.

My earlier link to FTB-A didn't work, so here it is again:
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/interne...ents/ftb_a.htm

ABCDiamond

It is worth checking the calculator on the centrelink website, to see exactly what you would get, depending on what income, and how many kids, and what ages they are

The income threshold can even be as high as $141,766 to get some FTB-A benefits, but that figure is based on having 6 kids.


Here are a few examples I have calculated before:

Family with 3 children between 5 and 13, Single gross income of $50,000 per year:
Possible Family Assistance of $346.22 per fortnight or $9,026.45 per year.
This is made up of:
Family Tax Benefit Part A $266.28 per fortnight.
Family Tax Benefit Part B $79.94 per fortnight.


Family with 3 children between 5 and 13, Joint Income of $75,000. One wage $50,000 2nd wage $25,000
Possible Family Assistance of $128.94 per fortnight or $3,361.65 per year.
This is made up of:
Family Tax Benefit Part A $128.94 per fortnight.



Family with one child under 5, Single gross income of $50,000 per year:
Possible Family Assistance of $157.64 per fortnight or $4,109.90 per year.
This is made up of:
Family Tax Benefit Part A $42.98 per fortnight.
Family Tax Benefit Part B $114.66 per fortnight.

Family with one child under 5, Joint Income of $75,000. One wage $50,000 2nd wage $25,000
Possible Family Assistance of $42.98 per fortnight or $1,120.55 per year.
This is made up of:
Family Tax Benefit Part A $42.98 per fortnight.


Family with one child under 5-13, Joint Income of $504,000. One wage $500,000 and 2nd wage $4,000
Possible Family Assistance of $79.94 per fortnight or $2084.15 per year.
This is made up of:
Family Tax Benefit Part A - NIL (over income threshold)
Family Tax Benefit Part B - $79.94 per fortnight.

This benefit is tax free.