PaulS

The wife and I are in our 30's, have two kids and are utterly fed up with the UK (high taxes, poor public services, crap weather, rubbish education, high crime and so on).

For the past couple of years we have had a dream (and so far that is all it is) of starting again in Australia. We've had all of the stories from friends and family about what a fantastic place it is and what a wonderful lifestyle people who live there have. But what we really want to know, from people who have actually moved there from the UK, is what is it really like?

Are the stories really true? Is life so much better there than over here?

I realise this is a pretty open question but I would be grateful to hear some real life stories explaining the ups, and more importantly, the downs of emigrating to Oz and the lifestyle that people have found there.

If you have been through this then please post your story to this thread or, alternatively, email it to me.

I look forward to hearing from you!

samnrob2

Biggest advice is to flick through other threads on this site. Your question has been posed quite often and answered in abundance.

You'll find from monitoring this site that it has been (on the whole) probably the best thing most people have done. Others of course (Mike Stanton ) will probably wish never to see Oz again.

Read through the threads and decide which members are in the most similar situation to you and make your own judgement on that. There are a lot of personal opinions on here (what else would you expect to find ) but they don't necessarily sum up the sort of lifestyle you might expect.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Rob

gajjitt

Just a thought that you are looking to leave the UK because of "high taxes". Top rate of income tax in Oz on salaries $70,000 is 47%, the band down from that is 42%.

We're moving out in April, but I'm not going there because of the high taxes in the UK. It's a lifestyle thing.

I hope that it'll be the best thing we'll ever do. Good luck if you do try.

Paul

worzel

Too right. I don't recall seeing a single post on this forum from anyone claiming higher income as a reason for emigrating. I know we will be worse off financially but that is a price we are prepared to pay.

There have, however, been a few posts stating how young Aussies come to Europe to earn the big money before returning to Aus years later financially secure.

PaulS

I get what you are saying, but it is not ONLY the taxes that put me off. When you combine high taxes with a high cost of living (as in the UK) you end up with not much left in your pocket. From what I've been told (and hopefully people on this site will confirm this one way or another) Oz has a cheaper cost of living. Additionally I wouldn't have a mortgage!

samnrob2

whooaaaa!!! can of worms!

I'll save everyone else (once they wake up in Oz) telling you - way of life is not cheaper, in fact it is more expensive way of life once you take into account lower wages, high taxes, and expensive everyday items.

Hope the burble hasn't burst!

Rob

gajjitt

In the UK it's property that is out of reach for most people on average wages, esp. in and around London and the SE. Probably nationwide nowadays. In Oz it also depends where you go, Sydney is now very very expensive for property. If you've bought a property in the UK more than 4 years ago, you've hopefully made a good wedge on that. So bringing that to Oz, to say somewhere like Perth (where we are looking) could perhaps buy you a 3 bed place outright. Prob not in Sydney though.

In UK top rate of tax is 40% for > ~£32,000 ($77,000), and 47% for > ~£30,000 ($70,000) in Oz.

Petrol is cheaper than UK, but then again cars cost more (they hold their value better than UK), and I believe the reggo, CTP and compulsory insurance is more expensive (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).

With food and groceries it was on a par with UK, some stuff cheaper, other stuff more expensive.

White goods tend to be more expensive in Oz than in UK. Fridges, TV's, etc all seem to cost more.

But on the plus side, look at all that sunshine, and outdoor activities. It's not a money thing, it's a lifestyle thing. You won't need a TV in Oz, there are no decent programmes to watch anyway. Buy a barbie instead.

TheCrone

I've wondered about this!
My elder daughter is now in her mid-forties. She has been educated in Australia from High School onwards - she was 11 years old when we migrated.
After that, she went to University of Western Australia, where she did two years of a Law degree. However, she decided this wasn't for her, so took a year off. In that time, she went to work for Dun and Bradstreet,where she found she enjoyed working with figures. She began studying Accountancy part-time, then moved to the Tax Office. Here she was given every encouragement to study; study leave when she needed it, flexible hours so she could attend Uni; and a promotion and pay rise at the end of every semester. She became a CPA and did her MBA while working there, also various courses in Human Resource Management, eventually becoming Director of Corporate Services not only for WA, but South Australia too. This required her to spend quite a lot of time interstate, and sadly, her husband was terminally ill. She took indefinite unpaid leave for his last months, but returned for a year after his death. He had been ill for several years - there was no inherited money! - but her pay-out from Tax when she left enabled her to buy her home outright, with no mortgage. She took some time off, then returned to work for another Government Dept., this time on a 5-year contract - at a salary of $120,000. That contract has now finished and she has started her own business.
I can't help but think that many people are studying in fields where there is an oversupply of workers, so of course it's to their advantage to work overseas. But success truly is possible here.

binbird

If you are lucky enough to get out to Australia without a mortgage then life could be rosy for you (without having to wear rose tinted spectacles!) but do check out house pricing on www.realestate.com.au as the difference between Perth and Sydney house prices for example is amazing!

