# Cost of living in Australia compared to the US



## MoneyCat

A very balanced article indeed. We are actually moving to Canada because cost of living in Australia is getting out of control for many. You are absolutely correct that US even Canada have much relative lower living cost. And you know what? US salary can actually be much higher than US for many industries especially Finance, Insurance, IT, CleanTech, Biotech. Australia used to be very nice, but over the past 10 years, the rise in lving cost means we are just chasing our tails all the time. Another factor you should compare is interest rate; both US and Canada have NEVER had their interest rate lower than Australia, the current mortgage rate in Canada is 2.25%. Also transportation, current petrol price in US is around 60c per litere compare to Australia $1.30 per liter. 

There is nothing Australia can really do, because of the small population and distance to the rest of world, and reliance on imports (including food now). If Australia has a much bigger population, then cost will come down, but property price will go up even further. 

For those Aussies who have not travelled around, I will encourage you to do so and work overseas, cost of living overseas is so low that it means you can save much more; and buy a property in Australia if you decide to come back later.


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## Rav1

Have you seen the traffic in Sydney ? It is like a 3rd world country when it comes to infrastructure.Roads have pot holes like in Moombasa. The tolls are the only way to screw the population who pay it and sit on the highway in traffic. None of the traffic lights are synchronized even on major roads. How long does it take on Queens Blvd to get to Manahattan from Flushing in NYC - try the same dist in Sydney and you will see what I mean. Housing is in short supply because the government does not release land - if they do it is noly to big developers like Lend lease etc. If they did release land building permits are like getting a green card in the US. No wonder there is housing shortage. Australians make fun of us Yanks because our economy has crashed - but what about the 90's when our economy was kicking butt. I can bet that we will rebound back stronger than any nation in the world.


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## barca96

Great article and great comments from Moneycat and Rav. 
I used to think that the cost of living in Singapore was high but here in Australia is just unbearable. 
I really can't say that anything is cheaper than Uk, USA or Singapore.


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## New_home

Oh for crying out loud...what a bunch of whiners. I lived in the US for thirty years and would never return. Living in LA is like living in a 3rd world country!!!! The quality of life in Melbourne is so much better. Yes the cost of living can be high however my standard of living and quality of life has improved 100%. I left the US because of BUSH and how paranoid the governemnt made the populous after 9/11. I love the USA and a part of me will always remain there but my children and their children's future is here. Take the plunge - we need more yanks here!!!!!


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## Dsanti

Im interested in moving to Australia. How were you able to move there? Im ready to go.... n


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## lasvegascolonel

Just returned from Sydney yesterday (Feb 23, 2011)...wife and daughter and I spent just two weeks in Sydney. While I loved its cosmopolitan flavor, excellent foods, Asian and European culture, its prices were the highest I've seen in the 40 years I've visited other countries. I paid $3 for one can of Coke Zero versus 20-25 cents at my supermarket here in Las Vegas. Coffee was $3-4 a cup and no refills! In the USA, senior citizens like me get a break from most restaurants, but in Sydney I was told I had to be a resident of the state of New South Wales to get a 10% discount. I must say, though, that British tourists told me that the VAT in Britain is now 20% versus Australia's 10% GST. In the USA, it varies and it is high here in Nevada (8.1%), but there is no state income tax. All in all, it is high in Sydney; others say other parts of Australia are lower. I noticed the TV there is about one-third Australian, one-fourth British, and the rest USA. I wish the USA had more foreign TV which, except for some British shows, it does not.


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## lasvegascolonel

I forgot to add, that for those who want to break away from the US lifestyle, but still be in an English-speaking country, Australia or New Zealand might be a good option. I found Canada very nice but the weather and its similar culture to the USA would be negatives for some. For me, I like the USA's low cost of living, dry desert climate here in Las Vegas, and low cost government health care (I'm retired military).


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## Cody1

I am graduating in from college in May, after which I am really hoping to make a possible permanant move from the US to Australia. Can you tell me if my plan seems crazy or not? n nI will be graduating with a BS In Industrial Technology and BA in international Studies and minor in Japanese. I am planning on saving some money and coming over on the working holiday visa. Some people told me that its pretty easy for yanks to get jobs at restaurants or bars, and I have also been a bartender and waiting for 6 years. n nI figured I could then search for a job in which I can apply my degrees, and hope to find someone willing to sponser a work visa. n nDoes this sound like a feasible plan, or am I just a dreamer? n nI appreciate any feedback or suggestions. n


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## Guest

I have no idea what supermarket you happen to frequent but Coke Zero (let alone any other beverage) costing 20-25 cents in L.A. is a beyond impossible.


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## Mboro_Yenguruwe

i have lived in the US for more than 20 years from a British background iam thinking and planning on moving to Australia ,, what city would Y'all recommend..


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## bloodyannoyed

One other note that i wanted to put forward. Where i used to live in a rented place in North Curl Curl a development across the road where houses were built out of timber, styrofoam and cement render brought $2.8 Million AUD that is almost $3 million USD, why?, because it has beach views. In case people in this country didn't notice, there are over 10,000 beaches here.. WHY?????????? 
Dude i want to get away from this country and move somewhere else where people earn what they are really worth.


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## Dana

Oh, you Americans...stop complaining about the living cost...one house in Australia can trade 2 houses or 3 houses in USA. 
I know USA has many problems - you think healthcare in Australia is really free? It's because we pay much higher tax than you guys, not just income tax, but tax on cars, gasoline, food, import tariff, insurance tax, car registration tax...and our mortgage rate is close to 8%..and now we have this new carbon tax coming. 

Lifestyle - if you don't like big cities in the US, you can go to another city. I lived in LA for a while, I found it too much for my family, so I moved south. My family moved from NYC to NC for a change..etc..what about in OZ, where can we go? There are less than 5 cities to choose from in reality. 

I have moved from Australia to USA for 3 years now, and I am not going back to Australia - in USA, I have my own business, I earn same income as I earned in Australia, and I have a house now, kids in good schools, we can travel to different places every holiday. In Australia, I could not even afford to pay rent sometimes...tell me what the difference is..and because we are here, our business is growing, because USA has people, and much bigger market. 

I live in USA at its WORST RECESSION ever...and you guys call yourself in recession?? The big problem in USA is you guys waste so much food and money - but why is that? Because your living cost is so low compared to the rest of developed economies.


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## Simon1

i'm an Aussie living in NJ. I'm finding it next to impossible to find a half-way decent job. Most jobs i find that i'm qualified for are a measly $8-9 an hour and barely enough to cover my bills. In Australia, yes, the cost of living is higher, but when you compare the wages in both countries Australia works out to be a lot more reasonable. I'm at the point where i'm ready to move back to Aus, and find work so i can send money back to the U.S so my wife can finalise bills etc and then eventually join me. nI'd love to earn even just $500-600 a week in the U.S and get by, but i feel that i'm just not finding that opportunity.


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## Ramon1

Everyone's fate is different. As a business owner, I find doing business is much better in the US, the market is much bigger, yes, competition - but the market is just bigger. Finding jobs? That I don't want to get involved, it took me 3 years in Australia to find a job after I was sacked in 2005, and it was a lousy job - I am glad then I decided I had it enough and started my own web business, and before I know it, 90% of my customers are coming from USA, so we moved here, and quite happy here. n nEveryone's experience is different, I found lifestyle in the US way much better, affordable housing, tax, and I hate long summers in Australia... n nSo, believe in your heart - some Aussies have done very well here, which we know quite a few of them - setting up businesses, buying 2 or 3 houses...but we know some Americans have done better in Australia. n nWe found the problem in Australia is: Rising living cost, so you deal with job finding & living cost as 2 issues. My relatives are on 2 - 3 jobs in Australia just to make the basic essentials... n nDo more research before you make a decision..


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## Yani1

I have to say, since moving from Australia to the USA, we have been much happier. Maybe because the exchange rate works well for us, but everything else: Housing (quality and size, price), Food, Gas (petrol), and because we can afford in a better area, we also get pretty good education. We were worried about the healthcare, but in the end, it was not much difference, we were paying $400/month in Australia with MBF anyway, now we are paying around $500 a month..but with savings in the tax. n nAmerican culture is very similar to Australia, Americans like to complain so much..they always complain about how expensive it is in the US...We hang around with different immigrants from Australia, Canada, Europe and Asia, and we also laugh at Americans about their comments on cost of living.. n nThis is just on cost-of-living. There are things we try not to be like our fellow Americans..they waste too much food, money and pretty much everything else. 2nd hand goods is non-existent in many cities, they hoard so much junks, that if they decide to sell, I am sure they can sell them for lots of $$. n nThe gap between rich and poor is widening, like every country - including Australia. But, at least in the US, a modest income means you can live quite comfortably in one of the many cities. I am in Colorado because I like the climate here... n nSo, everyone's experience is different, comparing to Aussies here, most people would prefer to stay here, but about 10% of them want to move back to Australia, mainly because they can't find job - if they have a job or set up their biz, then they all prefer to stay here..


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## alakdan170

I lived in Australia for more than 10 years and believe me USA is still thebest place to live in the whole world. The standard of living is high but very cheap. Australia is over rated by tourism. The roads are small, congested, expensive. Living your life is extremely very boring unless you go out of the country. If you are middle income, you cannot afford anything of value, except on reject shops (comparable to dollar tree in USA). Racism is very high, if you are asian , brown or black, white people will talk to you kindly with a smile mixed with gnarling teeth. This country is going backwards, it is all late on every little things, like movies, fashion, music etc. 
Moreover, there are millions of Muslims, arabs, lebanese people in these country and they do not care about australia. They think they are still in Middle East and already invaded Australia. if you are american, better bring your middle finger all the time, because this is what you will see everywhere you go. You cannot find parking anywhere, except in your garage if you are a millionaire and have 700K 40 yr old house in Sydney. 
99 percent you will live in a 2 bdrm unit (apartment in USA) , at 300 dolars a week, complete with cockroaches, molds, 30 yr old carpets and kitchen with street parking. 
BTW shopping at Westfields will be the only thing you have to do on weekends. They all look the same anywhere you go in Australia. 
I also warn you about Easter shows they are expensive and boring. new Years Eve! fireworks at the harbour bridge, just watch it on TV. it is really very hard to go there, you will ride the trains (which are late all the time!! believe me- third world country's railways is very much better) walk 2 hours and look for place to sit in hour and lastly go home 4:00 am. 
I still have a lot to say, but.... oh well, Im glad Im out


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## alakdan170

REDFERN, very nice neighborhood!! hahaha


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## freearkansan

I live in the US and never been to Australia but alakdan170's posting seems a little harsh if not exagerated.


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## EssTeeEmm

Alakdan170, what you've written is mostly rubbish. I've been to the US many times and the countries are very, very similar in terms of standard of living, citizens' rights, etc. Criminal law is near identical and the system of government is identical in function if not form. My experience, and that is that most Aussies own their own homes, have a great standard of living and nice outdoor lifestyles and most of these homes are normal suburban houses of the kind Americans would be familiar with. Apartments are NOT the norm unless you are renting; standards will vary depending on what you are willing or able to pay. Also, I'd like to point out to the author of the piece that in an otherwise very good article, you've made a crucial error regarding the healthcare system: A very large precentage of Aussies DO have private healthcare, and the public and private healthcare systems run successfully side by side. I have no problem using the public system since it's actually pretty good. Private insurance entitles me to the doctor/doctors of my choice. n n


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## seefartherseebetter

What alakdan170's posting is very true, many relatives and friends of mine gave me the same detailed information. More people say the same thing is exactly true.


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## zoran1

Alakdan170-shame on you.USA is better country for you ,well enjoy it but dont spit on Australia.Few fact about Australia..richest country in the world with 5 star living standard.Everyone drive a car,have mobile,lsd,plasma,home ,etc which is mean you live normal live.Sydney is very clean city as well VERY CLEAN AND MODERN.Please dont come here in Australia stay in USA and enjoy take away every day and in winter you can go for a walk.you will be back ONE DAY....good luck


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## Fiona1

I am serioulsy considering moving from Australia to the US (my husband is American and our children are US citizens by birth) - the cost of living is killing us and we are always struggling despite earning quite good wages. We NEVER, and I mean NEVER go out for dinner, go to the movies, go on holidays or any luxuries whatsover. We never go anywhere or do anything that costs money - all our money goes on just existing. I have been researching for a great place to live in the US but can't find seem to make up my mind. Any info you could give me would really be appreciated.


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## Dipanshu

I migrated to Aus 15 years back but now considering to move to the USA. I do like Aussie lifestyle but as everyone said, the cost of living is way out of control. Esp. housing is far too expensive (not because there is shortage of land etc). In fact a HUGE housing has formed since 2000 and when it will pop (which will be in the next six months time), effects will be worst than the USA. The other thing which surprises me are car prices, why on earth we pay almost twice here in Aust for the new cars? Is govt taxes	ariffs are high or the dealers are ripping us off? 

Now my question is which is the most livable city in the USA? I love summers and sunny weather so, my focus is mainly around CA (esp. San Francisco or San Diego) ...don't want to live in bigger cities like NY or LA where crime is too high. I might consider anywhere is TX. Looking forward to honest opinions...


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## Guest

Alakdan170 I second you 100% buddy. You just save me 10 minutes of my time by writing exactly what I would. 

Having read all of the above I can add one more thing. I actually have my own business and employ circa 30 people, including our NZ branch. I'm wealthy and have lots of assets, yet I still feel financially insecure – not because of my debt, but because gaining a decent standard of living here comes at a massive cost. Just having a 3br house in a decent neighbourhood is close to $2Mil. 

Australia is that way, the more you have (unless you are a multi millionaire) the more it’s taken from you unless you settle with an average lifestyle which I'm not that sort of person. 

In the US I'm sure a person with the 10th of the income that I produce here will be 5x happier. The cost of my car here, $330K new, in the US it is $120K. The depreciation in 4 years has been $140K here, the same car in the US depreciates $30K. So no matter what you do and how much you work, if you want the fine things in life here, you are guaranteed to take 1 step forward and constantly 3 back. 

I work hard 14 hours a day for several years to just throw my money out the window? - DON'T come to Australia, you will "eventually" regret it. I'm doing everything I can at present to move to the US.


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## Chris2

Here are a few cities for you consider - we moved from Australia to USA, and much happier here, like WAY MUCH HAPPIER..no more stupid cost incurred by Aussie merchants, Government - USA is learning the "Aussie tricks" in taxes- but still a long way to learn from AUSSIE MASTERS..anyway: n- Dallas - Affordable, big city but low cost n- Houston - Good, with waterfront n- San Diego (South California) is quite good n- Atlanta (Georgia) n- South Carolina n- North Carolina n- Florida - Miami can have crime problems in certain areas, Orlando is very family friendly, Tampa is also good n- Savannah - Becoming very popular for international immigrants now n nI will pick Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina - Texas is nice, but very hot in summer (sort of like South Australia/NT). San Diego is nice, and if you are wealthy (in American standard not in Australian standard), you can look at La Jolla. n nHell..I used to think Long Beach, Orange Country expensive - they are like price you pay for crappy house in the Northern Beaches in Sydney. n


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## Yani2

Hmmmm...I think this is a bit exaggerated...we all share our comments & thoughts about living cost in Australia. nUSA is certainly cheaper than Australia in most cases - but you should not trash-talk Australia like that. n nAlthough I had left Australia and live in North America now, I think, like many have said, Australia is still one of the better places to live on Earth. n nRacism is a problem everywhere in the world, it exists in USA as well, and to be honest, maybe even a bigger problem in certain states. I am an Asia, while I have no problems in most US States, there had been racial incidents in some cities I had lived in. n nBut everyone's experience is different.


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## Chris2

I find cities in the South/South West - NC, SC, GA, TX quite good. FL is not bad as it is very humid as you know. nIn the West: Southern California is quite good, I heard Portland is also quite good. nSeattle, San Jose, SF are becoming expensive - catching up to Australian cost. n nIndiana is doing quite well now, Boston is nice..I can go on..depending on your budget. n nI personally find GA, NC, SC great for families, $150,000 buys you a nice house.


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## Moneycat1

I made a mistake in my article - and sorry about it. n nWhat I meant was interest rate in US and Canada are always lower than Australia - in fact, usually by several % points. n nAustralia has the 2nd highest interest rate in developed countries, just behind New Zealand and it has been like that for many years n nIt is great if you have lots of cash, but terrible for normal people like us who needs a mortgage. n nStill, although expensive, the living standard in Australia is much better than Asia - where it is very expensive and crowded, but many people also love that kind of style. n nA summary: n1. Housing Cost: USA much cheaper n2. Cars: USA much cheaper n3. Private Health Insurance: actually, not much diff. (you may argue Healthcare is better in OZ because of medicare, but you have to compare services) n4. Eat-out: USA is cheaper n5. Grocery: USA is much cheaper n6. Things that are cheaper in Australia: Please help me as I can't even find one yet...


