Why would you move to Australia for £20 extra a month?

[089ville]

Why would you move to Australia for £20 extra a month?

Purple lack of CH in Oz too. Drives me crazy! People say "Oh but it's expensive isn't it?" when I mention how we could do with it...I think "NO! It's about the same or less than running that horrid reverse cycle air conditioner on hot all Winter!"

Education is much cheaper there although at the very top end of the spectrum it’s not as good there is more variety and choice than there is in Britain. Healthcare is a million times better than in the uk (assuming you aren’t living rurally - I suspect that would drag down the figures somewhat artificially as well). There is less social pressure, the etiquette is far less stringent there so a lack of fine manners won’t hold you back there the way it does in Britain. Food tastes much better. Climate is better (while it’s hotter it is much easier to deal with than in the UK - 35 in Australia feels about the same as 25 in the UK due to the way cities/ houses are designed and the heat is easier to escape). We keep having this discussion. It’s the education and the manners that put us off making the move but we will probably end up back there at some point.

No

boggles Gosh YES to the "less social pressure" my DD who was 11 when we arrived in Australia told me a year later that this was a huge relief to her. She noted that kids here don't judge you on what you wear so much. Saying that..the lack of etiquette sometimes still slightly shocks me! People swear more...but it's part of the laid-back Australian way.

They're not saying fuck all the time but old ladies will say "Shit!" and things....which you wouldn't hear in the UK.

The food is way better here it's true. Most things are locally grown here and not that expensive....

Same as SilverySurfer.

Migrating anywhere is most likely going to be better than this shit hole (UK).

Well the Uk is still beautiful Mittens it still has some of the most incredible architecture, countryside and culture. The TV and comedy over there beats everywhere else hands down. As does the music.

I left due to an inability to move forward...not because I think it's a shithole. I love England and always will.

Why not? I don't think moving anywhere just for money is a good idea.

I want to experience any culture and if I had the money I would. Maybe stay for 6 months at a time ignore the fact I have pets, a child and a partner who wouldn't want to

At the moment, myself and my best friend are wanting to do a trip to Mongolia from the UK in a camper van, there are certain arguments as to the best route and considering both of us would get lost in a box, it is a pipe dream.

But my point is if its something you want, you would do it

Nobody moves to the other side of the world for an extra few quid, its a huge and expensive upheaval to emigrate. We did it because we thought we would have a better life here. And we do! I've also lived in the UK and Ireland, both wonderful countries with lots to offer, but our lifestyle here is better, and of course so is the climate (if you like sun). There are pros and cons of every country, though I never will understand why so many people on here bash Australia. Its not for everyone, some people just don't settle, but I feel like I moved to paradise.

@089ville

You wouldn't get me moving to Australia for an extra £2000 a month, let alone an extra £20.

Nothing about it appeals to me. Nothing.

I would never move somewhere THAT far away from the UK, and would only leave the UK, if I had no-one who meant anything to me here.

LOL at the poster who said 'I moved because I have a view of a beach out of my window.' Big deal. Like you can't get there in the UK! (Or anywhere else in the world!')

Anyone who think Oz has a cheaper cost of living is trippin'. Good luck if you move there. You're in for a shock matey.

Australia has a cheaper cost of living outside the state capitals and if you’re earning in Aussie dollars. Totally different on hols where the exchange rate is not favourable to sterling (and will likely get worse with Brexit)

I live near Cairns and it’s much cheaper here than Sydney, Melbourne etc which don’t appeal to me anyway.

Healthcare amazing- after a bout with gallstones I had my removal op within 7 weeks, would have taken much longer at home in NI and all free through Medicare.
DH works full time, I can work part time- never could have afforded to do that at home. Has been a huge improvement in lifestyle for us even in this years never ending wet season!

If you are moving to a city and working full-time, you will get the same lifestyle of commuting to work, work and commuting home for 5 days a week. Agree with the unrecognised diversity within Australia. Life in Hobart very different from life in Townsville or Sydney.

We have been in OZ for 5 years.

We love living here. We swapped our English three bed semi for a 5 bed detached, on 3 acres with a swimming pool.

We earn loads more here than we could in UK, the weather is fantastic, health care is unbelievably good. If you need an X-ray or scan, then you can usually get it done same day, and it’s free!!

Dental on the other hand is very expensive.

