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Just how cheap is it emigrate?
We have all seen the figures, listened to the emigration agents and done the sums in our head but can Australia really be as cheap as everyone says it is?
The truth is you will never really know how much it is all going to cost you until you get out there, do a couple a shopping sessions, get your car serviced and pay your first phone bill.
However, in an effort to put a human perspective on all these sums, Emigrate Australia caught up with Karen Harkness who has been living in Oz for the past three years. We asked her if she had found life to be cheaper or whether it is all just a big hoax to tempt us Brits to Australia's sunny shores (as if we needed another one!). "When we bought our house in December 2003 it was AUS$169,000 which is now priced at AUS$360,000 so house prices have really risen. One thing we didn't know about was when buying a house here you pay fees for buying and selling. If you are a first-time buyer you are entitled to a First Home Owner Grant which is approximately AUS$7,000. "The fees payable are worked out on the price of the house so they vary. You need structure, termite, electric, plumbing etcetera inspections on considering buying a house. These are done at your cost. Termite checks are yearly here around your house. This costs approximately. AUS$100 each time although the initial check is around AUS$150. An average wage in Australia is around AUS$500–AUS$550 per week for a run of the mill job like shop sales, reception etcetera. I am employed as a Credit Control officer and my wages are AUS$35,000 per year although I am about to start a new job as a Case Manager for Workers Compensation which has a yearly wage of AUS$49,050. My husband is a postie for Australia Post and this job pays around AUS$570 a week. "To purchase a vehicle here is generally cheaper than the UK and we drive a Subaru WRX STI, which cost AUS$38,000. You don't pay your car tax as in the UK here your car registration also covers basic third party Insurance but it is still recommended to have car insurance. Car insurance isn't overly expensive, ours which would be at the higher end of the scale, is around AUS$700 a year – much cheaper than the UK! Petrol was around 80 cents when we first arrived but with the oil crisis it is now around AUS$1.32 per litre.
"You have your usual household bills – I can only go on the amount of ours. Our telephone bill is usually around AUS$80 a quarter (but I use a call card to ring the UK!). The electric bill is usually around AUS$160.00 a quarter. "I do find most things here cheaper than in the UK but you do fall into the trap when you initially arrive of just converting your sterling to dollars so you have lots in the bank. It is when you start working and getting paid in dollars that you see it all from a different angle!
"You also are responsible for your own tax return here which is done at the end of June. "Some white goods here are very expensive, like front loading washing machines, so I do recommend to anyone emigrating that if their white goods are fairly new to ship them out. "Comparing both our wages from the UK to here I would say we would be worse off but you soon forget about that. After all you have come here for a new life so you have to weigh this up with your quality of life and I do admit we have a great life here now after we have settled in and got good jobs. "We have our house, car and boat so really we can't ask for much more. I would have to say that the average person I know who has emigrated out here would be of the same opinion. You do get caught up in the trap of keeping up with the Joneses in the UK but that doesn't happen here. You look at your lifestyle and the ability to go to the beach at weekends, have outdoor barbies with friends, do lots of outdoor activities and honestly you soon fall into it. So it doesn't come down to what you did have but what you now have and that by a long shot outweighs the stress and busy lifestyle of the UK. Your first job on arriving here is learning to relax and enjoy life and that doesn't cost anything!"
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