Is Perth really that expensive??
 

I was just wondering if Perth was now the most expensive place in Oz, I've heard stories about people going to Perth and being surprised by how dear it is, with one person actually cutting short their hols because of how expensive they found it :confused:

The problem is my husband's had a job offer in Perth, we had our hearts set on going to Melbourne after our reccie last year and we love it there but it's a bit quiet on the job front for the OH there. We've been to Perth before in 2008 and did think it was a bit pricey but is it more so now?

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Well it will depend on lots of things your income,your savings,your house,location coast or in land and what price you put on happiness.If its a good job take it ,good luck and all the best.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

on the whole I find it more expensive than the UK. we came in 2007 and I really notice the difference between now and then.

houses in particular are very expensive for anything decent in a suburb which is not out in the middle of nowhere. saying that, some suburbs are very reasonable at the moment as demand has dropped.

groceries and clothes are more expensive and there is less choice. fruit and veg are poor quality and expensive. booze (beer and spirits) very expensive but maybe not a bad thing!! cars more expensive. you also need to pay school fees/buy all the books etc even in state school - but its not a huge amount. travel within australia and further afield is more expensive.

petrol is cheap, you don't pay national insurance and rates/council tax are much cheaper. utlities about the same i would say.

eating out i find quite cheap as you can take your own wine. cinema, theatre, concerts etc about the same.

going to the beach is free - although rather boring after a while - but if you like surfing, fishing etc you can amuse yourself for very little. ditto camping holidays in the local area.

if you are getting a reasonable wage - say about 50k - and not too big a mortgage/rent and like "free" outdoor activities, you will probably be fine. someone will come on soon and tell you that you can shop at the markets and get cheap meat/fruit and veg etc - which you probably can if you have the time and inclination to do so.

the exchange rate is really poor at the moment. it is quite expensive in perth and I am going back to the UK very soon - but personally I wouldn't let the "expensiveness" put you off from trying it here - provided you are not going to lose all your life savings doing so.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

:D

WA really does need ALDI to open up over there.... :thumbup:

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Only thing i found cheaper in Perth was petrol. Everything else was same price or more expensive.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Yes it is. We arrived in 2005 and we found it expensive then but it has increased a lot. Examples, groceries - my weekly shopping bill in 2005 was around $180 a week, now it is at least $300. Electricity prices have gone up by 25%, gas by 20%. Depending on what your husband will earn, what kind of visa will you have. If you are coming on a 457 you won't be able to claim any family benefits which on a PR visa will help if the wage isn't all that flash. You will pay for doctors appointments, prescriptions, more contributions towards schooling. It all adds up. Also if you have a vibrant social scene and lots of foreign holidays then Perth isn't the place for you if you have limited funds. If you like camping, fishing, just chilling out at home with your immediate family then it may be OK for you. You only have to read the rantings of some here about Perth to realise it really is the marmite state.

Good luck with your decision.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

All brown and sticky?
:)

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

But don't forget to compare incomes at the same time...

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Not all incomes have gone up by 19%, ours most certainly hasn't.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

It is more expensive yet we seem to be better off here than when we were in the UK although I cant explain why.

Although I never realised having a house is likened to having a child - constant coughing up of money at frequent intervals when things go wrong.:eek:

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

19% is the average for Australia, some are up more, others less. The WA average is actually 30%.

You mentioned in your other post that "You will pay for doctors appointments". Not everyone has to do that. Many doctors bulk bill, and therefore the appointments are free.

Bulk Billing Statistics Australia
Bulk billing figures for GP attendances in the December quarter 2008
72.4% Western Australia

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Well I must live in an area where all the remaining 27.6% practice! The stats are quite misleading. Lots of doctors bulk bill for children but not for adults. The stats are for doctors attendances bulk billed, the majority of those will more than likely be kids. Every surgery in my immediate area does not bulk bill for adults. I love living in Perth but I am not that deluded that I cannot see that is has some major issues and affordability for many is one of them.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Not in my large WA town, all the doctors here will not do bulk billing for adults. In facts only a few do it for kids and they are usually booked out. We have quite a few clinics in town too.
So generally I pay all the time.

Oh and house prices are high due to boom, new port etc.


