Cost of living Melbourne
Discussion
Hello my Aus PH friends 
I am merely asking for a bit of information regarding the general living costs in Australia, specifically Melbourne and maybe Sydney.
I have never had the pleasure of visiting Aus before, so it's difficult to even say I want to live there so I'm thinking more on a long term scale, but would like to know a little in terms of finances.
I am a plumber/maintenance fitter, what is the work situation like? But I'd be prepared to do more or less anything for work to be honest.
Living costs: rent in the city looks pretty expensive Or is that an 'outside looking in' view? Beer/coffee/food looks slightly dearer than UK prices. Petrol looks noticeably cheaper. Would I need a good income/savings to support myself over my stay?
I've heard the weather is fantastic. I've also picked up that the daytime is relatively short?
Sorry very generalising questions, but just trying to get a rough idea. Thanks
PS I will importing a TVR and a Triumph
I am merely asking for a bit of information regarding the general living costs in Australia, specifically Melbourne and maybe Sydney.
I have never had the pleasure of visiting Aus before, so it's difficult to even say I want to live there so I'm thinking more on a long term scale, but would like to know a little in terms of finances.
I am a plumber/maintenance fitter, what is the work situation like? But I'd be prepared to do more or less anything for work to be honest.
Living costs: rent in the city looks pretty expensive Or is that an 'outside looking in' view? Beer/coffee/food looks slightly dearer than UK prices. Petrol looks noticeably cheaper. Would I need a good income/savings to support myself over my stay?
I've heard the weather is fantastic. I've also picked up that the daytime is relatively short?
Sorry very generalising questions, but just trying to get a rough idea. Thanks
PS I will importing a TVR and a Triumph
Sydney-tinted costs here, but Melbourne ain't any different for costs, except rent probably around $800/month cheaper!
Very expensive to live here. Food, drink, utilities and rent all cost significantly more than in the UK - I've been here for 12 months now. Biggest suprise to me - when the currency rate was about $2.5/1 pound it was probably ok - now that it's $1.6/1 pound it just feels expensive, especially when most of the food, beer & wine is Australian, it's not imported.
I'm not in your business, but have a few friends who are. Plenty of good quality work for them and the pay is good (both salaried and contracting) - that's the bit that balances out the cost of living!
Weather is nothing like it's cracked up to be in Sydney - very wet & humid alot - the locals tell me the climate is definitely changing as far as they remember it ... nothing like as many clear blue sunny days. But then we all know how age seems to change our memories.... but when it's nice, it's very nice.
Melbourne very changeable - doesn't have the humidity of Sydney, but goes from blisteringly hot high-30s to high-teens overnight ... Sydney seems a wee bit more settled in terms of spells of sun/rain.
What's the risk? If you come and don't settle, you can easily go back! That's our view and why we came.
I enjoy the place, but not sure if I want to stay here for ever - I miss the European culture, but the sheer feeling of safety and security here is good ... people still respect the police and most crimes seem to be solved quickly, they don't take crap from drunks in the street like you'd see in a typical UK city for instance.
Melbourne has a very different feel from Sydney. If you're a beach/outdoorsy person I'd hazard a view you might well prefer Sydney, with it's beaches, harbour and bushland. If you're a socialite, I think you'll prefer the laneways, bars and culture of Melbourne - I work in Melbourne a lot and it's a lovely city centre, lots of grand old buildings, as opposed to Sydney's almost American feel at times.
Hope that's of some help - there are lots of living cost threads on here, in fact a very recent Perth one which will give you an idea of how much you'll need to spend monthly for phone/electricity etc.
Good luck in your decision!
Very expensive to live here. Food, drink, utilities and rent all cost significantly more than in the UK - I've been here for 12 months now. Biggest suprise to me - when the currency rate was about $2.5/1 pound it was probably ok - now that it's $1.6/1 pound it just feels expensive, especially when most of the food, beer & wine is Australian, it's not imported.
I'm not in your business, but have a few friends who are. Plenty of good quality work for them and the pay is good (both salaried and contracting) - that's the bit that balances out the cost of living!
Weather is nothing like it's cracked up to be in Sydney - very wet & humid alot - the locals tell me the climate is definitely changing as far as they remember it ... nothing like as many clear blue sunny days. But then we all know how age seems to change our memories.... but when it's nice, it's very nice.
Melbourne very changeable - doesn't have the humidity of Sydney, but goes from blisteringly hot high-30s to high-teens overnight ... Sydney seems a wee bit more settled in terms of spells of sun/rain.
