What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
#46
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 823
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
All forms of insurance (WA at least, I know Eastern states it's more)
Petrol
Electronics
Public transport (free in Perth CBD)
Quality and really cheap (goon) wines - I know plonk like Jacobs Creek is cheaper in Britain, but for superior tasting stuff like the WA/SA boutiques you can't buy there and have to pay a lot more than $20 for a good bottle
Pay as you go mobile phone use
Petrol
Electronics
Public transport (free in Perth CBD)
Quality and really cheap (goon) wines - I know plonk like Jacobs Creek is cheaper in Britain, but for superior tasting stuff like the WA/SA boutiques you can't buy there and have to pay a lot more than $20 for a good bottle
Pay as you go mobile phone use
#47
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
After seeing so many threads about Oz being so expensive, its bound to be cheaper for some certain things compared to the same in the UK?
So far ive gathered fuel and car insurance is generally cheaper out there?
Im hopefully heading out next year and would be interested in seeing what people have to say on the matter.
Thanks!
So far ive gathered fuel and car insurance is generally cheaper out there?
Im hopefully heading out next year and would be interested in seeing what people have to say on the matter.
Thanks!
#48
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Wages aren't necessarily higher. Plus so many jobs here are offered on a casual basis (so the employee has no rights). It depends on what you do and where you expect to live. We buy virtually nothing Australian - groceries, fuel and wine - that's it. Everything comes winging its way from the US or UK.
Casual workers do/should earn more but have few rights and are easily disposed off for whatever reason unscrupulous employers may deem fit.
As for should earn more it is not unknown for folk who complain they are not being paid casual rates, suddenly find their names are no longer rostered.
A hell of a lot of working folk with mortgages are doing it tough. Very little if anything works out cheaper than UK. As a rule factoring a high dollar it has been claimed to be 30% more expensive.
Social life like pubs and the like all very expensive.
#49
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Higher and ever increasing. Wonder at what stage it will impact on the housing market? How they expect folk to take out loans not knowing in a year if they'll still be in employment?
#50
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 335
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
And not only are houses expensive but interest rates are much higher, so bigger monthly expenditure servicing the $500,000 debt at 7% where the repayments could easily be $3000 every month if not higher.
#51
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Considering the high dollar the profiteering by importers I often find amazing.
Unless in employment in a few choice areas concerned with mining or gas and the like it is all pretty ordinary.
#52
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Pandora jewellery, fruit and veg if you go to your local weekly markets, fuel (of course), car parking - very few places actually charge from what I've seen, there are probably loads of other things, but I'm eating my brekkie so can't think right now...
Just to add to this, I have more 'spare cash' here than I ever had in the UK...might be something to do with the fact I get paid fortnightly, and significantly more than I ever did in the UK. Don't believe the hype though, unless you live right in the heart of the big cities and shop there too, living in Australia is more than doable and won't cost you the earth to do!
Just to add to this, I have more 'spare cash' here than I ever had in the UK...might be something to do with the fact I get paid fortnightly, and significantly more than I ever did in the UK. Don't believe the hype though, unless you live right in the heart of the big cities and shop there too, living in Australia is more than doable and won't cost you the earth to do!
All forms of insurance (WA at least, I know Eastern states it's more)
Petrol
Electronics
Public transport (free in Perth CBD)
Quality and really cheap (goon) wines - I know plonk like Jacobs Creek is cheaper in Britain, but for superior tasting stuff like the WA/SA boutiques you can't buy there and have to pay a lot more than $20 for a good bottle
Pay as you go mobile phone use
Petrol
Electronics
Public transport (free in Perth CBD)
Quality and really cheap (goon) wines - I know plonk like Jacobs Creek is cheaper in Britain, but for superior tasting stuff like the WA/SA boutiques you can't buy there and have to pay a lot more than $20 for a good bottle
Pay as you go mobile phone use
#53
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 23,400
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Stopped comparing years ago but I know my husband prefers doing food shopping here, going to the markets for veggies and stuff.
