What is cheaper and what is dearer??

[Guest SA Great]

I would like to know (especially from the new arrivals) what they find cheaper in Australia than the UK and what they find dearer.

[sueoc]

Yup,me too.I'd like to know also.

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Do I count as new guys?? Been here since 3 March LOL

 

Cheaper

 

Meat

Petrol

Cars (new ones not 2nd hand - gees they hold their value here!)

Rollerskating LOL

Lottery

 

 

 

More Expensive

 

Electricity

Mobile phone contracts (similar cost, less value for money)

PCs/Laptops (for same spec)

White Goods

Some food (tins and packets eg soup, biscuits, cereals)

BREAD!!!!!

Some prescription items

Dentistry

Contact lenses

Books

Greetings cards

 

Overall I dont think cost of living is cheaper here, but am not complaining because that's not why I came - I just "suck it up" LOL

[Guest Emu]

Cheaper in Adelaide:

eating out

 

More expensive in Adelaide:

brand clothes

leather shoes

mattress

bedding (here is called Manchester, no idea why)

 

if i remember more later i let u guys know. i thought overall things would be cheaper but so far not really, they are either the same price or more expensive

[Guest kellyp]

Hi

 

Agree with Mandy, cost of living here is not cheaper but not why I came either. Quality and choice of clothing not great but hey there is always ebay and visits to other states outlets! Look for the positives, there are many.

 

Kelly

[Guest Emu]

YES BOOKS, they so expensive, and Magazines if imported from UK very expensive,

for books use bookdepository.co.uk for free delivery worldwide. Similar prices to amazon but free delivery so it works out cheaper.

[Riponian]

This is great thread as we have been deciding what not bring and what we need. My son needs a new bed and so do we so we think we will buy before hand and pop it in the container.

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Yep, bring the bed and ALL the bedding. Towels too are expensive for decent ones that will dry you!! Bring some quilts too, you'll need em in winter. Brought our 15 togger with us and bought my daughters winter weight quilt here, nearly $200 and no comparison to our £30 one from Asda!!!!

 

Mandy

[Guest Fancy a Beer]

I would like to know (especially from the new arrivals) what they find cheaper in Australia than the UK and what they find dearer.

 

 

I will keep it short for you, EVERYTHING is more expensive here in Adelaide!!

 

(Well Meat, Petrol, & white goods are cheaper, but that is honestly it!! The quality is shocking here to!! Thank god for Ebay UK and M & S Posting to Oz!!!)

[scooterdan]

I disagree with everything being more expensive.....i am currently in Uk and think prices have rocketed here in the last 18months...!!

 

As for choice, having visited Asda George, Matalan and a few others the mens clothes choices are shocking....give me Target anyday!!!

 

Me...i cant wait to get back!!

 

Dan

[sueoc]

Yes,i agree with FancyaBeer BUT,i certainly would not let the price of things here sway my decision to migrate here.You learn to adapt,and the things like how nice the Aussies are,and living in a civilised,mainly friendly,honest society were old fashioned values still mean something.You cannot put a price on that.

[Flutterby]

More expensive

 

Books - but then I am using the library more here because of this so have saved money!

 

Booze - you can get some good deals on wine at bottle shops but most other forms of alcohol are more expensive.

 

Bread

 

Broadband

 

Bedding

 

(Everything beginning with B apparently!!)

 

Cheaper

 

Meat - much much cheaper than the UK.

 

Eating out - no comparison IMO

 

Public Transport - I can commute into the city for $29 a week. Where I lived in the UK it was so much more expensive.

 

Can't think of anything else at the moment but generally agree with what others have already said.

[NickBrigham]

Having moved from South of the UK, the cost of living is much less. You spend most of your monthly money on housing ... and that is much much cheaper for the same house if you take into account size and distance from the city. Yes, food is generally more (unless you live on Shiraz and steak - we try our best)., but you spend proportionally less on it. What movers need to do is make sure they spend less on housing than they did in the UK and they will find that Adelaide is cheaper overall.

 

BTW. If you have ever wanted the kids to go to Private School ... that is cheaper too.

 

NB

[Guest stufi1997]

I agree with most things already said but I think the big difference is the lack of middle priced goods...you either pay loads for decent quality or buy crap that is going to pack up in no time at all....there are plenty "****e shops"(which by the way I love) but I think the big difference is that you get what you pay for.

And no convenience foods, I do miss the range of readymade meals in tesco and asda.....mind you takeaway is so much cheaper here....

[Guest thebaddeleys]

I agree generally everything is more expensive, If I knew what the quality and the price of both adult and childrens clothes would be I would have gone to Next and Debenhams and bought about 4 years worth of childrens clothes for my children and certainly bought more clothes for me and my Husband as I feel its either cheap and bad quality or VERY expensive and good quality.... there seems to be no inbetween!

 

I hear from my family in the UK that there are lots of sales on in the UK so if I was you I would go and do some serious shopping!

 

Shoes too, not a great choice, stock up!!!!!!!

 

Good luck x

[Guest caoimhe]

The main thing is houses are cheaper here, we live in a 5 bedroom house here as opposed to a 3 bed semi at home. We paid about 70,000 POUNDS less for it than we sold our house for in the UK.

Food is dearer here apart from meat but I find if you shop around eg go to local fruit shop/butchers/bakery, then I don't pay any more on my weekly grocery bill than in the UK.

