# Indian considering a move to Sydney



## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

Hi,
I have an offer to move to Sydney Australia. Could you some help me answer the questions below.

1. How is the overall lifestyle (activities to do) there in Sydney (such as things to do..I am very outdoor person like to go play and do stuff and travel)?
2. How is the safety there especially with regard to the recent attacks on Indians there? 
3. Considering that I might come back to India after working there for some time. How much can save monthly in Australian Dollars for example?
4. What about cost of living there?
5. How about housing and the Indian community?
6. How is the work culture?
7. How is the traffic I heard its not a very well planned city say as compared to Melbourne?
8. What are the other things that I need to keep in mind and consider?
9. What do you think would be a good salary? and also what is cost of health insurance and hospitals?
10. What about public transport I heard its pretty bad?
11. Also cost of living in Sydney?

Wit Regards
Murali


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi Murali

Welcome to teh forum. Tried answering the questions to the best of my knowledge


1. There is a lot to do, Beaches, Mountains Trails/Climbing, Jogging, Biking.. Trust me, Australia is soooo full of activities for those who are interested in outdoors

2. What attacks? Move in dark alleys late at night with gadgets in hand and you will be noticed, you got to choose safe areas, the unsafe ones are countable few.

3. Someone getting 4500 home per month can easily save 2000-2500, applies for a family of 2. This i am talking about someone from India, does not apply to everyone though. You got to spend wisely.

4. My household expenditure is 2500-2700 including everything, rent, petrol, travel for husband, food, electricity, phone, internet etc etc

5. There are lots of Indian shops, Temples, Gurudwaras in Melbourne and not to miss the Indian restaurants. You do see a lot of Indians around?

6. The work culture is very casual, as long as you do your work, no one will bother you with anything, i think it is much much better than that in India

7. I am in Mel so can not comment much on Syd but from what i have been told, once you have been in India, the Syd traffic is nothing and i notice you are coming from Bengaluru

9. Good salary is anything above 80k including Super For someone who gets 70k the take home comes to 4200 i think each month? Not sure about cost of health insurance?

For cost of living check the stick thread as well, that will give you a fair idea


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## melbourne (Sep 6, 2011)

anj1976 said:


> Hi Murali
> 
> Welcome to teh forum. Tried answering the questions to the best of my knowledge
> 
> ...


Lovely answer!


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

*sounds good*



anj1976 said:


> Hi Murali
> 
> Welcome to teh forum. Tried answering the questions to the best of my knowledge
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking time out to reply. I have an option either to move to Singapore or Sydney so was exploring both the options. I know that Singapore is totally crime free and also very close to India encase I need to travel to India on a short notice the tickets are also really cheap.

PS: I am from Bangalore.

Any other inputs from your end would be very useful.

I am single so my expenses will be just for myself.

Regards
Murali


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

I'd go with Sydney any day. For long term planning i think SG becomes difficult, if getting a PR and then citizenship is your aim. You do not see crime in Australia either.


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

anj1976 said:


> I'd go with Sydney any day. For long term planning i think SG becomes difficult, if getting a PR and then citizenship is your aim. You do not see crime in Australia either.


I might exploring getting a PR and Citizenship in the long term though I have not planned anything on that front yet as its too early. Are you saying me that getting a PR is easier in Australia as compare to getting one in Singapore?

What are your thoughts on proximity to India?

Regards
Murali


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

we too thought about the distance from india but end of the day, c'mon how often will there be emergencies? I would definitely say AU is worth it..


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

anj1976 said:


> we too thought about the distance from india but end of the day, c'mon how often will there be emergencies? I would definitely say AU is worth it..


Thank you very much for the answer. Just one last question. Is it easier to get a PR in Australia or Singapore. And do you know which one is better. Because according to me both are developed countries and in both countries getting PR would take about 2 years.

Thanks again. 

Its tricky I need to decide in a day or two.

Regards
Murali


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Murali I would still go for Australia, I have been to Singapore and now I am settled in Australia, somehow Australia has been my choice but I can be biased, have you considered weather? work culture etc? PR wont take much time if you are in Australia but from what I know citizenship to SG is not easy, dont know what the rules are as I never read about it.


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## oz_sg10 (Aug 31, 2010)

ilarum said:


> Thank you very much for the answer. Just one last question. Is it easier to get a PR in Australia or Singapore. And do you know which one is better. Because according to me both are developed countries and in both countries getting PR would take about 2 years.
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> ...


Singapore is an awesome country, and it feels like a very clean, disciplined Indian city outside India. I was in Singapore before my move to Melbourne, and I made the move mainly because of career related reasons. 

