Real Cost-Of-Living
 

Is it just me or are these COL indicators that I see showing how much more expensive London is compared to cities in Oz and NZ just a waste of time?

They all seem to use US$ and so don't take account of earnings relative to expenses at all.

This site seems to have the right idea as it uses PPP to compare:
http://www.yourcalculators.com.au/v1...D/compcost.htm

Its only by country, unfortunately, but seems more accurate to me based on the small amount of research I've done.

Basically it means you need to multiple your UK wage (after tax) by about 1.7 to get how much you should earn in Oz dollars (after tax) to have the same standard of living.

I would be nice to see world rankings based on this sort of data...

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

This looks interesting. If you earn £40k here in the UK you need just shy of £30k equivalent in Oz. Even at 2.40 exchange rate that's $72k.

Another interesting index is the Big Mac index - see:
http://www.economist.com/markets/big...ory_id=4065603

The Big Mac index, which we have compiled since 1986, is based on the notion that a currency's price should reflect its purchasing power. According to the late, great economist Rudiger Dornbusch, this idea can be traced back to the Salamanca school in 16th-century Spain. Since then, he wrote, the doctrine of purchasing-power parity (PPP) has been variously seen as a “truism, an empirical regularity or a grossly misleading simplification.�

Q
 

Nice post and possibly really encouraging.
mq

Re: Q
 

Encouraging :confused:

£40K is not unusual in the UK.

$72K is quite unusual in Australia.

G

Re: Q
 

It's unusual for me :o

Re: Q
 

If I earned 40k I'd work three days a week...

CORKER

Re: Q
 

Yup, all potential migrants really do need to check their potential earning power in Oz very carefully. From the site the OP gave, you'd need to earn in dollars roughly 1.75 times the sterling value.

I have come across too many jobs where the rate was roughly equivalent in sterling and dollars.

All well and good, perhaps, if you're going to Australia to downshift etc and have little or no mortgage, but as I've said before, I'd worry about my kids (to which the answer comes back that they'd have to come back to the UK for x number of years).

Re: Q
 

And for us

Wife - Registered General Nurse (for 20 years) - 25,000 GBP p.a.
Hubby - Firefighter (3 years) - 22,000 GBP p.a.

Re: Q
 

Depends what you do. I've seen plenty of IT jobs advertised at that kind of level. And seeing as I earn nowhere near £40k here, that could be a huge pay rise for me. Realistically I'd be happy with quite a bit less than that though.

Re: Q
 

Me, wifey, part time so dont get anywhere near the 25,000 p.a.
Hubby - net pay - 550 GBP fer fortnight - absolute p*sh IMHO.

Sorry folks, no pound sign on ma computer

TTFN Shona x

Re: Q
 

Yeah, but not for someone doing the same job G. :p

Re: Q
 

You may be right but, from what I have seen, there does not seem to be any logical direct comparison.

ie jobs do not seem to valued the same in both countries it obviously depends on personal circumstances.

I was making a statement about what are often portrayed as the usual wages.

G

Re: Q
 

I think that like for like ie the same job at the same level in both countries, the salaries are often comparable. I think sometimes that the differences lie in people either doing a different job or taking a more junior role when they get here so as to get aussie experience.

Obviously its not always the same, there are hundreds of varaibles, but I do think that in many instances that its the case.

Wasnt there a poll last week or the week before comparing aussie & UK wages for those that have already moved? Did anyone notice the end result of that?

