Life in Australia

[CodyCod]

What's it like to live in one of the major cities in Australia?

I don't mean just visit on holiday, but actually live there.

Different in Perth to the opposite coast. Wages are higher but things are more expensive across Australia so someone I know tells me. Lots of outdoor stuff but depending where you live you might not like the wildlife.

MY DS1 met an Aussie (in the UK) .married her and has lived in Adelaide for four years now. He loves it there and has permanent residency, and will take citizenship soon. Loves the people, the chill factor and the decent roads.
Living costs... expensive as is food (IMO..we visit as often as we can afford the air fare)
The weather is fab in spring and summer and autumn... hot but not unbearable. Rainy and rather British in winter! The beach is 10 mins drive away and stunning, and you can be up in the hills in an equally short space of time.
As a visitor, the sheer colour astounds me... even in summer, greenery, beautiful flowers, Lorakeets in the trees. Magpies are evil and dive bomb cyclists. Bats are huge and the trees in the city centre near the zoo are full of them at night.

Medical care is better. DS1 managed to slip discs in his neck.. agony. Visited the GP, had an MRI the next day, and physio immediately.Their system seems to be a cross between NHS and private and affordable...or at least, accessible!

I'd move there in a heart beat if DS2 was allowed, but he has a lifelong medical condition and they don't let you emigrate if you are likely to cost a lot (DS2 will never be fully independent so we can't leave him behind!)

Think it depends which one…..Perth is completely different to living in Sydney

I'd like to know about Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

Sydney is very expensive (property higher than London prices). If you are aiming to buy a house you'd have to move quite far out and that's where it's hotter and a long commute. I lived there when younger and worked hard played hard. Worked very long hours in my profession. Lived in shared accommodation.

Perth is much less cosmopolitan, not lived there but my family are from WA. Most moved away. Good beach lifestyle.

Melbourne I've not lived in.

Most of my best friends live in and around Brisbane. A lot more affordable, growing city quite a lot of opportunities. If I was going to move back it would be Brisbane.

All Australian cities have slightly different vibes because of the different climates. I lived in Sydney for a year and loved it. The weather is amazing. It gets very hot in summer but it's not relentlessly hot, it heats up and cools down again. Sydney definitely encourages an outdoor lifestyle all year round as it's never too hot for too long, and it doesn't really get cold in winter - maybe 10° at night. It also feels like proper big city. There is always loads happening, great places to eat, festivals, great nightlife, gigs, comedy etc, but you can also take walks along the coast paths that make you feel like you're out in the countryside and the beaches are gorgeous.
It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it has its rough parts but the good outweighs the bad by far. I would love back in a heartbeat if someone could pull it a bit closer to home :)

When I moved from Sydney to Melbourne I was stunned by how "foreign" Melbourne seemed. I might as well have moved halfway across the world! They really are such different cities, but there is a lot to love about both. (Er, except for the exorbitant rents and house prices.) I was fresh out of uni, and Melbourne lured me with its huge dance scene, live music, amazing food and its attitude to anyone and everyone of "You have your own style, your own thing going on, so enjoy it, indulge it and we'll embrace you". That was 35 years ago, and I'm still in Melbs, because all these things are still true. But I also love visiting my family in Sydney and hand-picking the best of that city.

Sydney: Good things are the beautiful beaches, the national parks that surround the city, the walks (if you're visiting, do the Hermitage walk from Rose Bay to Vaucluse, the Coogee to Bondi walk and the Spit Junction to North Head walk), yummy Asian food, especially Thai; ferry rides on the harbour; shopping and admiring Victorian architecture in Newtown; galleries in Chippendale; the Museum of Contemporary Art, followed by a hike around the Rocks; the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Botanic Gardens next door.
Cons are the high rents, long and costly commutes due to the tricky topography, and a nightlife heavily dependent on alcohol, thanks to the rubbish liquor licensing laws. Fine if you love your booze. (Awful for danceaholics like me, which is why I left.) The climate has changed, hence a lot more rain. Homophobia. Arrogant, entitled men, especially in the eastern suburbs. Insufferably hot, humid days, especially out west, where it can be 12-15 degrees hotter than on the coast.

Melbourne: Inner city focused for music and nightlife, outer suburbs for big nature walks and urban farming. Great streetscapes for socialising and hanging out; people are sometimes described as "a Smith Street, Collingwood person" or a "Chapel Street, Windsor person". Variety of nightlife, everything from garage punk to the glossiest show from Broadway. Big touring productions start in Melbourne because we have the talent, theatres and audiences to support them. Music for all tastes. Lots of niche restaurants and weird bars. Public transport is quite good, meaning you can live in a far-flung burb and get around town reasonably quickly. High-performing public schools. Seven universities. A long-standing culture of welcoming newcomers and letting them add their distinctive thing to the city. Interesting beaches along Port Phillip Bay, each with its own character; I like Dendy Beach and Half Moon Bay. Some lovely outer suburbs such as Montmorency, close to the mountains yet with a bohemian village feel. Heaps of bicycle tracks, walking trails, easy weekend trips to goldfields cities such as Ballarat and Bendigo. Cons are, again, high rents and house prices; infrastructure that hasn't kept up with pop growth; a changing climate, meaning Melbourne has become hotter and drier. I'm wondering how much longer they'll be holding the Australian Open tennis tournament in January, when it is truly, unbearably hot.