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## Guest

John, you are a tool. You are living in a fantasy of what you think of yourself. If you move to the US you may feel wealthier but if you continue on the same thinking in the US don't you think you will feel further financially insecure compared to Bill Gates or someone else of weath. nIn the way you have responded you will be far poorer in the US than in Australia. To buy a house in the US in a so called decent neighbourhood will be $30Mil. There will always be some reason for you to feel poor.


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## Dipanshu

Thanks Chris. Much appreciated. Good to get an opinion from someone who lived in AUS and moved to the states. As I work in IT, I would like to be in an around CA esp. the Silicon Valley (San Diego still tops my list.). How is Texas esp. HoustonDallas for IT jobs? either way based on the current house prices here in Aus, any move to the US would be a better move. I've been told by several people who lived in the US before moving to Aus, the cost of living is significantly lower in the US.


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## Larry1

I really want to love Australia, but the living cost is destroying us, just like many families. Less and less competition for everything: supermarkets, gas stations, insurance - apart from telecommunications & Internet service providers.. n nI am moving to to North America this year, we had bought a house there already, and ready to start our new life. We lived there for 6 months last year and truly loved it. Even with private healthcare, it is still much cheaper than living in Australia, as private healthcare is a big cost in Australia as well (around $320 a month). n nWe compare our month-to-month expense - and living in US is around 40% less than in Australia at any month, sometimes even more.


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## Guest

I won't get into an argument, as I truly don't think you have any idea of what you're talking about - plain and simple.


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## Linda1

John, don't forget one thing. Tax is deductible for principal residence in USA - so study that, and further tax savings can be achieved. Don't worry about other people who have no idea what they are talking about. I have many relatives in the US on salary and do not have to pay tax because they can optimize with their principal residence, and companies pay for their insurance. n nThe best way for you will be under business visa - I wish I am in your situation, just moved from Australia to Canada, which is pretty good compared to Australia already. US has so much opportunities - for those who wish to try it. For those who do not wish to try, then they are better to stay in Australia and chase their tail month after month.. n nBusiness visa is very fast to obtain - but they do not give you greencard, and IRS is a pretty bad beast to mess with - so there are still many downsides in the US, but overall - like I said, more cities, more opportunities, and around $500,000 will buy into a very nice neighborhood in major cities.


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## Linda1

I second that..it is much cheaper you are correct. The healthcare is an interesting one - some companies pay for it, so you don't need to worry about it - but we pay private healthcare in Australia anyway, right? Tax really makes a big difference, housing, gasoline, grocery are all cheaper of course. Texas is OK, just very hot in summer, IT jobs are actually plenty there, as you know, Amazon is also based there. n nI just came back from San Diego, nice city, also quite a few jobs - the city smells a bit because of the sewage..though...it is very fun city to live, great places for kids as well. n nProperty tax is a tricky thing - so look into that before buying a property. What about the East Coast? Like Boston, lots of IT companies there as well.


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## Dipanshu

Thanks Linda. Due to cold weather (snow etc) I would prefer not live on the East coast. With my skills, NY offers better options but again, don't want my lil kids to grow up in cities like NY or LA. Let's see how it works out.


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## Dee1

This site has been very helpful, we were considering Australia but...... nI would suggest you check out Colorado Springs, Colorado. We are close to the mountains, we typically do not experience tornados, floods, earth quacks. We have a dry climate but it is beautiful, snow in winter, not too hot in summer and all the seasons. We eat out a lot. Typical food bill for two is about $20-25 dollars for a good meal, including drink. Texas Road House has a nice steak meal for $10 dollars. Currently gas is about $3.70 a gal. If you like to ski in winter, camp in summer, it's perfect. I think we will stay!!!!


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## Guest

Nice comment Linda - thank you very much for that information


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## James3

USA: n1) Excellent environment for business - great place for business owners n2) Affordable housing, grocery, cars, general expenses n3) Affordable cost for contractors (eg. plumbing, electrical services..etc) n4) Big corporations have very good health & dental cares and pension plans n5) Low travel cost n nAustralia n1) Some salaries are higher but tax is also much higher - if you are on min. wages, better stay in Australia, but if you are middle manager / director type, US salary is actually higher and lower tax n2) Universal healthcare - service is getting less each year, and waiting time is longer and longer but it is still available n3) Slow pace - Australia in generally is quite slow paced - but this does not mean less stressful - but the overall lifestyle is slower. n4) Monopoly business - if you can come up with a good idea, you can have a monopoly business in Australia easier and enjoy ripping off customers at your will...such can not be achieved in USA due to competition. n nI am not being cynical, but I have see some Americans moving to Australia basically taking their American business ideas in Australia and very successful as they are new in Australia - sometimes you get new opportunities in a new country. n nLiving cost wise, there is no doubt that USA is cheaper than, well, pretty much everywhere in the world...


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## Guest

I read almost all comments and I think James summarized the situation in the best way. If you want a more laid-back environment go for Australia. If you are on an entry level job and it is fair for you to live on a minimum salary base still stick to Australia. 
If you have your own business, in particular if you hire employees, and you want to achieve more bucks working a lot than US (or Canada) is the place to go: bigger market, better infrastructures and more competition. Also if you are on IT, Finance and similar sectors US is the place to go (according to friends who live and work there in those sectors). 

I emigrated from Italy 6 years ago: when I arrived Australia was far cheaper; now after just 6 years Australia is way more expensive than Italy. Even estates are more expensive and if you ask me it doesn't make any sense considered the amount of space available Down-Under. 

I am considering moving to Canada but more likely, considered that I will be a General Practitioner soon, I'll move to UK where salaries for doctors are even higher than in AU and it is much easier to have the studies and experience recognized rather than in Canada or US. 

I love lifestyle of Australia and I love the people here that never treated me with disrespect (maybe because I am European. Still, the cost of living is reaching unbearable levels. I notice real estate price went down in the last year but still too high (google "Australian property bubble": some scary considerations there). 
Labour government has been a disaster so far and with the Carbon Tax about to be approved I cannot see things going better. 
I love Australia and Australians but I gotta think about my family and if around the world there are more affordable countries, I will give it a go. I emigrated once; I can do it another time!


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## Guest

Your forgetting that food is easily 2x more expensive in Australia + to add to that as said somewhere above US is paying around $0.60c a liter and we are paying easily $1.20c - $1.60c. It's not greed, its logic to not accept a job that wont afford the bills you have. Dont forget that $600 turns into like $500 after tax. Im not trolling, but i wouldn't get out of bed for a job a new would drive me into financial debt, but id keep looking for a job that will pay the bills.


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## Guest

This is 100% true and should be noted above.


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## Dipanshu

very well said. I totally agree with you on the housing prices here in Australia. This is all investor driven negative gearing market. As per one estimate 40% of Australian properties are held by investors ...and yes, there is NO shortage of land..it's just crapy infrastructure (esp. in Sydney). At least in the US you can live in much bigger and better house and claim your mortgage on your income tax. Based on many of the above responses, I strongly believe US is the better place to live.


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## Amy1

We moved from Sydney to Toronto last year - and we love every aspect of it - we had no regrets at all. It was the best decision we have ever made. Like yourself, I love Australia, I grew up there, went to high schools, universities - I had some bad racial experience in SA but that was in the 1980s, it was bad, but we did not have much bad experience in Sydney. n nHowever, living cost is unbearable in Australia, and that means a lot of stress for families. n nThe North American culture is excellent for kids - they are much more competitive here - so the kids learn how to thrive from young age - some like it in sports, or arts. Our house here is twice bigger than the one we had in Sydney and it costed 3 times less on monthly repayments. n nWithin a year, we had our new car, we visited US 3 times for holiday already (in Australia, we had no holiday for 7 years), kids are much happier, great food & choices (who says American food is bad, look at their food - organic food everywhere). North Americans are so friendly and always helpful..and Toronto is a big city, GTA has 7 million people, so I was quite surprised about that. n nAs all my Aussies friends now in live in Toronto and USA always say "You will not regret it"..Your qualification will be very easy both for Canada & USA. But Canada will give you a PR, US would only give you a sponsored visa. ..but salary for doctors in US will be quite good.


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## Amy1

Not just on the housing cost - also mortgage rate. Yes, you mentioned a very good point indeed about the income deduction. nThe negative gearing is actually quite a bad thing for investments - it means people are borrowing more to fund their properties. nIn reality, like other investments, you should have positive gearing cashflow for properties - and you can do that in US very easily. n nThings that really matter to families are housing, grocery, healthcare, education and transportation. The healthcare is debatable, but we pay $300 - $350 a month in Australia with MBF anyway, and the healthcare service is not that great. In US, you pay the healthcare, and many hospitals are managed by insurance or health companies, do I need to say more? The quality is course way much better.


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## Amy1

I second your comments, although your 1/10th income and 5 x happiness could upset a few people..never mind, I know your point. n nLike Linda has put it - you know what, if you just open up a branch in USA, hire 2 local guys (must be US nationals), then you are really set. n nOr, buy into a business in US - lots of Aussies are doing that now and moved to US already. Looks you have a good business, I can't remember the rules, but it was something like $100,000 "investment" every 2 years and a legitamate business. I.e. you can't work from home, but get a office hire a local guy is enough. n nThey renew visa every 4 years I think, as a visa resident, you are entitled to the services, education..etc. n nI am also a business owner, 90% of our revenue are coming from US, so I am working towards my goal moving there as well. n nIn terms of your analysis on "cars" - I can tell you it maybe even cheaper than your analysis  competition is huge there, and if you buy local made luxury cars including BMW, very good deal. My friend just bought a 2nd hand Masarati for $100,000, that car was sold in Australia for close to $200,000. n nDid someone say $30m for a house in a nice neighborhood? $30m is enough for you to buy 4 to 5 islands in US and Canada!!! An Aussie rich couple just bought 3 houses in Colorado - Aspen Ski Resort for $3m, and that's luxury properties in the US.


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## Linda2

Cold weather is not as bad as you think, the cities are well prepared for it. NY and LA are big cities, I agree. Good cities to consider are Boston, Washington D.C...then you move south - North Carolina & South Carolina are really pleasant places to live. IT jobs are available there, but many are related to Government or Education industries, whereas the West Coast is big corporations...Go to Trulia.com or MLS.com, you will get lots of information. n nCertain cities in the US are on decline, mainly the mid-west manufacturing cities: but South East is certainly picking up, and they are super-affordable to live, many families (with 4 in the family) can live quite comfortably with $40,000 salary a year...see how that differs from Australia!!!


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## Darren1

Let us talk just about living cost and not politics as politicians around the world - to me - are all the same. 

I am an Australian living in US, I went back to Australia for 3 years and came back this year due to the sharp difference in living cost. No matter how you compare, cost of living in US is much lower than Australia, and it makes a lot of difference. 

1. I am on around $75,000 income - and I manage to save around $2,000 to $3,000 a month in the US 
2. I was on $90,000 income in Australia and I ended up with no savings, in fact, I needed to find extra $1000 to $2000 frequently each month to cover costs 

Did I spend and live in luxurious life in Australia, not at all - in fact, I did not travel at all while in OZ (Can't afford it), I was living in a much smaller house, driving a 2nd hand car and ate very modest meals..I think, that is, the general picture of a "typical" Australian family. 

$90,000 may seem a lot for some - but for Australia, that is not enough for a family of 4. Tax is much higher, grocery is much higher, utilities are higher, school fees are higher - and of course - housing cost is much-much higher (like 2 to 3 times). 

That's my experience - do not just look at income/salary, look at the living cost - a family on $60,000 in US will do better than a family on $90,000 in Australia because of difference in living cost.


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## Darren1

while the press is dominated by the US Debt crisis - one has to ask themselves a question - what can US to do raise revenue? 

The answer: A Lot! Things that we have been endured through in Australia is almost non-existent in USA. 
No petrol tax, many states do not have sales tax, low personal income tax, mortgage interest can be used to offset your personal income tax, no luxury goods tax, no carbon tax, no import tax for many items....etc..etc. 

For foreigners like ourselves, we can see solutions but Americans are so blinded in this regard - who not introducing a small petrol tax, charging $1 more school bus or school meals, introduce an universal 1% sales tax - with a popular as in the US, this can bring billions of dollars - and really, causing very small impact financially to families. 

The economy of scale is precisely the main difference between Australia & USA, size wise, we are not that much different to US and we have not even 1/10th of their population - of course our cost will be much higher, it is as simple as that and it will never change.


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## delubio

I read it all posts here. And, God, I laugh so loud. I live in Brazil. Think about a country that is expensive. Is a developing country but housing prices are outrageous. 
A 2br apartment, very basic, costs about US$130.000,00. 
Cars I cannot even talk about, we pay for a Honda Civic about US$52.500,00 that is, if you pay cash, if you finance, the price easily doubles. 
Taxes, we just don´t know how it works. We pay taxes over taxes, states are fighting with each other all the time on tax matter. A big shame. 
Public services, don´t exist, and the ones that exist are insufficient. 
Roads are a shame. The world cup is coming and the CORRUPTION is surging already. 
The stadiums are over priced. 
You guys are crying with full stomachs, try to live in Brazil for only 2 months and you will appreciate your country.


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## Alan1

I am originally from Australia and living in USA now. It is hard to compare the 2 countries, but when comes to cost of living, USA certainly has the edge - because of larger economy of scale, choice and much more competition plus lower tax. I am not going to jump into debate about who has better lifestyle as everyone's experience is different, to me, moving here has been the best decision in my life (and for my family), but I run my own business - and it is much easier to run a business here than Australia. 

Housing Cost: USA is much cheaper 
Mortgage Rate: USA is cheaper 
Banking costs: Very good compared to Australia 
Tax: Lower than Australia, but also more complicated 
Healthcare: I have to pay own healthcare here as I am self-employed, works out to be around 20% more than my private healthcare in Australia which, to me, is acceptable as you are saving elsewhere 
Food: Much cheaper 
Utilities: Depends on where you live - it's usually lower especially for water 

Transportation cost is an interesting debate, gasoline price is definitely lower by around 40% to 50%, but travel distance is far in US as cities are spread out. 

I have been so busy with our business since moving here, I don't really care about those negative news / media (either in Australia or USA), politics and media are really bad things - and give people bad influence. USA is a place where if you try, you can succeed because it has the market. If you ever just want to find a job and hook there for the rest of the life, then go and find a work at public sector in Australia...


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## Alan2

Maggie 

Unfortunately, if you are talking about living cost - Australia would disappoint you - you would need to adjust your lifestyle a lot moving from Cleveland, any major city in Australia would be much more expensive than Cleveland. I am sorry, but it is the truth. Moving to other cities in US would be the best idea if you are talking about living cost. New Zealand is also very expensive..so is Canada. 

As one has said "USA is the best place to be amongst English speaking places when comes to cost of living"...Many Americans do not believe this, but for us, the "foreigners", life in USA is much more affordable than the rest of the world.


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## Augustine

My observation is, as I live between the 2 countries (6 months each country) over the past few years: 

Australia: High Living Cost, High Tax..at moment, it offers better employment prospect in SOME sectors, but not all sectors...For professionals in IT, biotech, cleantech, financial services - maybe better in USA. Doctors, public servants, better be in Australia, A good example is Australia always faces shortage of teachers which is not the case for North America. 

USA: Good to do business, good for IT, financial, Cleantech - anything to do with High Tech industries which Australia lacks. USA is not a good place to be a public servant - stressful job and they are being retrenched. Cost of living is much lower compared to Australia. 

So it is your decision - the cost of living in Australia will never go below USA simply because they are 2 different economies. 

It will be hard to compare the 2 economies - the overall Australia economy is probably close to 2 States in United States, the whole population is basically the population of Southern California. 

You can imagine the burden on Australian infrastructure - the land is so big and with so few people - so, of course it will be much more expensive to live in Australia.


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## Guest

Hey Amy, 

You made me crack up, (the island comment for $30Mil) - that's not only true, but rather funny. Yes, the last guy who commented had no clue. 

Also, I didn't mean to offend anybody with the 1/10 income statment, I was just being an extremist simply to try and make the point - the true ratio in my case is far lower, but my point is still the same. 

And yes, I will be opening an office and hiring US nationals. Although, I'm pretty sure that its 10 people not just 1 or 2 and the investment needs to be 1Mil minimum over 2 or 3 years. 

