Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Cheaper petrol
Cheaper water rates
Cheaper council rates
Cheaper insurances
Cheaper energy
No TV licence.

National Insurance 12-13% in UK?
Just 1-2% Medicare levy here.

Food depends what you eat.

Don't agree houses are more expensive if you compare like for like.

Cars more expensive? Not convinced of that.

More generous Centrelink benefits for families here from what I'm told but have no evidence.

A lot of things are subjective but if you are converting AUD to GBP at the current time some things here will appear very expensive compared to a while back.

That's artificial though and doesn't change anything within the country. When you are earning AUD the living cost increases being applied in Aus are probably not too different to the increases being applied in GBP within the UK. Horses for courses.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

For a bit of a mental excercise I just thought I'd have a quick browse to see how much rent was in the UK...

Holy crap.... EVEN at current exchange rates I cant afford to rent anywhere livable. I thought things might have evened up a bit more?

The problem I have is a piano... that means that I'd need a room big enough to put on in and UK houses just dont have big enough living spaces! - Even ignoring the piano issue (and assuming I left my beloved piano behind and bought a space-saving upright piano in the UK) - the cost of a 4 bedroom house in a decent area seems to start at well above GBP1500pcm - and thats with small rooms barely big enough to fit a bed let alone bookshelves, desks and all the other stuff that kids need.

Using the often quoted 2.2 multipler for cost of living comparisons - thats equivalent to spending $3300 each month on property - .... Way more than I do now (and I'm paying a mortgage not renting which would be cheaper!).

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Thanks for seeing the wood for the trees....

UK rental market has bounced up in the last year or 2..... friend on a low wage are really struggling to get rental they can afford they've found one at the top end of their budget but it needs a hell of a lot done to it !!!!

I haven't found the same to be true here as there tho - in Oz we found just by altering the suburb prices could change and it didn't mean you were in a bad suburb or dodgy area......
Keep that in mind

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

You can keep your costs down if you should around and if the facilities are close to you.

Went shopping on Sunday to a place called Paddys Markey (PM) in Sydney. (10 minutes away for me). Its a fruit and veg market. I'd never go to one of these in UK as its just easy to do it all in Sainsburys or tescos.

Purchased the following fruit and veg.

1 head of brocilie (350g)
3 leeks (490g)
13 apples (pink ladies)
3 green peppers (780g)
11 tangerines
1 bunch parsley
1 cauliflower (3.8kg)
7 brown onions (1.5kg)
2 cucumber (normal size not the small ones)
4 kiwis
Celery (910g)
garlic (10 bulbs, I like garlic)
tomatoes (just over 1kg)
red grapes (520g)


total cost $31.50 (AUD)

Then I went on-line to Sainsburys in UK. Total cost £34.19(GBP, does not include delivery charge)
Then I went on-line to Coles in Aus. Total cost $71.38 (AUD, does NOT include delivery charge, just in case anyone asks.)

Could not believe it. Coles and Wollies in Sydney are just way to expensive.

However that is just fruit and veg. I've never used a butcher so perhaps they may also be cheaper. Also its a pain in the butt having to go to different places for food shopping....you get lazy/busy and end up doing it all in the local coles and wollies.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

And that's what they rely on. They price the bread and milk at below cost (loss leaders) to get you through the door and then sting you for other stuff that you never compare. Also I noticed recently in Coles something that used to happen a lot in sainsburys, they do BOGOF or 3 for 2 offers that don't get recognised at the till. You only picked up two because the shelf ticket said buy one get one free, get home and look at the receipt and you've paid for two.:curse:

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Till "errors" are not limited to Coles & Woollworths supermarkets but we have found other group companies like BigW and Target too. Does make me wonder sometimes if it's a financial ploy on their part. Imagine the amount of people that go for offers like that but don't actually check their bills.

Of course if you do catch them out "Oh sorry, it's a computer glitch".

This could be reduced dramatically overnight if consumer law dictated a penalty for any incorrect price.


We found ASDA to be the worst in this respect in the UK.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

I'm sure there was was some weird policy about till errors at Coles.

Recently there was big 500gm bars of chocolate on special at our local Coles for a low price (I think it was $3 per bar or something like that) deal - but at the till it didnt register and came up as about $5 per bar, so when I pointed this out they checked and then returned and gave me both for half the price of 1 bar as way of compensation.

I ended up getting 1kg of chocolate for about $1.50 !! :rofl:

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Take out an injunction against them for ruining your healthy diet.:D

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Bizarrely my rates have just gone down. !!

It's only $5 a quarter but I've never known that happen before.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Probably due the change in rating values from "unimproved land valuation" to "new site valuation".

You are one of the lucky ones coming out wth a lower rate.

Rateable value of most properties in my road have increased by 10.5%. Gawd knows what that will mean to my rates now.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Winner. :thumbup:

Most bizarre thing I've had here was one of the banks writing to me and saying that they had decided to make an offer that was originally intended only for new customers available to all customers in retrospect. And they handed over some more interest money. :thumbup:

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Here's the law. Not sure how it reads for 3 for the price of 2 style offers?

http://www.anra.com.au/Scanning%20Co...s/ScanningCode

It is a voluntary opt in code and woolies and coles both in it.

I got an $8 block of cheese free once because it scanned wrong. :)

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

That list seems to be an incredible generalisation and not altogether accurate.
Petrol certainly cheaper
Water rates for us not cheaper
Council rates maybe marginally cheaper but that depends on location and property obviously.
Insurance is definitely no cheaper when you take rego and CTP into account.
Home and contents insurance seems cheaper in the UK.
Electricity and gas is no cheaper here
No TV license, they would be lynched if they tried to charge for the dross on TV here.
A good solid house in the UK that will last 500 years cheaper but again obviously depends on location etc.
Food generally seems to be cheaper in the UK.
You can't just say everything is cheaper when the facts don't seem to support that.

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

For me overall COL is roughly the same with the UK maybe a bit cheaper

Re: Why is rent so high??
 

Yes I think for some it is and for others it isn't. For us it isnt even a consideration but an added bonus really. It's just crazy to put up a list of things and say they are all cheaper.