A long time friend of mine recently asked me if living in Sydney is expensive. For all you aspiring immigrants (I never know if its emmi or immi) you will be glad to know that the short answer is “Yes”. But yes of course depends on a whole bunch of things and is not necessarily a bad thing.
I can only speak in comparison terms about Sydney and Johannesburg. I lived in Johannesburg for most of my adult life and as such it is the only frame of reference that I have. I guess other cities in South Africa would be reasonably comparable to Johannesburg. For the most part if you are from South Africa and your intent is to settle in Sydney and keep as close to your “native” (I use the word loosely) lifestyle then you will find it an expensive place to live.
The biggest culprit is clearly going to be putting a roof over your family’s head. Whether it’s to rent or to buy (depending on your visa situation), both are expensive. As you look at different suburbs while looking for a place to stay you will notice is that with a few minor exceptions there is much less of a difference between the good suburbs and the not so good suburbs. In Johannesburg if you lived in say Bedfordview you could pretty much count on a certain value and standard of housing in the area. The same could be said for Orange Grove, Melrose, Rivonia, Vorna Valley or any other suburb. Here in Sydney although there are some differences between certain areas, you can find a really great and expensive house right next to a pretty average dilapidated clapboard house from the 50’s. People don’t seem to mind.
We chose to stay near the sea and the beach. Having lived away from the coast for more than twenty years we (read “I”) decided that we did not want to live an hour from the beach. This was a significant lifestyle choice as we did not want going to the beach to be a chore and something that quickly faded into the distance. It also meant that we needed to cough up a whole bunch more dough. A similar house further west would have saved us more than half of what we are currently paying in rent per week. For a good idea of what you can expect to pay for housing (rent or buy) have a look at http://www.realestate.com.au/. It’s a pretty good site for that information and ultimately was the tool that we used for our search. Just note that they have fantastic photographers who can make an average place look stunning on the web. We live in Newport on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It’s probably about 30km or so from Sydney city centre. I liken it to Ballito and Durban. It’s a great area to live.
Depending on the visa that you are coming across on, you may be saddled with unexpected school costs. If you are a temporary resident (e.g. on a 457 visa) in New South Wales you can expect to shell out A$4,000 OR $A5,000 dollars per child per year for education fees that are paid directly to the state for schooling at a public school. This is not far off of the many Catholic schools and the Private Schooling system. These fees are only applicable in certain states where they interpret the rules about federal grants differently. So far as I know Victoria (Melbourne) and Western Australia (Perth) do not carry the same burden. The good thing to note is that these fees go away once you are a permanent resident.
Beer (a subject close to my heart), and most alcohol, is fairly pricy. I only like certain beers and I recently paid A$44 on a special for a case of my favourite tipple. Usually it can cost A$10 to A$15 more. Wine costs anything from A$10 to A$35 per bottle and spirits vary a great deal with cheap vodka coming in at A$30 all the way up to A$60. Although Australians seem to be a nation of drinkers, it is one area that can quickly add up.
Cars are relatively cheap. You can get away with a reasonable second hand car for between A$8,000 and A$12,000. German cars remain more expensive with a Golf GTI well over $A40,000. Be sure to ask your dealer for a “driveaway” price as this will include all the taxes and other on road costs which can be fairly substantial. Toyota’s, most Ford models, Holdens (really Chevys) are reasonable. Check out the http://www.carsales.com.au/ site. It works quite well. I also recommend http://www.hertzcarsales.com.au/. They sell all older hertz rental cars and they are generally in good condition and a good deal. Brian Blanford at hertz car sales in Haberfield is a good contact. Interest rates are low so monthly repayments are pretty fair.
You will generally find that anything which has a high manual labour content is expensive. It can cost A$60/A$70 a week to have someone come in an give your house nothing more than a cursory clean. Windows will be extra and don’t even think about laundry. Good thing is that most houses have dishwashers and proper laundry areas. You learn very quickly how to wash things and hang them so that they don’t need to be ironed. The tumble dryer is a boon that you cannot live without. This is one of the things that we miss most about South Africa. Domestic help is such a privilege. Cleaning house, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc. these are all a big drain on one when you are not used to them.