Best of luck on moving there!


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## MIla1

I support many comments: 

If you are ever just thinking about minimum wages - of course Australia has higher minimum wages than USA, but after tax, the difference is not much. 

You can offset your mortgage interest for tax in USA - this is a great advantage in home ownership in USA - provided they do not change this legislation. 

What can I say, salary in USA can range so much - I have friends who are in their early 30s earning $40,000 to $400,000 a year - the opportunities are more so depends on your professions. I was interviewed for a Marketing Manager position at San Jose and the salary was $200,000 - that kind of salary is simply impossible for a manager in Australia. 

But of course, you see some Aussies struggling in USA jumping from one low paid job to another low paid job. 

The reality is quite cruel: Lower salary earning - better stay in Australia, middle-high income salary - better be in USA. 

Cost of living wise - our experience is US is 40% cheaper than Australia in our own experience, but everyone's experience is different of course.


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## Byu

I am a Korean Australia or Australian Korean, however you want to define me..everyone's experience is different. 
We moved from Australia to here a few years ago, but we always know we want to run business. It was hard for us to run a business in Australia due to competition, tax, smaller customer base..within a few years, we opened up 3 shops in USA - and bought our house. 

So everyone's experience is different - I do think that, if you are a business owner or an inspiring business owner - it is better here - because lower living cost also means lower business cost in many regards. 

That's just my personal opinion


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## Dante

Well, everyone's experience is different. 

I know some Aussies here are struggling, but they are mostly in low-paid jobs or without much education & skills - I am very sorry to say this - but in today's world, it is hard to find a job with any degree or skill training. 

However, interestingly, I also know many Australians that are doing so successful here, that they are living in their dream life. I know some Aussie plumbers and tradies who had moved here and set up their own trades business - they are charging at far less rate than in Australia but the workload is probably 10 times more. 

Guess what - if your price is reasonable, then you get much more business, as simple as that. 

I know one Aussie guy who is selling BMW here, he is selling 100+ cars a month in US as opposed to say, 20 cars a month, because BMW only costs $30,000 here sometimes. 

Cost of living is of course much lower here - so you have a better chance to live in a comfortable life. Comfortable life does not mean super-rich here. You may not have a million dollars, but a million dollar can buy you really nice house(s) here, most likely you will have a few for investments...where a million in Sydney just buys you a simple, basic house.. 

So it is your life - we are on same income level here as in back in Australia, but lifestyle wise, we are feeling much better off, we are eating much more healthier (so much fresh food to choose in USA, go to their supermarket, it's an eye-widening experience). 

We choose to eat healthy, we can eat organic food everyday - I don't understand why people can be so fat here..lol..so much healthy food to choose from.


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## Dante

People start to get off the track on this forum - just focus on cost of living, and not into politics, media or whatever. 

Politics - so you think Australian politics is better than USA? I think both deserve F Grade for politics  
Unfortunately, we have to live with politicians - I must say a few things that US has done better than Australia in terms of protecting consumers: 

1) Price transparency is far more better than in Australia 
2) Protecting customers from ripping off - at least in big companies - if you go to hotel, check the sign on their door which says "the max rate this room can charge is $$$ per day, if you get charged more than that, report to your consumer affairs" 
3) The code is well implemented here, you are not allowed to charge more than under their "code" 

This means, tradies (they call contractors here) tend to charge less - and I had dealt with quite a few already, they don't make a margin on parts (they usually get them Home Depot or similar). Some Australian tradies whack a big profit on parts, if you ask them to show receipts, they won't. 

4) Anti-trust is well in place here which is another way to protect consumers. The scenario as in the Coles/Woolworths case or petrol stations in Australia are simply not allowed in North America. Wal-Mart, the largest chain has only roughly 20% market share at most, and in many cities, it has less than 10% market share. 

My life has improved a lot since we moved here, the savings are unbelievable, we now achieving a saving of over 60% compared to what we used to spend in Australia, and we are now ready to start looking at 2nd house here already.


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## Dante

Hey John 

If you are going hire more than 2 people, the business process will be very smooth - I will suggest you look at some states that have tax incentives - I am not sure which industry you are operating in - another interesting point is to swap your commercial debt, commercial lending is much lower here - but of course, you have currency risk to consider. We do our biz here so we have a natural hedge. 

Business cost wise, it is even greater than personal expenses. Wish you good luck, find a good immigration lawyer, they can help you a lot. I agree with other comments apart from the $30m for a house...what a laugh...however, did you see that this tech guy just bought a house in San Jose for $150m??? Maybe he was referring to that. 

Seriously, a house around $500,000 is very good already - if you like lifestyle and similar weather as in Sydney - consider South California - La Jolla, Newport Beach, Long Beach (Orange County) - excellent houses there, beautiful life.


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## Ella1

Sorry for those who want to move to Australia, the reality can be much more expensive than in your mind - even with a very good preparation and budgeting. We prepared ourselves, and did lots of calculations before we moved from California as the media is saying how good the Australian economy is. 

The reality bites, and really hard. It is impossible to have same lifestyle we had in Australia - housing cost alone is 2 times more expensive already and the quality is not that great. Schools are OK if you are in good areas, but terrible outside these areas, so we had to send ours to private school, which costs so much and so many hidden costs. 

The worst part is the daily items like grocery, utilities, gas, food, just about everything. 

Winter is nice but summer is a real torture - long and hot summers - and shocking high electricity cost. 

On top of that, you have high tax and lots of hidden Government expenses. 

Overall, it is an experience for us - Australians are very lovely people and they are very determined people - but more and more are falling behind due their rising cost. The working hours are very long in Australia, in fact, they are not laid back at all, they work much longer hours than North America. It is quite stressed living here to be honest, and I am from San Francisco area! 

We made good friend and good experience but we would not go back again.


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## Jason2

My experience living in Australia vs USA 

In USA - it is so easy to get credits even in today's market - it is crazy to see every store will flush their credit cards to you. 
But for disciplined families, USA is excellent, don't get tempted to buy things you don't need just because there are always sales. 

If you are a good disciplined spender, you will be amazed how much you can save here on anything and everyting. 

We have been disciplined since in OZ - well you have no choice really - now we have 2 houses in USA, 1 for investment, life is excellent here compared to Australia. 

The downside is some people are just so negative, because they watch too much crap news, debt problems..etc..etc..learn NOT to rely anything on Government whether you are in Australia or USA, then you will not be disappointed..Government, to us, is just someone to keep the roads clean, and that's about it.


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## Tania1

I am from Brisbane Australia, it supposed to be one of the cheaper cities to live in Australia. It is not compared to USA. 
However, one thing you must do in USA - never fall to min. wages here as it will be a hard struggle. 
Then again...if you are on min. wage in Australia, life is probably even harder. 
The only better thing Australia has is they have higher unemployment benefits - but do you want to live on unemployment benefits? 

I know a few Americans on min. wages here - and amazingly, they have purchased their homes already - of course, they are not fancy homes - but there are affordable homes on min. wages. 

My friend does the cleaning in San Diego, and she bought an apartment $200,000 last year, 2 bedroom apartments, because they can afford to do so. They are disciplined hardworkers and do not spend or waste a lot of money like many Americans. 

Another refugee from Iran was driving taxi around and bought an apartment as well within 5 years in San Diego. 

Of course, then I met so many Australians here who have 2 or 3 properties already...


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## Abba

Australia is "freaking" expensive to live. 
USA is "freaking" cheap to live  

Surround yourself with positive people no matter where you are. 

Cost of living in Australia is very shocking - so be prepared.


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## Guest

Have you seen how the australians reacted when Costco was opened in Sydney, traffic everywhere, people like rats running all around, they cannot believe how cheap american goods are.


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## Dee2

I am from the States and my husband is an international student attending one of the universities in Sydney. We are here for one month and needless, to say I am in utter shock regarding the costs here. Immediately, I am opting not to purchase things that I think nothing about in the States...For example..a coke in a restaurant was $5.50. I've never been so quick to say, "water, please." Though I'm ignorant to the total way of life here and salary infrastructure.....one of my first thoughts was "how does anyone make it here?". 
Sydney is a beautiful city with so many things to offer and that my family and I will enjoy..(though we will not be doing as many activities as I thought due to the costs). We appreciate the experience, and I have learned a very valuable lesson...Be grateful for the life that we are able to live in the States.


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## James4

And yet in USA, Costco is everywhere with huge parking lots and selling products at 1/2 price to Costco in Australia... 
I know exactly what you mean. Wait until H&M opens in Australia... 

What we think as expensive brands in Australia like Gap, H&M, Columbia Sportswear are sold at supermarkets here...and often below $10 for kids wear...and don't get me started on cars or houses. 

No wonder Australians are traveling and moving to USA in a big wave now..including myself...


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## Demian

What is the standard of living for nurses in AUS? Any information would be appreciated.


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## James5

Welcome to Australia, I am completely on the other end, we moved from Australia to the United States last year. My sister moved to LA about 8 years ago and only came back twice to Australia, and haven't be back for 8 years now. My friend moved from Australia to USA, and he wanted to be sure, so he came back 4 times to check out each city in Australia, in the end, he said "no regrets". 

The salary structure - you will be surprised, some Aussies are blahing about higher salary, it's not - because of the tax is way much higher (and hidden) than in the United States Folks on $100,000 probably goes home with $60,000 in pocket - and you know that's not even enough to survive in a Sydney for a family for a year...the rent itself will be over $2,500 to $3,500 a month easily in low-mid range suburbs. 

Many Americans and Canadians who have lived in Australia returned to US or Canada feeling much more grateful and appreciated. 

Speaking of salary, when comes to IT, cleantech or any professional jobs (but not Government jobs), then income in the US is actually higher than Australia. 

Good luck and enjoy your experience in Australia, I had mine 24 years of experience there and that was enough of "rip off" experience in my life.


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## Dana1

Salary is not bad, but very stressful working hours due to severe shortage of nurses around hospitals. Also, look into your package and see if extra hours counts better hourly rates, I will be surprised if you do...so if you have $100,000 salary, but working 60 hours a week, you can work out what the hourly rate is like. That is a common problem for Australian medical professionals, they give you a package not based on hourly rates. Living cost is very high in Australia, you don't need me to go through this as you can read from comments. 

But it depends on what you are comparing to - if you work in rural areas in Australia, be careful with your safety, as well as many suburbs in large cities; crime rate is a problem in many Australian cities. I worked in a rural hospital and I did not feel safe walking home at night, there was no one on the street, completely deserted, and lots of drunk people during daytimes..it depends where you will be working. 

I left Australia as the working condition was too stressful and it was very hard to save money in Australia...


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## Jana1

My friend moved from States to Australia last year and she really regretted. 

She said "The Government is doing OK, but people are really living like in recession" 

She can't believe the price on food, utilities; exchange rate is one reason, but she said even if exchange rate is $0.50:1, it is still cheaper in the United States. 

She asked these questions to locals, and they all know that they live in one of the most expensive countries in the world, but Australian people are very resilient people and proud people. Unemployment is actually quite bad as many industries do not exist there. 

While the Government is saying one thing, recent survey has shown Australians are at the unhappiest moment in 40 years history - my friend does mention it is quite sad to see families on $100,000 still struggling because of their house and tuition fees.


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## James5

Dee, Colorado Spring is not that far from Denver, right? 
I heard good things about Colorado, and thinking moving there.


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## Tim1

I Live in Perth, Australia and going by what everyone is saying the US seems really cheap. Average house price here is over 500k and mortgage interest rates are over 7% Petrol $1.30 a L $10 for a pint of beer. Definately considering going to the US for a holiday anyone got any ideas of the best things to see and do in the US


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## Dr._Lee

I just returned from my trip in Australia, I am from Toronto - it is an eye-widening experience, and I mean EYE OPENING when I see the bills! 
For what we Canadians and Americans consider as taking for granted, the cost is easily doubled in Australia, and yet we are complaining about our life here - Australia is a very advanced country and economy, and their life is much much harder than us. 

They are great people, but seeing my families struggling there despite of earning $100,000+ income - the lifestyle is no comparison. We have a family friend showing off who had bought a $1.5m house - it was really nothing - the same house would probably cost just around $800,000 in Toronto and much bigger, and much less in USA. 

Families are being squeezed by high mortgage rate which can be as high as 8.5%, very high tax and lots of hidden taxes - if you go out for dining, portions are much smaller, drinks are 3 times to US, and their utilities rate is shocking due to sparse population. 

By traveling, we become much more appreciated one way or another - either we can live here safely or affordability. 

To sum up, I would say cost of living in Australia is at least 70% to 80% higher than USA, and maybe over 100% in many cases.


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## Anita1

Just returned from Australia, it is indeed beyond my imagination. I was warned about the cost, but it was a real shock to me when I was actually there. How do people survive there? Is everybody on $100k+ salary? Things we take for granted here are regarded as luxury items. 
Brands and things you can find at Wal-Mart in USA are sold at high-end department stores in Australia! 

The people are very nice, and they work very hard, I think Americans have a lot to learn from Australians in terms of hardworking and stop complaining about the cost. As many Americans have said, by visiting Australia or Europe would really make you much more appreciated how lucky we are.


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## Anita1

Cost of living in Australia is a real burden - and to make it worse, they are usually increased almost on the monthly basis - which is a bad experience. I was away for 3 weeks and when I returned, I found price for a cup of coffee had gone up by 10% just like that. To make things worse, Australian retailer also cut back their sizes - such as smaller packaging, put less coffee in your cup, bigger box but less ingredients - they also start using imported materials - so we have no idea what we are eating basically. 

That's my observation on food. Housing quality is not as good as in Canada and USA in many ways - the cost for A/C, Heaters are way too expensive in Australia. 

I just replaced all my windows for my house in US - and these are double-glazing windows! It costs me less than $10,000, the same would be over $30,000 in Australia. 

Of course, USA is always the cheapest, followed by Canada, then maybe Australia (not sure as I have not lived in the UK). There is no question US will enjoy the low living cost due to its population size and demand - also availability of local products.


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## Micah

There is no perfect living anywhere you go in this world. The people are the same, the buildings are the same, and the work is all the same. So stay where you're at, cause you're only here one time in this world, and stop complaining and bitching about what you have and what you don't have. Just enjoy your life and be grateful you're working. And as the guy said above, $300K for your new car! I would have bought a Toyota for $10K, used, and been just as happy as you are now. Life's too short. Live it the best you can. We live in Mesa, AZ. 120 degree heat, dust storms where you just can't see, and illegals running over our borders, taking our jobs, stealing from us, robbing our houses, but you're not going to hear me complain. Why? God's the answer! Take care. God bless!


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## Lola1

Although I was born and raised in Australia, I still prefer to live in USA. 

I moved from Australia to USA about 5 years ago and never looked back. 
You can everything here (and much more) than Australia - the lower cost of living makes a lot of difference to one's family - you do not realize how much we have been overcharged in Australia until you are here. 

Media has not reported other outrageous costs like car servicing, spare parts, licensing, business registration fees, banking fees..when you add up all those - it is amazing. 

I really appreciate the opportunity in moving here, I know many Australians who have moved here as well, only about 10% of them are going back. The most successful ones are those who have business here - either big or small.


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## Lisa_Gomez

Sad to read these comments as they reflect the reality, and probably under-stated in terms of the rising cost of living in Australia. 
While many people already know the daily essential items like Food, Housing and Utilities in Australia are outrageously expensive, it is the hidden items that many do not realize such as bank charges, telephone connection charges, and car maintenence cost. 

I was only at Home Depot and Lowes in US the other day, the price we pay in Australia for DIY / hardware is at least 2 times more. 

As I live in both countries, I have done my month-to-month comparison, my calculation shows that monthly cost in Australia is at least 1.2 to 1.5 times each month compared to US - that is very high, for some families, it can be as high as 2 times more in Australia. 

I am very happy living in US, I can save so much more money living in the US - the downside is Americans are too tempted to spend and often lack of financial sense compared to Australians - recession has done 1 thing right that is to make them rethink about their spending.


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## Guest

This post is not just informative, it is actually truly inspirational (to me at least). 

I'm making the move to the US, something that I've been planning and working on for well over a year and sometimes the whole process can be daunting, however, all I have to do is take a quick peek at this post to get that boost I need - to confirm everything I already know!


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## LynnW

While I agreed some of the points made here, I must still say I can't wait to move back to Adelaide, even if it means giving up our $200K+ salary in US. 