Re: Q
 

The replies to two polls on wages are:

View Poll Results: As a percentage, what is your Oz salary compared to UK? (rate of £1=AUS$2.5)
2 - 7.7% - less than 50%
0 - 0.0% - 50% - 69%
11 - 42.3% - 70% - 89%
8 - 30.8% - 90% - 109%
4 - 15.4% - 110% -130%
1 - 3.9% - more than 130%
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2501617


View Poll Results: Are you happy with wage and lifestyle0 - 0.0% - Main wage is less than $500 pw and we are OK or happy with living standard
0 - 0.0% - Main wage is less than $500 pw and we are Unhappy with living standard
2 - 6.1% - Main wage is $501 to $750 pw and we are OK or happy with living standard
1 - 3.0% - Main wage is $501 to $750 pw and we are Unhappy with living standard
4 - 12.1% - Main wage is $751 to $1000 pw and we are OK or happy with living standard
2 - 6.1% - Main wage is $751 to $1000 pw and we are Unhappy with living standard
6 - 18.2% - Main wage is $1001 to $1250 pw and we are OK or happy with living standard
0 - 0.0% - Main wage is $1001 to $1250 pw and we are Unhappy with living standard
15 - 45.5% - Main wage is over $1250 pw and we are OK or happy with living standard
3 - 9.1% - Main wage is over $1250 pw and we are Unhappy with living standard
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1600450

Re: Q
 

Only for Tom Jones :D

Re: Q
 

This is why it is critical to do your homework on salaries.

What can I realistically expect to earn when I arrive and after one year?

Calculators such as these then come into their own and are very useful (assuming their integrity).

I suppose I'm lucky in one sense (not in terms of amount of salary though...!) in that I know exactly what I will be earning Australia.

The calculator then helps to give you an idea of your relative comfort.

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

Cool! :D ...I've just used this, and I should have a higher standard of living once I move over and start my new job!! :D

Re: Q
 

...same here!! ...I have signed my employment contract and I know exactly how much I will be earning! It makes a hell of a difference to me!! :)

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

Shh! Don't shout too loud...we're supposed to be on cr*p wages here. Next you'll be telling people the cost of living is lower. ;) :)

Re: Q
 

So 93% of people earn 70% or more of their UK salary. That sounds fairly comparable to me? :confused:

Re: Q
 

I sometimes wonder about statistics. I mean, according to the latest survey from Mercer, Oz and NZ are cheap compared to the UK. According to my observations, and using the data above, they aren't.

OK, so lets try average wages after tax:
UK = £19500, OZ = $37500

When I use my 1.7 factor suggests I should earn $33150 in OZ for same Std of living. So doesn't this mean that, on average, you're better off in OZ?

Are these average wages also suspect? Maybe there is a large variation in wages in the UK compared to OZ.

OK, I've just done another quick calc, using a position that I have 2004 average wages for:
Unix sys administrator (< 3years exp)
£29K and $37K (after tax)
Applying 1.7 we have £40K earner needs $49K for same SOL. :( not so good eh?

Interestingly this also suggest this job is an average earning job in Oz and a significantly better than average paid job in the UK.

Re: Q
 

Try the supermarket jobs: Info from two sources:

Monday May 17, 2004
Employees in British supermarkets would have to work 94 hours a week to earn the national average wage, general union the GMB claimed today.
http://money.guardian.co.uk/pay/stor...218865,00.html


Dec 2004
Average Wage in Australia is about $50,000. A Shop assistant minimum hourly rate is $13.85.
http://www.eric.sa.gov.au/uploaded_f...20changes3.pdf

Therefore they would need to work only 70 hours per week in Australia, at basic rate without any overtime rates being applied.

I'm not sure how the UK figure was calculated, but using overtime rates here, a supermarket worker here would need to work 63 hours with overtime rates, to reach $49,900pa, or only 61 hours if they did alternate Sundays.

Those hours would change to 54 and 51 respectively if they were on casual hours, and allowed to work that many hours !

Re: Q
 

As only 11% of UK tax payers are in the 40% bracket (2004 figures) and this bracket starts at about £36k; £40k is not that common.

Re: Q
 

OK, how about some new data, this time from http://www.salaryexpert.com/
Each city has local average earnings for database system administrator and local cost of living. Melbourne worse than Sydney though?

Re: Q
 

Does that mean Singapore and Christchurch are that dull there is nothing to spend your money on :D

Re: Q
 

You just knew you'd get feedback on this didn't you?! :D

I'm amazed that the average salaries are so high - flies in the face of just about all other data that I've read.