He has never been into convenience foods/sauces and likes making his own, I dont cook so I dont know half of what the shopping bill is but I know he prefers it.
We get far more for our council tax, someone tagged our fence the other week, we reported it and the next morning the council sent someone out to remove it free of charge. Our rangers are excellent and all in all we are more than happy with that.
I used to pay about 45 pounds a week for my all zone Oyster Card, I find public transport cheaper here. Never had a car in the UK but $40 will fill up my Yaris with premium unleaded and last for a month roughly although I dont drive long distances, it is still economical to run even when I did.
Medicines get to me a bit, in the UK I liked the fact that you could buy a pre payment certificate for prescriptions so that was my asthma sorted but here you cant.
Veterinary medicine is cheaper here, I pay $40 for my dogs hip injection with no consult fee, in the vets in London it would have been 50 quid to even walk in the door with the jab on top of that.
I cant remember anything else as I say, I stopped converting long ago and dont even think about it now.
He has never been into convenience foods/sauces and likes making his own, I dont cook so I dont know half of what the shopping bill is but I know he prefers it.
We get far more for our council tax, someone tagged our fence the other week, we reported it and the next morning the council sent someone out to remove it free of charge. Our rangers are excellent and all in all we are more than happy with that.
I used to pay about 45 pounds a week for my all zone Oyster Card, I find public transport cheaper here. Never had a car in the UK but $40 will fill up my Yaris with premium unleaded and last for a month roughly although I dont drive long distances, it is still economical to run even when I did.
Medicines get to me a bit, in the UK I liked the fact that you could buy a pre payment certificate for prescriptions so that was my asthma sorted but here you cant.
Veterinary medicine is cheaper here, I pay $40 for my dogs hip injection with no consult fee, in the vets in London it would have been 50 quid to even walk in the door with the jab on top of that.
I cant remember anything else as I say, I stopped converting long ago and dont even think about it now.
#54
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Just to add to this, I have more 'spare cash' here than I ever had in the UK...might be something to do with the fact I get paid fortnightly, and significantly more than I ever did in the UK. Don't believe the hype though, unless you live right in the heart of the big cities and shop there too, living in Australia is more than doable and won't cost you the earth to do!
I get paid monthly and live in the heart of Sydney and my spare cash is so much greater than it was in London.
#55
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Personally, I think far too many people get too hung up on comparing the cost of lettuces. So long as salary is about 2.2 - 2.5 X GBP salary then standard of living will be comparable.
#56
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
If we decide as orginaly planned to go back to the UK next year for a year or two i should be able to a good comparisson as i will be doing the same job in the same place for the same money. Will be interesting to see how it goes
#57
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Eating out (pretty expensive here in UK)
Importing stuff- limit into UK is 20quid, Aus is 1000.
NI is cheaper in Aus!
Commuting
supermarket shopping- as they don't have clothes, CDs, DVDs etc to add to the basket.
Fuel bills- here we put out heating on 6 weeks ago and I guess it will be on for another 3-4 months. In Oz our heating was on June, July, August and that was all (Melbourne)
Going out with kids- mostly free, here we have to find more indoor thing to do.
Importing stuff- limit into UK is 20quid, Aus is 1000.
NI is cheaper in Aus!
Commuting
supermarket shopping- as they don't have clothes, CDs, DVDs etc to add to the basket.
Fuel bills- here we put out heating on 6 weeks ago and I guess it will be on for another 3-4 months. In Oz our heating was on June, July, August and that was all (Melbourne)
Going out with kids- mostly free, here we have to find more indoor thing to do.
#58
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
we are doing the same and are in the run towards a return to Oz. It is very attractive thought when it is cold and miserable and you have spent a day with commuter's armpits in your face
#59
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Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Burns Beach and loving it!
Posts: 830
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
#60
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Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Melbourne, Australia & Maputo, Mozambique, working in Somalia
Posts: 330
Re: What Is 'Cheap' In Australia Compared To The UK?
Sunshine.