I think it all comes down to which part of US and Australia we are comparing. I moved to NYC 10 years ago and housing prices are definitely MUCH higher here, along with the condo/co-op fees and real estate taxes. I did the math, after we sell our tiny one bedroom apartment here we can get a nice 3 bedroom townhouse in Adelaide, and the saving on the fees and taxes would offset the higher prices on food and goods. 

I think the main point is, Australia is a perfect heaven for children, students and retirees, if you are not in any of the category, stay in US until you are. For us, that's a equal trade but much better living quality back in Australia. We don't get too many tax break anyway in either country. So that's just our case, 2 middle aged married couple with no kids, live a very simple lifestyle and very homebody type. We can retire early back home or just find some basic jobs and enjoy life. I think everyone is different.


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## Dipanshu

I've been applying for IT jobs in the US since past few months (from Australia) without any luck. I've very good skill set...not sure why am I not getting any response. Is this due to high unemployment in the US? Based on the info I'm getting from friends who work in the IT in the silicon valley ..there are many jobs and not enough people. So, not sure what's happening here. Anyways, for those of you Aussies who moved to the states, did you move based on employer sponsored visa e.g. E3? or was it on business visa?


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## Larry_Gong

That's interesting, like you have said, everyone's view is different. 
We actually met quite a few Aussies moving to US for retirement as they think life is much more relaxed there. 

However, they live in Colorado, Delaware, North Carolina - I don't think I would want to retire in NYC, but we met a lady in Sydney last week and she can't wait to move back to NYC, and she is 65 years old, she said it is so convenient to live in NYC. 

The world is an interesting place with different views, good luck where-ever you go, I am from Adelaide initially, it was not for me, I left after 3 years as I felt there was too much racism..but that was just me.


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## Donna123

Please tell me what jobs and where they are in the US are paying $200k plus? 

What are IT jobs paying in the US now and please list location? Project Manager or Test Manager or even Senior Tester? 

I migrated to Australia 5 years ago on a work visa and just got my PR. I went from making $40k in the US in the midwest to making $160k here in Australia. In the US I worked probably 50 to 60 hours a week with the expectation to be on call. Here I work from home half the week and spend another 20 hours in the office. I have worked on a weekend maybe 6 times and that is because I volunteered. 

Yes, things are very expensive here. We bought a house last year and it is 40 years old in the mid 300s. My new compact car is about 2x what it would cost in the US. I found it extremely easy to get credit here, not so much back in the US and I had lived there all my life. 

I like that I don't have to worry about healthcare here. I love the lifestyle. I don't miss the snow or ice. 

In the US, most of the time I didn't have health insurance as I worked as a contractor. 

I haven't been back to the US for 3 years and I am going back in a few weeks for a visit and try to have a look at the US again. I have one more year here until citizenship and if I like what I see in the US maybe consider going back with my husband.


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## Adam_Wozkaski

I moved from Australia about 10 years ago, although US has gone through tough times, and Australian Government is blahing about how great economy is. 

The reality for most of us are quite different - I find lifestyle much more relaxed in USA, lower cost of living means we have spare cash every month. Some are saying jobs are hard to find, but it all depends on the industries. 

If you are in cleantech, finance, IT, software, biotech: Then US has much more jobs to offer as these industries are much smaller industries in the USA. 

I have met many Australian friends here - and they are all saying the same thing. 

However, if you are a low-wage earner, than it's probably to stay in Australia because there are more benefits in Australia, but tax and cost of living is so much higher in Australia. 

If you are a Govt employee, then stay in OZ, as US Government is trimming down lots of people, but don't be surprised if Australia will follow that soon. 

My personal preference is USA because of lower cost of living, more business opportunities and more choice in terms of cities to choose from. I am enjoying my time here, so live where you can enjoy your life the most.


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## Larry2

Hi there, suggest you take a look of all the companies in Silicon Valley. 
Best jobs are in the technology sectors - while US is still in recession, many reports show that IT has the best time since 2001. 
Best paying jobs are in California, Seattle, and Texas is also emerging. It depends on jobs and sectors of course, I was interviewed with an Internet Data Centre Manager job and the salary was $150,000 base + $60,000 bonus, that was the salary for a Senior Director in Australia. 

My friend works for Google in Australia and moved to Google in US and gets good boost in pay. So it depends on jobs - mid-West in US does not have high salary but then again, living cost is much lower. 

Funny you say that about credit, I get bombarded by companies asking me to give me credit cards in US...maybe you are referring to mortgage. But as you know, in many cases in US, you don't even need a mortgage for house. 

It all depends on locations: top locations in my list for IT jobs are: San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Boston, Dallas, Portland, Washington D.C...Social Media, Internet, Telecommunications, Semiconductors and Solar energy are probably where the money is at moment.


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## Larry3

Generally speaking, US employers need to do a lot of documents and paperworks for non-US residents - and many have try to avoid that and go to US universities and find young guys. IT sectors are booming in the US, there are many jobs, your friends are right - just the process takes a long time. It also depends on your citizenship as well. Business Visa is much easier and has more security, as employer sponsor means if you lose your job, you also need to move - but there are also many conditions attached to Business Visa.


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## Dipanshu

are you serious? you mean your salary went up from $40k in the US to $160k in Aust? I'm just finding it hard to believe unless you've been promoted from say a tester to Snr. program manager (NOT even a project manager). May I ask what's was your in the US and your current role here? 

As far as working hours and stress factor in the US...I've heard similar stories from various other people who worked there for a few years and moved to Australia. If you don't have a medical insurance in the US, do you still get similar treatment as a public patient in the hospitals as you get over here in Australia?


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## Adam_Wozkaski

You have to look at the overall picture in terms of insurance: 

This is how I work out mine: 

1) In Australia, you still private insurance to have adequate hospital cover, and MBF, HCF or others will cost around $300 / month for a family. 
2) In USA, the similar level of coverage will be around $500/$600 / month for a family - depending on the coverage - dental is the most expensive option. 

But the tax is higher in Australia, so are the living cost. So you have to add up overall cost (including tax)...if you think it this way - the savings in gasoline (petrol) is probably more than $2,000 a year already, or savings on mortgage interest. 

You will be paying out-of-your-own pocket for medical expenses, this could be around $100 to $150 per visit, but they do go through very thorough test and examination. For hospitals, they probably won't admit you without insurance.


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## Dipanshu

Thanks Larry. It's good to hear that IT sector is not affected but then what about the outsourcing of IT jobs esp to India? I heard from a friend who works in IT in NY that most of the IT jobs were wiped out by Indian tech companies. BTW, how can you get Business Visa? I mean I've had a look at the US consulate's website but couldn't find enough info. I'm an Australian citizen. I thought E3 (H1B1 for Aussies) should be relatively easy ..not sure if the process for the US employer in terms of doing the paperwork remains same.


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## Dipanshu

Thanks Linda. Very helpful and informative post. I normally look at dice.com for jobs though the major issue I find is they don't mention about the salary package or contract rates...like what we get here on seek.com.au. Is there a website which provides IT salarywages info? I've decided to settle either in and around San Francisco or San Diego. Let's see what happens.


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## Guest

with that pay and good job, stay there in Australia, we have enough of over rated and over paid 
IT workers here, who also cannot speak english. you will be happy there. we do not need you.


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## Larry3

You are so mean! Recommending the worst city in Australia! I would recommend Cabramatta then..hahhaa 

Seriously, moving from US to Australia? I would suggest you move south to Texas, North Carolina or South Carolina instead.


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## LynnW

NYC is more convenient alright, but I won't miss the snow in the winter, the dreadful humidity in the summer and the very dirty city... racism exists everywhere you go, I being asian can attest to that but after living in NY for over 10 years, you learned to fight back or ignore everyone and everything. I just can't wait to move back~~ XD 

We court our blessing, it's probably easier to adjusting to the living costs from a big city like NYC to a smaller city like Adelaide and not the other way around. Nothing is perfect but life is full of choices, in our case, the benefits outweigh the costs.


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## Dana2

You can't compare living cost. Australia will always remain expensive because of small population, small amount of usable land (contrary to many international perception), lack of water, lack of infrastructure and aging population. USA, in contrast, has a lot of usable lands, and they can be developed into new neighborhoods, it has abundant water, food and other resources. 

Put aside economics and politics, USA will be the cheapest place to live in developed nations and likely to stay that way for a very long time. 

In USA, people are worried about finding jobs, but it is common that $30,000 to $40,000 is enough for smaller towns/cities, while $50,000 to $60,000 is enough for mid-range towns. In Australia, the living cost gap between large cities & smaller cities are not that much different anymore. 

I live in US now, our household income is around $60,000, small compared to Australian average, but we live comfortably, 4 bedroom house, car, good school, and able to travel around each year. It is better than when we lived in Australia when our household income was $80,000...so it depends on your own experience.


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## Rachel1

If you think it this way: it is hard enough to compare between Melbourne and Sydney, so it is impossible to compare between USA and Australia. 

They are just 2 different countries, apart from speaking the same language. USA is 15 times bigger than Australia, so of course the economy is much bigger hence cheaper because it needs it. Of course, there are more positives and negatives in USA than Australia, it is a great country to live in but also has a lot of issues like any big country. 

You can't just draw a conclusion that Australia or USA is better, that's just too ignorant. 

Cost of living wise, USA is of course much cheaper because of the economy of scale...there are basically nothing more expensive in USA than Australia, and probably never happened before. 

So if you are looking for lower cost of living, come to USA...my personal experience is that it is better to run your own business. If you can stay in a relatively affordable city in USA and run a business, then you are not limited to salary. I have a business in Florida which generates $100,000 a year and I can live very comfortably here..but it's a diff. story if you are just an employee here which may get around $40,000 a year only, still able to buy a house in Florida, but not saving much.


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## Darren_Schmidt

I am a small business owner (Internet based), I set it up in Australia then moved to the USA last year. I have no regrets about my decision: there are several things the US is better than Australia 
1. More customers (bigger market) 
2. Much lower cost of living 
3. More choice - here, it favors "consumers first" and allow competition and sets barrier for price hikes, which is almost the opposite in Australia 
4. The "total tax scenario" - much lower than Australia 
5. Healthcare - yes, I have to pay my own, but overall savings in cost still means much better off in the US 

But I am a business owner, so I am not going into debate about salary, job situation..etc. My view is, however, as the US is a much bigger economy - unless you are in the dying industry like manufacturing - there are more jobs available in many industries. Some industries like cleantech, biotech are only small in Australia. 

That's just my view - everyone is different.


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## KBr

Hear, Hear New Home. On our way to Australia in about a month. Indeed we are looking for a better quality of life. We too love the USA and always will, but are looking for a new future in Australia. Bringing the parents with us! More yanks are coming 'New Home'!


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## Hamaz

I moved from USA to Australia, I am finding life is much tougher due to tax and living cost, income is a bit higher, but the net income is actually lower. It depends on what you do and where you live of course, but jobs in rural Australia is even harder to find than USA. 

It's not an easy place to live, it's not a relaxed or laid-back place, in fact, I think Australian families are working much longer hours than in the USA, and if you put that into perspective, than your hourly rate becomes lower! 

It is very common to see families here working both weekdays and weekends.


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## Brenda1

May possibly be relocating to Melbourne from US before the end of the year. Job willing to accommodate me with lodging for one night. Single female over 40. Where would you suggest I begin my rental housing search? Thanks


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## Dipanshu

You were spot on Larry. I'm getting lots of responses from various recruiters but when it comes down to visa sponsership...they turn me down...pffft. well, I guess I'll keep trying. BTW, in order to get the business visa, I guess one need to make at least $1mil investment in any US business and employ a few locals. Are there any other type of Visas like working holiday visa?


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## Dipanshu

Hi Darren, first of all good to hear that you made a good move. what are the rules around business visa? I thought one need to invest at least $1mil in US and employ US nationals. Is it easy to setup a business in the US? I'm planning to setup an IT business.. dot com startup.


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## Deena

You really need high income to have an "essential life" in OZ, good areas are around, but pricey, bad areas will still see housing price to the north of $400,000 or $500,000, which I find it quite expensive, as that is close to high property price in American cities. When making comparison on after tax basis, American employees get better salary once they move to mid-management or executive levels, especially relating to IT, finance or medical industries. 

Life is not easy in the USA, but cost of living is lower compared to Australia. Someone on $100K salary in USA can live very comfortably, but here in Australia, it just covers costs, and you probably won't even own a house. 

Different lifestyle, but I am quite shocked by the living cost here when I moved to here from Chicago.


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## Desmond1

Imagine if poor Americans come to Australia and see the living cost, how would they react? 
I met Americans from Ohio, Dakota and Delaware last time on a cruise - they mentioned they want to retire in Australia and they are very keen to check it out. 

After 1 day visit in Sydney, they have given up this dream completely and shaking their heads in disbelief, they thought Melbourne would be better? Nada, then they went to Brisbane, Nada. 

Hello, Americans, now you know how lucky you are in terms of tax, low living cost - make some money and live happily there. 

You don't know how lucky you are - and always complaining. Complaining about gas price? Go to Asia, Australia or Europe 
Complain about grocery price, stay 1 month in Australia then you know how expensive grapes or bananas can be. 
Complain about tax? Hello, you don't even have VAT or GST? 

I know there is a recession in the USA, so is everyone else? 1/6 of Americans live in poverty? Do you know that 1/4 Chinese live in poverty? That's 200 million Chinese in poverty and do you hear them complain?


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## Elizabeth1

I was born and grew up in Brisbane, Australia. I have lived in every capital city of Australia except for Perth. Australia is a beautiful country, so much natural beauty. I have lived in the USA for over one year now. Yes things are cheaper like accommodation, but I have notseen a doctor here even when I am really sick; can't afford the insurance. I used to be able to go to the doctors for free if they bulk billed in Australia. There are pros and cons for both places. I have lived in Oklahoma and now Texas, the people here are nice and friendly.


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## Elizabeth1

We are are in the dilema of do we stay here or go back to Australia, my husband is a US citizen, but we cant buy a house here, because of a forclosre he had here recently. So many are losing their homes here everyday, and one of my husbands friends has been unemployed for almost three years. He has been fortunate been in IT and experienced. We have contacted Birsbanne IT recruiters who have told us he would have no problem getting work in Brisbane. ur.


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## Elizabeth1

He has already paid and applied for immigration in Australia, but its still hard because of the ecconomy flutuations in both countries. I like both countries, no society is perfect but I think the US and Australia do a pretty good job both of them. Another problem is here for me to the cost of getting my RN licence and the headache I have gone through for over a year. I apply fo jobs here like $10 an hour; on the contrast I was earning of $35 an hour


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## James6

Australians work very hard to have / keep the roof over their top as living cost is one of the highest in the world. 
In comparison, Americans spend too much time complaining about their life. 

In USA, it is normal to have 2 or 3 cars for a household, in Australia, most families just have 1 car, and probably a 2nd small, cheap car for emergency if you are wealthy. 

Things like Pay-TV is a luxury item in Australia, going out to see ball-games? Travelling? Have means in fancy restaurants, that only happen once in a while as going out for a meal means $60 to $100 for a family in a reasonable restaurant (no alcohol). 

I admire Australian spirit so much, I grew in Australia and live in USA now. I love living in the USA because of the choice and affordable living standard, but I know I can do well because of the Australian spirit I have grown up with. My life now is considerably better than back in Australia, I now own a house, and have a nice car, and able to travel. Because we work hard and earn it..unfortunately, for many Australians, they work so hard but still unable to enjoy life.


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## matt1

I know this has been touched on but I need help. I was offered a job in Brisbane for $85K USD per year. I am married and have one kid. We aren't major spenders and live a moderate lifestyle but do enjoy to get out everyonce in a while. Do you think 85K is good enough?


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## Elizabeth1

James, I think you are right, its the spirit of Australia, we are a tuff bunch and I love that. Cars and food are much cheaper here, but I miss the beaches, the ruggedness of Australia. I always play Great Southern Land by Ice house. I like the USA, but its like my heart is always in Australia


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## Elizabeth1

My husband is in IT and if we go back to Brisbane, that is most likely what he would be on. If you go to the Australian Tax Office website you can calculate what tax is taken out. Allot of Aus companies also offer salary sacrificeing which makes your take home pay higher as well. I lived in Brisbane most of my life from a child through to an adult, if you love the outdoors, you will love Brisbane. Redcliffe is a lovely seaside place, not too expensive, with out door free bbqs, not grills, but the bbq, is an electric hot plate, you just press the button and it cooks your food for free!. You will be fine on that salary, I enjoyed life there with a lower RN wage. Best wishes


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## thomas1

I am based in Brisbane..it is becoming quite expensive to live, so it depends on where you will be living. 
Let me see, $85,000 in gross, I would say that would be around $60,000 net? Better find out your tax rate first. 
Also, find out if that $85,000 includes 10% superannuation, if it is - deduct 10% from your salary.