Getting PR is generally tough for Indians these days in sg - they do not have a well defined pathway to PR like Australia. Singapore tends to maintain a ratio of different races in its population, and the number of Indians in Singapore have been on the rise recently - hence the difficulty in getting PR. I have friends who have been there for 3-4 years and still rejected PR. Till 2009 beginning, it used to be really easy to get a PR there.

Another issue in Singapore is that the rentals are very expensive. The public housing sector called HDBs are the lowest, which themselves cost an average of 1800 to 2000 SGD. However, this is the only major expense. Everything else is cheaper than Australia. Public transport is awesome and wont cost you even 20 SGD a week. It is very easy for a new comer to settle in Singapore. Australia on the other hand (all I have seen is Melbourne) has pretty bad public transport comparatively. You need a car to be really self sufficient here. Also the place is not as safe as Singapore. You can go anywhere in Singapore at any time and you don't have to worry at all. 

From Singapore, you can travel to any city of India for 200-300 SGD whereas a trip from here will cost you around 1000 AUD. Singapore has many exotic beaches and holiday destinations in its backyard, like Langkawi, Phuket, Bali, Penang etc. Australia has awesome destinations, like places in Queensland like gt barrier reef, gold coast etc and even better access to new zealand which is one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

In Australia, you have a better career, access to a better job market and are paid much better. You end up saving more in Australia. You can buy a house with a lawn and your own backyard whereas someone settling in Singapore cant even dream about it. Work life balance here is better, some jobs in Singapore are very demanding and you end up spending a lot of time at work. 



In the end, its about what you want - both places have their own pros and cons. I still miss Singapore but I love Australia a lot too.


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

oz_sg10 said:


> Singapore is an awesome country, and it feels like a very clean, disciplined Indian city outside India. I was in Singapore before my move to Melbourne, and I made the move mainly because of career related reasons.
> 
> Getting PR is generally tough for Indians these days in sg - they do not have a well defined pathway to PR like Australia. Singapore tends to maintain a ratio of different races in its population, and the number of Indians in Singapore have been on the rise recently - hence the difficulty in getting PR. I have friends who have been there for 3-4 years and still rejected PR. Till 2009 beginning, it used to be really easy to get a PR there.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the detailed reply guys. I will weigh all the options and decide. Rightly mentioned both have there pros and cons. In the end it depends on one's personal choice. I know the weather in SG sucks the high levels of humidity. Thanks again to oz_sg10 & anj1976. I appreciate the inputs.

Regards
Murali


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

ilarum said:


> Thanks for the detailed reply guys. I will weigh all the options and decide. Rightly mentioned both have there pros and cons. In the end it depends on one's personal choice. I know the weather in SG sucks the high levels of humidity. Thanks again to oz_sg10 & anj1976. I appreciate the inputs.
> 
> Regards
> Murali


I am preparing and excel to weight the pros and cons and give additional weight ages to various criteria's to make the decisions. Below is my list I will post the excel soon


Public Transport
Car
Driving
Housing for Rent
Owning a house
Safety (Crime Rate)
Racism
Food
Work Culture
Job Opportunities/Career
Weekend Activities
Shopping
Personal Finance
Medical Care
Education System
Lifestyle when old
Job Opportunities
Social Life
Wealth Accumulation
Travel Opportunities
Access to India
Weather
Integration in Society
Cost of Living


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## 10mct (Jul 12, 2010)

*Lifestyle when old*

Would love to know about :
1.Education System
2.*Lifestyle when old*



ilarum said:


> I am preparing and excel to weight the pros and cons and give additional weight ages to various criteria's to make the decisions. Below is my list I will post the excel soon
> 
> 
> Public Transport
> ...


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## MaddyOZ (Aug 16, 2011)

10mct said:


> Would love to know about :
> 1.Education System
> 2.*Lifestyle when old*


If your moving to WA, check the below blog written by our fellow forum member. Very informative and almost all the details are given in there.

Welcome 

For other states, I have not come across any such blog yet. But google it, you will find many.

Cheers.


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## 10mct (Jul 12, 2010)

Thanks.. 
Need more info on 
1.the costs especially related to kids like: for 'day care'
2. which is the BEST school- academically (public) 



MaddyOZ said:


> If your moving to WA, check the below blog written by our fellow forum member. Very informative and almost all the details are given in there.
> 
> Welcome
> 
> ...


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## 10mct (Jul 12, 2010)

MaddyOZ said:


> If your moving to WA, check the below blog written by our fellow forum member. Very informative and almost all the details are given in there.
> 
> Welcome
> 
> ...


