Moving to Australia

[orlando]

Hi,
I wanted information regarding living in Australia from any aussie members , who can tell me about Australia and the cost of living there. I am planning to buy a house there to spend rest of my retired life. Any information is welcome.
Thanks
Orlando

[fabian]

Sydney is by far the most expensive, followed by Canberra, Melbourne, then the rest... I live in Melbourne, I think around A$300k is about average entry level for a 3BR house, of course if you're prepared to live further away from the city centre the prices drop down a lot. domain.com.au is a real estate website here. Wherever you live, it's bound to be a cheaper cost of living than the UK. (N offense).
Thanks
Fabian

[jackson]

I wanted to know how much would a family of four spend on food, other expenses including renting a 2 bedroom flat. you say 300K for a 3 bedroom house? house is a flat there or a villa?

I also wanted to know how much do people get paid there because most people work regardless of their education. I mean IT professionals working as cabbies, MBAs in supermarkets.............as there is little difference in casual pays and permanent job pays.

Could you please elaborate?
Thanks
Jackson

[matt3965]

Adelaide is very much an up and coming area, with living costs lower than elsewhere in Australia and it tops the housing market in Oz for capital growth lead by the new jobs being created in the area. A four bedroom house on around a 400m2 plot will cost around 300k AU$. However mortgage rates are quite high at the moment and so downpayments require around 30% minimum.

Feel free to get back to me if you want more details : )

[Lysos]

Orlando,

You say the "rest of your retirement", so I assume you are already retired, in which case, unless you have family over there you will need to apply for a retirement visa - a tad expensive !. This Australian forum may help you learn more about property/living costs:


Somersoft Forums

though it's very easy to get an idea of house prices by simply checking out estate agents websites for the areas you are interested in.