I am not a tax expert, but I would say tax would be around 30% (I could be wrong).

Also find if you have insurance included, expats sometimes do not have insurance included, and not entitled to medicare - that will mean a huge blow out in healthcare cost..which is even higher than USA.

Once you find out what your "net income" is - use www.realestate.com.au to find rental properties, I will assume it will be at least $2,000 to $2,500 per month for good areas (where good schools are). Your kid will need to pay international rate even for public school, which can be around $10,000 a year - so better check that out first.

Also, as you will be a new driver, your insurance rate will be based on "foreigner" rate.

I am not trying to scare you, but just be mindful of extra expenses you will get hit with, like tax rate. I was on $90,000 in Sydney and was barely enough for my family, no kids back then, after 2 kids, it was not enough. My friend moved from California to Australia on $90,000 salary (3 kids though) and he is now moving back to California because of living cost..but really depends on where you live.


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## Expat_in_OZ

To reiterate some points mentioned by a few guys, a few things to watch before moving to OZ, at least for expats: 

1. Understand the tax rate will be very different, different thresholds, different margin rates 
2. Salary package includes / excludes pension (super) - this can makes a big difference 
3. Your health-care - I have a friend from UK who needs a healthcare in OZ, and that costs him $10,000 a year, he was very shocked as locals only pay $3000 to $5000 a year 
4. Private Healthcare - Most families still have private healthcare as medicare is covering less and less - avg. cost is $300 to $350 per month per family 
5. Understand your insurance, especially auto insurance 
6. Gasoline (petrol) is expensive compared to North America, but cheaper compared to Europe 
7. Schooling: International fees apply to public & private schools 
8. Suburbs: Live in good suburbs, bad areas are quite bad, as in any country..


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## James6

Man, Monster.com is quite good and indeed.com (I think). 
Simplyhired.com, there are tons of them. 
But I would say social media is the best, try LinkedIn.com 

Most jobs are not even advertised, that's the way it works - advertised jobs, as in Australia, are often "for the sake of fairness" 

Social media, on the other hand, is better - and get several recruitment agents to work for you to find jobs. 

Also, check out who's who in IT companies in the USA, there are literally thousands of them, and I bet you don't even know (and I don't) most of them even though they are huge. 

San Diego is very nice, I just got back from there, nice weather - San Francisco is San Francisco, I don't need to say more. San Diego is much more affordable, I stayed near the Airport area, it is very pretty there. Check out some of the US Government websites to find out major employers in each State, even Wikipedia can be quite useful.


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## Dipanshu

I second your comments on Australian spirit. Just wondering (if you don't mind), how did you migrate to the US? was it employer sponsored or on a business visa?


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## Dipanshu

I guess $85K is not bad for Brisbane but won't be good enough for SydneyMelbourne. Good luck with your move.


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## Lawrence1

$85K is sufficient for a family, but not enough if you want to do something extra like sending your kids to private school. Also, child care cost is very high in Australia, much higher than the United States, but depends on the tax situation - some parts can be deducted. Not sure about if your wife will be working - 2 income will be easier to live in Australia. 

I am not sure where you are from, but to put Brisbane as a comparison, I would say the weather is kind of like South East, but not as humid as say Orlando. Population is similar to San Diego, but San Diego has much more business and tourism activities. 

Schooling, tax and private healthcare will be the 3 critical factors to see if your move is worth-while. The lifestyle is similar to the USA, but generally much more expensive (hence the salary) than US. 

I have personally moved from Brisbane Australia to Brisbane, USA  Totally different cities!


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## Desmond1

My own experience is, if you are a skilled employee or have an inspiration to start your business, then USA is the way to go. My friend was working for IBM, he was on $150K in Canada already, and was on $120K in Australia, when he was relocated to the US HQ, his salary jumped to $300,000 for 1 year. It is a big jump for the same position, but pressure is higher. My another friend works for Google, and his salary jumped from $75,000 to $150K when he was relocated. You think the living cost will be huge, but not really, cost in living in Sydney is not that much different compared to San Francisco, in fact, in many aspects it is less in SF due to housing, interest rates, insurance, food and gasoline. 

But of course not everyone is on good salary, if you are going to stuck with $30,000 or $40,000 salary in the USA, then don't move there from Australia. 

Definitely a lot more jobs for "skilled" people, in my line of industry (cleantech), we can't fill people because of lack of skills, but other industries are laying people off. It is a bi-polar economy like everywhere else. 

But cost of living is cheaper in general in the US. 

Try both locations, only you will know, some Americans love Australia, some Australians love USA...I love USA as I have more opportunities here than Australia, but that's just me.


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## Moneycat2

OK, as mentioned, here are useful info if you wanna move from Australia to USA 

Compareprice.com is quite useful - there are too many supermarkets / retailers to choose from, I don't even know where to start! Common ones are: Wal-Mart, Costco, K-mart, Target, Loews, Kohls..depending where you are. I shop at Trader Joe's sometimes. 

For real estate, I like trulia.com - but there are many more real estate websites out there. 

For jobs, don't just rely on advertised jobs - most jobs in the USA are unadvertised - monster.com is useful or simplyhired.com - but like I have said, many jobs are not advertised. 

Food is based on per pound, gasoline is based on per gallon - so you have to do your conversion.


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## James7

Hi Deep & Elizabeth: Thanks, I know, I have met many Australians in the USA, it is actually true for many immigrants in the USA, in general, they have been through tougher environments due to various reasons. 

Deep - I moved here on employer sponsored program first - then I set up my own business - it is much better to do that way and stay here with a business operating. Jobs are not secure anyway in the world, if you have a family, you want to have more control. With business visas, they give you 4 years, renewable at the end of of 4 years. Rules maybe changing, but generally speaking, they ask much less questions when on Business Visa. 

Many employers want to hire - but can't be bothered with the visa process - so that becomes mostly limited to public listed companies only, but as u know, so many successful companies are not public listed companies!


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## james8

Crowded House is pretty much based in the United States now, I believe, so is Savage Garden, and Wiggles, so many successful Australians in the US entertainment / media industry. In general, I found most of them quite successful here - because Australians are used to work hard in all different conditions. Americans also work very hard, but most of them do not need to face the cost of living pressure as others. USA is a beautiful country, their beaches are also very beautiful, but I feel they have been too lucky and take things for granted.


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## matt1

I recently posted that my job in Brisbane offer was 85K per year. I just found out that they will reimburse up to 40K per year for rent and food. Brining the new total to around 125K per year. 

Judging by the previous responses, I'm assuming that 125K is a comfortable salary to live on in Brisbane? Two Adults, one one year old. Not big spenders but enjoy getting out. Don't want to live in a crap hole either. 

Thanks for any insights.


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## james8

That's good, taking away large cost items like rent - you need around $2500 a month in Brisbane for a house if you want to live in inner city areas, of you can travel further. Just make sure when you do the numbers, that $40K is not taxable, if that's taxable, then you have to work on the net figures. Tax rate is much higher in Australia than in the US, so always apply that discount factor to reflect on the reality. 

One year old is fine, although the day care cost in Australia is much higher than in the US, but if your wife is not working, then that could save a lot of money in baby sitting. 

The housing price is very high in Australia compared to the US, but based on your salary, you maybe able to purchase a property there. Brisbane is a small city, I lived there for 2 years, and my wife lived there for 10 years. It's growing, some people like it, it's warm throughout the year, but can be quite humid - so prepare yourself a wealth similar to Florida.


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## Thomas2

Same here, Elizabeth, I grew up in Australia now lives in Canada & the United States. All 3 countries have pros and cons. I love North America because of the diversity and business opportunities, we run our own business and most businesses are in North America. North America is a beautiful place to live with distinctive 4 seasons, landscapes and different culture in different city. I love it living here, and the cost of living is much cheaper. 

Australia is much harder to live because of small population, but its people are more "resilient" than average Americans which have lived comfortably for long until now. For Australians or Asians, where life is always not as easy, they tend to know how to live within their means more - and able to save. 

Everyone's choice is different, for us, we found living here is much better because of business opp. and cost, but for some, Australia could turn out to be better for them - no such thing as perfect answer as you have said. At least, you have choices, most people don't have choices.


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## Choi

I love Australia a lot, I was born and raised in Australia. But the reality is reality - you can see the number of emigrants have been rising considerably over the past 5 years. In fact, it had reached over 100,000 last years, it was barely 50,000 a year 5 years ago. This reflects just how hard it has become for ordinary Australians to live comfortably in Australia. 

I left Australia last year for North America, and I can understand why so many Australians want to move to Canada or USA, simple, comparable lifestyle if not better and at a fraction of the cost compared to Australia. $3000 a month can mean a nice, reasonable life in the US, $5000 is enough to raise a family in a decent neighbourhood with good house. 

In many parts of Australia, $3000 is the rent you pay or the mortgage. For families, it is quite normal to see grocery bills over $1500 a month easily, and that's just the basic. 

Petrol is now $1.40+ per litre which equates to around $6.00 per gallon. It is a lovely country to live but so is the USA or Canada. 

It is sad to see a place can become that expensive, but we are still lucky, Asia is becoming even far more expensive than Australia, and their salary had hardly increased last 10 years..


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## Desmond2

This is my 3rd year from Australia to the USA, I truly love every moment of it. We have been travelling extensive, my family loves the lifestyle here. Unlike in Australia, where cities are far apart, in many parts of the USA, you can experience different nature, cities and culture within 4 hours, especially if you are along the West or East Coast. 

Whenever we have short breaks or school breaks, we will jump into our car and travel. Hotels here are top service, meals included, sometimes even dinners are included and at a fraction of the rates in Australia. 

Business opportunities are plenty, so many simple shops and ideas can turn into successful businesses. USA is a place for people with aspirations and want to run their business. I have met many Australians here, or those who went to schools or universities in Australia. Lots of doctors are from Australia, many Aussies have set up good IT, services, and franchising businesses here.


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## Hawkins

Originally from Adelaide, South Australia. It is too backwards and only jobs are in the mining industries. Australia is a mining country, I can't imagine what will happen when the mining industry stops, it happened in 2008 & 2009 and practically, sent QLD, SA and WA all into recession within 2 months. 

Australia has no other industries, it has a tiny IT industry, even smaller biotech industry, and the financial industry are controlled by less than 10 companies. The retail industry is dying, manufacturing industry is non-existent anymore. 

So the only way is to work for Government, and they are now increasingly outsourcing to India. 

Australia is full of talents, but like any country in the world, it does not have a sustainable market or population. In our study, you need at least 50 million people to support local economy - otherwise your own future is in exports. 

USA is different, it has both large export and internal demand - when you have internal demand, you can lower the price because of economies of scale. 

I now live in the USA, while it has problems it faces - generally, the lifestyle here is pretty good, extra savings achieved due to lower cost of living has helped me a lot to settle in the US, with my own house, no loans on cars, and affordable grocery and travel. 

Biggest problem in the US is to watch your wallets - to easy to spend and too much temptations! Aussies are doing well, as we have been hard trained to have disciplined spending.


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## Guest

no my freind it about right whith a little humor in it . but true 
i live now in adelaide in the middle of aus i did live in sydney and he,s right about sydney


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## Hawkins

alakdan170's comments are quite funny and exaggerated to some extent. However, it does show many people in Australia are really frustrated with the rising living cost. Like USA, the gap between rich and poor is very big in Australia. The living cost in OZ is far greater than in the US and has been going up at steeper rate each year, so, I guess people are fed up and want to express themselves...


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## Oroso

I grew up in OZ and moved around, now lives in the USA. I had lived around diff. states in the US, each state and each city is diff. In general, great place to live, to bring up family and also great for biz opp. I have a web biz, never took off in OZ due to small market, but it works here. The ironic thing is that now I get more OZ customers than back in OZ...must be something to do hosting or online reputation, my other friends said the same as well. 

Many successful OZ entrepreneurs here, I love it here, so many entrepreneurs here, sharing same vision. Plenty of good cities to choose from depending on ur lifestyle. I like San Jose and SF, but they are expensive cities to live..San Diego is pretty good, Colorado is good for families, Dallas is excellent for families, then you also have cities like Boston, Philadelphia or DC if you like East Coast, and Big Apple is always a great city. 

U can't compare between the 2 countries - the whole Australian economy is probably like state of Texas plus Oklahoma, maybe few more states - u can't draw comparison. In OZ, 3 department stores probably mean too much, here, even 10 departments are not enough..


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## Hulk_in_Australia

Look I lived in the US before for over 10 yrs, and have been living in Australia for the last 6 years. 

The fact the can not be argued is Australia is much more expensive to live in than the US. Especially for buying Property, Alcohol, cars and eating out. America due to is 300 million population creates a market where competition keeps prices down as well cutting edge. Australia definitely does not have this. Too little competitors and if someone new joins the competition, the big boys like Wollies takes them out or buys them up. Unfortunately in most aspects, to get ahead and save.. Australia does not have it. 

On the other hand, the US has no jobs and a 2 digit unemployment rate. So unless you are like me, with no debt, no or few monthly fixed costs, no monthly , good health, and netting over $10+K a month in cash with high disposable income to save or invest . It almost impossible to get ahead!! 

You are better off moving to the US. Cost of living will take care of you and you will have a better variety in life than hear. Oh and to boot.. Australia unfortunately is young.. and racism does exist. Sorry to say! It's obvious in the lack of mixed race dating and the bouroughs that the asians, whites and coloured live. They are not integrated together but rather in their own sects. Australia is in the racial mindset of where the US were back in the 80's which was only a bit better than " the black man sitting in the back of the bus" mentality. 

I believe in Australia but, it poor to see how racism is so rife in Australian daily life and daily conversation, dating and work. We are people and one race.. we are the HUMAN race. If this gets better, I know Australia will rise. Without overcoming this, what chance do we have without China's help. We need to take a first step to accept others as they learn to accept us.


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## Choi

Agreed, Hulk (nice call!) 
US is really great - but much better if you are a business owner. Jobs are still plenty for many industries in the US which do not exist much in Australia like Telecom, Biotech, CleanTech, Social Media..Look, manufacturing industry is even worse in OZ...not even 1 major car manufacturing plant in OZ anymore..Holden is a dying brand...In the US, all major auto companies have been increasing their hiring last 6 months. 

It's a different world - US has so many retailers - new ones are coming in to compete, creating new jobs and creating competition. Look at success of Marshalls, Costco, Target, Trader Joes - they are all relatively young companies. 

What about OZ? It's the other way! Now just Coles & Woolies after years of take-overs which should not be allowed. Newcomers like Costco or Aldi are still tiny in OZ..Things like transportation, gas stations are even worse. 

I am quite happy here, like you said, nobody cares who I am or what I am in the USA. As long you are prepared to work hard and have an idea, the future is always quite bright in the USA!


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## TiggyG

I love Australia. I have lived here most of my life, but the cost of living is incredible $300 per week at the supermarket and another $100 on fruit and veg! Interest rates are too high, utilities are double that of the US, but the healthcare system in the US...My (great) uncle had two policies but still ended up bankrupt after he had a stroke. Both my children have chronic asthma so I would worry I couldn't afford treatment in the USA. I compared housing in the USA to what I have here. I can buy somewhere between 1 and 4.5 acres in Westchester county for the same price of my 8000sq ft block in Melbourne...but the land tax is HUGE between $30000 and $100000 per annum. So even though you get tax credit for the interest on your mortgage it all goes in state and land tax and healthcare. Education in AUS is pretty darn good (private system) and a bit cheaper that the USA. Here my kids go to the top private schools in the state. In the US I would have trouble I imagine getting them into a Prep school and the price tag of $40000 per year is a bit steep - but I gotta compare apples with apples. Would like to move to the US and open up another branch of the business - the capacity to earn in the USA is far greater than AUS. New York alone has around 19million people which is similar to the entire AUS population. For me lower wages in USA are great as I can employ more people for less! My car here cost $130000 in the USA $47000 same car! Lots of reasons to move and lots to stay - the big one is the healthcare and the whopping great land taxes in the US


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## Felipe1

Having lived in both countries, LOC in OZ is certainly much higher than the USA, I can't recall any city in the US that would have equal cost in terms of grocery or transportation. Housing cost in the US varies considerably, but Sydney housing price, I think, it's somewhere around San Francisco - New York level, I think it's kind of in-between. 

The price you pay for a modest house in Sydney, you can live in Long Beach or one of the "nicest" places in the world...South California is so beautiful, great lifestyle, great for business opportunities.. 

