# Cost of Migrating/Settling & Living in Australia - In a Nutshell



## jasonrebello

As a first time migrant your situation will differ from month to month as will your expenses, your job status and the demands on your financial budget.

For ease of understanding the entire process has been broken down into three separate phases:

The Migration phase, 
The initial Settling-in Phase and 
The Settled Phase

Quite naturally the maximum strain on your finances will be from the time you start your migration process to the time you arrive in Australia. Even then, you will be facing the one-time costs of settling in (for example - Paying bond for your rental, travelling interstate, buying a car etc) and ironically it is in this period that you may yet be unemployed.

Hence it is prudent to create a healthy budget plan from the time you file your visa papers. The following sub chapters will provide a break up of estimated costs and expenses during the entire process.

*1. Migration Phase*
------------------------
The costs of migration can vary a lot as there are many factors to consider and so many variables.
There are always individual circumstances and factors that can play a role in the overall costs. Each migrant has his or her own standards and requirements. 
For example taking up residence in Sydney will be far more expensive than opting to live in Darwin.
Visa costs also vary a lot, and depends on the specific visa class - costs can be from AUD$ 550 fora student Visa to as much as AUD$ 5400 for a Class 189 Independent Visa migrating along with partner. VISA FEES

Broadly speaking a safe estimate for visa costs would be: AUD$ 5000 - 7000 for a family unit.
When you talk about migrating costs it is best to break them into three components:
1)	Migration Application costs (IELTS, Medicals, Assessment of qualifications etc.) 
2)	Cost of actually moving to Australia (Airfares, shipping of goods etc.)

These are further broken down below:

1) Migration Application costs (NOTE - All costs are based on an International average):

Cost of actual Visas: AUD$ 5,000-7,000
Medical and X-ray examinations: AUD$ 100 - 200 per person 
Police clearances: AUD$ 10 
Cost of copies and certification of copies: AUD$ 30 
Cost of sending documents and application files to Australia: AUD$ 90 
Bank charges and fees: 1-3% credit card surcharge and approximately AUD$ 20 - 75 if paid by cheque or bank transfer
IELTS tests (if required): AUD$ 350 per person - https://www.ielts.org/
Miscellaneous (Phone calls, Couriers etc.) - AUD$ 300
TOTAL - AUD$ 10,000
VISA FEES AND CHARGES

Bear in mind that you will be required to validate your visa (make an initial entry when the visa has been approved). The initial entry for validation will normally be required within 6 to 8 months after your visa has been granted. You can remain in Australia when you make your first entry, or you can depart Australia and take up residency at a later stage. You should ensure that you keep to the conditions (if any) on your visa should you not take up residency immediately.
2) Cost of actually moving to Australia 
Airfare: AUD$ - 2,000 (For a Couple with early bird discounted booking) (This will really depend on the country you are flying in from and the period of travel and hence very difficult to put an estimate)

Household items: (if you choose to ship these to Australia): The content of a typical house will fit into a 20 foot container. The costs of packing, shipping and clearing the container in Australia vary considerably from country to country (of origin). Estimated cost: AUD$ 4,000-7,000

*2. Settling-in Phase
*------------------
Initial period in Australia (first 12 months)

When you first arrive in Australia, there may be a few one-time costs incurred e.g. costs relating to accommodation (rent, security bond, upfront rent payments etc), as well as for cars (deposits or outright purchase) and then for various household expenses e.g. (TV, fridge, bed etc. etc.).

Estimated Budget Allowance for the first year in Australia: AUD$ 15,000-25,000.

Disclaimer - Above figures will vary considerably from family to family and for each migrant's personal situation. For example, If you are a single migrant or have family here, the cost estimate could be substantially lower. The figures are slightly on the higher side to have a safety margin.

As rough guideline the minimum you should budget and have available for your first year in Australia is:-
Single migrant: AUD$ 12,000 -18,000
Couple: AUD$ 20,000 - 30,000
Family with kids: AUD$ 30,000 - 40,000

*3. Settled Phase*
---------------

Following table is an overview of living costs which should give you an idea of living expenses in Australia. These costs are a national average and will differ depending on the city.

PRODUCT	AVERAGE COST(AUD$)

GROCERIES	
EGGS (DOZEN)	4.47$
MILK (1 Liter)	1.42$
TOMATOES (1 KG)	4.80$
ONIONS (1KG)	4.00$
BANANAS (1KG)	3.31$
RICE (1 KG)	2.92 $
CHICKEN BREAST (SKINLESS, BONELESS), 1KG	10.92$
BEEF (ROUND), 1 KG	15.61$
LOAF OF FRESH WHITE BREAD (500g)	2.80 $
FUEL (Per Litre)	1.50$

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)	
BASIC (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	207.27 $
MOBILE 1 min. of Prepaid Local Tariff (No Discounts or Plans)	0.94 $
INTERNET (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	70.87 $
CABLE TV (FOXTEL) - Minimum Plan	25$

ACCOMODATION RENTALS (MONTHLY) (Also see next Table)	
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,658.17 $
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,189.50 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,734.19 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,911.03 $

EATING OUT 
MACDONALD MEAL (OR EQULVALENT COMBO MEAL)	9.70$
3 COURSE DINNER, MID-RANGE RESTAURANT (2 PERSONS)	80.00$
COKE/PEPSI (0.33L)	3.18$
CUP OF COFFEE	4.07$