It is indeed a good site .. thanks...


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

10mct said:


> It is indeed a good site .. thanks...


Awesome thank you very much. I will be speaking to a few more people I know and will decide in a day or two. Thanks again. I shall post my detail analyses soon, I appreciate the help offered.


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

ilarum said:


> Awesome thank you very much. I will be speaking to a few more people I know and will decide in a day or two. Thanks again. I shall post my detail analyses soon, I appreciate the help offered.


Hi Guys,
I have finally decided to take the offer from Sydney. I decided this after speaking to a some people who have already been to Singapore and Sydney. I basically used an Excel Sheet to make a comparison of the various criteria's. How did the points system work. Each criteria has an Weightage so that means some criteria that is important to me takes a higher weightage as compared to the others. 
See the attachment. Suggestions and inputs are welcome.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

you do have a lot of patience.. people say i have patience but you beat me ..

lemme tell you this.. 
SG PR is difficult, AU PR very easy
SG weather sucks, AU weather is awesome
SG Work opportunities ar enot much if you do not like SG much, AU work opportunities are vast, if not Syd, come to Mel or go to Brissie.. you will love it.. 
It is relatively easy to own a house in Au, SG is very difficult
SG cars have a life of 10 years i think (not sure though but i was told you can not drive a very old car, owning a car is a dream for many). Our car here is 11 years old and runs beautifully
SG has language issues, AU does not
Food wise AU is better than SG.. 

all this not cos i am here but i did this comparison as well long back and AU anyday beats SG in most things, yes there are some really positive things about SG but then in a long term AU is the perfect choice, trust me, you wont regret this.


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

anj1976 said:


> you do have a lot of patience.. people say i have patience but you beat me ..
> 
> lemme tell you this..
> SG PR is difficult, AU PR very easy
> ...


No I don't agree with you I am not at all patient guy...on the contrary I am impatient ...anyway I would like to thank you for your valuable feedback. So how long does it take to apply for PR and get one once you have a 457 Visa?
I had to sit an analyse the pros and cons and I also spoke to a lot of friends... so that helped me a lot in making the decision.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Umm from what I know, you can apply for PR immediately, not sure if it is the employer who has to apply for you or you can independently apply or was it 2 years after working in the company you can apply, just read about it in the forum..


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

anj1976 said:


> Umm from what I know, you can apply for PR immediately, not sure if it is the employer who has to apply for you or you can independently apply or was it 2 years after working in the company you can apply, just read about it in the forum..


I need to check on this how long before which I can apply for PR. I think let me reside in Sydney for year and then apply for PR. Makes more sense as it gives me an opportunity to make a more informed decision by then.


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## ilarum (Nov 27, 2011)

ilarum said:


> I need to check on this how long before which I can apply for PR. I think let me reside in Sydney for year and then apply for PR. Makes more sense as it gives me an opportunity to make a more informed decision by then.


Another good link to compare cost of living.
Cost of Living


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## GlobalIndian (Mar 1, 2012)

*Indian Relocating to Sydney on 457*



ilarum said:


> Another good link to compare cost of living.
> 
> 
> Hi Murali, seems you were in the same dilemma as I am ... I am considering a move to Sydney .. I am on a 457 & the company has offered me 90k+super. Couple of questions:
> ...


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## GlobalIndian (Mar 1, 2012)

*Indian Relocating to Sydney on 457*



anj1976 said:


> Umm from what I know, you can apply for PR immediately, not sure if it is the employer who has to apply for you or you can independently apply or was it 2 years after working in the company you can apply, just read about it in the forum..




Hi Anj, I am considering a move to Sydney .. I am on a 457 & the company has offered me 90k+super. Couple of questions:

1- based on your experience in sydney.. how did you fnd it for indians?
2- is 90k good enough to have a 2 BR flat/house in a safe locality? We are a family of 2 .. wife will be studying.. hence not working
3- What would be roughly monthly costs? Rentals? Food? Transport.. Sorry for asking a vague question.. but if you could provide some thoughts.. it'll be great..

Thanks.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

i am not in Sydney, I am in Melbourne and Australia is so multi-cultural, sydney or melbourne, it does not matter, people are very nice, courteous and accommodating. 

90k is good, i wont say very good but not bad either, our total monthly expenditure is 2500-2600 bux plus another 600 bux for my daughter's childcare, your wife can start working part time as well and eventually you can apply for PR.

if you stay further away from the city, you can save a lot on rent. i am not sure how school fee would work out for you on this visa, check that once and as i said Australia has people form all over the world, a lot of Asians, Indians, Sri Lankans, Brits so on and forth and they respect you.


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