I am from Australia, but my family grows in the US, after a few visits, we decided to stay "put" in the US. I was hoping to give them some Aussie experience..but really not worth it when you factor in set up cost, living cost and compromise on lifestyle. 

Sorry, Australia, I love you, but I am one of 100,000+ people leaving each year for good..


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## Jason_Young

I too, agreed with Hulk's views. Same here, lived and grew up in Australia but spent most of last 5 years across USA and Canada. I feel very fortunate to relocate here, my kids love it, my wife loves it. They probably love USA more than Canada, mainly due to availability of choices, living cost of Canada is also high compared to USA, but still much lower than Australia. 

The unemployment in the USA is a wrong "perception" - if you are in manufacturing, yes, but probably better than Australia where it has NO manufacturing industry left. 

Other sectors in the US are actually doing very well: IT, medical, services, cleantech, education, just to name a few. 

If you want to work for Government? Forget it, highly stressful job and not a good pay..if u want to work for Govt, stay in OZ and just stay there until you retire..but if you decide to change to private sector..watch out, private sectors do not like government workers.. 

If you want to run biz and try to have financial freedom - USA is the United States of Achievements - best place to do business! 

As Hulk has mentioned, "living cost will take care of itself", if u have a household income of $60,000 in the US, u can generally do pretty well in many cities (not highly expensive ones). Most families I know are on around $100,000 here, which they can do quite well...that kind of income is just sufficient for you pay essentials in Australia! So see the difference?? 

Since we moved here, we have seen our business growing much faster, and able to make savings every month now!


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## Dipanshu

after reading your comments, all of you aussies who managed to move to US are simply making me jealous...  here I'm trying really hard to find a US employer who can sponsor my E3 without any luck....pffft. I'm in IT and my skills are in hot demand but the moment I ask for the sponsorship....they just simply turns me down....


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## LeoWnkr

Heads up Aussies! 
Before moving to the US you need to understand how stressful doing 3 sets of tax returns are. Aussie, State and Fed. This is a real headache. Then research FACTA and FBAR well in advance. You will need to consider hiring a very good CPA or International Tax Attorney to get your head around everything. So much for the simple life.


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## Jason_Young

The argument for property tax in the USA is their income tax is far lower than Australia, and housing price is far lower. 
So - imagine you have a house for 50 years, you still end up paying less in the US because the housing cost is much lower. 

You have to sum up all the costs to make a full comparison - heathcare cost is high but once you take factor into the tax you have saved and housing cost u have saved, u are still in the front. 

Mind you, the US medical system (treatment wise) is by far, the best in the world, doctors everywhere, great hospitals - you pay more but you also get more. 

NY is actually over 22 million "residents" plus 5 to 6 million visitors at anytime! So, that's Australia+NZ+PNG 

Its economy is probably 5 to 6 times bigger than whole Australia already, the US economy is approx. 20 times bigger than Australia.


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## Linda3

Keep your options open, Deep. We moved to Canada first...it is also very good place to live, probably better than the USA in many aspects, although cost of living is higher than the USA but still much lower than Australia.


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## Dipanshu

spot on Linda that the other option I was thinking though I'm too much worried about the extreme cold weather as my daughters are asthmatic. I guess Vancouver might be ok weather wise. Let's see what happens. I believe Canadian citizens are allowed to legally work in US on a special permit. Am I right?


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## Elias1

From Australia and live in the USA now..immigrants love the USA because of new opportunities and better life, local Americans complain about the USA if they have not been elsewhere, which is also a big proportion. 

5 things I love about USA compared to Australia 
1. So much more business opportunities 
2. So much more competition for consumers - great for consumers 
3. Excellent customer service, probably best in the world 
4. Low cost of living for a comfortable lifestyle 
5. Diverse culture, diverse cities and so much to do 

5 things I think Australia is better 
1. Winter is very nice in Australia compared to the East Coast of the USA - but similar to the West Coast 
2. Some parts of Australian primary school education is better 
3. I can't say Australian healthcare is better - US actually has very good access to doctors - healthcare is not free in Australia, it's more expensive than in the USA if you factor in the tax we pay 
4. Less income gap between rich & poor...but even rich people are struggling with living cost sometimes 

We pay much more in Australia for the same in the USA.


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## Thomas3

Deep, the visa you are referring is called Treaty Visa I believe, yes, Canadian permanent residents can work in the USA under that special permit, which is easier than sponsored employment. If you are a Canadian Citizen, it is even easier. However, you do have to qualify for the PR, i.e. you still have to complete the necessary stay in Canada within the set timeframe or you would lose your PR. We applied from Australia and moved to Canada, took us less than 6 months, lovely country to live, more expensive than the USA, but very lovely country and still far cheaper than Australia. 

USA - great place for business and IT, but good and bad areas are really heaven and hell. It's not that bad, after 12 months, we don't feel anything anymore, I am in Toronto..much better city than Vancouver in my opinion, vancouver is way over priced with very little jobs.


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## Tommy2

As an immigrant both for Australia and USA - I can share my experience here. I moved from Asia to Australia 20+ years ago as a teenager and did my study, my university, my master degree there and worked at Australian corporates for over 10 years before started my own business. It was hard to run a business in Australia due to variable costs, and lack of scale - so we had to, like many Australian companies - to go abroad. 

I was skeptical about the US market initially as we started in 2008, at the beginning of recession. Now, 90% of our revenue is from the US (this is even during recession!), as the result, we moved here. 

USA is a great place as a business-starter, owner. The society highly values you as an innovator and supports you. American customers are more willing to try new things than Australian customers. The scale is much bigger as well - one city or state is already significant market, and it is very easy to expand from say, LA to San Diego to Texas. 

Cost of living is also significantly lower here..so it is easier to save. People can argue about heathcare cost, but in reality, it is not that much different. We paid $350 a month in Australia for private insurance, we pay $600 a month here - so the net difference is $250 a month..But, the tax rate in Australia is much higher - put in perspective. $100,000 in Australia probably will see tax around $35,000 to $38,000 - here, it is much lower, and also offset with your mortgage on principal residence...so it ends up like next to nothing. 

That's just my experience..


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## Dea

Simple, moved here from USA myself..find a city that you can afford first, not many around unless you are really rich.

Check out www.realestate.com.au for property price (rent and to buy).

Cars are about 2.5 times more expensive, gasoline is probably around $6.00 per gallon or more, mortgage rate is over 7.5%..so have a realistic assessment yourself first.

If you can't make at least $100K a year in OZ..forget about it.


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## Tommy2

Well said, life if full of choices, why stuck in one place. 

I was the opposite, we had terrible experience in Adelaide, we had encountered numerous racial incidents as I am an Asian, my house was constantly stoned by teenagers, and we lived in Burnside! 

My friend's car was bombed by teenagers using petrol bomb and house sprayed with racial slogans.. 

I was racially abused by my teachers at high school.. 

So we moved out after just 2 years in Adelaide - maybe others have better luck..it was a bad and sad memory for us.. 

I have not encountered any problem in NYC..so like u said, everyone has diff. experience


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## Alain1

USA is a place for immigrants - lots of choices, lots of business opportunities. USA is a country of immigrants, look at how many successful immigrants there including Australians. 

Never just look at the negative side, look at just how many are successful! Cost of living is cheaper, means business cost is cheaper. It's a place for those who want to give it a hard try then live a nice life. 

I love this place, we tried hard in OZ to run a biz, didn't work due to small economy and cost, it works here. My friend was running a small takeout place in OZ and barely survived, he now has 4 restaurants in the USA. 

The same can be said and seen again and again..I met 1 Aussie couple which now runs 2 chains in the USA, and 2 very successful Aussie IT CEOs who now operate big web business here. 

We love this place, Australia is great, but just way too expensive to live and for business.


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## Lou1

Australia is a free and prospering country whereby a multicultural and relaxed immigration policy has been nothing but a complete success. The cost of living is ridiculous and the only country I can compare it to is Norway, I think Australia is a little more expensive actually. I lived in Australia for 15 years and the people are warm, fair, cultured and super relaxed. Everyone seems to be relaxing all the time and a good life is had by most. Recent statistics from the national SENSIS concluded that 73% of Australians are satisfied with their lives, and its no wonder when 99% of the population has such a strong connection the natural beauty of the country. Its a subconsciously socialist country and has a stable, somewehat generous welfare system accessible by all people. The people are amazing, charismatic and usually very fun people to be around. Compared to life in the US, im currently in Newport CA, Australia just trumps it.


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## Larry4

People who can make it in Australia can make much better in the USA - that's the consensus we have here as an Aussie living in the USA. If you can survive the high cost in Australia, and able to buy a house, make some money from the property in Australia, go and set up ur biz or retire in the USA. Australians work very hard just to make the basics meet, I don't know about people feel relaxed, I find life much more stressful in Australia due to the cost. 

But everyone is different, for me, I feel much more relaxed here in the USA, able to travel every 3 months, spend time with kids, live in a lovely house at 50% cost to Australia, and it is a very beautiful beach and nice neighbourhood. 

I lived in Northern Beaches in Sydney before, and I can tell you that Newport Beach CA is 10 times better than Newport Beach, NSW and probably cheaper!


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## Jumbo

I was on OZ-NZ cruise last month, 80% of passengers were Americans, less than 10% were Australians and this "Australian cruising trip". 

Anyway, met a number of yanks visiting OZ first time..they all had this dumb impression that OZ is so cheap like Bahamas or somewhere, and they said, nice to sell house in US and retire easily. 

I told them I would bet with them that they will change ideas once they visited in Sydney... 

Well..none of them said anything after their 2 days in Sydney other than complaining and "incredulously" realized how expensive it is in OZ. Bottle of water is 6 times more expensive in Australia, bananas is like 4 times more expensive..no refill, no free breakfast, no free Internet at hotel..blah..blah..blah...C'mon, u think the world is like USA? USA is USA. 

I should had bet with more Americans on the cruise and I could win so much money. 

Retire in Australia from US??? Yeah, right, sounds like a plan, but just a plan... 

I travel to USA every 6 months, I know exactly what the difference is like...yeah, u guys can call me fool or anything, but when comes to the cost...nobody beats the USA.


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## Linda4

Hard question, despite of Australia has an universal healthcare system (but been degrading big time last few years), the cost of healthcare is very high now, average will be easily over $300 for a family per month, which makes it around $4000 a year already. Without private insurance, a simple ride on ambulance will cost around $600. I know it is still cheaper than in the USA, but just don't think Australian healthcare system is great - hospitals are very few, and lack of good doctors. I was in emergency at Royal North Shore, and the nurse could hardly speak any English, makes me very nervous about the quality. Most doctors were half asleep as they were just too tired, most new doctors are from Africa, India or The Phillppines, the quality can vary significantly. 

Cost of living in Australia is way above US and Canada. I don't know about all these good economy reported by the Govt, as normal people on the street just don't feel it. There are a few lucky ones in the mining industry, but the mining employment is just 2% of Australian economy. 

I feel life here very stressed, always running out of money to pay bills, we had not been "above" for 3 years, and that is hurting us. So we moved to North, we moved to North America, and we had been "above" 8 out of 12 months so far, the first 4 months were out of budget due to large expenses like cars, furniture..but on day-to-day, unless you are travelling, we can pretty much live quite well for under $5000 a month. 

in Australia, we could not even live well for $10,000 a month sometimes - we lived in an OK suburb, we lived in north shore, people say WOW, but it;s just a 60 years old house with 60 years old windows, which we could not repair because they are so expensive. 

I don't know, for me, the future is in North America..at least I can make savings...


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## Alan3

To say lifestyle in OZ is a relaxed lifestyle is a complete misconception, I will say lifestyle in southern california (even some parts of LA) are much more relaxed than Sydney or Melbourne. I have lived in all states in Australia over 20 years and 6 states in the USA, I can tell you that I find lifestyle in the USA (not including NY or Chicago) much more relaxed. 

Cost of living is ridiculously high in Australia..yeah..then you are going to start about healthcare.. 

The only thing Aussies and Canadians can compare to US is healthcare... 

Well, healthcare is hardly free in Australia, tax is very high, mortgage rate is very high, and medicare doesn't cover much..so everyone needs a private healthcare, a good plan costs around $4000 a year now, and has been going up by about 10% to 15% a year. Even with healthcare, you still have to pay a lot from your own pocket. 

This is what I figured out after 2 years in the USA, put it this way, the gas (petrol) price you save each year by living in the USA makes up the difference already, OK...or just think about the housing cost.


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## Mimi1

Really? Where do you live? How come I don't feel these at all. I experienced racism almost everyday, rude bus drivers, terrible customer service, food is 2 to 3 times more expensive than North America, gasoline is even higher. Right, free medicare, but to see a doctor takes like 5 hours at medical centre. 

Maybe you are just lucky, or maybe I am unlucky, I find life in Australia way much tougher than United States, I am moving back to California next year, much easier to live, and more relaxed..For the price for a shabby tiny house in Sydney or Brisbane, I could live very comfortably in Southern California. 

Have u been to Newport, CA at all? For something as a comparison, you have to live in Balmoral Beach to compare..


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## Ellen1

This is my personal experience when I was living between 2 places.. 

When I moved from Australia to the USA: I brought nothing and just myself and some spare cloths - much cheaper to buy them brand new in the USA. The price we paid for old 2nd products in Australia is enough to buy brand new ones in the USA. 

When I moved back from USA to Australia, I bought everything, put them into a container and shipped them from USA to Australia. As living cost difference is so high between the 2 countries. 

I didn't do this, but my friend even bought a 2nd hand car in the USA, converted it to the Australian side in the US, and still ended up saving himself close to $20,000 in the car. 

Amazing, the difference is simply stunning..of course, Australia is not that bad compared to Asia or Europe, where $1m buys you a tiny apartment - but certainly way much more expensive than USA.


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## Dipanshu

Thanks Thomas. Going via Canadian route might be an option though cold wether of Canada scares me a lot..esp. Toronto. Overall you've summed it up nicely. Thanks again.


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## Mimi2

Left Australia last year, not really missing it much other than its blue skies sometimes - as they are really blue. 
The blue skies in the US is different if you are not near the ocean, the color is lighter (from the lakes) 

I also miss my dog which is back in Australia. 

Other than that, not missing a thing in Australia, glad to say goodbye to expensive cost of living, bad customer service, terrible grocery price and boring life...I am pretty happy here. Bought a house in first year, driving a new car, and never ending things to do like sports, museums, galleries in the USA.


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## Dipanshu

good on you. Did you move on a work or business visa?


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## LaoWAI

This is my own experience - I lived in Asia, Australia & USA last 30 years. 

Even though I am a Chinese and I can speak and write Chinese, Asia was the worst - high living cost, pollution, terrible environment for families and gap between super-rich and ordinary people. I spent most of the time living between Asia & Australia. 

Then over the past 10 years, since the introduction of GST, Australian living cost skyrocketed. The real inflation would be close to 10% p.a..merchants are becoming far more greedier because monopoly is in almost every industry you can imagine. 

It is sad to see Australia becoming more and more like living in Asia, which is a reason why many Asian families wish to emigrate. 

So we arrived in the US 3 years ago, I now spent time between Canada & USA, both offer very good quality of life at a much less cost compared to Australia. You can live as comfortable if not more comfortable than Australia for 1/2 of the price you pay in Australia, and probably 1/3 of the price you pay in China. 

I love it here, my family also love it here, and there are plenty of business opportunities in the USA. Australia is quite limited as it only has 2 major cities (Sydney & Melbourne), and lots of industries are controlled, therefore, it is far more costly to do a business in Australia than in the USA but you have less consumers in Australia due to smaller population. 

That's just my opinion, for me, relocation works for me really..


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## Tommy_Boy

I love Australia, but I can't survive there, it's almost like a song..and very sad song. 

Once upon a time, I was so glad to be in Australia, but quality of life keeps going down as living cost surges around 10% a year, we had no vacation for 5 years, we were behind every month despite of earning the same income, there was hardly any increase in income, and it was hardly enough to cover an increase in expense. 

Since we had our children, life was completely upside down, the day care cost was a complete joke, it can quickly add up to $700/week for 2 kids. My wife is not working so she can look after the kids herself, I lost my job and decided to run my own business. 

Then we told ourselves, we needed a change, so we jumped on the plane and headed north. I now live in Canada, and travel to USA every month. I think eventually, we will buy a 2nd house in the USA like everyone does in Canada for retirement. 

