What is an OK Ozzie salary?

[Guest lilopilo]

Hi all,

We are still thinking of trying to move over in 2011 after a reccie in 2009 and validating our visa. Because at the time we began the visa process the exchange rate peaked at 2.5 and is now at 1.5 ish we are finding it hard to work out a decent ozzie salary. For a family of 6, 2 adults and 4 kids does Aus $ 75 to 80 sound enough to live off????

Hope you can help,

thanks .

[Guest Lisa & Kevin]

Hi

 

A good website to compare food prices is www.homeshop.com.au check out the price of Fruit and Veg compared to the like at Tesco's online. This might give you and idea of what to expect for your weekly groceries.

 

Everyone buys different items in their weekly shopping, but I find the prices of Fruit, Veg, Bread and a few other everyday/weekly items extremely high.

 

But on the other hand, Meat and Petrol are usually quite reasonable.

 

Hope this helps

 

Lisa

 

Hi all,

We are still thinking of trying to move over in 2011 after a reccie in 2009 and validating our visa. Because at the time we began the visa process the exchange rate peaked at 2.5 and is now at 1.5 ish we are finding it hard to work out a decent ozzie salary. For a family of 6, 2 adults and 4 kids does Aus $ 75 to 80 sound enough to live off????

Hope you can help,

thanks .

[Rich & Chit]

It's the same old story, you could always do with a bit more. It is difficult to say what salary you need to live on, the best way to look at it is to find jobs and live within your combined salary. But don't be under any illusions the cost of living is HIGH. Day to day food items, second hand cars, rent, utilities (electric to rise by 12% soon with more increases on the way, water will follow once the desalination plant is up and running). You just have to make do with what you've got.

[Guest Nomoreengland]

Australia must be the msot expensive country in the world. You need to earn a combine income of at least $120k if you have got 4 kids just to break even. Not that I have got 4 kids but even ithout kids this earning ould not get you very far.

[Guest Guest5035]

no its not and you don't need 120k combined

 

stevo

[Guest markjl]

im earning 50k and partner 40k working part time and we are better off than in UK! cost living isnt SOOO expensive here, its just not any cheaper!!

think 75k will work out about 1100$ a week so minus yr expected weekly rent and yr have an idea of how much u have to play with! also bear in mind u dont need to spend anything to have fun here, just drive to the beach park up for free on the beach and enjoy the sunshine when its out!

[Guest Nomoreengland]

To give you an idea here is a quick comparison of the cost of things in adelaide (will convert into english pounds):

 

1 collyflower - Adelaide = 2 pounds; england - 40p

 

crate of 24 beers- adelaide = 25 pounds; england 8 pounds

 

average rental - adelaide - 1000 pounds per month; england (outside london) 650 pounds

 

chocolate bar - adelaide 1 pound 50p; england 50p

 

Yes u need to earn far more than england

[Guest The Dimmocks]

My hubby doesnt earn alot, probably about 45,000 ish. Yes we get centre link benefits which bump it up quite a bit but even then we no where near the 70,000 mark. We have two cars, 3 kids and buy what we want when we want.

[Guest Guest5035]

To give you an idea here is a quick comparison of the cost of things in adelaide (will convert into english pounds):

 

1 collyflower - Adelaide = 2 pounds; england - 40p

 

crate of 24 beers- adelaide = 25 pounds; england 8 pounds

 

average rental - adelaide - 1000 pounds per month; england (outside london) 650 pounds

 

chocolate bar - adelaide 1 pound 50p; england 50p

 

Yes u need to earn far more than england

 

mmmmmmmmmmmm Council rates in the UK double to triple, petrol double, kangaroo steaks double, poo weather, more people, more crowded, poo weather, no room, did i mention the weather, and i nearly forgot..

 

ITS BEHIND IKEA MATE

 

stevo

[Guest adelaideinjuly]

i will try to be more specific

 

rent not less than 350 per week

telephones not less than 100 per month

Electricity not less than 200 per three months

Gas not less than 150 per three months

Car registration not less than 200 per three months

food not less than 100 per week

mobiles not less than 50 per week

petrol is 1.20 per litre

[Guest Nomoreengland]

I wasnt saying england is better I was simply advising how expensive it is. Are you seriously suggesting adelaide is cheaper than uk?

 

 

 

 

mmmmmmmmmmmm Council rates in the UK double to triple, petrol double, kangaroo steaks double, poo weather, more people, more crowded, poo weather, no room, did i mention the weather, and i nearly forgot..

 

ITS BEHIND IKEA MATE

 

stevo

[Guest Django]

Are you seriously suggesting adelaide is cheaper than uk?