Gems

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Our doctors dont bulk bill either. There is a path lab in Freo that bulk bills, Im due for a blood test soon so i shall go there.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Purely on a cost basis leaving other factors aside , Perth is much the same as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with Adelaide the best value
in housing. NSW is quoting an increase of 67% in electrity, Melbourne will have to pay off its Desal plant , gas is priced to increase every where. So irrespective of where you look there will be cost increases
in all utilities in every state.
Food prices are much the same (5% either way ) every where also.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Yeah i've lived in Melb, Syd, Bris & Perth and find them pretty much the same. Some things can be cheaper in East Coast like cars, some foods and pubs, but others like gas and petrol are cheaper in Perth as it's nearer the resources. Houses seem to be much the same in all 4 cities. Only place showing a real difference in housing costs is Adelaide. Perth is also cheaper for flights home to Europe and Asia.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Great post.:thumbup:

I go to a bulk biller but they are not good. I rarely go so have not found a good bulk biller but they are out there.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

In my opinion Australia is more expensive than the UK. However, Darwin in the most expensive place to live. Rents are through the roof as is food and basic utilities. Good luck with your move. About Perth, I have spoken to a few people here in Darwin who think Perth is great. I think anywhere but here may be cheaper.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Our visa is the PR 175 -sorry forgot to mention that bit. When we went to Perth previously we did think it was expensive compared to home especially groceries, and as someone else mentioned an Aldi would be good. I also think for our rental budget we can get closer to the coast in an alright area in Melbourne than we can in Perth (i'm sure someone will prove me wrong). My husband's a barber and even though around the same number of vacancies come up for Melbourne and Perth it's Perth where the job offer has come up :unsure:

We have some friends that live in Perth but they earn over $100k so they don't think it's that expensive.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

the average WA wage is bumped up by those attached to the mining boom - ok for some (the minority who are getting huge wages - any many of those fly in fly out from states other than WA) but has had the knock on effect of making housing some of the least affordable in the australia.

also - I echo those who cannot find a GP to bulk bill for adults - kids and health card holders yes - but adults - no, not as a general rule. so if you go to the doc and he gives you antibiotic A and it doesnt work, or asks you to come back again in a week - you pay again!! it really does my nut in.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

I am quite lucky with our doctor that if you go for a related condition for a second appointment then they do bulk bill for the 2nd appointment. It is the luck of the draw thing that is slightly irritating though isn't it.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

The Sommerley surgery bulk-bills for adults. And the Mindarie one in Anchorage Drive bulk-bills for adults as well. (Speaking from personal experience here. I used to go to the Anchorage drive one. But when my doctor moved to Sommerley I moved there.)

I drive there from Tapping; you live even closer to them. PM me if you want to know there exact addresses and phone numbers and I'll look them out for you.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Thanks. I am happy with my doctor and I don't mind paying. I can always get an appointment at short notice so I am quite happy to stay. Information is useful for others though.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

I think it depends on what you are comparing Perth to/with.

We came from Reading in Berkshire. For us, house prices and rental rates in Perth (the part of Perth where we live) are less than they were in Reading. Utilities, water, and council rates are also cheaper for us.

We have two bulk-billing surgeries near us, so going to the doctor costs nothing.

We pay more for prescriptions. And groceries and everything else you buy in the supermarket is more expensive for us than it was for us in the UK. (We used to shop in Tesco in the UK. If you buy your groceries etc in Marks & Spencer, then you will probably find Perth cheaper.)

Contary to what some other people said though I find the quality of fruit and veg in my local Woolworth is excellent. And there is great choice as well :). (I have noticed that people who don't / didn't like Perth find the quality and choice of fruit and veg poor. And those who enjoy living here find it's all good. Draw your own conclusions from that ;).)

Petrol and public transport are much cheaper for us. We bought a brand-new Suzuki Swift when we arrived here - and it was much cheaper than it (or a similar car) would have been in the UK.

As I said above: It depends what you compare it with.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Yeah, you can get Durians in my Woolies, not that I'd want to get one but at least I could If I wanted to.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Bought one in my first year here. You have to give that 'new stuff' a go after all....

Oh my God... how do people eat that bloody awful thing !!

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

I think cars def seem more expensive, second hand especially I was looking on drive.com.au and for a 2002 ford focus it was worth between $8-10k which shocked me as I have a 2000 focus which I'll get about a grand for here. There were also a lot more cars to choose from in the other states compared to WA maybe the remoteness has an effect on the price?

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Eat them?

I thought you put them in the street to keep the flies away:p



That and toss them in the back of bogan utes:o

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

More cars are sold privately in Perth because of the weird hours car yards are open.
http://www.quokka.com.au

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

Second hand cars are more expensive here compared to UK. But if you think about it, they "keep" better here because of the climate. No snow, salt on roads, much much less rain ....

Brand-new cars are generally cheaper here than in the UK.

Re: Is Perth really that expensive??
 

It's great though as your car isn't worth peanuts after a couple of years like UK, older cars actually hold some value. Much much better here for that, would rather pay a bit more and get much more when I get rid of it than basically have to scrap it