Are we glad we made the move? Yes, for sure.

Would we ever consider moving back to UK? Nope, can’t think of a single reason why we would.

Dental is expensive but those on low income get help for kids braces etc. My friend paid 500 dollars only for her son's (about 270 pounds) and she paid in installations. Medicare is there too for ordinary medical costs.

No...But I am Kiwi and NZ is a way better/nicer place!

I love Australia (esp. Sydney, Blue Mountains and Margaret River). The only thing that would put me off would be distance from family in UK (currently live in Asia and even that is far) and the fact that Australia is miles from anywhere else, although that's secondary as from a holiday perspective I could do most things I like to do in Australia or NZ.

Nope. I’ve just got back from Melbourne (and have spent time in Sydney before). The cost of living is so much higher than here, so that money won’t go far.

We have beaches in the UK which rival any of those I’ve visited.
The institutionalised and widely accepted racism is shocking.
Where I was, you have to drive to get anywhere and the houses are so self contained that there’s very little sense of community in the local area.
Lifestyle very much depends on your willingness to engage with it / create it - which is exactly the same as here.

Disclaimer: I realise that Australia is huge and this might be different in other places.

Also, healthcare is better?

Not the experience of our family at all.

End of life care is disjointed, there is very limited choice in terms of where and how care occurs. Hospices compared to the hospital in chernobyl.
In the early days there is choice over GP etc in terms of approach but this is expensive (and only a portion can be reclaimed) and the regulation / monitoring of what GPs do seems to be lacking (think GP charging $400 a month for supplements).
Social care seemed to be non existent.

Well I've lived here for over 6 years and disagree with pretty much all your points WalkofShame, and that's why anecdata is pretty useless. But I'm going to respond anyway. Having lived in three countries for extended periods and used the healthcare in all three, it is so much better here! I can get free same day doctor's appointments, and when my son had a burst appendix the care he received was superlative, as was the hospital he was in which had an entire top floor filled with a free gaming arcade, basketball court, teenagers hangout and DJ booth, all for patients use. I also supported an old friend through his last stages of cancer, and the support and palliative care he received in the last year of his life was superlative (and free). He was supported to die at home, and the short stints of respite hospice care he received were fantastic, certainly nothing like Chernobyl

And as for racism. Its everywhere. There is just as much racism in the UK and Ireland.

As for houses being 'self-contained' and there being no sense of community, well yes most houses are detached as there is more space here in the UK, and there is plenty of community where I live!For example every year we have Neighbours Day every year, where the local government actually gives you money to host a gathering with your neighbours! Last year we had a bbq on the foreshore, it was great fun!

Yes it is expensive here, particularly if you are on holiday, and the exchange rate is poor. But wages here are so much higher, so once you are on Aussie wages, a lot of things are cheaper. We certainly have much more disposable income and a better quality of life here because of that.

Anyway, I realise you said other areas may vary, I just wanted to point out that this is very much the case! There are shitty bits of Oz (I enjoy visiting Sydney and Melbourne, but wouldn't want to love there!), just as there are shitty bits of the UK. But don't write off an entire continent because of them!

LHMB I’m in Adelaide. Not a bad place really but it’s just not ‘me’ plus the summers here make me feel ill. Lots love the climate though so don’t let that put you off

My chance to move to the UK is gone so my long term plan is New Zealand, probably somewhere on the South Island or possibly Wellington.

I don't like beaches, barbeques or hot weather so I don't think it would be for me (and the spiders and cockroaches would put me off too).

A friend's sister lived there for 5 years but did something to her back which meant she couldn't carry on in her job there, so they wouldn't renew her visa, she wasn't allowed to retrain to do something else.

And I also remember reading about someone whose child was autistic who was also not given permanent residency. Their immigration rules are pretty strict it seems, you can't just decide to live there, and even if you get in on the points system there are no guarantees about long-term. Another friend got around the rules by starting a business in the UK, then starting a branch in Australia, and employing themselves and then relatives. They have been there about 12 years now, not sure if they have citizenship by now.

Australia would be very low down my list of places if I decide to leave the UK

every year we have Neighbours Day every year, where the local government actually gives you money to host a gathering with your neighbours! Last year we had a bbq on the foreshore, it was great fun

Oh my. As bad as the forced jollity of street parties. Another reason not to move there.