I’ve lived in Melbourne, Gold Coast and have a child in Sydney. Melbourne I loved!! Though now I think I’d struggle with the cold. Lots of things to see and do.
We live out of Sydney but are there lots. Sydney is fantastic in some suburbs. DD1 is close to the city centre in a wonderful community that doesn’t feel like an city..and I love it. Though public transport is hit and miss-they keep stopping trains to get station for one reason or another, and she’s taken to driving. Brisbane have spent lots of time and it’s nice but wasn’t my fav in atmosphere. Though It really depends on what lifestyle you want. I’ve come to love Sydney and all its options. Great food, beaches or mountains nearby.

I live in Melbourne and agree with what @groovergirl says. It is a city of over 5 million people, spread out over a long way. Roads get congested, trains get delayed, lots of big building projects going on. I get up and commute to work like many others in cities around the world. The beach and views do not have the charm and glitter of Sydney. But the arts , food and cultural scene is very strong. The universities are good, the state government is reasonably progressive, the diversity and commitment to multicuralism runs deep as does the love of sport.

I grew up in Brisbane and have lived in Melbourne for the last 20+ years so AMA.

I really don't know why this myth persists that the COL in Australia is more expensive than the UK. I've just come back from 4 weeks in the UK and I can state absolutely that prices in the UK are generally much higher than here. Some supermarket groceries might be cheaper, but meals in pubs and restaurants aren't, petrol, utilities etc. Drinks in pubs cheaper, but to buy in bottle shops, more expensive. French champagne is cheaper here, bloody Bombay Sapphire gin is cheaper! Clothing about the same.

The first coffee I bought at a highway service centre (Costa?) was nearly 8 pounds. That's the equivalent of AUD16, more than 3 times what I normally would pay for a cup of coffee.

Even property in capital cities. Compare apples to apples. I live in an inner suburb of Melbourne. You can buy a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with offstreet parking in my suburb for about GBP 350K. Can you buy the same in London - within 5km of the city centre?

If you can buy a fully detached 3-4 bedroom house with a double garage, multiple bathrooms & living rooms and a garden, that's a half hour commute to the middle of London for GBP750,000 I'll eat my akubra.

I think people look at prices and forget that one Aussie dollar is worth roughly 50p.

Also our wages are considerably higher.

Rant over.

I grew up in Brisbane and Melbourne. I guess my input isn't very relevant but it's certainly a place with fond memories for me. My parents didn't like Brisbane as it was too hot, but we had a mich bigger garden than in Melbourne. Melbourne was cold in winter but much better museums and public transport. I've been back there a few times, little bit sad how much everything is a chain store now, but that's the same everywhere.

I've been to Brisbane and find it quite boring. Gold Coast, an hour from Brisbane is beautiful, like an eternal holiday, although I don't think there are many industries there to find a good job other than hospitality and tourism. Brisbane should have more types of jobs though.

Sydney is beautiful, although quite crowded when you walk through the CBD. Many job opportunities, high salaries (depending on your industry). Houses are very expensive though, most people can only afford an apartment. It's great there to go on holidays.

Melbourne is the best out of these 3 cities. There are so many things to do, many options for day trips. Can get a high salary if you're in a good industry. Many options, you can still afford a house with a yard if you choose outer suburbs 40 min drive from the city. If you live on the suburbs or inner city, you would never see those "dangerous" animals so many people talk about that we have in Australia.

Sidney and Brisbane are hot cities, they are hot most of the year, but not Melbourne's. Melbourne is mainly hot only on summer and cold only on winter, the other 2 seasons are like "fresh/cool weather".

Many people complain about the cost of living, which is true but you can still mitigate some of it by knowing where to buy, go to veggie markets, butchers, different retails, shop around, etc.

I live in Sydney and I love it. Housing is expensive but it’s a big city, so to be expected. Public transport is mainly excellent - cheap and reliable. Food is similar price to the U.K. (I lived in the U.K. last year), but generally better quality.
I love the variety of food - were such a multicultural country so there’s plethora of cuisines to try in the supermarket or out. Even our local food court in Westfield has Korean, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, as well as Maccas!

I love all the things to do - we’re an outdoorsy family so we love beaches, bush walks, kayaking etc. The kids play sport every weekend. Then for cultural stuff you can head to the city and there’s always something on.

Work life balance is pretty good. Salaries are generally high. People say it’s expensive but compared to the U.K., council tax is cheaper, power bills are a fraction (I spend around £4 per day on electricity and that includes hot water, it goes up to about £8 if I have the air con on), transport is cheaper, eating out is much cheaper. So yes, you do spend more on houses but the rest of life is affordable.

The weather - yes it can get hot in summer but it doesn’t stay hot like southern Europe. From March/April to October it’s just lovely - temps in the 20s most of the time.

Agree! I find the UK so expensive now (apart from a few processed foods) and our fruit and veggies in Australia are so much higher quality. It really isn’t cheap in the UK!

We lived in the U.K. last year and literally everything was more expensive than Sydney! We live 40 mins from the city centre, so the equivalent of Wimbledon, but we have a 5 bed detached house with a big garden. Our next door neighbours house just sold for 2.5million which is around 1.25 sterling (ish) and there’s no way you could get a big, detached house, with a garden and a pool within 40 mins of the centre of London for that much.