Jump to content

Cost of living


Guest Claire and Brian

Recommended Posts

$300 is about 203 GBP per week, which for 4 adults (lets face it teenagers eat like adults) it's about 50 pound per week per person which if like us it includes lunches, toiletries and stuff like washing powder - it isn't too bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 54
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

My Husband and I are at the very beginning of our visa process to emigrate to Perth and reading this I'm a little terrified! We also have 2 young children who are 2 and 6. It seems really hard to get a true figure for cost of living until you know what your income will be. My OH is a bricklayer and he has spoken to a few guys who are over in Perth working, the work situation seems very positive, unlike here in Glasgow where we have woken up to yet even more snow!! It's good to see other folks monthly budgets its a big help. At the minute we both work but have 2 cars, annual holidays, weekends away and nights out, but I'm willing to compromise on those for the better climate and outdoor lifestyle for my kids. Time to get the calculator back out me thinks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Emloudubbs

We are a few months I to our visa process Aswell and when we worked out what my husband would be earning and the family benefits we would receive from centrelink (as we will get residency with ts type of visa we are trying for) it all seems really good?! This is our situation now : live in the uk in a small run down 3 bed semi that we pay 780 a month rent for...we are cramped there is mould on every ceiling and the carpets are grey and coming up ...the landlords don't bother. My husband is a carpenter and since the recession he struggles to find well paid work theses days so takes what he can which means he earns 100 pounds less a week than he did 7 years ago! He's self employed so no sick pay ...I work as a hca for our nhs hospital I work part time as we have 3 children : 10', 5 and our youngest approaching 3. We are constantly ill at the mo as the weather has been horrendous so we both loose money the skies are grey and we live off about 50 pounds worth of food a week for all of us with the occasional meal out or cheap take away as a treat. When we arrive in oz we won't be selling a house or bringing big $ with us but we will be prepared to take jobs and work hard to try and make it ...the way we see it is being skint in this country with freezing cold days or pouring with rain couped up in a tiny house with 3 kids or ...being in a warm country blue skies beaches bigger nicer homes and plentiful work ? I know which one I'm choosing !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are a few months I to our visa process Aswell and when we worked out what my husband would be earning and the family benefits we would receive from centrelink (as we will get residency with ts type of visa we are trying for) it all seems really good?! This is our situation now : live in the uk in a small run down 3 bed semi that we pay 780 a month rent for...we are cramped there is mould on every ceiling and the carpets are grey and coming up ...the landlords don't bother. My husband is a carpenter and since the recession he struggles to find well paid work theses days so takes what he can which means he earns 100 pounds less a week than he did 7 years ago! He's self employed so no sick pay ...I work as a hca for our nhs hospital I work part time as we have 3 children : 10', 5 and our youngest approaching 3. We are constantly ill at the mo as the weather has been horrendous so we both loose money the skies are grey and we live off about 50 pounds worth of food a week for all of us with the occasional meal out or cheap take away as a treat. When we arrive in oz we won't be selling a house or bringing big $ with us but we will be prepared to take jobs and work hard to try and make it ...the way we see it is being skint in this country with freezing cold days or pouring with rain couped up in a tiny house with 3 kids or ...being in a warm country blue skies beaches bigger nicer homes and plentiful work ? I know which one I'm choosing !

 

 

It is all relevant isn't it? If I were living in poverty, in a war torn country, and read your post I would give my right arm to be in your current shoes. You rightly say about it being not good by your standards and qalso quite rightly want better for your family. If you read this thread through there is a great post by a migration agent near the end. It highlights that it is probably worth coming with little rather than a lot.

 

http://www.perthpoms.com/forum/migration-issues/10759-real-cost-living-around-perth-wa.html

 

You have nothing to lose. If you come over with not a lot, manage to get jobs and work hard you should do well and so you are quite right better to be here and try and make a new life. Be careful though work is not "plentiful" but there is work available so although getting a well paid job is a risk it is probably a risk worth taking given your current position.

 

The only other thing you really need to be aware of though is that you will need start up money and at the moment a lot of it. Please do not dismiss that point and do your research so that you know what you are up for. Again many threads on this site about that but 10,000 gbp's is mentioned by some as just enough to get you started while others say 20,000 gbp's is nearer the mark that you will need. You probably just need to put togther a budget as to what you need versus what you will have to bring and see if it works out.