I can tell you right now that Australia is not a special country in anyway, apart from high expenses. You maybe angry about my posts, but most of Aussies just say, "Right, we have beautiful Harbour Bridge, so? You can't eat it" 

Beaches? There are plenty of nice beaches around US. Food? Canada & USA's food price is less than 1/2 to Australian price..healthcare, so? How much tax you paid? 

I may sound negative, but if things aren't right for you in OZ, why not move and start a new life, like 100,000+ people had done so last year.


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## Alexander1

You may well end up seething with bitterness inside because you constantly just over pay for everything. In Sydney a bottle of water is more than $4, in Perth a pint of beer in the region of $10, in Brisbane they have a 'cheap' cinema tuesday day which is $10 all day - what are you freaking joking???? That is suppose to be cheap because normally it is $17.50!! Add popcorn to the mix and theats another 7 bucks - another joke. Smokers are discrimanted against but they won't ban tobacco - it's now almost $20 for a pack of smokes, to order a steak in half decent restaurant and bear in mind that this is a country that supposedly prides itself on steak your going to have to fork out well over $30.. if you want any extra and additional $7 and up. The Government utilize a taxation system which takes more percentage wise from higher income earners...housing is astronomical for what you get unless you want to live out in the sticks. Fuel is ridiculous, taxis which they encourage people to take to avoid drink driving are ridiculous and the train is hardly cheap.


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## Danny1

Go to Canada, nice place to live, close to the US, lots of interactions between the 2 countries also facing shortage of IT professionals. It gets a bit cold in winter, but so is many parts of US, you get mild summer, so it's a trade off. Canada is more expensive than the US, higher tax as well, but similar healthcare. 

I live in Canada now, and we still enjoy what US can offer as we can travel there frequently, it's a wonderful place to travel. US does have more job opportunities as most of the world's largest IT companies are based there...but consider Option B anyway.


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## Duke

My cost of living had slashed by 60% since moving from Australia to Canada, should I chose to move to some parts of the USA, it would drop by up to 90%, but depending on where you are going of course. 

I lived in Sydney before, and now lives in Toronto, which, in North American standard, is already one of the top 5 most expensive cities to live! The cost of living in Canada in general is higher than the US due to tax, housing cost and gasoline cost..but still far cheaper than Australia. 

The key items you can expect to save are: 
1. Housing Cost (Purchase Cost or Rental) 
2. Mortgage cost: Average is 2.5% to 3.5% here as opposed to Australia's 7% - 8% 
3. Banking Cost 
4. Gasoline (Petrol) 
5. Food (Much cheaper in North America because of availability & water) 
6. Water 
7. Clothing 
8. Electronics 
9. Utilities 
10. Travelling Cost 
11. Tax 
12. Government Charges (like services, levies..etc) 

Things that you may look at: 

1. Healthcare Cost: This is really debatable. You pay way less tax in the US, but you need to pay around $5000 to $6000 a year for Family healthcare plan, as opposed to Australia's around $3600 to $4000 a year (as you also need private healthcare in Australia to get a decent treatment)..that's how I see it, I don't know any family in OZ without private insurance. 

2. Property Tax: This is a diff. type system. In US & Canada, property tax also contributes to your local schools and other costs instead of state-funded, so naturally, it is higher. If you don't own a property, then there is nothing to worry about, but if you do, the % to your cost can be quite high as this is the "main tax". 

We can declare that we live quite comfortably here on the same level of income as back in OZ, so we made absolutely right decision to move here and enjoy our life much more..travelling around Canada and the USA is also so great, USA has so many sceneries and cities to visit, Canada has its own unique culture.


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## TokyoWolf

I never knew about all the whole it's cheaper in America stuff until my American girlfriend visited me in Australia and started telling me how cheap it is where she lives. I don't think she liked it at all here lol. And after reading all these comments I am shocked at how bad it is here. I am going to America for two months in a couple of days to be with my girlfriend and then I'm going to decide if I want to move there for good. I think I probably will though. 

A question though: 

Not being racist or anything but why are all these asians, muslims, africans etc moving to Australia if the U.S. is such a much cheaper and more laid back lifestyle? Why come here for and struggle more than they already were in their home countries. Is it harder to go to America for those people ?


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## Duke

Hi Black Wolf (nice name by the way) 

I can answer the 2nd part - good question. Simple: 2 words: Freedom & Pressure. 

While Asian economies are doing OK - cost of living there are far much higher than US and Australia. That depends on where you are of course - but living cost in Australia is nothing compared to China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Japan - but salary is way much less in Asia (apart from Japan and Hong Kong). 

Most Asian families have no choice by crammed with their parents - so you get to see 3 generations crammed in a 2 bed-room apartment - which is not a great lifestyle for many. 

Many of them have moved to the US to join their family members - it is also easier to start business there - the lifestyle is different. $300,000 buys you a 1 bedroom apartment in Asia, and you can buy a house in the US. Education is also better in Australia & US (at least from what I think) - Asia is all about pressure, you are forced to follow others.. 

It's a personality issue and choice. If they like more "freedom" kind of style, then they should go to Australia, Canada or the USA. I am an Asian myself, I will always stay in the Western society - it's much better...but that's my choice.


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## Guest

Matt, don't come here from the USA. You WILL regret it in the long term and it's such a big move that it's not worth doing for a short time. 

Stay in the US, find yourself another job if the one you have doesn't pay as well, but don't move to Australia just because of a higher salary. 

I am a midium sized business owner and my salary is around 300K per year, but that doesn't mean anything. 

You will feel ripped off here with anything you do. Anywhere you go everything will cost a lot and that is going to get on your nerves after a while, even if you're humble and take it easy with the spending. 

Best of luck on any of your endeavours.


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## Guest

bw, 
it is very easy to migrate to australia


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## Will1

In my limited viewpoint there is an over abundance of IT professionals in the US right now, primarily based on a nationwide push to educate IT professionals based on a salary hike of up to a six figure income due to a supply/demand issue back in early 2000 and an advertising boom that propagated it. The result was that many kids, out of high school, went to trade or tech schools, got their degree in IT and flooded the market. Add to that an overall loss in jobs based on unemployment and you find that more and more folks are settling for jobs making much less just to survive. 

I believe that the main overall reason is unemployment. If someone is willing to move across country from another state to take a job, many without relocation packages, then they are more attractive than someone from another country needing sponsorship.


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## Karyn1

I am graphic designer creating an infographic that compares the cost of living here in Australia with the US. Can someone point me in the right direction to research stats/figures eg comparative price of consumer products, health, education etc...I lived in Wash DC for 5 years and have now returned to Melbourne with my American husband. Thanks in advance!


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## Duke

Government statistics are not accurate at all - they are very misleading, and many Aussie families will tell you that the real cost is much higher than reported. 

You need to go to each suppliers' website to check out their price yourself, and don't forget there are a lot of hidden costs in Australia. 

Consumer Products: Check out Coles, Woolworths websites 
Education: You maybe paying international fees which will be very high 
Health cost: you need to know if you are eligible for medicare. Private insurance is recommended, check out popular ones like HCF, MediBank Private, NIB seems to be the more affordable one. 

Ask more specific questions - then myself and others in this forum can help you out as we know the real cost. 

The cost of living in OZ is significantly higher than Washington D.C., so do prepare for yourself for it.


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## Terry1

Sydney Harbour Bridge is beautiful, the winter in Australia is mild although the summer is unbearable. 

Beautiful bridge and mild winter = but does that mean we have pay the most expensive real estate in the world and struggling with the living cost? It's just not justifiable. 

Just when you think the salary looks good on the top end - many families can not even survive on $70,000 household income - in fact, I can almost say most families can't survive with household income of $70,000. 

Which is ridiculous, I now live in the USA with household income $70,000 each year, and we are doing much better than what we did back in Australia. 

This is why increasing number of Australians are moving to USA or Canada, it is becoming UK mark 2 - we are seeing exactly the same issues as in UK. 

If you can make it, come to the USA, the lifestyle is comparable to Australia, nice people and nice business environment. I know people would complain about what I write - but let's face it - between Harbour Bridge and Living Cost, which one would you choose? 

Plus, Golden Gate Bridge is as pretty as Sydney Harbour Bridge


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## Guest

it's boring in Australia, nothing to do.


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## Terry1

I would not say it's boring, but simply too costly. Beaches in Australia are pretty, but nowadays - costs you $20 just for parking in Sydney - then you gotta go out and grab lunch $20 to $30..I took my family to a beach and costed $50 just for sitting around and eat food for 2 hours..not worth it. Museums, galleries are the same. 

Just went down to museums in Washington D.C. most museums are free - and their collections are truly amazing, they have more Aussie collections than Australian Museum! 

I love Australia, but I think I will bring up my kids in North America - so much more to see and experience and at less cost.


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## Terry1

It is easier for US employers to recruit international students already in the US or from Canada or many Indians / international software engineers already living in the US. You may want to consider a student visa if that's an option for you, or find Aust IT companies coming to US (very few though, Australia is tiny in IT sense). It's more of a process instead of opportunities, you are correct, many companies are recruiting, but IT is also popular course, so lots of new grads are coming out from US universities. Canadian provinces, however, does open doors to IT professionals especially Calgary as they have lost so much IT talents to US every month - so they need to replace them - so there is a choice to consider. Another opp. is to find positions in less sought-after IT locations, where they have faced outflow of IT people to major cities.


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## rtts

Whew . . was wondering where all the vitriol about Aus came from . . . I am a born-and-raised Yank (beautiful "God's country" of Connecticut) married to an Aussie, lived in various places in US and then relocated to Sydney to give kids experience in their other culture before they left the nest. Now they all have left the nest and out of Oz (2 in US and one in UK), but we remain in Aus, though spending much time in UK and US (we are academic types). 

And I still appreciate my adopted home of Australia. Lately, every time we return, we are greeted with increased prices as well as the long-standing "tax" of distance for those plane fares round the world once or twice a year. . . .but it is worth it. Not knocking US, but just making the point that Aus still is a pretty nice place to live despite the cost. US base now is Phoenix which cannot compare to buzz of Sydney. 

And as one gets older the Aus health care delivery system looms ever more superior to US. Equivalent quality of care, much broader delivery and all at 70% or less of the cost in US . . .not to mention the lack of anxiety of dealing with insurance companies, losing coverage if you lose your job, etc. My Australian wife is a physician (US-trained) and prefers the Aus system, too. We marvel at how many Americans demonize the "socialized health care of Aus, Canada, UK, France, etc. as being an attack on their freedom. What about the freedom to pay 30% or more less and the freedom from anxiety?


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## foreignkings

We do have about 15x the population of Australia, which is one of the reasons why things are cheaper (by comparison), but many of these people are on welfare or unemployment, many of which are just abusing "free" government pay, which causes everyone else to pay in taxes. Ever heard of Octomom? The SINGLE woman who gave birth to octuplets, while she already had 6 other children, while living on WELFARE. Which caused the government to give her a shit load of money because she had 14 children living on government funding. Sadly, this is not uncommon here. Maybe the case is extremely rare, but people are constantly abusing funding. Causing people who legitimately need unemployment or welfare or any type of government help to go through so much, even being denied. The gap between rich and poor is immense, even the gap between just upper and middle class is very significant. Minimum wage is bad and because Americans have no financial discipline, people are constantly struggling and cannot be met. Education here is awful. Public schools cost a lot, and I don't even want to delve into private. You can make more on min. wage than you can being a teacher. Colleges are extremely expensive, and causing many people to not even bother (seeing as min. wage makes more than a lot of careers, and even finding that career is relatively hard), or to take out loans, with very high interest rates and a lot of hidden fees. Study into the reasons why Americans are in poverty, college (either from debt or an unsuccessful career choice) is one of the highest. I've looked into colleges in Australia, and even paying as an international student is less than most colleges here. Average institutions are over $20,000 a year (that is community/two year, public four year, and private four year combined). 

I've read a lot about you Aussies moving to America and being able to live very comfortably, but that's not the same for American residents. We are constantly struggling as a whole because we have no discipline. American culture is very shallow, materialistic, and greedy. Which in turn helps as a nation, because constant spending helps money circulate. But that doesn't always mean cheaper prices, which the government realizes and feeds into this wave of constant and unnecessary spending. One thing I'm confused about though is the main reason that is stated why Australia is so expensive is because of the small population, but one of the reasons for the inflammation is because of so many people emigrating to Australia. I never took a finance class, and don't have much knowledge in the way finances work, but how is that so? It might be because of my lack of knowledge in the subject, but that sounds contradicting to me. Would someone care to explain? 

I am not ignorant and I know that America has it a lot better than a lot of other countries, but that sense of being better is applied on a comparison basis. I know this was a long comment, and I appreciate anyone who took the time out to read this, because comments will help my decision. To sum things up, I am not a big spender. I am pretty anti-social and despise social gatherings. I am not materialistic, but I do spend a lot of money on food. 75% of my money goes to food, 10% to gas, and the other 15% I save. And I really only eat twice a day, it's just my biggest finance flaw is I eat out a lot. I am one for learning from cultures and growing as a person, and if Australia is really as expensive as I've read, then I think it would be a great learning opportunity for me and help me with discipline. I don't know. So what advice would you give to someone who doesn't have a family and would be moving out alone into a house with four other people?


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## amelia

Geez, after what i read here. 

I most certainly agree with most of u that australia is a very expensive place to live. i feel like moving out to usa now. everything costs high in sydney. our tiny 2 bedroom townhouse cost 370k. i believe i can get a cheaper house in usa. they always said australia govt is generous. not to my experience, it is so hard to get unemployment benefit here if u r out of job. 

the councils here like to issue penalties if u breach a rule. there is no leniency. everywhere costs money. i can't believe i move to a country which is 3 times more expensive than in asia. 

it is very hard to find a job in australia. i was lured by the australian govt to apply PR here b/c they said shortage of finance skilled workers. came here, changed 5 jobs in 3 years. pay is about $80 to 90k. with this pay, it is hard to live a comfortable lifestyle. 

i have been living comfortably in singapore in the past. when i came here, it was a shock i had to struggle harder to live here. 

i really regret moving here. life is tough over here b/c the lifestyles here r very backward about 20 yrs ago lifestyles. 

i m contemplating of moving to usa


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## amelia

i must ask here. how do we get a job in usa? can someone advise?


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## Drew1

Interesting points of view/ While not having read every comment, I feel that a few facts about Australia have been ignored. It is compulsory for employers to pay superannuation on behalf of its employees, 9 percent of gross wage I believe, this guarantees a retirement income, in addition to the aged pension. Annual leave is usually around 4 weeks on full pay, plus a 17 percent bonus in many cases. The minimum wage for an adult casual employee is around AU $21. Sydney, although Australia's biggest city, is NOT representative of Australia as a whole. There are other large cities, particularly Adelaide and Perth where the cost of housing is much lower. Having visited the USA on several occasions I have found that the cost of eating out is similar, while in the UK it is far more expensive than Australia. The comments about a (deliberate) land shortage are accurate and that is a national scandal! The crime rate is much, much lower than the US. Being a country with much lower unemployment than any other developed nation, employees can be more demanding regarding wages and conditions than in countries with much greater unemployment, like the US. BUT most of the jobs growth is in mining and trades. Manufacturing is dying and IT is way behind the rest of the world, in terms of research and investment. The weather is better, obviously, and the lifestyle is more relaxed.


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## amelia

Drew, 
Were you born and grew up here? If you were, then of coz you will like here. There are a lot of migrants and expats who came here regretted moving here b/c of the high cost of living and the standard of living is not up to the international standard of living. 
I have been to the US, and the cost of dining out is many times cheaper than dining out in Australia. Australia has a very small population, the demands of dining out are lower hence the cost is higher. The min wage is the major concern for the country high cost of living. If the govt is able to lower the min wage to $10 per hour, this will drive the cost down. Australia now is not an attractive place to live anymore. This country will drive a lot of its people out to other parts of the world. Australia favours blue collar workers unlike other parts of the world. I find Australia is a backward country. If given another chance, we will never move here.


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## jasmine2

I am Australian I have lived in CA ,MI ,OR and WA. 
All I can say is here I can go to the doctors without making an appointment ..wait 15 minutes see the Dr .and im Out..and it cost me..NOTHING... 
IN USA I make an appt you need at least a week in advance..unless you go to emergency where you wait for hours and hours on end and after forms are filled a small fortune is billed..alot of stress..I leave poorer and less wanting to go get help next time. 
Australia has a preventative health care system..America has a sick care system.BIG Difference. 
How many homeless people do you see in Australia on the streets?Honestly there are some but I have not seen one in a few weeks. 
IN USA poor homeless people are on every corner , outside every walmart ,begging at most airports where it is allowed. 
So we dont have intsa refills on our coffee and large portion sizes in our cuisine..I honestly think that's a good thing. 
Which shows a better economy and looking after its own people.?


