# Wages to cover cost of living



## supergroup

How much wages is enough to support cost of living? Australian tax and product price are just too high.


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## rose mary

Depend on what u buy, me n my husband 150 a week on food.renting one room 150 a week .


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## rainman8

rose mary said:


> Depend on what u buy, me n my husband 150 a week on food.renting one room 150 a week .


It depends where you are living though, I doubt you would find rents that cheap in Sydney or Melbourne. I'm finding even an hour out of Sydney cbd it is difficult to find a one bedroom under 300 per week.


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## miawilson

rainman8 said:


> It depends where you are living though, I doubt you would find rents that cheap in Sydney or Melbourne. I'm finding even an hour out of Sydney cbd it is difficult to find a one bedroom under 300 per week.


We live in Brisbane? How much is the cost of living


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## JandE

It is impossible to answer that question.

Some people live on $300-$400 per week, others need $2,000 - $3,000 per week.

What sort of lifestyle do you like?

I can live on $400 per week excluding accommodation cost.


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## bnlc123

*Cost of living*

Money can never seem to be enuf no matter what people earn these days but you are right Australia has one of the highest cost of living expenses world wide.
Depending on what region of Australia you intend to reside as some areas are more expensive than others. You can message me particular regions you may be keen to reside and ii can break down pros and cons of various costs there example rent entertainment and dining shopping petrol etc


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## JandE

bnlc123 said:


> Money can never seem to be enuf no matter what people earn these days but you are right Australia has one of the highest cost of living expenses world wide.
> Depending on what region of Australia you intend to reside as some areas are more expensive than others. You can message me particular regions you may be keen to reside and ii can break down pros and cons of various costs there example rent entertainment and dining shopping petrol etc


Have you got info on Toowoomba ?


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## jasonrebello

*Earnings/expenses - an example*

This sample income/expense sheet has been created to give you an idea of how much saving you can expect in a year.

(Note - Figures are rounded off to nearest dollar. Figures based on costs/expenses in early 2016)

Following are the parameters and assumptions set for the calculations:

SIZE OF FAMILY : One couple in mid-30's with no kids (For expenses with kids see further below)

CITY :Townsville (Regional city in North Queensland)

*INCOME​*
INCOME : AUD$ 1200 per week (Calculated for one single earning member. AUD$ 30 wages per Hour * 8 hour Day * 5 Day Week)

ANNUAL INCOME: AUD$ 62,400 (AUD$ 1200 per week/ 52 weeks)

ANNUAL TAX DEDUCTED: AUD$ 11,827 
(Tax Slab: 0-18,200: Nil, Tax slab 18,201-37,[email protected]%: AUD$ 3,572, Tax slab 37,001-62,[email protected]%: AUD$ 8,522. Total tax: $3,572+8,522= AUD$ 11,827)

ANNUAL SALARY PRE TAX- AUD$ 62,400
ANNUAL TAX - AUD$ 11,827
ANNUAL SALARY POST TAX - AUD$ 50,573
WEEKLY SALARY AFTER TAX - AUD$ 973

*EXPENSES​*
Rent (Two bed room Unit) - AUD$ 300 weekly (AUD$ 15,600 annually)
Electricity - AUD$ 300 Quarterly (AUD$ 1,200 annually)
Internet (Basic NBN Telstra Plan) - AUD$ 50 monthly (AUD$ 600 annually)
Mobile (Two numbers with mid level plan) - AUD$ 100 monthly (AUD$ 1200 annually)
Health Insurance (Price is calculated for cover by BUPA and based on cover for: Couple, 36 years old and 34 years old based in Queensland. Assumes no Lifetime Health Cover loading and Base Tier government rebate included. See https://www.bupa.com.au/) - AUD$ 216 monthly / AUD$ 2592 annually

Groceries - AUD$ 120 weekly / AUD$ 6240
Personal (Cosmetics, Hair and beauty, basic medicines, Sports and Gym) - AUD$ 102 weekly / AUD$ 5280 annualy

Lunches/Coffee/Take-Away's - AUD$ 75 weekly / AUD$ 3900 annually
Wine/Alcohol - AUD$ 20 weekly / AUD$ 1040 annually
Movies/Music - AUD$ 30 weekly / AUD$ 360 annually
Holidays - AUD$ 500 annually 
Celebrations/Gifts - AUD$ 20 monthly / AUD$ 240 annually

Transport
Petrol - AUD$ 100 monthly / AUD$ 1200 annually
Rego/License - AUD$ 1000 Annually
Repairs/Maintenance - AUD$ 300 Annually

(Note - Being a regional town, driving around is the most convenient mode of travel)

TOTAL EXPENSES - AUD$ 41252 annually

TOTAL SAVINGS - AUD$ 9321 annually

Doesn't seem like much? Well the assumed annual salary of 62,400 is a below average figure. Generally a skilled migrant could get anywhere between 70,000-100,000 per year (Of course this will depend a lot on the industry and the skill set). Further, with two earning members in the family, the second income straight away becomes additional savings!.

*EXPENSES FOR FAMILY WITH KIDS*

Living costs for a family with two kids will naturally be a lot higher.

Below are some of the extra expenses you need to budget for:

SCHOOLING
Here are the education costs for one child in a local private secondary school and one in a state primary.
State Primary school
Total for state primary school (approx): AUD$ 240 per year = AUD$ 20 per month = AUD$ 5 per week
Private Secondary school
Annual Tuition Fees = AUD$ 4,600 (Year 10)
Other costs (approximate) = AUD$ 1000
================================================
Total for private secondary school:
AUD$ 5,600 per year = AUD$ 466 per month = AUD$ 116 per week.

Note: This is a "middle-tier" private school. Fees for the "top" schools can be AUD$ 12,000 per year for tuition alone. 
Some private schools, especially Catholic ones, can be quite a bit cheaper.

HOBBIES, SPORTS AND FREE TIME

Family membership of the local tennis club = AUD$ 300 per year
Cub Scouts = AUD$ 250 per year
Winter kids sports (Soccer & Netball) = AUD$ 200 per year
Summer kids sports (Teeball & Surf Club) = AUD$ 200 per year
================================================== ===
The total cost of all this activity:
AUD$ 950 per year = AUD$ 79 per month = AUD$ 20 per week.

Extra expenditure over and above the Total expenses calculated in the Expense Sheet above - AUD$ 176 per week = AUD$ 9,152 per year.

Hope this helps.

A Fellow Migrant



supergroup said:


> How much wages is enough to support cost of living? Australian tax and product price are just too high.


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