 

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest pommybob
We are a few months I to our visa process Aswell and when we worked out what my husband would be earning and the family benefits we would receive from centrelink (as we will get residency with ts type of visa we are trying for) it all seems really good?! This is our situation now : live in the uk in a small run down 3 bed semi that we pay 780 a month rent for...we are cramped there is mould on every ceiling and the carpets are grey and coming up ...the landlords don't bother. My husband is a carpenter and since the recession he struggles to find well paid work theses days so takes what he can which means he earns 100 pounds less a week than he did 7 years ago! He's self employed so no sick pay ...I work as a hca for our nhs hospital I work part time as we have 3 children : 10', 5 and our youngest approaching 3. We are constantly ill at the mo as the weather has been horrendous so we both loose money the skies are grey and we live off about 50 pounds worth of food a week for all of us with the occasional meal out or cheap take away as a treat. When we arrive in oz we won't be selling a house or bringing big $ with us but we will be prepared to take jobs and work hard to try and make it ...the way we see it is being skint in this country with freezing cold days or pouring with rain couped up in a tiny house with 3 kids or ...being in a warm country blue skies beaches bigger nicer homes and plentiful work ? I know which one I'm choosing !

 

Some good points, but remember that the grass is always greener and assumption if the mother of all....?!?!?!?!? and if it goes belly up for you and your family over here, it's a long way from home.

I would highly recommend that you come over for a recce, weigh up the job situation at first hand, as PR will not guarantee you a job when you arrive, look at costs at first hand over here and then make your decision.

You could rent a fully furnished house for a week...for approx $800 and hire a car for a week (approx $200) and book some cheap flights.

Coming unprepared to Perth at the moment is a recipe for failure.

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs

What do u mean by start up money? I've been looking on real estate at rented homes and there seem to be some good 4 beds for about $5-700 per week my husband should earn about 2k as a carpenter our friend is working on building site in perth and he said they crying out for tradies my sister lives and works joonda...we will hae enough for a bond and a weeks living and if he can't get work then my sister will employ him ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs

And yeh we're not in absolute poverty but possibly relative to our area .. We have no chance of owning our own home here and clothes and shoes bed linen etc is a luxury ...I am grateful that we have work and family here and by no means do I think the streets of perth are paved with gold but what do we have to loose ??? U only live once

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totaly agree what av we got to loose this country is the pits think more about the unemployed and the migrants that come over for a free meal ticket the working bloke has no chance im a joiner and working for £10 an hour when i can get it the work situation in construction in the uk is dire unless your very lucky and unfotunatly i.m not and I don t think some expats realise how expensive it is here if your single and on a low wage

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest pommybob
What do u mean by start up money? I've been looking on real estate at rented homes and there seem to be some good 4 beds for about $5-700 per week my husband should earn about 2k as a carpenter our friend is working on building site in perth and he said they crying out for tradies my sister lives and works joonda...we will hae enough for a bond and a weeks living and if he can't get work then my sister will employ him ..

 

Just trying to be helpful.

Looks like you have everything figured out.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest pommybob
Totaly agree what av we got to loose this country is the pits think more about the unemployed and the migrants that come over for a free meal ticket the working bloke has no chance im a joiner and working for £10 an hour when i can get it the work situation in construction in the uk is dire unless your very lucky and unfotunatly i.m not and I don t think some expats realise how expensive it is here if your single and on a low wage

 

Some people over here say the same about Australia....

This is a forum to offer advice from expats who care about others and their big move. Do you think we offer advice because we don't care?

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totaly agree what av we got to loose this country is the pits think more about the unemployed and the migrants that come over for a free meal ticket the working bloke has no chance im a joiner and working for £10 an hour when i can get it the work situation in construction in the uk is dire unless your very lucky and unfotunatly i.m not and I don t think some expats realise how expensive it is here if your single and on a low wage

 

 

Wow! That's quite a rant. You might want to read up on Australian attitudes towards expats. How would you feel if you were to turn up to your first day of work here to be greeted by someone with the kind of attitude you seem to be presenting? We're all just trying to better ourselves, improve life for our families and provide opportunities for our children.