Food is fast becoming on par with South Africa. (Or maybe that is the other way around). We noticed that the high inflation in SA is causing food to spike. Already prices are not far off of Australia although some items are still different. Net Net we probably spend a similar amount on food here as we did in SA. One thing to note is bread. This is pound for pound one of the most ridiculously priced items. Of course there is cheap bread but it’s not really worth buying. Normal bread that most folks would buy costs around A$5 per loaf. You will find yourself going to the shop more often because the fresh stuff is much better than SA and it’s good to get it often. A regular trip to the South African shop for Boerewors, Biltong, Mrs. Balls Chutney, Crosse and Blackwell mayonnaise, Ouma Rusks etc. will set you back a fair bit. Mostly because you cannot help buying all the goodies that you have been missing. We seldom get away with a bill smaller than A$200 but its worth every penny.
Going out to eat is pricey but somehow restaurants all seem to be packed. A meal at a reasonable restaurant can be A$15 for a starter, A$30 for a main and another A$15 for dessert. With a family of five that quickly adds up. Of course Pizza Hut, Dominos, hungry jacks and the like are pretty cost effective. You can feed a whole family of five at hungry jacks for under A$40.
All in all what this means is that you need to plan properly and make sure that you budget correctly. Be mindful of the salary offer that you accept, it may catch you out later especially if you still have expenses back in your home country that you are supporting. Once good thing to note is that temporary residents (457) are eligible for a living away from home allowance (LAHFA). This is basically a tax free portion of your salary and certainly makes a difference to the bottom line as long as you have it. Do factor this in to your calculations, it can make a big difference. You can find information on the Australian Tax Office site. http://www.ato.gov.au/.
If you ask me if living in Sydney is worth the expense, I will gladly tell you that the combination of generally good weather, great beaches, clean seas, ordered friendly society, law and order make Sydney a great place to live. If most of Australia actually supported rugby union then the old Chevy singsong of braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and Chevrolet would be a perfect description.
I can only speak in comparison terms about Sydney and Johannesburg. I lived in Johannesburg for most of my adult life and as such it is the only frame of reference that I have. I guess other cities in South Africa would be reasonably comparable to Johannesburg. For the most part if you are from South Africa and your intent is to settle in Sydney and keep as close to your “native” (I use the word loosely) lifestyle then you will find it an expensive place to live.
The biggest culprit is clearly going to be putting a roof over your family’s head. Whether it’s to rent or to buy (depending on your visa situation), both are expensive. As you look at different suburbs while looking for a place to stay you will notice is that with a few minor exceptions there is much less of a difference between the good suburbs and the not so good suburbs. In Johannesburg if you lived in say Bedfordview you could pretty much count on a certain value and standard of housing in the area. The same could be said for Orange Grove, Melrose, Rivonia, Vorna Valley or any other suburb. Here in Sydney although there are some differences between certain areas, you can find a really great and expensive house right next to a pretty average dilapidated clapboard house from the 50’s. People don’t seem to mind.
We chose to stay near the sea and the beach. Having lived away from the coast for more than twenty years we (read “I”) decided that we did not want to live an hour from the beach. This was a significant lifestyle choice as we did not want going to the beach to be a chore and something that quickly faded into the distance. It also meant that we needed to cough up a whole bunch more dough. A similar house further west would have saved us more than half of what we are currently paying in rent per week. For a good idea of what you can expect to pay for housing (rent or buy) have a look at http://www.realestate.com.au/. It’s a pretty good site for that information and ultimately was the tool that we used for our search. Just note that they have fantastic photographers who can make an average place look stunning on the web. We live in Newport on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It’s probably about 30km or so from Sydney city centre. I liken it to Ballito and Durban. It’s a great area to live.Depending on the visa that you are coming across on, you may be saddled with unexpected school costs. If you are a temporary resident (e.g. on a 457 visa) in New South Wales you can expect to shell out A$4,000 OR $A5,000 dollars per child per year for education fees that are paid directly to the state for schooling at a public school. This is not far off of the many Catholic schools and the Private Schooling system. These fees are only applicable in certain states where they interpret the rules about federal grants differently. So far as I know Victoria (Melbourne) and Western Australia (Perth) do not carry the same burden. The good thing to note is that these fees go away once you are a permanent resident.
