# Moving to Sydney



## mherf84

I'll be moving to Sydney with my wife around end of next year.
I need to know which areas should I look for housing ? which areas are in the city center ? is it really expensive than the suburbs?

Is living in suburbs a big disconnection from the city ?

I appreciate if you can also give me a website link to check such informaiton.
Appreciated.


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## lincsus

Check realestate.com.au for rentals. Living in the city will definitely be more expensive than the suburbs but you save travel time if you work in the city. Depends a lot on your job location.

Suburbs have good connectivity to the city but the lifestyle in the suburbs will be different from the city. I will advice you to take a temporary accommodation somewhere and get a feel of the city and suburbs yourself. Everyone has his own taste and preferences. Some like to live in city, some prefer suburbs.


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## mherf84

Thank you for the information.

Can I rent an apartment let's say for a short amount of time? 2-3 months? .. 
Or the temporary accomodation can only be a hotel?


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## lincsus

Try gumtree or airbnb for short term housing.


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## yh31

Gumtree will only work if you're in Australia. I went with airbnb.


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## Theoilman

keep in mind that in Australian cities it takes a long time to find a house that you both like, and successfully bid on. bidding on houses, especially now with low interest rates, can get very competitive. you might need more than 2-3 months to get a house you really like.


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## shingle

once you're there though, the best way might well be Gumtree for rentals- & I know people who have managed to secure a rental within a couple of weeks. Several times. It's not impossible but you'll need a fair amount of $$$$$$ upfront for the initial bond.
I can only compare with the UK but pricewise, renting or buying, particularly in Sydney & its suburbs is very expensive. House-sharing is very commonplace for this very reason.


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## landerson

For short term rentals you might also want to check out Stayz(dot)com(dot)au plus AirBnB(dot)com. Are you looking for a house to buy or rent?

When we moved to Sydney we looked at the train route then decided we only wanted to be a 10-15 walk from a neighbourhood station at most. This worked well for us. Ended up in Wollstonecraft between then train station and Crows Nest which I love. Not that long of a train ride into the city. Our 2 bedroom flat is $650/pw to give you some idea of rents. 

I also found SydneyMovingGuide(dot)com to be a helpful site not just for finding an apartment but for other things like packing and shipping, what to pack, what not to pack, etc. There is an expat resource page on that site that has a huge list of resources. You might find that helpful too. 

Good luck.


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## mherf84

Thank you everyone for your replies!


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## poocho

Hello, where do people stay when they first land in oz? We have a limited budget and will need to find jobs and this might take sometime! What are our best options? We've looked hostels - booked up, services apartments - expensive! Any suggestions would be gratefully received


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## lincsus

Which city are you coming to? And are you coming alone or with family? If coming alone and willing to share, look at gumtree for sharing accommodation. If coming with family, sign up a 6 months lease. Rents depend on city, Sydney being most expensive (I think). Also, someone mentioned earlier that if you do not have a job, you may have to pay whole rent upfront (not sure if it is true in all cases, but certainly something to keep in mind)


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## ozzy

lincsus said:


> Which city are you coming to? And are you coming alone or with family? If coming alone and willing to share, look at gumtree for sharing accommodation. If coming with family, sign up a 6 months lease. Rents depend on city, Sydney being most expensive (I think). Also, someone mentioned earlier that if you do not have a job, you may have to pay whole rent upfront (not sure if it is true in all cases, but certainly something to keep in mind)


No one can make u pay all your rent upfront.
By law all u have to pay is the bond (4 weeks rent) which u get back at the end of your tenancy providing there is no rent outstanding or damages and your 2 weeks rent upfront.
some people offer a higher rent or more rent in advance to make them more appealing to a landlord but nobody can make you


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## Helix

Move to the west, it's more affordable


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## mherf84

Thank you all for your replies.
Actually, im moving with my wife, no kids and still not so familiar with the cities .. so trying some overseas research and friend recommendations only .. 
Im looking to be near the cbd area .. hopefully it will be clear in a years time


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## ashleigh

mherf84 said:


> Thank you all for your replies.
> Actually, im moving with my wife, no kids and still not so familiar with the cities .. so trying some overseas research and friend recommendations only ..
> Im looking to be near the cbd area .. hopefully it will be clear in a years time


Hi mherf84,

Maybe my answer's a bit late, but here goes  The CBD area in Sydney is VERY expensive. Not to mention you're probably going to be restricted to apartments and not actual houses if you choose to be in the CBD. Additionally, the suburbs (even ones that are considered quite far) are not that bad of a choice. Buses run to and from almost anywhere, mostly on time, and traffic is mostly low which means you can travel to/from the CBD to your home in the suburbs in a pretty short time. The cheapest areas in Sydney are the Eastern Suburbs (i.e. Mascot, Botany, Maroubra, and surroundings).


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## Bennyp

Hey,

Sydney city itself is very expensive. I live just over 20km away from the city CBD and it takes me no more than 30 mins on a train. So i would suggest anywhere on a train line within 20km of the city. Western Sydney will give you cheaper rental options. 

Hope that helps.


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## mherf84

Thanks a lot everyone. I'm now in the process of waiting skills assessment results (hopefully positive). Didn't know that you can travel that distance on a public transport with such a timeline.

Thanks for sharing.


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## hockeyguy

My wife and I are moving to Sydney this week, she will be going to Dental school at the University of Sydney camperdown/darlington campus and we have looked at camperdown, glebe, chippendale online etc. 

Any areas that people like, or that we should avoid?


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## erindave

Why don't you try a work exchange with sites like helpx or workaway. 

You work for a few hours a day and receive free accommodation and food in return but you also get time to yourself. You can spend this time looking for work and getting to know Sydney to see where you want to live and work. 

I used Helpx while I was in Turkey and it was such a great experience. I've checked their website and they have a few opportunities in Sydney too.


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## Jeff in Sydney

*Sydney Ahoy*

Hello,
What are you mainly looking for? Sydney is probably one of the most accessible cities in the world, you can live in a leafy suburb and be a 15 minute drive to the city centre. Check out the Inner West, Lower North Shore but mainly the questions that you need to ask:
How far am I willing to travel to work?
How am I getting to work? (ie public transport / car)
Schools?
Interest?
And of course budget as Sydney is not cheap.
Let me know the answers to those questions and I can advise you better.
The Sydney Relocation Agency


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## erindave

hockeyguy said:


> My wife and I are moving to Sydney this week, she will be going to Dental school at the University of Sydney camperdown/darlington campus and we have looked at camperdown, glebe, chippendale online etc.
> 
> Any areas that people like, or that we should avoid?


Hey hockeyguy

Did you find somewhere? How are you guys settling in? I love the Glebe area.


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