Whilst unemployment rates are low I'm not entirely sure there is the abundance of jobs here that you might think and whatever you do, you may be taking work away from someone who feels that because they were born here, they have more of a right to it than you.

Just sayin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do u mean by start up money? I've been looking on real estate at rented homes and there seem to be some good 4 beds for about $5-700 per week my husband should earn about 2k as a carpenter our friend is working on building site in perth and he said they crying out for tradies my sister lives and works joonda...we will hae enough for a bond and a weeks living and if he can't get work then my sister will employ him ..

 

Hi, you will definitely need some start up money. You can get a rental within the price range that you quote but as there is a lot of competition for rentals at the moment you may need to put a few months rent in advance on the table, even if you don't you have to pay a bond and two weeks rent in advance which alone will cost you at least $3,000. There are always hidden costs and its these that will eat away at your money before hubs even starts work. I suppose the tradies demand is very much dependent on area? Our friend is a builder and informs us that a lot of tradies are struggling at the moment? It is a fab place if you can establish yourselves here! We ate our way through a substantial sum of pounds, initially, on arrival over five years ago and I had a job before arrival. It took hubs nearly two months to find his first job so it was good that I started work straight away. I wish you luck and fire away with any more questions, that's what we're here for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs

Cool ok, but this country has seriously gone down hill past few years its getting worse for families and I have two aunties and a sister living in perth and it sounds like its still better than the uk...obviously we aren't there so don't know this for certain but is anything in life certain?

My Husband alsohas a mate in perth who is an Aussie originally from Queensland and he swears perth is the best place to bring up a family.

I know that it's not the 1960s and we can just get on a boat turn up with a suitcase and hope some kind farmers will take us in untill we find work! But from the state of the economy in this country and the non English speaking immigrants that come here and don't work claim unemployment benefits and take housing away from British nationals ...if u migrate to oz you have to pay the government , speak English and prove your going to work! That's the difference !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest pommybob

For those who are interesred....

Here's what to expect...for all new arrivals with a family in Perth.

This is our story....spread the word!

 

This was our budget for the first 6 months.

How you cut your cloth will be different, but it should give you an idea.

 

We spent roughly $50K (approx 34K GBP at today's rate of exchange) during our first 6 months of arriving in Perth, but we expected those costs and budgeted for them, as we did a recce and had savings. We decided that NOR was the area for us. We arrived with suitcases and shipping costs were kept to a minimum (personal stuff etc...).

We initially went for a fully furnished holiday let for 4 weeks and the cost was $3,600 with a bond of $1,000... upon departure, we had to fight for the bond release....that's a story for another day, for another day!

We then looked for a long-term rental property and that's when we started to worry. We were one of 20 couples bidding on a $400 per week property and the home goes to the highest bidder! The Wild West! LOL!

We eventually found a home to rent, but it was very traumatic and frought with panic, panic panic!

Anyway, back to the costs....our rental bond for our first rental house cost $2,000, 6 months rent (26 weeks) @ 500 per week cost $13,000. Car purchase, registration, and insurance $8,000, second-hand furniture off Gumtree $7,000, food at $350 per week for a family of 4 for 26 weeks $9,100, school clothes for 2 x children and school books which are compulsory $2,000! Ouch! Bills for rental house (water, gas electric, internet, Foxtel) approx $120.00 per week for 26 weeks $3,120. Perth commute costs $60.00 per week for 26 weeks $1,560........it goes on and on.

This isn't all the costs, but they're the major ones from the top of my head.

Does it add up to $50K?

 

Hope this helps?

Edited by pommybob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest dean74

Hi,

 

We have just returned from Perth to validate our visa and found the whole experience far outweighed our expectations, cant wait to go back in May for good!!!

 

However the trip certainly opened our eyes when you look at the cost of living, after doing our research we have worked out that a budget of £38k is required for the first 6 months, this will include buying 2 cars ($9000 each), and I am hoping one of us secures a job within the first month.

