Is the cost of living generally cheaper in Australia compared to the UK?

Question

And if so, how much cheaper roughly?

Answer 1

These days the gap in the cost of living has become smaller. There are things that are still cheaper but not much these days. Things like buying a car - japanese makes cheaper european makes more expensive. The cost of running a car is cheaper - petrol is about 1/2 price, insurance is significantly less, T&T is less. Houses are now becoming expensive, the avaerage price is now about AU$300k (£150k) nationallywhere as some cities are now very expensive Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Perth now has the highest average house price.
Also the difference in wages is quite significant especially in some sectors- IT, finance, banking, medicine, teaching and others. It is however more substancial in other areas such as mining, trades and most manual bases labours as australia has a massive shortage of these skilled blue collar workers.
The upside of this though is a significant improvement in lifestyle. Australia often comes within the top 5-10 places in the world to live. With many of it's cities being in the top 10.
The isolation of the country while having many negative attributes also contibutes to the prosperity of the country and lifestyle.

i was born in Australia and will eventually return there to live but for the moment I live in London and love it here. Poms need to ease up on the negatives and see London for what it really is a magnificent, lively and vibrant cultured city.

Answer 2

Absolutely. I have been back in Australia for 2 years after living in the UK for 2 years. The way i used to simply explain it to people was that in the UK the minimum wage is around4 quid, which will buy you 1 pint with a bit of change. The minimum wage in Australia I think is more around $10 which would buy you 3 beers.

Answer 3

Well that depends on what you want to spend your dollars on. I can tell you that accomadation is about 40 to 50 % cheaper, Food bought at local supermarkets are cheaper, especially meat products, Resturant food is on a par with the old dart, cabs are cheaper except when they rip you off, wages are generally good, and all like big cities, the touristy areas are always way overpriced. Enjoy the land down under.

Answer 4

We have whatever weather you wish to choose !!! We have blue skies and much less drizzle. I live in Queensland and its perfect weather most of the year. The centre of Australia is pretty much desert but a wide strip around the coast is fertile, and has good rainfall (usually) but because of the centre desert Australia is known as the driest continent in the world. We are the smallest "continent" in the world and the largest "island" in the world. Australians are mostly more relaxed and easy going than the Brits and there is less class consciousness here. Of course our history is not as old as Uk and Europe, so it is a young country Europeanwise. I recommend that your family take their time in deciding where they wish to live and travel about as much as possible. I am a proud Australian !

Answer 5

I think housing is far more expensive in the UK. If you own your own house I would compare its worth in Pounds converted to Australian dollars. You might well be able to buy a nice home in Australia and have enough to retire on, just through the sale of your UK home. For example if you wanted to live on 5 acres in a nice brick veneer farm style house it might set you back $350,000 (140,000 pound?).

Answer 6

London is about two to three times more expensive than Sydney,what costs a dollar in Sydney costs a pound in London.

Answer 7

It is about the same. Sydney is probably dearer though. Adelaide is the cheapest place for everyday cost of living needs.

Answer 8

Hi, no we dont live on bread and dripping.

Answer 9

Hope your not ill or in need of a doctor, that expensive over there

Answer 10

yes it is, but it's all relative to the average wage too.