Guest NeilEB Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Ok I know this is really subjective, but I'm trying to get an idea of the kind of money I should be looking for in a job. If I want to live in a 'decent' suburb of Perth (renting at first) how much household income would I need to be able to give myself, my wife and my 3 year old son a comfortable life? I'm not talking about having a mansion, with 3 luxury cars and a yacht, but just being able to live comfortably with worrying about every last penny. I really like the look of Fremantle, but I assume this is one of the more expensive suburbs? Also, are there any areas that we should avoid living in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I think i've read that the average salary is about $50,000 but can't remember where I saw that figure. I have to say that we wouldn't be able to live on that salary alone and both hubby and I both work. Freo is one of the most expensive places, some of the surrounding suburbs will be cheaper. Have a look at the rentals on realestate.com.au as this will give you an idea of rents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 You have to earn quite a substantial amount of money here because of the cost of living, house prices, mortgage rates etc, obvioulsy that is subject to where you want to live, but Freo is a very expensive area to live and unless you have a large amount of equity to bring over, then you would have to be earning in excess of $150,000 a year to be able to afford a property in Freo....there are probably suburbs on the periphory of freo that are cheaper and more accessible to a smaller income....it is a lovely place to live but it does come at a cost!!! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Ok I know this is really subjective, but I'm trying to get an idea of the kind of money I should be looking for in a job. If I want to live in a 'decent' suburb of Perth (renting at first) how much household income would I need to be able to give myself, my wife and my 3 year old son a comfortable life? I'm not talking about having a mansion, with 3 luxury cars and a yacht, but just being able to live comfortably with worrying about every last penny. I really like the look of Fremantle, but I assume this is one of the more expensive suburbs? Also, are there any areas that we should avoid living in? My little rule of thumb is you need to earn $3 for every pound you earned in the UK. To look at another way a dollar has the buying power of about 35p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackboots Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Don't forget the usual wages here are paid weekly , takes a while to get your head around this as in the UK its monthly ... so for a start its quite a shock you always think your skint lol but then its wages time and its in a week ! Rents the big outlay , i feel as its way more than a mortgage .. I think a lot of the subburbs are really quite high around Freo and Perth , but it depends on your lifestyle choices , it is easier to travel around here and you get used to travelling say 20, 30 to 40 mins for places as in the uk you probably wouldn't entertain the idea .. so you can live in a nice area not to far from those places and be able to get to them . one word of advice don't rush into choosing one if you can help it ( try to take a breath and have a good look around ) , its surprising how all the subburbs can differ ! good luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Don't forget the usual wages here are paid weekly , takes a while to get your head around this as in the UK its monthly ... so for a start its quite a shock you always think your skint lol but then its wages time and its in a week ! Rents the big outlay , i feel as its way more than a mortgage .. I think a lot of the subburbs are really quite high around Freo and Perth , but it depends on your lifestyle choices , it is easier to travel around here and you get used to travelling say 20, 30 to 40 mins for places as in the uk you probably wouldn't entertain the idea .. so you can live in a nice area not to far from those places and be able to get to them . one word of advice don't rush into choosing one if you can help it ( try to take a breath and have a good look around ) , its surprising how all the subburbs can differ ! good luck . Wise words from Jackboots.....please please please take time out to take a breathe when you get here....the hounds (real estate agents) will sniff you out....renting really isnt a british thing, we dont do it very well, always a slave to the mortgage.... but it is here....and it will give you time to adjust, check out areas, schools, and travelling to and from work etc....time to breath, make lots of lists and be able to start ticking off things as and when you achieve them!