Lookin2Oz

Aiming to get an idea of cost of living here @ BE from folk that have returned to Scotland and how they relate that to their experience in other countries or from some just offering a Scottish perspective.

I am attempting to put together some figures of what our bills would be comparing Scotland to New Zealand. The main purpose of this is to understand what salary I would need to be earning to have a decent lifestyle over there.

We are currently renting a three bed house here in Auckland and here are some figures from here:

In NZ $

Rent = $520 a week = $2080 a month (4 weeks)
Groceries $1000 a month
House Insurance $35 a month
My car insurance = $47 a month
Wife’s car = $35 a month
Running cost of 2 cars = $500 p/ m
Electric & gas $150 a month (average)
Phone & internet $200 a month
Mobile phones $100 a month
Groceries $47 a month
School fees $180 a month

Sub total = $ 4352

That is just a quick list and probably forgotten a few things

If you take a Salary of $100k (sales manager) which is deemed a high salary here in NZ you are taxed 39% PAYE on that so call it $60 k out that = $5 k a month

$100 k at today’s exchange rate is just over £ 35 k p / a and having a look at the salaries to be earned in Scotland for my kind of job I see some OTEs at around the
£ 100 k mark.

Really trying to understand what I would have to be earning to be able to rent a three bed house and have a decent lifestyle in Scotland. My wife runs her own business here and she would do the same in Scotland so we are looking at my salary as the starting point as she would have to establish herself which we understand will take time.

Apprecaite any input / comments

cheers

Amandabee

hmm bumpipity bump up
We are also moving to Scotland early next year, and would love some input on basic costs, or even a rough idea on what a couple could live off.

G586

Er, where in Scotland?

I can give you links & costs for Edinburgh/West Lothian/Peebles in the Borders....but they would be entirely different costs to further north or more rural or Glasgow. There are huge differences in house prices/rentals costs across the country.

Amandabee

G586 we will be moving to Abderdeen.

Lookin2Oz

You are absolutely correct and were hoping that one or two folk could just do an indication as I have, based on their area they live in.

To answer your question regarding where we would see ourselves it really would be based on results of finding a job, which, looking at the market we would hope to be based somewhere between Perth & Edinburgh.

Any information would be good as a comparison as we are really looking at what we would need to be earning.

Many thanks for any info and your reply.

Cheers

G586

Ok, so possibly Fife.

My friend lives in Dunfermline and they got a fairly large 4-bed for under £200k two years ago and that should be achievable now.

www.espc.com
www.rightmove.co.uk

www.lettingweb.com
www.citylets.co.uk

They got rid of the bridge toll and they are going to build another bridge so access to Edinburgh should improve in the long-term.

I live in a 3-bed semi.

Our electricity/gas is £100 pm.

Council tax is banded and you can find out what it will be from

http://www.saa.gov.uk/

then each council will publish their rates, which have been frozen this year.
Council tax still includes water rates.

Food has gone up a lot but there is discounting going on so it depends on what you buy. I don't buy processed food and cook a lot. Have 2 chooks for eggs now in our small suburban garden!

Insurance for our car is £300 pa - 2 drivers, Honda Jazz 1.4.

House insurance is £250 pa.

Mortgages are interesting but Nationwide/Woolwich are doing good deals so have a look at their current (but rapidly changing) rates.

bithbheo

We were all set to return to W Lothian in March but current financial trends are making hubby a bit reluctant in case he cannot find work.....He does not have a profession but drives fork lifts and currently works for BOC......working with LPG etc. But he will turn his hand to anything.....typical Scot he has to know he can support us...regardless of me also working....I do here so will there.

I suppose my question is how is the job sector over there at the moment anyone know ?????

Was so looking forward to going home.... am getting sadder by the day that we will have to leave it longer

islandergirl

A couple of friends in London have lost their jobs in the past two months, but they did not do particularly recession proof jobs (one worked in public relations the other worked in event marketing).

The fluffier sort of jobs are always the first to go in economic downturns, and I wouldn't go over there and open a florist shop, day spa etc.

Looking at job websites there still seems to be plenty of jobs over there, particularly for those of us who are reasonably flexible about location (my mum and dad have said they don't care where I live in the UK they will still come and see me for weekends as compared to Aus it will be nothing time, distance and costwise).

What is bugging me in my research is so many places do not advertise a salary so it is hard to make calculations. I know I could call them up but I still have a minimum of 4 months to go here and it is a bit too soon to be applying for jobs.

DestinationSydney

Hi, we left scotland 4 mths ago & approx costs for a family of 4 where

Council tax £150 a month
Elect & Gas £160 a month
Phone/internet/tv £90/mth
Grocerys £100 a week (2 adults, 2 older kids)
House insurance £37/mth
Car Insurance £40/mth

To rent a 3 bed semi in a decent area in Glasgow would be about £500 plus a month.

Hope that helps a bit.

Gordo Marshall

Hi

Left Scotland as it got too expensive in and around Edinburgh!. But that's Edinburgh for you!

The other messages are about right with costs!.

My mother still lives there, but as a teacher retiree she is finding that it is getting harder and harder with costs every month, but maybe this will change as the council tax is getting scrapped soon apparently!?.

Still, I am wondering why people are moving back to west fife???. Family and friends perhaps is the draw card. Apart from that though, i would never trade in where I am now in Australia for that weather, the dark mornings and dark at 3pm in the winter months!. I remember those days driving on that bloody bridge in the dark into Edinburgh for one hour there and one hour back!. Sitting one morning on the infernal bridge was when I actually phoned in sick (I lied! ... wooohhhh!), and instead went to Manchester for an Australia expo!. Weird nature!.

Growing up in West Fife there was a real culture of bullying, homophobia and racism. When I was back last year for a holiday I had the MISFORTUNE of going for a night out in Dunfermline!. People were aggressive, drunk beyond comprehension, vile, chip on the shoulder... it was just simply awful!.

Don't mean to sound negative, but if you are going to back there, move somewhere more cultural on the south side of the river!

Margaret3

that sounds about right, bloody council tax used to do my nutt in

Margaret3

[

Growing up in West Fife there was a real culture of bullying, homophobia and racism. When I was back last year for a holiday I had the MISFORTUNE of going for a night out in Dunfermline!. People were aggressive, drunk beyond comprehension, vile, chip on the shoulder... it was just simply awful!.



That good eh?? you had it easy boy

Lookin2Oz

That does help thanks.

So £ 877 a month excluding rent - if we say rent @ £ 550 pm = £ 1427 per month

I don't think our food bill would be like yours - two of us + a 6 y/old

On a salary of say £ 36 k what would you expect to bring home?

So if the above figures don’t cater for petrol (or commuting), entertainment etc etc would you say squaring off to £ 2 000 p month?

Cheers and thanks for all the input

G586

http://listentotaxman.com/

Will give you an idea of take home pay.

Petrol has gone down and the supermarkets are selling it for about 95 p a litre now.

Marmalade

Thanks for that link. That is really helpful to me to really understand how much money I would be making when I move back home