Australia - Basic Cost of Living Things?

Question

Hi,

Leaving aside housing for a moment, what is reasonable monthly cost for the following things (for a family of 3 Adults and 2 kids);
1) Utilities bill i.e. telephone, electricty, etc.
2) Food/Groceries
4) Schooling of kids (One in Grade 7 and other in Grade 9)
5) Taxes
6) Transport

And now the house/apartment rent:
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I know this one depends on city to city..suppose I select Brisbane and Sydeny as 2 options. What would be the rent for a 3-4 bedroom apartmwnt/house? Is there a URL from where I can get this real estate related information.

Much thanx for your help.

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Hi everyone... I have found replies from each of you as extremely useful and thus it's is impossible to select the best answer since each reply has helped me tremendously. I'll therefore use the option of Voting (which I think allows the public to decide which one is the best answer).

Thank you once again for your reply and help.

Regards

Answer 1

if you want cheaper cost of living, then you want brisbane, because sydney is really expensive!
1) utilities, you want http://www.energy.com.au/ (its quite regional the cost)
water is kind of expensive at the moment because we are experiencing a really bad drought and water is about to be privatised in sydney which is going to make it more expensive
2) food is most affordable at aldi. your average food bill would be about $400 a week depending on how much your kids eat lol. again, because of the drought food prices are rising, particularly meat.
3) public schooling in nsw for non residents(state sydney is in) if you are a resident or citizen it is free
Years 11 - 12 A$12,300 per year
Years 7-10 A$10,400 per year
Years K - 6 A$8,800 per year
private schooling ranges greatly. the lower priced ones are $2000 a year, and this ranges to $30000 a year. it depends on the school and whether your kids board.
4) taxes. these are based on how much income you earn.
Taxable income
Tax on this income

$0 – $6,000
Nil

$6,001 – $25,000
15c for each $1 over $6,000

$25,001 – $75,000
$2,850 plus 30c for each $1 over $25,000

$75,001 – $150,000
$17,850 plus 40c for each $1 over $75,000

$150,001 and over
$47,850 plus 45c for each $1 over $150,000

5) transport. we have buses, trains, ferries, depending on where you stay. because the cost of transport is subsidised by the government, public transport is generally quite cheap. the cost of owning a car is quite expensive, with road tax, stamp duty and booming petrol prices. nsw (where sydney is) has the highest car insurance levies in australia

and as for housing; it really varies. even in sydney it ranges from 300p/w to several thousand dollars depending on where you want to live. try looking at www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au for more info

Answer 2

"Isilinimhiril" has given you a good answer. I will add some info about telephone etc:

Your landline (not mobile) phone bill including internet access would be roughly $100/month. Mobile [cell] phones will be quite a lot extra, depending on how heavily you use them and what plan you buy.

Gas - roughly $60/month - more in winter if you have gas heating.
Electricity - about $60 to $100 per month.
Car registration - roughly $500/year depending on which state and what kind of vehicle.
Car insurance - $1,000/year.
40 litres of petrol - currently about $45 (more in the country).
If you cannot access Medicare, a visit to the doctor [GP] will set you back $50 to $60. Public hospitals are free but you will have to wait hours. Dentists charge at least $90 a visit.

I agree about the cost of food going up: the drought has caused vegetables, fruit and meat to shoot up in price, and there is no relief in sight. However our food is very good quality, especially if you shop at markets. Supermarkets are not so good for fresh food. By the way, fresh unprocessed food is free of tax!

I would raise the estimated grocery bill for your family of five though: I would put it at $500 or so.

Cinema tickets are around $15 for adults.
A cold drink from a corner shop or "milk bar" will cost around $3. Sandwiches around $6, foccaccia $7-8.
A two course meal in an average restaurant will cost $25-30. A good bottle of Australian wine around $20. Many restaurants allow you to BYO ["bring your own"] wine or beer, which is much cheaper than buying off the wine list.

Have a great time!

Answer 3

Hi ,i can only partialy answer ur question,i live 2hrs nrth of Brisbane & pay $255/wk for a 3bed t/house in a regional town ,walking distance to hospital & shops, with a pool in the complex, i know some1 who lives 45mins nrth of Bris & pays the same for rent for the same in a gated comunity ,miles from anywhere, & no pool..a good url that mite assist u is real estate .com.au, then set ur search criteria from there

Answer 4

It's much about the same price as the UK. Just shop around. There are numerous stores - Woolworth's, K-Mart and all the usual big names. Also small convenience shops but they are usually slightly more expensive as everywhere. Just reckon on what you would spend at home and you will do fine.

Answer 5

Great answers so far:::
But it’s difficult to calculate an average cost of living, as it depends on an individual’s circumstances and lifestyle.

Please visit http://www.justlanded.com/english/australia/tools/just_landed_guide/money/cost_of_living

On this page is has all info on Money, Taxes, Housing & Rentals, Health, Education and much more - give you a very good idea.
http://www.justlanded.com/english/australia/tools/just_landed_guide