Living on a £35k wage in Australia?

[PhoebeMcPeePee]

We're in the very early days of considering a move abroad & one possible location is Australia. The jobs DH has been looking at offer sponsored 457 visa & relocation support and quote a basic of $60-65k plus overtime.

As this wouldn't be a forever move (3-5years?), we would rent out our house in the UK which would give us a small additional monthly income & once settled I would be happy to work PT if possible but no guarantees there. So would DH being on £35k salary would actually afford us any better quality of life than the £25k we jointly earn in the UK.

We live in an absurdly expensive part of the country (SE) & not happy with DC's school so already planning a move elsewhere in the UK but then got the idea of a moving abroad & are now both totally hooked on the idea but maybe need a reality check

I think you now have 90 days to find a new job on a 457 visa (this happened to a friend recently). I agree Foxtel is rubbish, we only watch Corrie and sport. I didn't mind paying for school supplies as in Ireland we also had to buy textbooks! Karmakoala how on earth did you get a $1200 bill for three months leccy, thats a shocker! I agree cars are more expensive, we bought an old banger for cash and it goes great, but cars do hold their value much better here, mainly because they dont rot in the rain according to my husband. And no massive road tax! Our doc bulk bills so we have no medical fees apart from ambo insurance which is buttons ($80 a year I think).

I totally agree that its an amazing place to bring kids up.I wish Id emigrated years ago (only thing I miss is my mum and old friends).

We lived in Perth for 2 years. The rents are massive there. Dh was on $150k. Erm, it was tight for us All treats were out. We used to go to restaurants quite frequently in the Uk, we'd go once a month there, as it was so expensive. Our rent was $650a week, in an average suburb.

Glad we're back now. I went to shop in Lidl and nearly fainted when I had a trolley full of food, and the checkout girl said £36 please. I shopped cheaply in the markets too.

I live in Perth outer suburbia (40 mins to CBD by train) and pay half that in rent for a three bedroomed house. We don't have a pool though (next year!) as we are very near the beach and the local outdoor pool, so it really is horses for courses. We are on a lot less than $150k too, and do very nicely, although we also dont go to many restaurants any more, we have picnics and uses the free bbqs instead.

But yeah, I miss Aldi. But apparantly its coming here soon, yippee!

karmakoalas post is excellent and detailed.

Just a note that you don't have to take out private health insurance.

Also 3rd party insurance is paid in various ways depending on which state you are in. In NSW you must take out separate 3rd party insurance to your registration.

Car are expensive here but so so much cheaper then they used to be. The price of a holdern barina is cheaper then it was when I was 13. ( I remember the ad because I really wanted the sportsgirl limited edition one)

I think certain visas do require you to have private health insurance (457?).

Yes, 457 visa holders need to have health cover, but also UK citizens are entitled to healthcare in Australia therefore their health cover is provided by being a UK citizens But if the visa holder is say from the USA would need private health care cover.

www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/health-care-for-visitors-to-australia

Wow so much information & the financial specifics are so helpful.

We've got lots to think about but it sounds like this particular job isn't going to pay enough so DH is now looking for the same type of offer (ie with sponsored visa) & see if he can get a bit more money! We are also making a few adjustments at home in order to maximise the rental income as it sounds like we might well need the extra income!

One thing I've not considered is what, if any, work I might be able to get? Degree-level education but no real vocational qualifications & just office/childcare experience.

Not relevant to anyone in Oz but thought I'd let you know that my leccy bill for January was £518.
Usually around £400-£500 a month for winter months which can last for half the year.
Never goes below £80 month even in the summer.
Oh, I'm in Sweden by the way

We are in Perth and live on one salary of $ 82000 plus child and rent allowance. We live well but only because we don't drink in pubs can't afford to,eat out/ take away once a month never go out as a couple, can't afford the taxi fare and the night out, with all our social activities either free events, like te outdoor movies or at friends houses.

Despite having almost top medical cover I just paid out $700 for the dentist.

Yes you adapt and change but at what cost. We like to travel,but anywhere apart from Bali sets you back $2000 for flights out of the state.

We simply even with 2 wages cannot afford to buy what we would want here so moving back to sunny Scotland where we will live like kings on our combined salary of£55000.

My advice would be to treat it as an adventure for a few years and take the financial hit,we will be almost £40 000 down, but have had good times.