 

Steve might not be but I will. We have coped easily on my part time wage. In the UK we couldn't keep our head above water with 2 full time wages coming in. Now we are looking forward to living like kings now that I have 2 part time jobs and my other half starts her new job on Monday. If you find it more expensive here then you are doing something seriously wrong. :jimlad:

[newlife]

We too are a family of 6, and have an income of approx $40000 plus centrelink. Although we dont live like kings we manage ok and the kids dont miss out because as others have said there is plenty to do here for which you dont require lots of money

[Guest Martin and Val]

To give you an idea here is a quick comparison of the cost of things in adelaide (will convert into english pounds):

 

1 collyflower - Adelaide = 2 pounds; england - 40p

 

crate of 24 beers- adelaide = 25 pounds; england 8 pounds

 

average rental - adelaide - 1000 pounds per month; england (outside london) 650 pounds

 

chocolate bar - adelaide 1 pound 50p; england 50p

 

Yes u need to earn far more than england

 

I can't speak for collyflowers as I can't find any! What colour are these flowers and I may be able to look into it further?

£8 a crate of beer in the UK, bugger I missed out on that! did they taste like water?

Rental outside London £650 per month? Maybe in some strange place or was that a one bed shed with six families above and 12 below? We let our UK house out and achieve more than enough to cover the Aussie rental and our Aussie house is not small and we don't live on top of anybody either!

Chocolate bar, £1.50 nah sorry I pay $1.50 which is 93p but that doesn't bother me to much because I save money on the petrol 70p per litre.

Once you have lived here for a while and you have stopped spending your English pound that you brought over with you you may not be so worried about some of the costs. When you are earning Aussie $'s and spending Aussie $'s it's not as bad as you think.

We have just come home after a night out which cost us $73 (at todays rate that is £45.62 ) for 1x starter, 2x main meals, 5x pints and 1x coffee plus unlimited salad and vegetable bar. I sure as hell don't recall value for money like that in the UK for decent food, oh sorry, yes JD Weatherspoons or the hungry horse was always reasonable but then that wasn't that decent.

Hope you find a bargain tomorrow.

[Prema]

To give you an idea here is a quick comparison of the cost of things in adelaide (will convert into english pounds):

 

1 collyflower - Adelaide = 2 pounds; england - 40p

 

crate of 24 beers- adelaide = 25 pounds; england 8 pounds

 

average rental - adelaide - 1000 pounds per month; england (outside london) 650 pounds

 

chocolate bar - adelaide 1 pound 50p; england 50p

 

Yes u need to earn far more than england

 

Gosh sorry, you are shopping in the wrong places. Adelaide is way much cheaper for us then UK. I am not working and a stay at home mum for now, but start my new job on Monday from choice not having to go to work to keep us above water.

We go to Gepps Cross market every other Sunday, and I spend around $40-$45 and I buy everything under the sun, I fill 3 big blue tesco shopping bags and I have just bought a trolley which really helps with the carrying. This lasts our family of 4 for 2 weeks, I buy morning cut cauliflower for $1 each and they are huge.

We survive on $53000 per year, but pay a lot for our rental, which is $505 per week, there are cheaper rentals so you can reduce your income, we get no support from centrelink as we are not PR yet.

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

i will try to be more specific

 

rent not less than 350 per week

telephones not less than 100 per month

Electricity not less than 200 per three months

Gas not less than 150 per three months

Car registration not less than 200 per three months

food not less than 100 per week

mobiles not less than 50 per week

petrol is 1.20 per litre

 

Bloody hell mate think ya being ripped off there a bit.

very much over quoted.

[scooterdan]

I never spent $50 on my mobile in a month let alone a week.....and i have a pretty busy social life (IMO)!!

[thearmchairdetective]

I just bought THREE bottles of cheap ale at ASDA in Bristol for £4 (special Offer)

A crate holds 12 bottles.!

 

Ive stayed in Adelaide and drunk a lot more for a lot less.

 

Obviously a lot of people do the right thing by joing PIA and asking where to shop .

Well done for taking that first step:D

 

 

Oh, and the weather here in the UK is Pants.

[Guest Guest5035]

I wasnt saying england is better I was simply advising how expensive it is. Are you seriously suggesting adelaide is cheaper than uk?

Mate i spent 3 weeks over in the UK in August, yes Adelaide is cheaper and i get paid in $$$$$$ not pounds..

 

 

Stevo

[Guest tinkham_lee]

We are on annual of 47k and 56k+ (depending on overtime), no centrelink. ok there is only 2 of us, the larger wage goes straight to savings, and the lower wage easily covers everything (including christmas, wedding, flights to England and eating out regularly) + putting some into savings,

 

This is what we pay

 

food $45-60 per week (go just before closing as they drop the price of meats, bread etc)

mobile Phones, we are pay as you go, and between 2 phones we spend between $55-65 a month on caps which gives us $400-550 worth of calls. we dont have a landline and call England regularly

Fuel is about $1.25-1.32 (we only use 95ron) (funny hearing the aussies complaining about the price) price changes daily, Tuesday is the cheapest.

