svinnes

We have just returned from a month holiday in the U.K, and was totally blown away at the prices of food!! All i kept hearing was how expensive the food shopping was, and it was a hell of a lot cheaper than what i pay here every week....Clothes was a lot cheaper and more of a choice....
I did hear that british gas has just taken over Queensland gas but don't know how true that is... My hubbie works on the rigs and that is just what he has heard so take it with a pinch of salt..
My electricty bill here per quarter is roughly about $700, don't ask me how this is, i have had countless discussions with origin and they seem to think its normal!!! So its more expensive than what i was paying back in the U.K
I have only been away 3 years and i was really shocked at how cheap it was back there...But thats only my opionion.....


Cheers
Suzanne

cricket1again

This is what $1,000,000 will buy you back in the UK. THis is a very good area. I left it, not my choice, I gave up everything to support what turned out to be a very shallow, deceptive Australian husband, to move here.

The rooms are not small and neither is the house.

http://details.thinkproperty.com/property/1015/16050405

Fleaflyfloflum

Totally agree with you.

I have only been back from UK 6 weeks, so my experience is very recent. I cannot believe people here who say food is cheaper here. Utter rubbish in my experience.
I also found in general that prices for products and services are cheaper too. This is due to a open market and strong competition between companies. Something that is thwrted in Aus to a large extent. Supermarket monopolies, you have to buy Aussie at all costs mentality, and regulations to enforce that in some cases makes for more expensive rip off prices.

Yes, my daughter complains about the price of things, but doesnt everyone no matter where they live? When i explained the differences between the prices of certain things compared to Aus she couldnt believe it.

cally49

60 to 70 quid every week? Is that what a weekly NI stamp costs? Now im confused...........lol

Stu Ward

I must be one of the lucky ones then.

I must have a discount bank card because i have more cash at the end of the month than i ever had back in the UK

And i feel we live better here

Stu

cricket1again

That's the problem, without any kind of comparison, people in the UK think they are worse off than they actually realise.
That's why I posted this topic. It wasn't to take pot shots at life here. I'm asked all the time, probably like most ex pats, what it's really like.
I think an honest opinion is the best way and frankly in my opinion, it is becoming increasingly expensive to live here.

I think the 60-70 figure of NI may be incorrect. It's based on what you earn and as a lot of people do not work, stay at homes mums, children and the elderly for example, the NHS still delivers good value for money.

kporte

when i left the uk i was paying 59.50 a week ni contributions. i presume it will be a bit more 18 months later. it is currently 11% of your income if you earn over 97 pounds a week plus a further 1% if wage is over a certain amount

cricket1again

But Stu, that's your experience and if you're better off and happier, that's good.
People go through a complete range of emotions, upheaval, sadness and crisis in leaving the UK to move here hoping it's all going to be worth it. They leave their friends and family, people hurt and cry and in some cases it's all too much and marriages, friendships and other kinds of solid relationships end. The life change can be too great and it can be too hard and as if this wasn't enough, it can be not what people wanted after all. There is a massive price tag and risk to emigrating with no guarantee of happiness or success. It's a big risk for everyone involved.

I therefore think and I hope, that as so many people read this forum with half a plan to move here, it's good to share personal experiences from the point of view of helping them make a balanced decision. At the end of the day, only they can make the choice but if forums like this give them some indication of the reality of life here, that's a good thing.

I always try to be objective and deliver a factual statement on how things are here compared to home in the UK. In my opinion, it is more expensive here and my reason for posting the topic was to let families expecially know this so that they can build a realistic expectation into any plans to move here.

sel

I have just done a comparison of my last weeks shopping bill at Woolies to Sainsburys. To be fair I only compared name brand items such as Nescafe coffee, Tetley teabags, birdseye peas, heinz tom ketchup, oxo cubes etc you get my drift ... EVERY item except for the Pataks curry sauce was more expensive at Sainsburys.

As far as the price of steak was concerned, for the price of rump steak in the UK, in OZ I can buy scotch fillet for less.

In the UK things are conveniently all under one roof, but if you shop around in OZ there is no reason why you should end up paying more.

I hated food shopping in the UK and I hate food shopping here, so my unbiased opinion is that they work out pretty much the same overall.

I do miss sainsburys unsmoked bacon and the rum bah bahs although the chinese bakery do a mean fresh cream apple turnover

crystal23

STU

The ambulance cover in QLD is charged with your electric bill. (You seemed confused over that. It isn't the case in WA so I was surprised at that as well although I think it's a good idea)

Where did you live to pay 600 pounds pa water rates. I used to pay 310 pounds pa for a 3 bedroom detached house (that was 18 months ago) and my neighbour currently pays 420 pounds pa for a 4 bedroom detached house. That's in Bucks.

Fleaflyfloflum

Hi sel

Have a look at this website. I find it a godsend in UK. You can compare prices of 4 top supermarkets.

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/shelv...e_in_Asda.html

I really dont want to have a boring arguement about prices and i accept some things a cheaper here, but this page shows nescafe at Asda is cheaper than i get it here in Sydney. I think it depends where you live down here.

Whilst steak is dearer in UK i find that lamb and salmon are cheaper!!

cricket1again

I hate shopping too Sel. Sainsbury's is one of the Uk's more expensive supermarkets. I find Tesco perhaps give more of a price comparison.

svinnes

Personally for me it was a way cheaper in the U.K than OZ, but i am looking on the grand scale not just what the price comparison is compared from item to item...Saying that woolies need to wear masks when its coming to shampoo!!!! thats highway robbery...$12 for pantene and its shite, i normally use kerastase shampoo but theres no way i am paying $37 for a bottle, i got that in the U.K for 9 GBP.....Ok i am get nit pickin now

Suzanne

sel

The Nescafe on your link page was 6.13GBP at Sainsburys it was 6.15GBP at Woolies I paid $10.98 which is 4.74GBP. So yes it does all depend where you live as Im sure it does in the UK. But I do reckon it does all work out overall as far as food is concerned.

However, the clothes are crap, again, you really have to shop around or get ya dad to do it He arrives on Saturday and as usual ive sent him lady clothes shopping so his case is full of my new gear He is here for two months with one pair of pants, socks, shorts & T.shirt ... he reckons thats all he had room for

Fleaflyfloflum

PMSL.. personally, i would have got him to fill the case with scampi fries

I was looking at the large tin, works out just cheaper in UK than i pay here, but then, i'm in central Sydney. I am told (but dont know myself) that things are dearer in the city