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NeilEB Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 I've heard the $3 dollar figure before (well actually I heard it's 2.2, but I guess it's close enough). My issue is though, how expensive is Perth? For example, I live in a pretty expensive area of North London (a small 2 bed terrace would go for around £230k), whereas in the North of England wages would go further. Anyway I'm hoping to be able to secure a salary of at least $80k (hopefully more like $90k), so I'm hoping that will allow us to live in a reasonable area. The plan is to have a holiday home for the 1st month, then rent somewhere for around 2 years at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Probably swings and roundabouts though in the UK, I lived in the north west and whilst houses were cheaper, I know had I worked in London, my wage would have been higher (because of London). The market has slowed down somewhat since the time we arrived, when houses were being sold in days - so certainly time to take a breather. For us it was about the area and getting a house we could afford in that place rather than the biggest house we could have in an area that we werent' keen on. You do get some areas where there seems to be a high proportion of Brits .. this appeals to some and not to others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NeilEB Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Ok, but $90k, would therefore equate to £30k, which is definitely not enough to live on in my area (trust me on that one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moirclan Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 Ok, but $90k, would therefore equate to £30k, which is definitely not enough to live on in my area (trust me on that one). i know a lot of people that live on less than $90k and live well its all relative to life style i suppose im not sure i under stand this 3to 1 ratio you will earn dollars and spend dollars does that mean i pay $ 1.99 for two litres of milk and you pay 68p for the same two litres ? i guess an average rent would be $400/ $ 450 a week for some thing reasonable ,how does that equate with a rent in parts of the uk ? i suppose im used to prices here its been to long since i lived in the uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NeilEB Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 i know a lot of people that live on less than $90k and live well its all relative to life style i suppose im not sure i under stand this 3to 1 ratio you will earn dollars and spend dollars does that mean i pay $ 1.99 for two litres of milk and you pay 68p for the same two litres ? i guess an average rent would be $400/ $ 450 a week for some thing reasonable ,how does that equate with a rent in parts of the uk ? i suppose im used to prices here its been to long since i lived in the uk I think the 3:1 is talking about spending power, rather then pure exchange rates. As for rent, I've seen quite a few properties in the area we want to live for $350 a week (3 bed, one bath). As a comparison, our small 2 bed house in a very sought after suburb of North London, and we rent if out for £875 per month (think we could have got higher but we were in a rush to rent it out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moirclan Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 i have no idea what rents are in the uk i had a friend who lived in inverness and the rents she quoted me [ a few years ago] shocked me she told me 175 quid a week about 14 years ago was what she was paying , so i assumed rents were cheaper here , silly me !!lol my daughter has built a lovely 3x2 in butler and ive seen simular houses renting for 350/ 390 a week , which is a reasonable rent , although it wasnt that mant years ago you could rent a nice place for 180 , every thing has gone up , i suppose its the same the world over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Har00n Posted May 13, 2011 Report Share Posted May 13, 2011 Hi everyone, Just joined, but have been on and off this site for about 2 years now. You've all got me a bit worried, as i'll be earning around 77k a year when i move over in july/august time. According to these posts, it may not be enough... I am an IT contractor here in the UK, but moving to a permie role in Perth (if i get my 457 visa). After TAX, i'm looking at just under 5k a month. average rental costs are around 350 a week(just checked out reiwa.com.au and realestate.com.au), so thats 1400 a month, leaving me with under 3600 a month.... Take a grand for household bills/travel, and i'm still left with around 2600 which i though was ok... Am i missing something here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Cow Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Hi everyone, Just joined, but have been on and off this site for about 2 years now. You've all got me a bit worried, as i'll be earning around 77k a year when i move over in july/august time. According to these posts, it may not be enough... I am an IT contractor here in the UK, but moving to a permie role in Perth (if i get my 457 visa). After TAX, i'm looking at just under 5k a month. average rental costs are around 350 a week(just checked out reiwa.com.au and realestate.com.au), so thats 1400 a month, leaving me with under 3600 a month.... Take a grand for household bills/travel, and i'm still left with around 2600 which i though was ok... Am i missing something here? Sounds ok to me! Live within your means and youll be fine! Food shopping can cost you a lot or a little it depends on your taste and your budget! Its a good start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give me a break! Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Hi everyone, Just joined, but have been on and off this site for about 2 years now. You've all got me a bit worried, as i'll be earning around 77k a year when i move over in july/august time. According to these posts, it may not be enough... I am an IT contractor here in the UK, but moving to a permie role in Perth (if i get my 457 visa). After TAX, i'm looking at just under 5k a month. average rental costs are around 350 a week(just checked out reiwa.com.au and realestate.com.au), so thats 1400 a month, leaving me with under 3600 a month.... Take a grand for household bills/travel, and i'm still left with around 2600 which i though was ok... Am i missing something here? Thats a good wage depending on where you live. If you think that your rent would be say $400 then we have found that if you have $1200 a week leftover then that gives you a nice life, not over the top and not meagre. Matt earns three times what he did in the UK and there is shed loads of overtime if he chooses to do it. We can comfortably afford for me not to work. We only have the one child at home though so that would make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanhewitt Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Hi HAr00n Ask your employer if they will apply for LAFHA (living away from home allowance) for you. Depending on how many people in your family who will be living with you depends on how much you get. As an example there is only myself and my partner and we received a quote for an extra $1,000 per month as our prospective employer supports this and will sort it all out for us. Technically as you are on a 457 visa for 4 years then it pays towards food and rent. I would be on a similar wage but without the LAFHA I would not be looking at moving. Regards, Dean & Margaret Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicweb Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Personally we are finding it easier and cheaper to live over here - ok we came over when the GBP was a lot stronger so had some capital. But our lifestyle is cheaper - we don't go to the pub every night, we tend to eat in and entertain with the good old Aussie BBQ, and go to friends - so drinking our own beer/wine not pub prices. Also there is so much stuff you can do here for FREE BBQ at the beach, go to the beach, walk in the bush, see friends, swim, go camping for holidays - As Mad Cow says - live within your means and the living is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 I've heard the $3 dollar figure before (well actually I heard it's 2.2, but I guess it's close enough). My issue is though, how expensive is Perth? For example, I live in a pretty expensive area of North London (a small 2 bed terrace would go for around £230k), whereas in the North of England wages would go further. Anyway I'm hoping to be able to secure a salary of at least $80k (hopefully more like $90k), so I'm hoping that will allow us to live in a reasonable area. The plan is to have a holiday home for the 1st month, then rent somewhere for around 2 years at least. 2.2. You been listen to Jim Hoff lol all the workings out will not give you the reL life you have to bite the bullet , Oz and WA are vast when you get here you find out in the uk I worked 4kms away here I am now 27km away for 2 years I rode 64 kms to work don't be afraid of travelling to work it us theusual here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Hi HAr00n Ask your employer if they will apply for LAFHA (living away from home allowance) for you. Depending on how many people in your family who will be living with you depends on how much you get. As an example there is only myself and my partner and we received a quote for an extra $1,000 per month as our prospective employer supports this and will sort it all out for us. Technically as you are on a 457 visa for 4 years then it pays towards food and rent. I would be on a similar wage but without the LAFHA I would not be looking at moving. Regards, Dean & Margaret Ann It depends if you want to stay long term eg pr once you lodge pr , you lose lafha ,it's a double edged sword do you want the extra dosh or live permanent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LowrysDownUnder Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I think the 3:1 is talking about spending power, rather then pure exchange rates. As for rent, I've seen quite a few properties in the area we want to live for $350 a week (3 bed, one bath). As a comparison, our small 2 bed house in a very sought after suburb of North London, and we rent if out for £875 per month (think we could have got higher but we were in a rush to rent it out). I thought houses in London were much more expensive than that? North/South divide must be closing as I live in the North and £230k doesn't buy much here either. Looks like the Aussie housing market has really weathered the global recession better as there's not much to buy in the $350k price range from what I've seen. I guess the lifestyle change must be the main reason to leave the UK for Aussie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest martywilk Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 hi there , well hope this helps . we have been here nearly 2 years living in carramar close to joondalup we love the lifestyle here BUT ... i earn close to $90.000 a year my wife part time $18.000 and we are struggling well when i say struggling i mean getting by fairly well , we eat reasonably well ,very very rarely eat out as it is so expensive do not go to takeaways or maccas every day in other words i consider us to be frugile with our cash, our rent for a standard 4x2 house is $450 per week (no pool) food bill for 2 adults and 2 kids close to $ 300 a week (food very very expensive here) add to that $75 fuel in car plus utility bills . phone/electric/gas/water its tight ... so you can do the maths on those figures and see whats left for us after it comes out of $1200 a week .unable to save up i am not a whingin pom just a sad one as i love it here the kids love it but when we applied to live here 3.5 years ago the pound would get just shy of $3 now its around $1.50 having not been able to sell my house in u,k and if i did the exchange to bring it over would be poor . i have