What's the risk? If you come and don't settle, you can easily go back! That's our view and why we came.
I enjoy the place, but not sure if I want to stay here for ever - I miss the European culture, but the sheer feeling of safety and security here is good ... people still respect the police and most crimes seem to be solved quickly, they don't take crap from drunks in the street like you'd see in a typical UK city for instance.
Melbourne has a very different feel from Sydney. If you're a beach/outdoorsy person I'd hazard a view you might well prefer Sydney, with it's beaches, harbour and bushland. If you're a socialite, I think you'll prefer the laneways, bars and culture of Melbourne - I work in Melbourne a lot and it's a lovely city centre, lots of grand old buildings, as opposed to Sydney's almost American feel at times.
Hope that's of some help - there are lots of living cost threads on here, in fact a very recent Perth one which will give you an idea of how much you'll need to spend monthly for phone/electricity etc.
Good luck in your decision!
You need to look at the living costs as a percentage of your Aussie take home wage and not by doing a conversion of your English wage or converting our living costs back to pounds.
Sydney is very cheap compared to Perth and looking at how much of my wage goes on essentials I think living here is way cheaper than in the UK.
Sydney is very cheap compared to Perth and looking at how much of my wage goes on essentials I think living here is way cheaper than in the UK.
deviant said:
You need to look at the living costs as a percentage of your Aussie take home wage and not by doing a conversion of your English wage or converting our living costs back to pounds.
Sydney is very cheap compared to Perth and looking at how much of my wage goes on essentials I think living here is way cheaper than in the UK.
100% - basing living costs on £££ will never give you a true representation if you are planning on living and working in a foreign country. Sydney is very cheap compared to Perth and looking at how much of my wage goes on essentials I think living here is way cheaper than in the UK.
find out what an average takehome wage would be for you (take 10% off for pessimism) then have a go at fuguring out how much you need in AU$ for rent, beer etc etc. Thats your true living cost.
Plus side at the moment is if you are thinking short term (2 or 3 years) and can save some money, sending spare cash back to ££ has a very good exchange rate,
Like the guys above said better than me, you've got to put that in context - yes, it's good compared to UK, but because Oz is more expensive, it's not much more in reality!
I'd say on a rule of thumb that a £20K job in the UK pays about $50-60K here ... but that living costs 'seem' about 3 times higher, so it balances out.
Just do it - it's all horses for courses ... tradesmen get paid well and everyone on the building sites look happy ;-)
I'd say on a rule of thumb that a £20K job in the UK pays about $50-60K here ... but that living costs 'seem' about 3 times higher, so it balances out.
Just do it - it's all horses for courses ... tradesmen get paid well and everyone on the building sites look happy ;-)
Melbourne is temperamental with the weather. It is cooler than Sydney generally however it gets less rain than Sydney. It is also as mentioned less humid most of the time. It does get very hot sometimes but normally only for a few days at a time unlike Perth where it can go for 2 weeks above 35 degrees.
Melbourne has daylight saving in the summer like the UK. In the summer it gets dark around 8.45pm to 9pm.
I am not a beach bunny so can't comment there.
Melbourne has daylight saving in the summer like the UK. In the summer it gets dark around 8.45pm to 9pm.
I am not a beach bunny so can't comment there.
As a plumber you shouldn't really need to worry about money, you'll make as much as you want. In terms of living in Melbourne rent will be around 200pw for a room (nice room, nice house, ie not a squat) in a share house or around 320pw for a two bedroom place.
If you’re into beach and nightclub life St Kilda, Elwood and South Yarra are for you. All are close to the beach and Fitzroy and Chapel St have a number of popular clubs and iconic bars.
The north side of the city, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton are traditional centres for dining, live music and galleries. And there is Brunswick which is Melbourne’s unwashed bohemian quarter.
The city centre now also has a number of small laneway bars and some interesting restaurants, until recently the city had been a fairly dull place for night life.
In terms of living costs, you can get by on 500-600 pw if you watch your spending, possibly less. I tend to find things pretty easy once you clear a grand a week, that’s covering rent, insurance, cars, bills, petrol, eating out and drinking.
If you’re into beach and nightclub life St Kilda, Elwood and South Yarra are for you. All are close to the beach and Fitzroy and Chapel St have a number of popular clubs and iconic bars.
The north side of the city, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton are traditional centres for dining, live music and galleries. And there is Brunswick which is Melbourne’s unwashed bohemian quarter.
The city centre now also has a number of small laneway bars and some interesting restaurants, until recently the city had been a fairly dull place for night life.
