Moving to Sydney

[HelloHouse]

Hi - really looking for some help/reassurance!!!
my DH has been offered a job in Sydney (based in the CBD) I will be working aswell as we work for the same company in the UK. We will be looking to sell our home in the UK and use some of the equity to pay off some debts we have and we are going to rent in Aus as we don't know how long we will be there.

My main questions is where to live?! We don't mind commuting, we aren't big on going out for more than a nice meal and a bottle of wine now and again so would like some nice areas within walking distance.
We've looked at Manly which I love but it's crazy expensive.
This leads to my next question - our joint income will be around $220k a year. In the UK it's around £140k so I'm wondering if we will have a similar lifestyle? We live in the midlands so cost of living relatively low.
Like others have mentioned - Sydney is crazy expensive and it just concerns me that we will be paying around $1000 a week minimum for a home which currently costs us £900 a month in the UK.
Any advice? It anything further to consider??

Thanks for the tips!
Very handy to know

Parking in the CBD can be okay if you know where to look, for example the QVB is $25 per day early bird rates (but it's cost me $58 for 2 hours before now going in the middle of the day).

If you want to be by the water then stay around Manly, personally I really dislike Bondi (apart from the chippy).

Tolls are expensive yes, but if you spend over $25 per week now (very easy), they are waiving the rego costs - it's one reason we're still using the toll roads. The roads in general can be a PITA, public transport is okay as long as they aren't striking, the ferris are excellent as long as it's not a really rough day!

I would look at paddington or woollhara...

I live in Freshwater and love it. Manly is too hectic in summer for me, with 750+ tourists per hour coming in on the ferry at weekends. We can walk there in 25 mins though and spend a lot of time there in winter. I work 7:30-4:30 and at that time commute to CBD is only 35 mins by bus - really not as bad as people make out it is. We have kids and are considering moving to Narrabeen but that’s mostly for school reasons and it’s not massively cheaper. Commute wouldn’t be much longer at that time because of the B1 route. There are loads of 2 bed units in Freshwater for about $750 per week, all within walking distance of the beach. Dee why is a bit busier and a bit more ... working class? I wouldn’t choose to live there... Good for casual meals out though, and only 10 mins drive from either Narrabeen or Freshwater.
Northern beaches is great for access to Pittwater and it’s beaches, Kuringai chase National Park (google the basin) and central coast which is where we spend a lot of weekend time. Bondi doesn’t give you that kind of access although Shire would. If you are looking eastern suburbs you might want to consider Coogee as well.
If you aren’t fussed about beach front, waterfront in Balmain or Rozelle would also be nice and a much shorter commute to CBD.

Thank you down!! This sounds exactly where I am coming from. I wasn't too keen on bondi myself although the transport is a plus and we didn't explore north bondi which I gather is a bit nicer... I did really like freshwater and I can see the hectic side of Manly would be annoying after a while... but being walking distance is a nice compromise!
Good to know about the houses too - we have a budget of around $1000 a week so hoping we can find something nice although less would always be preferable!! I'm hearing more and more good things about the bus service so that makes me feel better too

I really don't understand the comments about difficulty to commute to the northern beaches. The bus services are fantastic and runnin dedicated lanes so traffic jams don't affect them the same way as if you were driving. Download the 'tripview' app (there's a free light version which is just as good for research purposes) to check out all the bus services. I have the paid version which allows you to save journeys, and it gives real time info on where the buses are. Some of the express buses stop only at Brookvale, Spit junction Neutral bay then the city.

Second hand cars are very expensive compared to the uk. But they hold their value so you'll get a fair bit back again when you sell. Petrol's cheaper but I found rego and insurance pricey, but no problem on your salary.

I way prefer the northern beaches to bondi - very different feel. You need to check them both out before you decide. Most people are one or the other!