[Guest Rob and Clare]

I certainly agree with the notion most things are more expensive here, but I think the exchange rate plays a big part, when we arrived we got $2.50 to the pound and now it's approx $2 to the pound, that makes the UK 20% cheaper already (thank god for internet shopping). There are some things cheaper but they are few and far between and probably all mentioned already. Your lifestyle can also make a big difference, a few beers and a ready meal each day will make you feel the pinch, but if you always eat fresh then maybe it will feel cheaper. We earn approx the same as we would have done if we were in the UK but we have less disposable income and have cut our cloth accordingly.

Other things I think are seriously expensive : car tax (for small cars, there's little benefit in being green when it comes to cars), chocolate and bottles of coke from petrol stations, Holidays (that 2 week package to Spain or the all inclusive Caribbean will seem like a distant memory).

[Guest redfoxy]

I agree generally everything is more expensive, If I knew what the quality and the price of both adult and childrens clothes would be I would have gone to Next and Debenhams and bought about 4 years worth of childrens clothes for my children and certainly bought more clothes for me and my Husband as I feel its either cheap and bad quality or VERY expensive and good quality.... there seems to be no inbetween!

 

I hear from my family in the UK that there are lots of sales on in the UK so if I was you I would go and do some serious shopping!

 

Shoes too, not a great choice, stock up!!!!!!!

 

Good luck x

 

I agree with all of what is said on here about prices and quality of clothes etc.

 

Shopping online at M & S Is not bad especially when it is free delivery, just cannot return things.

Also, I find ebay okay, you can buy monsoon (my fav shop to die for !!) next, per una etc. I also find things sell well on there too !!

[Guest mayjess]

Regardless of wether you think some items are cheaper or expensive, the one good thing is the fact that you realise how much rubbish you buy that you dont actually need, I only bought what I needed when i was in adelaide-not what I wanted, makes you value you hard earned cash more, we survived this way, even on one wage for a good 6mths, but best advice I can give is take everything over, such as bedding, pans (expensive in oz) cutlery, good egyptian cotton, tons of it,haha apart from that you will survive!

 

cheap meal out when skint for us used to be pizza haven (2 for $10), bottle of coke,, sat on Brighton beach watching sunset.cant beat that

 

Mayjess

[Scousemouse]

Ahhh...........well i can shed light on the MANCHESTER question!!!! Many moons ago, Manchester was the centre of the world in the cotton industry, befor the brand of MU (spit) was even thought about..........and sheets, bed linen is made from cotton! Hence the naming of all things cotton and bed related,,,,,,,Manchester.

 

How sad is THAT? I have a useless bit of info, and bugger me, it enlightens folks:)

 

Its true, bed linen, some white goods and shoes are bloody expensive. First time in my life, i leave a nice pair of shoes in the shop instead of considering it RUDE to leave them.........killer.

 

I think the quality of the meat is better here, and so dont mind paying a little more for it.

 

You can make savings on going out by getting an "entertainer" book...........about $65 but worth it if you fancy a meal out once or twice a month, a new set of soccer boots and sexy(?) shin pads, a cinema trip etc.......or you can be like me..........olympic flame (never goes out:biglaugh:)

 

J

[Liz and Kris UK]

The main thing is houses are cheaper here, we live in a 5 bedroom house here as opposed to a 3 bed semi at home. We paid about 70,000 POUNDS less for it than we sold our house for in the UK.

Food is dearer here apart from meat but I find if you shop around eg go to local fruit shop/butchers/bakery, then I don't pay any more on my weekly grocery bill than in the UK.

 

 

House's were cheaper here in the past but not anymore.

 

Kris

[scooterdan]

Saw a great deal in Uk....2 Pizza,s, Garlic Bread and Coke...21 quid!!! Nearly collapsed!!

 

Also visited a next sale.....jeans 40 quid in sale..... i got my jeans for Target for 20 bucks and they havent fell apart yet!!!

 

It really does depend where you shop.... i can get everything i had in the Uk for (i think!!) the same money or cheaper...shop around more....the bargains are there!!

[Guest Fancy a Beer]

I agree with all of what is said on here about prices and quality of clothes etc.

 

Shopping online at M & S Is not bad especially when it is free delivery, just cannot return things.

Also, I find ebay okay, you can buy monsoon (my fav shop to die for !!) next, per una etc. I also find things sell well on there too !!

 

 

With you on all the above!! I think the quality of clothes here is shocking especially for the kids and to be able to get most of our stuff sent over certainly is a factor in us staying here in Oz longterm!!

[Guest SA Great]

Well thanks to everyone for their responses to my question. I have lived here for sooooo long that i really can't relate to the uk anymore so it was interesting reading. I hear that you can eat in pubs now in the uk for 5 or 6 pounds which sounds cheaper than here. But I am off to the tap inn tom night for a really huge cheap feed!!!

[scooterdan]

Well thanks to everyone for their responses to my question. I have lived here for sooooo long that i really can't relate to the uk anymore so it was interesting reading. I hear that you can eat in pubs now in the uk for 5 or 6 pounds which sounds cheaper than here. But I am off to the tap inn tom night for a really huge cheap feed!!!

 

Its only cheap to eat in pubs because they are empty...... no one is spending!!!