In terms of living costs, you can get by on 500-600 pw if you watch your spending, possibly less. I tend to find things pretty easy once you clear a grand a week, that’s covering rent, insurance, cars, bills, petrol, eating out and drinking.
Captain Flashman said:
As a plumber you shouldn't really need to worry about money, you'll make as much as you want. In terms of living in Melbourne rent will be around 200pw for a room (nice room, nice house, ie not a squat) in a share house or around 320pw for a two bedroom place.
If you’re into beach and nightclub life St Kilda, Elwood and South Yarra are for you. All are close to the beach and Fitzroy and Chapel St have a number of popular clubs and iconic bars.
The north side of the city, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton are traditional centres for dining, live music and galleries. And there is Brunswick which is Melbourne’s unwashed bohemian quarter.
The city centre now also has a number of small laneway bars and some interesting restaurants, until recently the city had been a fairly dull place for night life.
In terms of living costs, you can get by on 500-600 pw if you watch your spending, possibly less. I tend to find things pretty easy once you clear a grand a week, that’s covering rent, insurance, cars, bills, petrol, eating out and drinking.
Yep, all good advice. To give you a comparison, Sydney in somewhere in the inner west, eastern suburbs or the lower north shore/lower northern beaches (i.e. the only decent places to live) you’d be looking at $350-$500 for a nice one bedroom/decent 2 bedroom unit (me and the gf pay $450 a week for a one bedder, but it is big, nicely renovated, has harbour views, the all important parking spot and I can hear seals, lions and elephants at the zoo). I looked at moving to Melbourne for a bit, and had budgeted $350-400 for a nice one bedder in South Yarra or Richmond. If you’re into beach and nightclub life St Kilda, Elwood and South Yarra are for you. All are close to the beach and Fitzroy and Chapel St have a number of popular clubs and iconic bars.
The north side of the city, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton are traditional centres for dining, live music and galleries. And there is Brunswick which is Melbourne’s unwashed bohemian quarter.
The city centre now also has a number of small laneway bars and some interesting restaurants, until recently the city had been a fairly dull place for night life.
In terms of living costs, you can get by on 500-600 pw if you watch your spending, possibly less. I tend to find things pretty easy once you clear a grand a week, that’s covering rent, insurance, cars, bills, petrol, eating out and drinking.
After tax, super and HECS (uni fee repayments) I’m clearing about $1300 a week which means I have a pretty comfortable life, especially when you add the gfs wage on top of that. When I was on around $900 a week after tax and single it was ok– just had a cheaper place and had to be a bit more careful, but it was still very manageable. It’s easily doable on a lot less than that though. But, as a plumber that won’t be an issue.
I personally prefer Melbourne to Sydney for the reasons outlined above. If you are more beachy/outdoorsy I’d suggest Sydney over Melbourne though. That said, nothing beats getting a ferry home after work on a summers evening.
Just do it, you won’t look back.
Thanks again, just reread it all and it seems there are few negatives. Geting an Aus driving licence isn't that difficult and I revently came across this : http://www.workingin-australia.com/jobs/2216/calli...
It made me
even more, sadly it isn't for the state of Victoria which looking at the place from the Internet and what you've all said looks more my kind of place Less humid, more culture.
Right, thank you! Have a
It made me
even more, sadly it isn't for the state of Victoria which looking at the place from the Internet and what you've all said looks more my kind of place Less humid, more culture. Right, thank you! Have a
Sorry for the thread hijack
We are also quite interested in area's in melbourne for a decent 3-4 bed house etc for maybe around $500. We are looking to be out to melbourne in the next 12-14mths dependant on how fast the house sells and the visa is sorted. Wondered if there are some decent area's within 30mins commute for that sort of money that are nice area's etc? Planning on taking our zed with us so any advice on importing our car as well. Will be looking at renting for first 6mths what sort of rent should we be looking at?
Would love to be able to live st kilda direction but not sure itll be affordable?
Final question how is it getting mortgages in oz? Do you need much of a deposit etc?
We are also quite interested in area's in melbourne for a decent 3-4 bed house etc for maybe around $500. We are looking to be out to melbourne in the next 12-14mths dependant on how fast the house sells and the visa is sorted. Wondered if there are some decent area's within 30mins commute for that sort of money that are nice area's etc? Planning on taking our zed with us so any advice on importing our car as well. Will be looking at renting for first 6mths what sort of rent should we be looking at?
Would love to be able to live st kilda direction but not sure itll be affordable?
Final question how is it getting mortgages in oz? Do you need much of a deposit etc?
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