decided to call it a day and head back, i was a carpenter in u.k here you are a cabinet maker unless you get a job higher upas i did the money is dire they say average salary $55 k a year ?? unless you go "on the mines" and miss 50% of your kids lives for us it has been a happy and sad 2 years happy that we love living in w.a its a remarkable environment ,sad we feel living relativley debt free in u.k is the better option , people say hang on a while , but i do not see the exchange even going to parity any time soon as i say we love it here and are not pining for the u.k or homesick we made friends i coach the soccer team its all pretty good except for money side and the thought of swapping all my savings /assets and still having debt here for a very very long time is any one else in this dillema ??? or as usual just me ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanhewitt Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Hi all, well we finally made it to Perth on Monday night after just escaping scotland before the volcano stopped all flights. Since we have been here I have had to inverviews with second interviews / offers early part of next week, been to view new houses at the show village in Ellenbrook and been to the city. We have just been to Hilarys and seen the yacht we want lol still need to have something to aim for i suppose. Anyway just to add to this topic of cost of living and earnings etc. We have been to 2 supermarkets here and we brought with us a full shopping list from the UK. As those of you still in the UK will know that in the last 2 months food prices have gone up considerably with the rise of VAT and fuel costs. We can now say that the costs of shopping in Perth are on par with the UK (as of last Fridays shooping receipt) with regards to a comment earlier about a pint of milk being 69p in the UK I would love to know where this is. For example in Sainsburys where we normally shop 2 litres is average £1.09 and Morrissons about £1 per 2 litres and we bought milk in Woolworths in Joondalup on Tuesday and paid $1.79. The biggest shock here was when we went for a chines take a way and paid $47 for 2 meals, no starters just 2 meals. I one respect the meal was lovely and in my mind was worth it. This was also from a restaurant where it would have cost the same to eat in. We orignally had a rough budget of $5,600 per month to have a similar quality of life in the UK, although this would be running just one car in Perth as the trains are definately the way to travel to the city and Joondalup to the city is 20 minutes and very cheap. We now have recalculated that I alone need to be bringing home nothing less than $6,500 per month ($108,000 per annum + super + bonuses) before we would think of making the full decision. I know a lot of people come out here for the lifestyle and better prospects/wages than the UK but for me personnaly my actual basic wage in the UK is only slightly less than what it would be in Perth, hence why we are going to be strict with ourselves about making a final decision. With regards to houses we originally thought around $450 per week rent which is possible but after being here we have realised we will need to look at around $650 to $700 per week. This is like Ali said is all about the location and after spending hours upon hours of driving around North of Perth between the city and Ocean Reef, Joondalup we have realised that to get the right area in comparison to where we live in the Scotland with the views etc we are definately looking at the coast/west of the freeway. We have not researched the south of Perth as of yet but 3 of the directors I have had interviews with have offered to take us out for dinner and also offered to show us some locations south of Perth which I think we are going to do next week. Our visit to the city was interesting as my self and Margaret Ann are not really city people but we really did like it and was very surprised how cosmopolitan it is. for thos of you who are looking at Joondalup vicinity, we are staying in the joondalup golf resort in a villa and was a nice surprise when we went fot a walk to have 2 kangaroos hopping about in front of us and parrots flying about. Joondalup centre looks a very nice centre and has everything you need right in the centre within walking distance. The streets are very clean and all of the buildings look very new and there is the large shopping centre there plus free parking for the train station. At first we thought it was too far from the city for us to be travelling in everyday but after going to the station and speaking to the guy on the ticket desk who went through the timetables this has turned out to be our best option. We were told that if you got the train at Joondalup you will definately get a seat, as you get closer to the city (there are 7 stops to the city from here) it gets very busy. On Wednesday morning we drove in to the city, left Joondalup at 07:15 and arrived in the city, 24km at 08:25 and that was only to Northbridge just on the edge of the city. We have put a spreadsheet together of average costs that we have indentified so if anybody would like a copy then please pm me with your email address. We are looking forward to seeing everyone attending the group meeting on the 4th June and we stumbled across the luck shag pub last night purely by accident which was lucky. Hopefully before then we will get some sun lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackboots Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Enjoy the rest of your holiday both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Hi