My favourite beach is DeeWhy. Mosman is a great place to live, excellent public transport (buses or ferries - ferry only 20mins to circular quay and always on time). Lovely village feel, good walks and balmoral beach is a picture (but no waves). For $1000 a week you'll have no problem finding a harbour view. (We pay $750 for a 2 bed apt with a sunroom, view of the harbour bridge but no balcony).

Check out the 'domain' app for rentals.

I am on the Northern Beaches as well. If you commute by public transport to the CBD, you should really stay close to Manly. There are many fantastic suburbs around Manly but if you have to walk from Freshwater to the ferry, it will take you ages.

One word about the Medicare. IT is nothing like the NHS once you have a problem. Your family GP is covered if you bulk-bill in some medical centre. My Gp charges me 82$ and Medicare gives me back $36. My neurologist charges me 320$ and medicare gives me back $70 and the same with ultrasound, MRi, .... and I have a platinum private health care . Specialist doctors and exam are not covered by private insurance. And god forbid you need even a tiny surgery, you will be out of pocket for thousands.
Dentist are soooooooooooo expensive, this is the main reason I have an expensive private health care.
If you don't take private insurance, you MUST take ambulance insurance (around 80$/year) otherwise your ambulance trip might cost you thousands

Car are expensive compared to Europe. You need a double insurance, one is yours, the other called green slip is linked to your registration tax and car, so if you sell your car, the insurance is lost on you. I would say around $1300 a year on registration and car insurances.

Internet is crap. And don't be fooled by the NBN broad band high speed, which is high only on paper and is now buried in a high number of complaints

I am not a big fan of Bondi. My son had his body board stolen in Bondi.

I would go for Manly. Even in winter there is a lot going on, nice bars to have a drink, greet library, bakeries, cafe, there is a pedestrian centre, and I just love Harris Farm.

Thanks King!
I think we are settled in Manly area - 25 minute ish walk to the ferry would be fine. We've seen a nice apartment in Queenscliffe?
We have spent the last few days in Manly and really do love it.
We are also wanting to avoid the cost of a car if at all possible so this is a massive consideration on location.
Really helpful on the medical side too - I didn't know about ambulance insurance!
Luckily neither of us are generally ever ill (fingers crossed!) so we will have to weigh up the different insurances - and thanks for the tip on the broadband - there will be some element of working from home too so this is important!

Do get ambulance cover. It’s cheap as $80-$100 a year and a trip for n an ambulance starts st around $900 and can go in to the $10000 pretty quick.

The other option is central coast if you don’t mind a commute?

Manly has everything and we would have loved to live there. Sadly the are no “ normal “ high school” and by that I mean not religious or single sex ( a boy only high school ! Gosh). So we moved 10 min fromManly. Queenscliff is where we stayed when freshly landed. You know there are stairs going directly on Freshwater ( by the way everyone calls it Freshy) beach.
Yes beware of the NBN, right now the normal internet is better, faster and cheaper . We are with Optus and have landline and illimited internet for 85$.
Food is more expensive as you will have noticed. We do a combination of Woolies ( Woolworths) and Aldi. There I an Aldi at Manly ward and the cappuccino at the chocolate cafe in the wharf hall is divine. For fruit and veg we go to harris farm, more expensive but great variety
The warringah Mall will have most of the shops you need for the house. target and big w have a big homeware range. Near the mall there is a very big bulk-billed medical center in brookvale
Got to go will come back later

Luckily neither of us are generally ever ill (fingers crossed!) so we will have to weigh up the different insurances - and thanks for the tip on the broadband - there will be some element of working from home too so this is important!

If you're under 30 years old, I'd recommend getting PHI now because the cost increases substantially if you take it out after 30.

It's beneficial to have, even if you just get extras cover, no hospital cover. I did that prior to having children. I just had general dental, major dental, optical and physio. All of those things cost a fortune without PHI.

Also, ambulance cover is included in most types of PHI.

