The cost of living in Australia is the topic for this installment of our guide to emigrating to Australia…
By converting Australian prices back to your home currency, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that it’s a relatively cheap place to live. However, this is only really the case if you’re spending money that you saved up before arriving in the country. Once you start living off the money you actually earn in Australia, you’ll probably find that you’re not as well off as you initially thought you would be, as you’ll likely be earning less and being taxed more that you were in your home country.
Yet despite having less money coming in, most immigrants find that their overall standard of life improves after moving to Australia. It’s consisently highly in the various international quality of life indexes that are carried out, and low in the the level of expensive ones, with Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide doing particularly well when two such indexes are cross-referenced.
On average, a family of four can expect to spend around $500 a month for rental or mortgage, though this will vary depending on whether youre living in a major city (in which case it will be higher) or in the provinces (in which case it will be lower). Utilities are also very affordable, with monthly electricity and water bills averaging at about $150 for both.
The price of food is similar to the US and around 25 per cent less than most European countries. Approximately $700 should be sufficient to feed a family of four for a month in most areas. As for schools and health care, the former are free and the latter is subsidized for all citizens and immigrants.
It’s worth noting though that manufactured items (such as clothes, electronics and automobiles) cost more than you’re probably used to, and that, despite petrol being well-priced, the larger than normal distances between locations (particularly outside of the major cities) mean that travel costs will likely be higher than they are now. Still, the cost differences on these aspects are outweighed by the savings elsewhere.
Want to know more about emigrating to Australia? Take a look at our free guide: Emigrating To Australia