Beer (a subject close to my heart), and most alcohol, is fairly pricy. I only like certain beers and I recently paid A$44 on a special for a case of my favourite tipple. Usually it can cost A$10 to A$15 more. Wine costs anything from A$10 to A$35 per bottle and spirits vary a great deal with cheap vodka coming in at A$30 all the way up to A$60. Although Australians seem to be a nation of drinkers, it is one area that can quickly add up.
Cars are relatively cheap. You can get away with a reasonable second hand car for between A$8,000 and A$12,000. German cars remain more expensive with a Golf GTI well over $A40,000. Be sure to ask your dealer for a “driveaway” price as this will include all the taxes and other on road costs which can be fairly substantial. Toyota’s, most Ford models, Holdens (really Chevys) are reasonable. Check out the http://www.carsales.com.au/ site. It works quite well. I also recommend http://www.hertzcarsales.com.au/. They sell all older hertz rental cars and they are generally in good condition and a good deal. Brian Blanford at hertz car sales in Haberfield is a good contact. Interest rates are low so monthly repayments are pretty fair.
You will generally find that anything which has a high manual labour content is expensive. It can cost A$60/A$70 a week to have someone come in an give your house nothing more than a cursory clean. Windows will be extra and don’t even think about laundry. Good thing is that most houses have dishwashers and proper laundry areas. You learn very quickly how to wash things and hang them so that they don’t need to be ironed. The tumble dryer is a boon that you cannot live without. This is one of the things that we miss most about South Africa. Domestic help is such a privilege. Cleaning house, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc. these are all a big drain on one when you are not used to them.
Food is fast becoming on par with South Africa. (Or maybe that is the other way around). We noticed that the high inflation in SA is causing food to spike. Already prices are not far off of Australia although some items are still different. Net Net we probably spend a similar amount on food here as we did in SA. One thing to note is bread. This is pound for pound one of the most ridiculously priced items. Of course there is cheap bread but it’s not really worth buying. Normal bread that most folks would buy costs around A$5 per loaf. You will find yourself going to the shop more often because the fresh stuff is much better than SA and it’s good to get it often. A regular trip to the South African shop for Boerewors, Biltong, Mrs. Balls Chutney, Crosse and Blackwell mayonnaise, Ouma Rusks etc. will set you back a fair bit. Mostly because you cannot help buying all the goodies that you have been missing. We seldom get away with a bill smaller than A$200 but its worth every penny.
Going out to eat is pricey but somehow restaurants all seem to be packed. A meal at a reasonable restaurant can be A$15 for a starter, A$30 for a main and another A$15 for dessert. With a family of five that quickly adds up. Of course Pizza Hut, Dominos, hungry jacks and the like are pretty cost effective. You can feed a whole family of five at hungry jacks for under A$40.
All in all what this means is that you need to plan properly and make sure that you budget correctly. Be mindful of the salary offer that you accept, it may catch you out later especially if you still have expenses back in your home country that you are supporting. Once good thing to note is that temporary residents (457) are eligible for a living away from home allowance (LAHFA). This is basically a tax free portion of your salary and certainly makes a difference to the bottom line as long as you have it. Do factor this in to your calculations, it can make a big difference. You can find information on the Australian Tax Office site. http://www.ato.gov.au/.
If you ask me if living in Sydney is worth the expense, I will gladly tell you that the combination of generally good weather, great beaches, clean seas, ordered friendly society, law and order make Sydney a great place to live. If most of Australia actually supported rugby union then the old Chevy singsong of braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and Chevrolet would be a perfect description.
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