all, well we finally made it to Perth on Monday night after just escaping scotland before the volcano stopped all flights. Since we have been here I have had to inverviews with second interviews / offers early part of next week, been to view new houses at the show village in Ellenbrook and been to the city. We have just been to Hilarys and seen the yacht we want lol still need to have something to aim for i suppose. Anyway just to add to this topic of cost of living and earnings etc. We have been to 2 supermarkets here and we brought with us a full shopping list from the UK. As those of you still in the UK will know that in the last 2 months food prices have gone up considerably with the rise of VAT and fuel costs. We can now say that the costs of shopping in Perth are on par with the UK (as of last Fridays shooping receipt) with regards to a comment earlier about a pint of milk being 69p in the UK I would love to know where this is. For example in Sainsburys where we normally shop 2 litres is average £1.09 and Morrissons about £1 per 2 litres and we bought milk in Woolworths in Joondalup on Tuesday and paid $1.79. The biggest shock here was when we went for a chines take a way and paid $47 for 2 meals, no starters just 2 meals. I one respect the meal was lovely and in my mind was worth it. This was also from a restaurant where it would have cost the same to eat in. We orignally had a rough budget of $5,600 per month to have a similar quality of life in the UK, although this would be running just one car in Perth as the trains are definately the way to travel to the city and Joondalup to the city is 20 minutes and very cheap. We now have recalculated that I alone need to be bringing home nothing less than $6,500 per month ($108,000 per annum + super + bonuses) before we would think of making the full decision. I know a lot of people come out here for the lifestyle and better prospects/wages than the UK but for me personnaly my actual basic wage in the UK is only slightly less than what it would be in Perth, hence why we are going to be strict with ourselves about making a final decision. With regards to houses we originally thought around $450 per week rent which is possible but after being here we have realised we will need to look at around $650 to $700 per week. This is like Ali said is all about the location and after spending hours upon hours of driving around North of Perth between the city and Ocean Reef, Joondalup we have realised that to get the right area in comparison to where we live in the Scotland with the views etc we are definately looking at the coast/west of the freeway. We have not researched the south of Perth as of yet but 3 of the directors I have had interviews with have offered to take us out for dinner and also offered to show us some locations south of Perth which I think we are going to do next week. Our visit to the city was interesting as my self and Margaret Ann are not really city people but we really did like it and was very surprised how cosmopolitan it is. for thos of you who are looking at Joondalup vicinity, we are staying in the joondalup golf resort in a villa and was a nice surprise when we went fot a walk to have 2 kangaroos hopping about in front of us and parrots flying about. Joondalup centre looks a very nice centre and has everything you need right in the centre within walking distance. The streets are very clean and all of the buildings look very new and there is the large shopping centre there plus free parking for the train station. At first we thought it was too far from the city for us to be travelling in everyday but after going to the station and speaking to the guy on the ticket desk who went through the timetables this has turned out to be our best option. We were told that if you got the train at Joondalup you will definately get a seat, as you get closer to the city (there are 7 stops to the city from here) it gets very busy. On Wednesday morning we drove in to the city, left Joondalup at 07:15 and arrived in the city, 24km at 08:25 and that was only to Northbridge just on the edge of the city. We have put a spreadsheet together of average costs that we have indentified so if anybody would like a copy then please pm me with your email address. We are looking forward to seeing everyone attending the group meeting on the 4th June and we stumbled across the luck shag pub last night purely by accident which was lucky. Hopefully before then we will get some sun lol Great post Dean/Margaret....glad you love our beautiful city!!! Dont forget a trip up to the Kalamunda Markets....first saturday in the month..so the next one is Saturday 4th June....worth a visit..have fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NeilEB Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 @ Marty, maybe I've misunderstood your post, but why does the exchange rate matter once you're in Australia? Surely there's just a one-off 'hit' when you transfer the money, but other then that, why does it make life in Perth any more or less viable? @ Dean, I'll definitely send you my email address as I'd love a copy of your price breakdown - particularly as $110k seems a massive wage to live on - guess it depends on the standard of living you are used to :-) $700 per week sounds very high in rent, even for Joondalup, unless you want to live on the beach? Also (and this is to no-one in particular) - I was under the impression that if you rent, there are some utilities you don't pay for - or have I invented that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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