Perth average salary $110 000??

I just check on a couple of salaries - apparently the average salary for a nurse is $76000 in Perth.
Seems contrary to what people have posted on here!

Do you think the salaries are real?

Re: Q
 

Actually, given this has come from the Internet, there's a 95.6% chance these statistics are made up ;)

I did notice there was quite a range for these salaries. Perth DB admin salary, for example was $38,188 to $73,235.

Re: Q
 

Looks promising. If nurses and DB admin are paid well below that Perth average then maybe accountants rake it in to keep that average up :D

Re: Q
 

I don't think it's accurate - at least I'm hoping not. I'll be claiming poverty benefits if it is correct.

e.g. I just looked at two jobs - pilot and corporate lawyer both working in London.

Average salary for a pilot in London - £32000.

Average for corporate lawyer - £44000

Both of these seem exceptionally low.

Re: Q
 

I found it odd the other direction. Finance/accounting jobs in Birmingham look typical but those in Perth look over-stated. I hope its true, in which case I will be quids in, but it doesn't stack up with any jobs websites.

Re: Q
 

yep - I wasn't trying to say that the site was understating but just trying to say something about it's integrity. (and I'm still hoping that it is inaccurate - if not, my salary wil be approx 60% of the average Perth salary (and I'm at the top of the scale) which even for teaching sounds just too low)!

Be nice if some of the Aussies could have a look and comment.

Re: Q
 

Yep, I think this site is dodgy. I just looked at the pilot figures and it also says COL for the area (London) is £37,231 but for my DB Admin job it was £52,600.

I guess the average DB Admin guy must live a jet-set lifestyle as opposed to the average pilot who lives a... um... less jet-set, more microlite lifestyle :rolleyes:

Re: Q
 

That is daft :rolleyes:

That site is not accurate. The average salary for nurses is not $76000 :eek:

That may be a figure somewhere between what a very senior nurse manager and a newly qualified registered nurse but it is way above average.

G

Re: Q
 

I just check on a couple of salaries - apparently the average salary for a nurse is $76000 in Perth.
Seems contrary to what people have posted on here!

Do you think the salaries are real?[/QUOTE]

I wish it was the average pay :o
$76,000 is certainly not the average wage for a nurse, unless it's average for senior nurses/nurse consultants! I have a job to go over to and I wont be earning anywhere near that. If only :rolleyes:

The cost of living on that chart appears to be quite high to me as well. :confused:

Tracey

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

The website in my opinion is a lot of tripe!

It said my hubbie would only have to earn $28k in Australia as a senior design engineer to have thesame quality of life in Brisbane!!!!!! hmmmmm i don't think so :rolleyes: :p

More like $60k + I would of thought!

Lynn

Re: Q
 

That average wage had me concerned for a second, till I saw you said "local average earnings for database system administrator "

Overall average Wage in Australia is now just over the $51,000 figure :)

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

I looked at these examples:

Accounts Payable Clerk working in Brisbane now earns an average salary of 48,052
Accounts Payable Manager working in Brisbane now earns an average salary of 104,922
Payroll Clerk working in Brisbane now earns an average salary of 42,993
Housecleaner working in Brisbane now earns an average salary of 25,182
Secondary School Teacher working in Brisbane now earns an average salary of 68,924


I'm not sure about the Accounts Payable Manager on 104,922 ?
But the others seem about right from what I have seen. But most of these will be based on having Australian Experience, and unlikely to be obtained by people "fresh of the boat" :)

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

It will still make no difference to Nurses whether they have Australian experience or not. Wages are agreed on a state wide basis and the average wage for Nurses in Perth is nowhere near $76.000 :rolleyes:

G

Re: Real Cost-Of-Living
 

Why the sarcasm at the end of your comment ?

Re: Q
 

Are they b***ocks!

Nurses wages in WA: http://www.anfwa.asn.au/rates.php

A level 1 nurse with seven years experience is getting about $49k before tax. Most nurses are level 1.

Rachel