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Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

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Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Living overseas

How much do you think you'd need to earn to live "comfortably" in Australia?

51 replies

mm22bys · 27/01/2008 06:30

I'm from Brisbane, currently living in UK, but am thinking about moving back to Oz in the near future. I read today that an average mortgage of $300K would have weekly mortgage repayments of more than $500.

I reckon that is a very conservative estimate of mortage repayments given the rise in house prices over the last few years.

How much do you think you'd need to earn, before tax, to live "comfortably"?

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yawningmonster · 27/01/2008 07:31

We are NZ not Oz and mortgage is 500 a week for a 300k house. Don't know how food and petrol costs compare but I think for comfortable you would need combined above 80,000 to live on (well we live fairly comfortably on that here at any rate)

HarrogateMum · 27/01/2008 07:49

Am in a dilemma over this question too - DH is Aussie adn had been offered a job in Bris on a salary that most people would consider as excellent, however it is about half what he earns here and when you take into consideration the cost of living, housing etc over there now, I am not sure we can make it add up.....his sister often says she has seen a house that we would like, then tells us it is $900k!! Not sure where the money for that would be ocming from!

So sorry to not be of help, but will be interested in peoples answers...

eidsvold · 27/01/2008 08:02

harrogate - out our way - can get a decent house for less than that. the 900k houses are the huge ones on acreage.

eidsvold · 27/01/2008 08:06

[http://www.myhome.com.au/?sem=true&se=google&gclid=CJqZja36lZECFQf_iAodKksGHw&ef_id=1442:3:eb1fcaa6 d73a5db5e38f1f0dcefc8fe2_674351953:pattkENIYXsAAGTtgJwAAAAH:20080127080456#/ try this site] for real estate.

eidsvold · 27/01/2008 08:17

[http://www.myhome.com.au/?sem=true&se=google&gclid=CJqZja36lZECFQfiAodKksGHw&efid=1442:3:eb1fcaa6 d73a5db5e38f1f0dcefc8fe2_674351953:pattkENIYXsAAGTtgJwAAAAH:20080127080456#/] for real estate

HarrogateMum · 27/01/2008 08:18

Hi Eidsvold - I know, I would love to live on acreage - its just persuading DH - he thinks he wants to live close to the city.....and argues that its him that will be commuting.....

eidsvold · 27/01/2008 08:23

harrogate - dh can do the city in 25 minutes by fast train - our local station is one of the few stops on the fast trains to Caboolture and beyond.

HarrogateMum · 27/01/2008 08:27

Are you in Petrie Eidsvold?

eidsvold · 27/01/2008 20:32

pine rivers area Harrogate. But somewhere like Samford would be fine - a bit of land and bus/train or short deive to the city - have friends who live there and commute. Ferny Grove area another one - end of trian line - get fast trains too.

scully · 28/01/2008 08:04

We spent 11yrs in the UK before moving back Oct06. We rented for 12mths before buying Oct last year, borrowed $284k and our mortgage is $950/fortnight. dh works full time, I work 21hrs a week. We are a lot better off than we were in the UK, I needed to work fulltime there and still things weren't adding up, for us to live where we wanted to. Here, we live in a southern Bayside suburb, dd1 goes to a private school and neither of us has a commute, we both commute locally. That is one thing we have found here, the salaries don't drop as dramatically here as they do in the UK, if you want to work locally rather than commute into London, for example.
You could also find some good houses for $400-$500k around here, and some amazing ones for between $500-$800k.
Depending on your mortgage, around $100k would be ok, to have an average mortgage and still have money left over to have a life as well.

bran · 28/01/2008 08:38

It was flying alone with two small children that has made you seriously think about moving so you wouldn't have to do it again, wasn't it?

I hope you're having a good time out there, ds keeps talking about your ds1 so I think he's missing him quite a bit. In ds's mind "Australia" is where we went on holiday, ie just Fremantle and Perth, so he was asking if your ds is visiting our friends and going to the acquarium.

Do you have much equity in your UK home? You could always have it valued and see what it's worth now, or look online and see what similar houses are selling for. I think houses have been rising much faster than apartments in our area as the developers aren't building any more houses. I remember when a mutual friend moved to Gurnsey she had her house valued and was quite shocked by how much it had risen. It would probably make quite a difference to your standard of living if you moved there with a big down payment for a house instead of a big mortgage.

HarrogateMum · 28/01/2008 19:48

Eids - DH wants to know if your DH gets a seat on the train eveyr day -its very important to him!!

eidsvold · 28/01/2008 20:03

as far as I know he does - goes about 7 and gets home around 5 on an average day. I think it would depend on the time you go too.

eidsvold · 28/01/2008 20:05

d73a5db5e38f1f0dcefc8fe2_674351953:pattkENIYXsAAGTtgJwAAAAH:20080127080456#/ try this site think it works now.

HarrogateMum · 28/01/2008 20:11

thanks for that info - you're up early!!

eidsvold · 28/01/2008 20:12

dd1 first day at school and dd3 been awake sine 4.15am!

eidsvold · 28/01/2008 20:12

big day for us!

HarrogateMum · 28/01/2008 20:16

oh wow - good luck for DD1!!! Hope all goes well!!

HarrogateMum · 29/01/2008 16:19

how did it go Eidsvold!?

eidsvold · 30/01/2008 04:01

she had a good day - she was exhausted when she got home but otherwise - a successful day. Was a little clingy this morning when she realised she had to go back again.

mymama · 30/01/2008 06:10

Cost of living is lower here in oz.

Nice 4 bed/2 bath house with 700 sqm land would cost around $500k.

Have just been to UK for 3 month trip. Weekly food shop cost 90 = to Oz weekly shop but without the cleaning products and toiletry products.

Petrol is only $1.34/litre = 55p/litre

My dh does same commute as eidsvold's dh and pays around $40/week for a ticket = 17 pound (he always gets a seat).

Think if you had a 300K mortgage you could comfortably live on $80000 depending on number of children and schools etc.

mymama · 30/01/2008 06:11

40 mins from Brisbane CBD for the $500k house.

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ghosty · 30/01/2008 07:06

ha ... mymama ... in Melbourne, where we live (v nice suburb but not at all the poshest suburb in Melbourne) a nice (ie no renovations needed) 4 bed/2 bath house on 700 sqm would cost you well over $1M Probly around 1.2M
That's Melbourne for you.

twentypence · 30/01/2008 07:25

I thought that Christchurch had caught up to Melbourne but from that it seems I am wrong.

arfishy · 30/01/2008 07:26

Oh yes, here by the beach in Sydney (also not a posh area) a 2 bed unit costs $700K. It's much much cheaper to rent (which is what we are doing). I can't see how we could afford to buy a family house where we are now unless we go for a humungous mortgage, and I don't really want to go there again tbh. It was hard work in London keeping up with property prices.

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