# Cost of living: UK vs AUS



## pielies (Jul 19, 2010)

Hi

I am South African living in the UK for the last 10 years. We want to move to Australia, because we want a better standard of life for our children. Bigger house, playing outside, etc. But everybody tells me the it is very costly living in Australia. How does it compare to the UK - London? Does the standard of living compares to the standard of living we had in South Africa 20 years ago?


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

pielies said:


> Hi
> 
> I am South African living in the UK for the last 10 years. We want to move to Australia, because we want a better standard of life for our children. Bigger house, playing outside, etc. But everybody tells me the it is very costly living in Australia. How does it compare to the UK - London? Does the standard of living compares to the standard of living we had in South Africa 20 years ago?


It comes down to how much money you have. If you have loads the standard of living is high. If you don't have money living here is hard. One thing that you'll need to do is that both parents must work here and most of your money will go towards you mortgage. Where you live is so important as it basically decides your social place within Australia and people will judge you on it. Overall if you have a decent income then your quality of life here is good with more room and warmer weather. Remember though that the cost of living here is much higher than London and the salaries are relative towards it. earning 30k sterling is a decent salary in London over in Aus it's penuts. Many people here wouldn't even get out of bed for a salary of that level. You need to come out to Australia first to check it out.

I just came back from South Africa. Felt safer walking around in dodgy johannesburg suburbs than I do in about 50% of Perth. I drive to Uni because I know how dangerous trains can be a night. People in Australia won't kill you for your phone but they can stab you to death for looking at them. You need to know what your doing here just like in South Africa. Sydney can be very dangerous if you don't have money and some parts of Melbourne are extremely dangerous. Brisbane and Perth also have there dangerous areas. Here in perth the tactical response squad have been called for the past two days. Yesterday a man was naked on top of a billboard with a gun while today a man dowsed his home with gas and threatned to blow it up with his 11 year old son inside.

Australia can be good but its no safe haven like many people on this forum believe it to be.


----------



## pielies (Jul 19, 2010)

This is worrying. I want to move somewhere where the children can play outside and run around. Sounds like Aus is not that much different than SA then.

Cost of living is expensive, doesn't matter where you go, we just need to adapt to our earnings.


----------



## The Brit in Aus (Apr 25, 2009)

pielies said:


> This is worrying. I want to move somewhere where the children can play outside and run around. Sounds like Aus is not that much different than SA then.
> 
> Cost of living is expensive, doesn't matter where you go, we just need to adapt to our earnings.


It does depend on the part of Australia that you choose.

Inner City living is much the same as any inner city, but if you live outside the cities, things can be different,

I chose an area that is quiet and relatively child safe. To show an example of this, the children at the local primary school walk to school often alone, at ages 7 or 8.

High school kids, aged about 13-14 go to Brisbane City by train in group of 2 upwards. It has taken me a while to comprehend this myself, as security has been uppermost in my mind, but that type of thing appears normal in this area.
However, in other parts of Brisbane it may not be as acceptable.

There are even some areas that* I* would not feel safe.

Cost of living comes down to what you buy, and where you buy it.

We are able to live comfortably on less than one average Australian salary (currently about $70,000 per year is the Australian average full time male salary), but we are mortgage free, although we do have the expense of private school instead.

However I know others who earn 3 times us, who are financially strapped.
I also know of people on half of our income, who have comfortable lives.


----------



## Halo (May 8, 2008)

pielies said:


> Hi
> 
> I am South African living in the UK for the last 10 years. We want to move to Australia, because we want a better standard of life for our children. Bigger house, playing outside, etc. But everybody tells me the it is very costly living in Australia. How does it compare to the UK - London? Does the standard of living compares to the standard of living we had in South Africa 20 years ago?


If you have a good job the answer is YES. I have done something very similar to yourself... Moved because of the kids. If you are in a good area (and there are MANY) its safe as house.


----------



## Johnfromoz (Oct 20, 2010)

I don't understand where some people find these high crime rates in Australia? I lived in Sydney for a good 20 years and have never seen anything that would threaten ordinary people. Of course there are bagsnatches and theft from cars but in a lot of suburbs people even don't lock their doors. In certain suburbs, like Redfern and Waterloo, a local won't venture outside at night. Same applies to non-locals in ethnic suburbs like Campsie, Lakemba, Punchbowl and Auburn. There are certain small outback towns where passing cars don't stop unless they want to have their windows smashed by local abo youths but this does not concern mainstream australians. 

Also puzzles me the myth of high cost of living. Sure, if someone wants to live in Bellevue Hill or Point Piper then its going to be expensive. But in suburbia one can easily rent a big house for $300-350/week. Petrol costs $1.10-1.15/litre, milk about the same price. Meat starts from $7.00/kg. I rest my case.


----------



## The Brit in Aus (Apr 25, 2009)

Johnfromoz said:


> Also puzzles me the myth of high cost of living. Sure, if someone wants to live in Bellevue Hill or Point Piper then its going to be expensive. But in suburbia one can easily rent a big house for $300-350/week. Petrol costs $1.10-1.15/litre, milk about the same price. Meat starts from $7.00/kg. I rest my case.


I agree with you on this, as I have also lived here for many years now.
But what I have found is that many people who move here are looking for the better quality of life, and better quality of housing etc, than the average person. Hence of course the higher cost of living, than for the average person.