ENTERTAINMENT	
MOVIE TICKET	18.00$
FITNESS CLUB, MONTHLY FEE FOR ONE ADULT	64.16$
DOMESTIC BEER IN A PUB (0.5 L DRAUGHT)	7.00$

OTHER EXPENSES	
HAIRCUT (MALE)	15.00$
HAIRCUT (FEMALE)	30.00$
DOMESTIC BEER (0.5L BOTTLE)	4.98$
JOHNNIE WALKER RED LABEL (750ML)	35$
PACK OF CIGARETTES (MARLBORO)	22$

TRAVEL	
ONE WAY TICKET (LOCAL FARE)	3.93$
TAXI START (Normal Tariff)	4.00 $
TAXI 1km (Normal Tariff)	2.17 $
TAXI ONE HOUR WAITING (Normal Tariff)	50.00$
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (Or Equivalent New Car)	25000$

Cost of Medicines - ChemistWarehouse 
Cost of Electronics, Furniture, and Home products - Harvey Norman
Joyce Mayne
 

ACCOMODATION RENTALS (MONTHLY) (AUD$) AVG.	// PERTH //	BRISBANE	// MELBOURNE //	SYDNEY
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre // 1,759.90 $ //	1,836.00 $	// 1,803.33 $	1,663.20 $ // 2,396.57 $
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre //1,189.50 $// 1,426.29 $ // 1,290.73 $	1,278.89 $ // 1,737.23 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre // 2,976.32 $ // 3,027.94 $ // 3,313.12 $	3,369.14 $ // 4,738.03 $
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre //	1,979.64 $	// 1971.19 $	1,818.44 $ // 2,040.26 $ // 2,833.03 $

PURCHASE PRICE OF APARTMENTS AVG.	// PERTH // BRISBANE // MELBOURNE //	SYDNEY
Price per Sq.M in City // 8,444.18 $ // 7,821.40 $ // 6942.86 $ // 8253.18 $	// 13,762.84 $
Price per Sq.M outside City // 5,619.13 $ // 5,000.00 $ // 5,242.80 $ // 6,647.00 $	// 8,272.29 $

SOURCE: NUMBEO

I wish all new migrants a soft landing and great success in Australia.

------------------------------------------------
VISA GRANT PROCESS - TIME STAMP

12.SEP.2013 - EOI Submitted
26.OCT.2013 - Medicals completed
28.OCT.2013 - Visa Application Submitted
04.DEC.2013 - Applied for Police Clearance 
03.JAN.2014 - Police Clearance Received
06.JAN.2014 - PR Visa Granted for me and my partner
23.AUG.2014 - Moved to Australia
----------------------------------------------------


----------



## bjpmy72

Thanks, the information has helped me a lot.


----------



## ravi.nidadavolu

*Awesome*

Thank you so much for the information Jason. Really appreciate it.

My only concern is that these average prices are close to a year old from the date you had posted this. So approx how much hike can I look into?
We are a family of 4(Me, wife, Kid1-8f, Kid2-3M) and we are not looking for a car atleast for the next 8-9 months from the date we move over there.

With best wishes,
Ravi


----------



## JandE

ravi.nidadavolu said:


> My only concern is that these average prices are close to a year old from the date you had posted this. So approx how much hike can I look into?
> We are a family of 4(Me, wife, Kid1-8f, Kid2-3M) and we are not looking for a car atleast for the next 8-9 months from the date we move over there.


You can see upto date figures at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Australia

The grocery costs are interesting in that list, with each item having a price range.
The total for one of each of the items listed is $65.80 at the low price, but $140.45 at the higher price. _I've entered my actual cost last week in brackets [] for some items._
eg:
Between $1.00 and $2.20 Milk (regular), (1 liter) _ [$1.00]_
Between $1.10 and $3.75 Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) _[$0.85]_
Between $2.00 and $4.00 Rice (white), (1kg) _[$1.40]_
Between $3.00 and $6.00 Eggs (12) _[$2.79]_
Between $6.00 and $16.00 Local Cheese (1kg)_ [$6.00]_
Between $8.00 and $15.00 Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)
Between $10.00 and $22.00 Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)
Between $3.00 and $5.00 Apples (1kg)_ [$0.99]_
Between $2.00 and $4.00 Banana (1kg) _[$2.49]_
Between $2.00 and $5.00 Oranges (1kg)
Between $3.00 and $7.00 Tomato (1kg)
Between $2.00 and $4.00 Potato (1kg)_ [$1.00]_
Between $1.50 and $3.50 Onion (1kg)_ [$0.99]_
Between $2.00 and $3.00 Lettuce (1 head)
Between $0.70 and $4.00 Water (1.5 liter bottle)
Between $12.00 and $20.00 Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)
Between $3.00 and $8.00 Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
Between $3.50 and $8.00 Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)


----------



## Normalee

How much would a visit to a GP/doctor cost to obtain a script for medicines. Alternatively can a pharmacist dispense certain medications in Australia.


----------



## JandE

Normalee said:


> How much would a visit to a GP/doctor cost to obtain a script for medicines. Alternatively can a pharmacist dispense certain medications in Australia.


If you use a bulk billing doctor it is free. Otherwise it can cost around $60 - $70

_March 2017: The bulk billing rate for GP attendances was 85.6%, up from 85.1% in the March quarter 2016._


----------