Lots of research for you to do!

Binbird

PaulS

Ok, I think I should probably set the record straight on this one before we get into a debate about tax and stuff. High taxes in the UK are only ONE of the many things that hack me off about living here (UK). I could rant for hours about what I don't like about the UK. Believe me when I say that the main reason I am thinking of moving to Australia is very much based on "a lifestyle thing".

But it interesting that you say the cost of living is more expensive. I realise that salaries are lower but had always understood that A$1 buys about as much as £1 and that many things like groceries etc are cheaper. Is this not actually the case?

In any event this does not burst the bubble. As I mentioned before, this is about a better way of life, regardless of the cost!

samnrob2

You'll be fine then. I think everyone's going out to Oz for the lifestyle not the money. By the sounds of it, you certainly won't be struggling to make ends meet which will ease the stress.

Therefore you've got it spot on - I think most people who have made the move will tell you that if you have the get up and go to make the most of the outdoor lifestyle then you'll love the place.

Good luck with whatever you decide

PaulS

I've spent MANY hours drooling over the properties on this and other sites. Looks like property prices are moving up fairly quickly in Oz though, as well as over here. I'm sure they were cheaper when I looked a couple of years ago. Plus exchange rates have shifted a bit. But I am in a fortunate position in that I, unwittingly, bought my last two houses at just the right time and have quite a nice amount of equity to spend (assuming everything pans out). So I should be able to afford something in the suburbs which is much larger than my house here - and with a pool!

gajjitt

Nice one. Our flat nearly doubled in price over 5 years, and that profit can buy a decent place in Perth. Imagine no mortgage. Don't think we'd get a pool for the money though. I can always dream......

Good luck.
Paul

darkless

I dont agree that $1 buys as much as £1 in general terms. For example take a purchase close to my heart - a pint of beer - this is likely to cost $5.50 ish - if you think 1:1, would you therefore buy a pint of beer at £6 - well maybe occasionally, but not everytime you drank out. Take a case of stubbies - $30 for a case of 24 - would you pay £30 for a case of 24 bottles of Carling - no i doubt it!

On the other hand there are a very many things which equate to a similar cost, and of course there are somethings which are cheaper.

he general rule of thumb i use out here is that $2 buys the same as £1. Now depending on how much you earn in the UK and how much you will earn in OZ will depend on whether you find the cost of living high or not. For example take a teacher of 2 or 3 years in the UK- they will ear around the £21K mark - in OZ they will earn maybe $46K, therefore using the 2:1 rule they will be slightly better off. However take someone who earnt £60K working in the city in the UK, they may earn $70-90K here (oh i forgot to mention I am specifically thinking of Perth) - therefore they will feel much worse off. In general I think it depends on what you come from and what you go to. If you sell a 3 be terraced house and can afford to live in a 4x2 detatched house in OZ, then you will feel like you have progressed up the ladder... etc etc.

As already mentioned it is totally about the lifestyle for us - we have been to the beach at least 2 times a week since we have been here - there are many many free things to do.

Come for a trip, price things up, etc and see where you go from there - that would be my advise to you.

Dave

RichS

all the things you initially listed as being fed up with are indeed all the same things that fill talk radio, papers and TV over here. If you live in Victoria/Tassie you could throw in crap weather too.

Its all relative.

I have seen a lot of people touting the 'no mortgage' thing as a great option. But how much of your living income do your 2(!) mortgages cost you in % terms.

Can you work anywhere in Aus - I know it'll be tough for me. I'm in financial IT, which limits things pretty much to Syd/Melb.
Thats going to impact where you can live, and hence the cost of housing.

Many people love places like Perth/Brisse. Many also find them too small. What are you used to.

I suggest you pin down where you can live and work, then take a trip to suss it all out.