 

I realise everyones situation is different but I have had a dream for many years of moving to oz but really think I could not of gone through with it without the $$$$ to back me up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs
Totaly agree what av we got to loose this country is the pits think more about the unemployed and the migrants that come over for a free meal ticket the working bloke has no chance im a joiner and working for £10 an hour when i can get it the work situation in construction in the uk is dire unless your very lucky and unfotunatly i.m not and I don t think some expats realise how expensive it is here if your single and on a low wage

Mate it's got to be better than the state of things here surely maybe ignore the ones putting a damper on they obviously don't want to share the wealth lol!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs

It sounds like some of you are a little cynical...must be a hard life sun shining beaches on your door step blue skies...remember what blighty is like and then realise that things have gone down Hill alot for tradesman in the past few years , its not getting any better either .... We don't own anything here so why worry if it doesn't work we will come back as I'm sure yu would if you were that hard up

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Emloudubbs my thoughts exactly Iv e been over a number of times and ye the main things are expensive Houses/cars and things alike but we have bills here in the uk to pay when I,m over there I don t price things on the exchange rate If i did that I wouldn t do anything as it is expensive but when you work out your wages here then work out what you can earn over there most things arnt that much difference for instance a pint of lager UK £3.50 I get £10 per hour in UK in Perth Joiner can ern $30 per hour and a pint of larger $8 to $11 so not alot of difference I must admit it is dear to eat out though theres no 2 for $10 over there but like anything elsewe can shop around

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Emloudubbs

The way I see it is we have nothing here and we are surviving the work is crap at the mo my husband is a carpenter and he ri ts around to get the best work then does it...he will do the same in perth if u can get work here in this ****e messed up country where people are scraping the barrel then Im sure u can in a country that is not in a recession and apparantley is in the high vis era....people who move to oz with 50,100,300 plus k obviously already had a good life in uk so that don't apply to us! I don't think the see it like tha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest pommybob
Hi,

 

We have just returned from Perth to validate our visa and found the whole experience far outweighed our expectations, cant wait to go back in May for good!!!

 

However the trip certainly opened our eyes when you look at the cost of living, after doing our research we have worked out that a budget of £38k is required for the first 6 months, this will include buying 2 cars ($9000 each), and I am hoping one of us secures a job within the first month.

 

I realise everyones situation is different but I have had a dream for many years of moving to oz but really think I could not of gone through with it without the $$$$ to back me up.

 

Dean,

That's fantastic!

Someone who is really looking into the costs and doing their due diligence BEFORE they make the move to Perth!

Good luck with the move and live the dream!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds like some of you are a little cynical...must be a hard life sun shining beaches on your door step blue skies...remember what blighty is like and then realise that things have gone down Hill alot for tradesman in the past few years , its not getting any better either .... We don't own anything here so why worry if it doesn't work we will come back as I'm sure yu would if you were that hard up

 

Just make sure you come with open eyes. There are an increasing amount of trades struggling in Oz. Most of the guys who go in my local are trades and are struggling to get 3 days a week. The benefits system here is just as crap as the uk - lots of people using it as a way of life while those that want to work get hammered.

 

The jobs for trades are reducing by the month and as mines lay off trades it's going to get worse. We had mass redundancies on Monday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I must admit it is dear to eat out though theres no 2 for $10 over there but like anything elsewe can shop around

 

No but there is the Entertainment Book. $65 to buy, from charitable organisations and so they benefit with the purchase, and packed with 2 for 1 meals offers in fine dining restraunts, all types of Asian, Italian and Aussie / European style cafes, pub meals and right down to MacDonalds and KFC. Also cheap cinema tickets, cheap ticklets to Rottnest, 2 for 1 entry to a wide range of places to entertain the kids and it just goes on and on. Been here 10 years now and has to one of the best deals going. Giving to charity and saving cash has to be sensible in this city. No Perth home should be without one.

 

http://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We arrived in 2006 with $12,000 and a few belongings , we now earn around $140k a year between us & have no kids , with a mortgage ,2 car loans & credit cards. Id say if you have no job secured for your arrival you will need minimum 30k in your pocket to survive ,job market isnt what it was even just a year or so ago ,people move here all the time from overseas & the eastern states. People living in Uk are obviously fed up with crap weather etc but id say financially you may double your wage but you at least 2.5/3 x your expense except fuel. I wouldnt go back as im now an Aussie citizen but it i was earning 45k in UK would have to earn min 100k here to think about it !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...