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## amelia

Australia is a damn boring country. High costs and few white collar jobs. The govt here cares only of their own budgets by introducing more taxes to the country costing companies to move out of the country. Their carbon tax is $23 per tonne which is more than double the Europe carbon tax price. China and India introduce their carbon tax only $1 and about and they are the most contributor of carbons to the environment. USA govt has done away with carbon tax pricing. 

Really regret coming here. Shopping close early. Hardly any night lives. Damn boring country. I feel like moving back.


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## Dareen_Brown

The forum is not a good starting point - you can't compare both countries - it's like comparing South Africa to USA or Singapore to China. 
Many things are better in the USA because of its economy size - which means lower cost of living - and that will never be the same in OZ. 

As an immigrant myself - immigrants are able to do better in the US much faster and quicker - there is a common belief that immigrants are 8 times more likely to succeed in the US than locals - because they came from higher cost countries, and usually able to save more. 

But many immigrants do not succeed in the US as well - due to language and cultural barriers. 

As a personal experience, and as an "Aussie immigrant" in USA - I feel it is easier to make money in the USA - USA is a place for would-be business owners - good business culture, large market, lower cost and plenty of opportunities; and lower tax rate as well. 

But "local Americans" don't know the difference - they have no idea life is much more expensive outside the USA - and whey they finally have a chance to live abroad, they come back with much better appreciation. 

But like Australia, US is not a place for lazy people ( where no place is), you have to work hard and try hard - but when you do try hard - the reward is much bigger and yes, you can live in a very comfortable life in the US with $100,000 income a year - which is pretty much the minimum you need just to meet the essentials in Australia for a family of 4.


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## John_Brown

Employer sponsored visa - but almost impossible unless you live in the USA already. 

If you are still young, consider Student Visa first - then apply for other visas while you are in the USA (work, business). 

Business visa is a good way - buy a franchise, start a business and meet the revenue target. 

Diversity lottery is also the way - around 1000 Aussies won this Green Card Lottery each year!


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## Michael_Brown

My general experience between the 2 countries are: 

1. Cost of living: apart from healthcare - US is far more cheaper than Australia in pretty much everything 
2. Healthcare: This is a mystery - in OZ, you still need private insurance as medicare's coverage is getting less and less. A good care will still cost around $3,000 to $4,000 for a family in OZ...and coverage is also limited. 
3. Tax: Much higher in Australia - especially income tax, so an uplift in income doesn't mean much. 
4. Income: Min. wage is higher in OZ, but mid-high level jobs pay much better in the US and much benefits. If you work on min. wages, OZ is better, but for waitresses - they get much better pay in the US once tips are added. 
5. Property price: I won't even go into that, OZ is ridiculous expensive.. 

Source: My 20 years of living between the 2 places. 

I love both countries, I can live in both places, I was born and raised in OZ. But in terms "value for money" if you want to call it, I have decided to live in the US, and use the money saved for my kids to get good education and also travel around, plus investments. Can't really do that in OZ, no spare money at the end of each month.


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## Daniella1

It's interesting to see the results from US Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa Program) which admits 50,000 Green Cards randomly each year. The number of Australians applying for it and received had been increasing every year. It used to be just a handful, it is now over 1,000 "successful" Australians receiving this every year. 

Statistically speaking, it is about 1 in 30 chance, this means, around 30,000 to 40,000 Australians actually enter this program with interest in moving to the USA. This is also nothing compared to New Zealand, which has even higher success rate. In some countries like Nigeria or South America, as many as 1 / 10 of population applying moving to the USA in this program. 

The rate is 50,000 over 5 million last year. So, that is very interesting. It shows that Australians understand the hardship in terms of living cost, so why not retain that life style but at a fraction of the cost - and you can do so by living in the US. 

Our living cost here is now 70% less than what it used to be in Australia..which is very big, we are on the way paying off our mortgage in the US now, as opposed to just paying the interest in Australia...people compare about salary between the 2 countries, the skilled professionals actually get better salary in the US, plus they also get insurance, and much lower tax rate, plus, you can offset tax with your interest on your own home..


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## Guest

not 
a complaint it’s reality Australia is so damn over priced ...highest utlilty bills ,petro.food, white goods .ever damn thing ..ah but the health care system well you truly pay for it in other ways .. love a Australia but hate it’s over priced life style transpotation ,cars ever thing is over the to top much perfer the low cost of the states .. the lucky country .. wrong


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## LL_COOL_J

wow crazy ! i lived happily in Melbourne from 1990 -2000 ,just retuned in 2011 . and it’s has blown up amazing , could be a great place 
but ........................ 
why would any one want to come here a pay 3 times more for utilities,petro,transpotation , white goods , food, and 3 times more for less qulity housing????? i don’t get it Australian make the most ridiculois comments when comparing life style and living conditions i live like a king in N.Y.C and like a college student in Melbourne no longer the lucky country


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## amelia

I would follow your steps. Now husband has a stable job here. Just thinking whether I should move there. Everyday, I am very worried about my own retirement. 

Australia is a really boring country. The gov't thinks their country is very popular, but not to people like us who use to live in singapore. I prefer lower taxes, more job opportunities and much better lifestyles. 

I am already 40. Another 10 more years to accumulate my retirement fund. Not enough time to do so.


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## Alemeth

If you will work in the Energy Sector such as Drilling oil/gas most people earn $100k-$300K per year


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## Irish Mike

I am a Civil Engineer who has been living here in Australia for 4 years. In that time, I have time I have seen the cost of everything escalate scarily. I earn a pretty good salary, but I don't know how people earning even the median can survive. What I've seen here is that there is a growing greed which is destroying all I love about Australia. Whats worse is that I've noticed growing undercurrents of racism, especially against Indians. I'm looking to move from Australia to either Canada or the USA, what is life like there for families? Is there work for Civil Engineers? I'm really worried for the future of my two sons, I don't want them to be sucked into the increasingly feral sub-culture that is evolving here.


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## Nad1

It is better to live in an expensive country, where you are proud to be one, like an australian. but in USA you are called, hypocrite, arrogant and racist. I have a GC and live there for quite sometime and now planning not to comeback. 

These are the things you have to know before moving to USA, I cannot say about economic condition because obviously it is cheaper in USA, but consider these facts 

1. They have this stupid SSN that your life depends on. In this internet world, this number can be easily hacked, so watch out. 
2. Gun Crazy assholes especially whites are everywhere, they just go crazy anytime and shoot you. Go get a gun and learn to shoot it to protect yourself and your family. 
3. RIpoff telemarketers, bogus debt collector and people everywhere wants to rip you off, be careful, they are experts in those trades, that is why a lot of them are rich. 
4. They have lots of enemies from other countries because of their hypocricy and their love of war. so be careful when you travel. 
3 Lastly, learn to speak Spanish, because for some reason this country speaks spanish, you will hear them everywhere, phones, tv, markets, etc. and be prepared to be discriminated if you don't speak that language. 

I have too many things to say, but above are just the main one, that will affect you most. 

Money is not everything. 

I still prefer Australia, my adopted country, I will fight for her.


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## amelia

Australia will never be like US. The govt here is VERY greedy and forever taxing people with their unreasonable taxes just meet their budget. Everything here is expensive. I find Australia is really backward. This country has ridiculous trading hours restriction. these days in order to be in the globalisation competition, you should never have restriction trading hours laws. But, Australians' mindsets are backward. All they care is not working and enjoy the lifestyle. It is so ancient the way they think here. The present govt here is worst. Jobs are limited here as well. I live here close to 6 years, and I still regret coming here... I should have gone to america where the opportunities are abundance. Americans love spending where as Australians are conservative and they hate spendings.


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## Guest

Seriously everyone needs to calm down about the cost of living, comparing America to Australia using places like Sydney is stupid they have the highest costs its like comparing New York to Seatle or somethign like that! We live on $3000 a month roughly in Adelaide! People just need to learn how to budget properly and shop around, there are cheaper supermarkets around if Coles and Wollies are price gouging.


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## Hafiz1

Aussie really need to put things in place because people are really undergoing some economical stress for the next generation everything in Australia is very expensive especially Sydney which is known as the centre of Australia , if it continue this way I think there will be more homeless than any country in the world. I like Australia .


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## jess1

I am Aussie wanna to live in US. 

I am plan either looking for Job, or open small business, web design area. 

How can I do this legally?


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## amelia

i woke up most morning regretting my move to australia. there is nothing exciting in australia apart from worries about money and opportunities. it is a tough country to live in especially with the gila government carbon tax and high taxes all for their glory in their budget and the expense of their people. i was exploring brooklyn public wharf and i found out all the culture in australia is only 1 type. it's a dead boring country with no entertainment, high cost of living, diminished standard of living. i think i prefer to move back to my own country than living here


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## amelia

i don't like australia. don't think i will ever like here... it's a country very much like a third world countries. nothing is exciting for us here, practically nothing. we are so damn bored here. shopping hours is only from 7 to 5. no variety. australians are boring people. shit, i just wonder why i move here. 

once we can get jobs elsewhere, we will move out from here. it's a god damn boring country. unless the govt knows how to change. but i doubt it will ever change for the next 10 years... good luck australia, u will be forever down under and forgotten


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## bob1

I have been in Australia for about 8 years previously from the uk
and since I have been here in this short time I have seen the fuel prices go from 72c a liter to $1.60.
and everything else has gone up just as much the government is taken this country really down under, I love everything else about this place except the cost off living Australians are too laid back and will take all the price hikes on the chin.
as for that I am really interested in moving to usa but I have never been any recommendations?


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## Chris_Michaud

I'll give my opinion for what its worth. I've never been to Austrialia, but have lived in Canada as a child but mostly in the United States. I can say this. The United States might be "cheap" to live in, but the wages in the United States suck. I see people here complaining of the taxes in Austrialia, don't complain! I live in North Carolina and they tax every frigging single thing you do. 

Another warning folks, the United States is essentially a police state and the government spy's on everything you do. Also if an Aussie moves to the Southern United States or a very rural area, watch out because religion is very big and they will try and "convert" you.

Yes its cheaper, but think about this. Someone skilled in a suburb, somewhere makes $15 per hour. Well add it up, you have to buy health insurance or get it through your employer so thats a bill. Rent is not cheap unless your living in a place with absolutely no jobs. Average rent in the US is about 800-900 for something that is not a crap hole. After taxes on everything, you don't end up with much at the end if anything, And even if you have 'health insurance" you still get bill after bill after bill. Its a mess folks. 

The US is not the worst, but it is certianly not the best.


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## Abby1

Chris, there's a reason someone here wrote that if you live abroad you will appreciate the US more and I think that's exactly what you should do so that you can be more content and happy with your life.
This is coming from someone who lives in NC as well who lived for a short time in New Zealand and has family in Australia.


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## Firechef

My friend you are dreaming with the $100.000 figure. Average income, not counting the RICH is $38.000 and for retired people on Social Security only $ 13.000.
That is why more people retire to Philippines, Indonesia, South American countries than anywhere else. My choice is the Philippines, at least with my SS I can live comfortably not starve as I am doing here in the USA.
I appreciate your opinion, but you are WAAAAY OFF!


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## Andrew_from_Michigan

Bob,
The U.S. is a good place to be. At its core, it is designed to be what you make it. It isn't easy to do well, but it isn't difficult. The harder you work, the more successful you become. "Work hard, play hard," is a popular saying around here for those with ambition. While people try to complain that they aren't as well of as others, it is nothing they can't get out of. Here, everybody has equal opportunity, but that doesn't mean equal outcome. The beauty of the country (which was even better in the 1980s and early 1990s) is that you can take risks and are allowed to fail or succeed. If you fail, you can get back up, learn from it, and try again. You get successful and pass that knowledge onto your children and hopefully have a head start on wealth to give them a boost. Somebody who grows up poor may have to work extra hard to get going, but they have the same ability to start a business or go to school and make a lot of money, which allows the next generation to thrive a little easier. This is a more conservative mindset that teaches self-freelance as a means of becoming successful. The more successful you are, the more you can help others in the way YOU see fit, rather than paying higher taxes and having the government spend it for you (governments, by their very nature, ate inefficient).

I would recommend looking at Michigan. We had a terrible Governor from 2002-2010 who crippled our economy as the US economy also was falling due to bad lending policies following a great economy. However, Michigan currently has a brilliant Governor who has brought Michigan from the bottom to one of the most business friendly states in under 4 years. He tends to be fairly moderate overall, but gets things right with Michigam's economy and leaves the social issues to Congress/The People. The Grand Rapids area and the West Michigan region as a whole is the 2nd largest area compared to Detroit and has actually survived and thrived while the rest of the state suffered or wad stagnant. We tend to me more conservative in policy, but it has resulted in a higher standard of living for us all here and set an example for the rest of the state. 

I should note that Michiganders will complain about the weather. Sure, the weather can be all over the place, but we have nice summers that can be mild-hot and winters that can be snowy but also can be very mild and short (people will always tell you winter is too long if they don't appreciate winter sports). We don't get much in the way of natural disasters besides the rare tornado or flood. No earthquakes or hurricanes or mudslides here! Plus, you're never more than 90 minutes away from the beautiful freshwater coastlines of the Great Lakes! Some places in northern Michigan have been ranked as the most beautiful in the US!


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## Anthony_Rapone

Just go to Mexico come across the board and claim political asylum and promise to vote Democratic and say," I love Obama and where is the welfare office." Bingo you are in....


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## Leon_Prince

Being an Australian citizen while living in U.S.A. I prefer Australia's way of doing things such as having a free healthcare system which cuts out the middle man mainly the insurance company. I still prefer Australia, my home country. I'll fight for her against anyone beliefs. Another difference between them is while the gun laws in Australia are much more stricter & U.S.A. has a more looser one. I believe that the N.R.A. should look at the gun law here in the States before any more innocent people gets killed from gun related deaths. I agree with Bob that you learn from your mistakes, but not to the point of bring harm to your family's safety at risk in a country which needs to regulate the guns distribution better. Money isn't everything, but one's safety is.


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## Ed

Hi
It would be so easy to correct house prices in Australia if the greed factor were to be curtailed ideally
I would stop ALL investment in existing domestic realestate and allow new development of rental properties controlled by local government BUT protect existing stock from redevelopment. It is not right that large corporations and wealthy individuals are Llowed to strangle realestate forcing prices out of the reach of individuals in both the buyer and renter market.
Love to see a society where a house is a home again not an investment!


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## Sharlene

I've been living in US for 12years married American but I have no friends no real life my health iis very poor because of US lifestyle
I cry night after because I just want home to have friends feel OK too leave my home 
I don't know where to begin to get out and get home so I can sleep again and have my life back
I can't make this country work for me 
Can anyone give me advice?


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## Kerry1

Sharlene, after 12 yrs of living in the U.S. and still being so unhappy I don't think any advice will change your current situation. That said I have to ask what spefically is making you so unhappy? Is it related to relationships with family or friends, lack of interests/hobbies, financials, politics, health, etc? You have to be able to identify the reason for your unhappiness then make decisions on how to improve the quality of all aforementioned reasons for your unhappiness. Regardless of where you live you are responsible for your happiness and choices are always available to you to change your life. I live in Florida but have lived in Europe for 2 years where I didn't love more than my own home in the U.S. but still found many positives while living there by working a job I enjoyed, traveling, and involving myself in the community I lived. I made the experience work for me as opposed to the experience itself dictating the outcome. In other words, you are in control, create your own happiness. I hope that helps. Kerry


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## Zekie_Ledwell

You are so off it's not even funny! I have traveled many countries and I myself have considered retiring to another country one day(I am a USA citizen) but that seems doubtful now. Through out all my travels I always hear what a great country we come from. We do need tighter gun control laws but you are so far off base, my friend. Our SSN is very safe and is only hacked in most cases by neglect of citizen(giving it out...not paying attention...ect.) or hacked but jealous crooks from other countries. We also have phone blocks to shut out telemarketers and scammers....calling in most cases from other countries!! If you are scammed 9 out of 10 times it's because of your own ignorance! We have a multitude of foreign peoples not just Spanish....English is ALWAYS SPOKEN AND SERVES AS THE MAIN LANGUAGE IN ALL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS OR SALES!! Please, I love Australia, and all countries have faults, but please to not post such utter ridiculous false statements about the USA. You have NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!


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## Zekie_Ledwell

Real cute Anthony.....this is so sad that people give honest people wanting honest answers these "smart" and "untrue" answers....It's very sad and not a bit funny, my friend!


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