slktck

hi, trying to make a big decision on making the move, and it's really hard to judge the wage - exchange rate doesn't tell the full story, so any opinions on what a good wage would be for a family of 6 to live on- with one wage earner?

ps we're looking at a salary of around 75k

mad city fan

is that $ or £

The Bloke

Neither does your question tell the full story. Like all questions of this nature, more information is required for a proper response, ie what type of employment are you inquiring about?

Russ_Sarah

hello everyone..we have a similar question...

i am a quantity surveyor from dublin who has just been offered a job in Sydney.

the basic pay is 110k (aussie dollars) ..

we would initially be a one wage family with one child...would we get by on this in sydney??

@boy

One mans 'getting by' on any given salary is another mans 'living like a king', depending on your lifestyle, expectations, personal situation, etc, etc

It has been asked so many times on this forum and it truly is the ultimate "how long is a piece of string" question.

Russ_Sarah

fair point...

well how much does an average family food shop cost in sydney..here in dublin we are spending about €200 (euro) per week thats about £150 sterling..i know dublin is expensive compared to the uk and we are only a family of 3..

without living like kings..your normal shop per say...how much does it cost??

any thoughts?

The Bloke

Too give you an idea in Brisbane (Pick&Pay, Aspley), two adults, no kids, average list with nothing fancy, $160 - $210 per week.

MartinH

I think it isn't so much the cost of "normal living" expenses that you should consider but more the cost of property. After three months in Sydney I don't think normal costs are significantly different from anywhere else in the Western World.

Cost of property is dictated by 1. Where you will work; 2. Where you want to live; 3. What aspirations you have / lifestyle choice 4. How long you are prepared to commute (note: not how FAR but how LONG).

Current interest rates mean that for each $100,000 dollars or mortgage, you will be paying roughly $750 per month. The average price of a house in Sydney is between $550-600,000 but you will need to look at a bit more than that to get somewhere in a nice area that does not require a some work.

Pollyana

However, bearing @boy's post in mind, if you can't "get by" on $110k, then I'd hate to think how the majority of families in Aus are coping.

Wendy

I agree. It's a bit like saying, can you manage in the UK on about £45k. That's about double the UK average wage but lots of people live on a LOT less than that and manage just fine.

MartinLuther

Generally 2:1 is a good rule of thumb. If you earn twice as many $s as you used to earn £s then you should roughly have the same standard of living. After that which city you live in will determine the size of your home.

Russ_Sarah

thanks for that guys..mucho appreciated..

i think we are going to bite the bullet and take the plunge...bringing up a child in the sunny climate of sydney has to be better than dublin..

mattmc

on credit

Kapri

same as U.K then

mattmc

true