I don't find food more expensive here. You won't be paying 90p for a single banana unless we have another major flood like we did in QLD in 2011! Fresh fruit and veg are substantially less expensive (and better quality), but the cost of eating out is probably on par with eating out in the UK.

There’s a FBgroup called “Manly Expats” which is good for meeting people. We’re not far from Queensie.
stolemyusername The Bondi Chippy is awesome!

Sorry to derail the thread but I have received a fair bit from medicare to the point where I am thinking of cancelling some of our health insurance. The list of free treatments our family have receved include blood tests, colonoscopy, fertility testing, x-ray, ultrasounds, fracture treatment, kids dental, skin cancer checks, cataract surgery, brain tumour dianosis and removal, sight tests and many gp visits. We have had to pay for the some blood test not covered by medicare and consultant fees of $200-300.

It is not entirely free as the NHS and you need either wait, pay the gap and shop around.

I want to cancel my extras as we only use it for half a year of contact lenses, and the cost of my root cancel cost the same as the extras cover for the year. Taking into account the 3 years I have been paying it, I have lost money.

Very happy with medicare. But I am not brave enough to cancel my hospital cover. I agree with a pp though who said that ambulance insurance is essential. However I should point out that if you arrive as a permanent resident and are over 30, you have a year to get health cover before the loading is added to your payments.

Sounds like Balmain could be a good option for you - nice places to eat and ferry into CBD. Worth a visit to check it out if you can. Good luck and enjoy the sunshine!

Thank you!!
We are both over 30 so that's not great news!
I didn't think about contact lenses, at home I just order them online? May be worth buying in bulk beforehand!
It's not de railing the thread - all information is like gold to us at the moment! We will be coming over on a 457 visa so not sure if that makes any difference to the healthcare/insurance.
Thanks so so much for everyone's helpful input, I'm new to Mumsnet and not entirely sure how to tag people to reply to individual comments yet x

With a 457 you can’t have Medicare and you are obliged to have private insurance. There are several limitations and waiting periods especially on dental, so a good check and clean before leaving is a good . idea.
At Queenscliff right now 😬

Wow that looks lovely! A lot quieter than Manly is right now

It is the same beach, just the other end. 🙂

We don’t have health insurance as I’d cap our life time dental in 18 months. Instead we put aside an amount each month to cover our out of pocket expenses.

If your on a 457 and British then you don’t need private as your entitled to Medicare. Other countries don’t have reciprocal arrangements for health care

It is compulsory to have the private health to get the 457. No insurance no visa, then you can use the reciprocal for your needs. We were on the 457 before becoming permanent .
Your reciprocal is only valid for 6 months then you have to leave the country and come back to restart it

If you're British you're entitled to Medicare regardless of what visa you're on. No need for private health insurance.
Manly is lovely, we lived there for 4 years but left as it is so expensive however we're on half your income with 2 kids! The only downside is that it's so busy! Half of Sydney seems to flock there every weekend. It's been getting worse each year.
The fast ferry takes less than 20 minutes from Manly to the CBD. The bus is about 35 minutes. Not too bad at all.

You can have Medicare in a 457 as a reciprocal agreement with UK. Definitely get a Medicare number as soon as you arrive. There is a gap with doctors and you have to pay the cost of prescription medication but go to a discount chemist as they are cheaper. Definitely get ambulance cover. Depending where you go some services are covered by Medicare - we have had X-rays and ultrasound scans (not for pregnancy) for free. I agree that you might look into Balmain or Rozelle although Manly is really lovely and you get to take the ferry to the city.

I've had pregnancy ultrasounds for free. The system is so confusing. Out of four ultrasounds three were bulk billed. The fourth ultrasound and my prescriptions were the only things I paid for when I had DS2.

The point here is not if you can or cannot get Medicare with reciprocal but can you get the 457 without private insurance? From memory I would say no

Kingirving you are probably right - you need the insurance to be granted the visa, but then presumably once you are here you can cancel the insurance?