I do disagree on your meat starting prices, though... $7 kg ? I can get rump steak at $5 kg from my local butcher  
Many newcomers though, buy it at the supermarkets, often at about $15+ kg


----------



## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

Johnfromoz said:


> I don't understand where some people find these high crime rates in Australia? I lived in Sydney for a good 20 years and have never seen anything that would threaten ordinary people. Of course there are bagsnatches and theft from cars but in a lot of suburbs people even don't lock their doors. In certain suburbs, like Redfern and Waterloo, a local won't venture outside at night. Same applies to non-locals in ethnic suburbs like Campsie, Lakemba, Punchbowl and Auburn. There are certain small outback towns where passing cars don't stop unless they want to have their windows smashed by local abo youths but this does not concern mainstream australians.
> 
> Also puzzles me the myth of high cost of living. Sure, if someone wants to live in Bellevue Hill or Point Piper then its going to be expensive. But in suburbia one can easily rent a big house for $300-350/week. Petrol costs $1.10-1.15/litre, milk about the same price. Meat starts from $7.00/kg. I rest my case.


When was the last time you were here.


----------



## Johnfromoz (Oct 20, 2010)

The Brit in Aus said:


> I do disagree on your meat starting prices, though... $7 kg ? I can get rump steak at $5 kg from my local butcher
> Many newcomers though, buy it at the supermarkets, often at about $15+ kg


Well, $7/kg was what my mother quoted me for pork chops in Bankstown area.  I suppose that in Marrickville it would be cheaper.


----------



## Johnfromoz (Oct 20, 2010)

Weebie said:


> When was the last time you were here.


Me being back home is not relevant since prices quoted are from my mother who lives permanently in Sydney and her husband. Of course, prices are considerably higher if you live in some regional centre.


----------



## Zultan (Aug 4, 2009)

Sydney's rising house prices and rents


----------



## The Brit in Aus (Apr 25, 2009)

Zultan said:


> Sydney's rising house prices and rents


Note that the above link is about the City of Sydney.


> The average cost of a privately rented two-bedroom apartment in the City of Sydney - $600 a week


Most people live outside the City, and a three bed house with garden, can be from around $300-$350 pw with a 1 hour train trip to the City.

If money is an issue, it may be best to live somewhere that is affordable.

Buying property in the general Sydney area, rather than inner city, and you find that the prices haven't really changed *that* much...










That is for the established houses. New houses prices are probably higher, but then they also tend to have 5 bedrooms, media room etc etc... (ie: The necessities of modern living)


----------



## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

You also need to make a distinction. The City of Sydney and Sydney are not actually the same thing 

I know that sounds wrong, but City of Sydney refers to the CBD of Sydney and is managed by the council called 'City of Sydney'. 

'Sydney' is actually a much larger area made up of many large councils. 

Some of these councils: Ryde, Paramatta, Warringah, Pittwater, Willoughby.

These in turn cover many suburbs that make up Sydney.

It still might be confusing, so I offer this link to Wikipedia:
Regions of Sydney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You'll notice 'City' is just one of the regions of Sydney itself and that is what is referred to when articles say 'City of Sydney'. If an article refers to 'Sydney' without the 'City of' part then it will be talking about the much larger area made of many councils.

***
And in relation to real estate pricing the regions of Sydney have different pricing performance and characteristics so any article like this always need to be taken with a grain of salt (whether positive or negative). 

I live in the Northern beaches which has a characteristic of pricey real estate with plateau or slow rise for pricing in the last 10 yrs.

Compare this to the West which has some suburbs which have had wild price swings, while others have a plateau or slow rise characteristic. Ultimately personal preferences AND location of your job will determine where you live and what set of compromises you make to live where you live. I'd prefer a house, can't afford one, so live in a unit, however I live very close to the beach and my area has a low crime rate and good schools. I could go out West, get a house, have good schools, but would have to drive everywhere and have no beach near me. 

Either choice would cost the same. For now I prefer a smaller place near beach. Maybe when I'm older I'll want a big house (which while nice to have still has its own headaches like maintenance).


----------



## The Brit in Aus (Apr 25, 2009)

amaslam said:


> Either choice would cost the same. For now I prefer a smaller place near beach. Maybe when I'm older I'll want a big house (which while nice to have still has its own headaches like maintenance).


The good thing is that as you get older, you are more likely to be able to afford the bigger house by the beach :clap2:

As you say property prices are only relevant to your own exact area, and all others are generalisations.
eg:



> During the six years between 2003 and 2009 Darwin has had the greatest property value rises (126%), whilst Sydney has had the lowest (1.5%).


Therefore an Australian average means nothing to either of those areas.

The same with Sydney:


> During 2005 to 2010 Sydney property has risen by varying percentages, depending on the suburbs:
> Inner Sydney, on average, has risen by 32.5%
> Middle Sydney, on average, has risen by 17%
> Outer Sydney, on average, has risen by 5.5%


Note that the 1.5% between 2003 and 2009 bears no relation to the 2005-2010 figures. 2010 has been a good year for Sydney prices (if you like increasing prices).

But then, these are only medians anyway, which bear little relation to actual prices.


----------