Ha scottswede another good reason to leave.

We had Bupa Classic Visitors cover. Which came in handy when I fell down the stairs and broke my leg. Otherwise we would have had to pay $800 for an ambulance call out

I ? the NHS.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Giggly and longdistances post point out exactly why we have choose not to have private health care cover.

I will need regular and expensive dental treatment for the rest of my life. If I take out a top cover policy I will meet the maximum payout after about 12 months but still will have paid a fair bit of gap. So we just put the money away each month. We also just have ambulance cover which is maybe $80 a year.

that being said I do miss the NHS but also what medicare used to be mainly bulk billed, access to dental care on low income.

As 457 visa holders we had to send our Bupa details to the agents processing our visas and it states on the visa itself:

Conditions on your visa Please be aware of the conditions on your visa:

You must start work within 90 days of arrival in Australia, or if you in Australia at the time of grant, within 90 days of the grant work only for the employer that sponsored you
Only work in the occupation for which you were nominated
You and your family must maintain health insurance while you hold this visa
Obtain, maintain and comply with the conditions of any necessary license or registration requirements and
You must not be out of work for more than 90 consecutive days.

I do agree that it would be an adventure for you to come - I don't regret coming here at all, even if we do end up back in the UK. DD has had the most amazing opportunities - we camp on an island in the harbour, sail and paddleboard at weekends, enjoy the pool in the sun etc.

If you can get a decent package to come over here and work out all of the expenses beforehand you'll be fine. Your rental income will be taxed in Australia btw.

Arfishy.. Your agent should have asked if you were a British citizen?hazchem is quite right you don't need private cover. Your one of the few countries eligible for reciprocal care. We were on a 457. No private health, simple reply to health question is reciprocal health. No idea why you need an agent for a 457? The employer did ours.

They were a big agency used by DP's employer - they made us send in all of our Bupa details - in fact, DP didn't have private cover before and had to take some out, only I did for me and DD.

This is our 5th 457 and I've been told to take out private cover each time too.

I think there's some weird clause whereby DIAC won't grant the visa without the private cover, but once you get here and get granted medicare you can cancel it, although you'll still need Ambulance/Dental cover I guess.

Karma s post was excellent and rang true for me as well. I lived there for two years. I think the media representation of Australia tells you little in terms of the harsh realities. I did find people were very friendly though. Sydney would be expensive. Central Melbourne too. Travel to see places (cause of the distances involved) is extortionate. Better quality food but pricey. What about New Zealand? I have no idea if that s any better tbh

Migrations agents can bit quite shit! I know several people that have paid migration agents and have still had to do all the work ect.

Still we had no private health on a 457. We got it before our pr. To avoid age loading. We have a corporate plan. We get 90% back on extras. Unlimited gen dental. Kids gap free unlimited general dental.
Electric tho... I'm in awe of a bill less than $500. Ours were up to $900 a quater, 12 months ago we got solar. Even with that we pay $100 a month.according to the usage comparison on the back of the bill it's less than average consumption if a house of 5.

I read somewhere that if you apply for PR from a 457 they ask for proof that you've had private healthcare. Whether this is a new thing or just a load of rubbish I have no idea.

My gas is $167 a month and electricity is about $700 per quarter.

The pool costs a bloody fortune. I was warned but didn't listen.

All you have to do is have cover for the period you leave the uk and land in Oz. We got very inexpensive travel insurance for 1 month and that was enough to satisfy immigration for our 457.

ie no health insurance needed for 457.

Arfishy they may ask about private cover because of insurance loading. Quite a few years ago hardly anyone in Australia had private health insurance. Why would we we have medicare. The insurance industry was starting to crumble because it wasn't needed. So instead of letting it die away the Howard government introduced a penalty for not taking out private heath insurance. Basically for every year after your 30th birthday that you don't take out private health insurance you are given a 2% loading on top of the insurance cost. When you enter Australia as a resident you have 12 months to take out insurance at a 0% loading other wise they start adding it up. Sorry that was long but it really pisses me off that it is even in place. Freaking bastard Howard.

I think arfishy it's just rubbish
We were not asked for any proof of private health when we did pr and had 12 months to get it before we would be slogged with age loading.

It was a condition of our 457 that we had private bumps cover for the whole of our visa.

Like Longdistance we spent two years in Australia (Brisbane and Perth) and we are now home.