Electricity about $250 a quarter, but we don't have gas.

water $50 a quarter

Rent $250 a week at Aldinga Beach for a 3 bed 2 bath, its on a small plot but its a good size house

Internet $30 a month for 4gb on mobile broadband.

NO TV Licence

No council tax whilst renting

car rego is more, but insurance and fuel is a lot lot less.

 

I think some things are more expensive than england but lots more is cheaper especially rentals. for what i am paying here for my house, I could get a 1 bed flat in the town i used to live in england

 

the key is to shop around, and haggle. most companies are a little flexible on price and will also price match with competitors

[Guest markjl]

Julie, no rent under £350 a week are you kidding? im living in the city on a short term fully funished rental 2 bed for $330, i come from windsor and its far cheaper than berkshire plus i earn more money. Bottom line if cauliflower is more expensive buy something else LOL some food is cheaper here some food isnt, stick to the food that isnt... dont worry about the money side of things the OZ dollar is strong making it a great place to work

[Guest kangomik]

Fuel is about $1.25-1.32 (we only use 95ron) (funny hearing the aussies complaining about the price) price changes daily, Tuesday is the cheapest.

 

 

Thursday or Friday morning is usually the cheapest time to buy fuel, and don't forget the 8c off a litre with those silly little tickets that flood the kitchen:biglaugh:

[Guest fluxsta]

Australia must be the msot expensive country in the world. You need to earn a combine income of at least $120k if you have got 4 kids just to break even. Not that I have got 4 kids but even ithout kids this earning ould not get you very far.

Hi, why are you even in Australia????? If you don't have kids, don't give advice! Sorry to sound rude but you appear to be very down on your current experience in the country and I am really interested as to why you continue to stay somewhere that you appear not to enjoy living in?

[Guest fluxsta]

thanks......it's also 'cauliflower' ;-)

[Guest guest3462]

It is a difficult question you have posed as you really do live to your means. But, you will quickly learn to adjust to aussie living and spending. There is not a vast selection of goods on offer in shops like is asda or tesco so that will cut some spending! And after just returning this week from a trip to the UK I will say that apart from beer, I thought most things were more or less on a par with Adelaide. It is definately more expensive in the UK now than when we left 2 years ago. (It didn't stop me shopping though and I still spent a months wages!!) I spent most of my shopping time converting the pounds back into dollars to see how much it costs. Honestly, once you forget the £ and live by the $ you earn everything sort of seems to fall into place and things appear to be more reasonable. It is a shock when you first arrive and you will probably think OMG its so expensive in the supermarkets when you are frantically trying to convert back into £'s, but the quality of fresh produce and meats are far superior and you really do have to learn to get away from the all under one roof idea of shopping. We find that if you use local businesses for groceries and meats and supermarkets for pantry goods it works out a lot cheaper, and usually they are farm fresh goods too! You get leaflets mailed every wek so you can see where the offers are.

 

I believe that $80,000 is more than enough to live comfortably on, there are endless activities that are family friendly and free or gold coin donation so you seldom have to worry about the cost of social activities and when you settle into your new social network, you will find yourselves invited out to bbq's and soirees most weekends. (the aussie way is to bring your own food and drink, this works well as you can afford to attend more do's and not feel pressured into having to spend $100's when you host your own evenings.) Also save your beer, soda and wine bottles as you can recycle them for 10c each, this is a good little earner, its surprising how quickly they all mount up!

 

You will have a large outlay of finaces when you first arrive as you buy cars and any white goods that you are not shipping and obviously rental costs vary by the suburb and proximity to the city/sea views. We live in the south at Aldinga and the average cost of a 4 bed new build home for rent is $400-$450 pw which includes water and council taxes. we have found utility bills to be considerably cheaper than in the UK, but we have solar panels for our hot water and only really need the heating on for 12 weeks of the year. We are out most of the day so that saves on air con bills too. Water rates are ridiculously cheap, but are due to increase when the desal plant opens but we are only paying about $175 a quarter which is roughly the equivilent of what we paid in pounds per month on our water meter!!! Our winter gas and electric bill combined was less than $400 (for the quarter) we paid well over £100 a month in the UK.

Many people will agree when I say that the general standard of living is improved when you come out here, many families are not high earners but still manage to lead very comfortable and satisfying lives, more so than they would in the UK. I know that we couldn't afford to send our girls to ballet and dance classes as well as swimming classes over there, here they can pretty much participate in whatever they like as well as having the lovely fresh air and beaches to enjoy for free, the miles and miles of cycle trails and nature walks on offer and countless safe, clean and needle/glass free parks to play on.

Australia is not for everyone, it isn't always a scene of the grass is greener, in fact it can be damn hard at times and some families may struggle to make it work for them; and there will always be someone who will bring out the total negativity of the place, but for the most part the sun shines brightly on us and we are greatful.

If you work hard, you will make what you have do and love your new life in Aus. Good luck and have a great christmas!