# Cost of living in Australia compared to the UK



## Craig1 (May 6, 2011)

I think you need to adjust the article since it was written over a year ago. Since then most things have gone up by a minimum of 8-10% (with food going up a lot more and showing no signs of abating) The cost of housing has not really eased that much either (it's still very, very expensive) And we're talking everything from utilities to clothing to transport. n nWages meanwhile, are stagnating. n nCPI reported by the government as being at 2-3% is farcical...nay criminal. n nAustralia is becoming unsustainable for the middle classes. God help us all if we actually have a recession. Even the US looks a better proposition for professionals from most aspects, despite the current predicament of the US economy. n nPeople need to know the truth of what is going on downunder if they are to make an informed decision about something as important as migration.


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## Guest (May 9, 2011)

I'm from Sydney but moved to Europe (Germany) some 15 years ago and have seen how Australia has increasingly become more and more expensive in that period. There are a number of factors why this is taking place. These include the mining boom, the Australian dollar, the 2001 Olympic games and poor investment by the government. I (any my family) are considering moving back to Australia in 2012 however the cost of living is a major drawback for this decision. As others have mentioned in this thread, a correction of the costs is a major possibility. The Australian economy has a long history of boom and bust.

When I was in the country last (2009) everything was cheap as the $AUD was very cheap. 
Here is a graphic: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=AUDUSD=X#sy... 
Now at 1.10 AUD-to-USD the australian dollar hasn't been this expensive since the late 1980s.

Of course quality of living isn't always measured in dollar terms i.e. nature, weather, people, etc


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## Guest (May 10, 2011)

Brit working in Sydney: While initially Sydney seemed relatively cheap / comparable to the UK based on general day-to-day expenses such as food and rent (compared to London only), once you settle in Australia and start to make larger purchases you start to see how much you are being ripped off! Cars are stupidly expensive, as are appliances and pretty much every item. Electrical goods for kitchens etc can be over double what you'd pay in the UK. Houses are expensive in Sydney, considering half of them are not solid brick and you could probabyl punch through half the walls here! Small items all add up too, not that I eat/drink much but chocolate is like 2-3x the cost that the uk, and beer is served in smaller glasses and costs about 5GBP, no where I know of in the UK serves beer at 7-8 pound a pint! n


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## Guest (May 10, 2011)

nWhile I'm aware a smaller market creates a higher fixed cost percentage for ding business, but when looking at electrical retailers their margins are significantly higher than the UK so I believe they use the lack of competition as an excuse for very high margins, and the government need to take a greater hand in controlling these unfair market practices being displayed by many retailers. n nObviously you have to consider the benefits of living in Aus but $ for $ we are getting ripped off!


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## Dawn1 (May 11, 2011)

Moved from the Uk 6 month's ago, Houses are expensive in Australia, food is expensive,cars are expensive. Clothing is overprised and bad quailty. I think Uk is alot cheaper!!!! Weather is jpretty misrable too.


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## lisa1 (May 16, 2011)

morning everyone. this forum has been really interesting for me. my husband (an aussie) moved here (the UK) 9 months ago. he utterly hates it here, and basically thinks that australia is the best country in the world. in aus apparently you get paid more, food is cheaper, fuel is cheaper, quality of life is better, schools are better, opportunities are better. he hates our brick houses and believes the aus government that everyone in the world wants to live there! am i totally bonkers in thinking some of his views are wrong?


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## susana (May 28, 2011)

god help us if the cost of living gets any higher, no wonder people are sick,they cannot afford the food to cook good meals,look at meat what a shocker, groceries are not cheap,either ,the weather is unbearable in summers, the amount of insects and poisen snakes here is hard to take,the flies are terrible and you have tto think twice about going to the beach to have a swim you dont know what learks in the ocen by the shore, housing power water going through the roof all in all what lucky country stop kidding yourselves and get real.


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## Eamon (May 29, 2011)

Hi there, I'm from Dublin originally and looking to move back to the UK (cornwall) with my young family (OZ born & bred). I'm interested in hearing that the cost of living in the UK is possible lower than here (Perth). Obviously I'll miss the weather but as someone else says there are a lot of variables in working out the cost and standards of living.


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## michael3 (Jul 21, 2011)

Well I would like to live in the Uk but housing costs and rentals is definitely double that of Australia.As for food UK and OZ are now similiar, petrol is a ripp off in the Uk and Australia and that is due to greedy taxation etc .Australian is heading for disater with the CARBON TAX this will blow it out of proportion .We were promised the GST was a fantastic solution to all the problem BULL SH**. Politicians are screwing up our countries ,Just add up all the fees, taxes, charges on every thing they can imagine.Many businesses cant always employ people.Plus China has become the ruler of our economies really as industry sold us all out to unemployment payments.So the best wisdom is live where your heart .Love and happiness is not found through materialism and money issues.Be practical too, Oz has a nice climate in some places Uk can have freezing winters etc.Oz has poor culture and miles of empty winderness Uk can be fab art galleries History and music world. Follow your hearts desire is what most successfull people advise .


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## Popsy (Aug 10, 2011)

Wrong. Inflation is purely an increase in the money supply, rising prices are a result.


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## Beatrice1 (Jul 28, 2013)

I agree with Michael about living where you would most like to live as you will make it work in the long run....My heart kept telling me to move back to WA for family reasons, but when I was a child growing up there I only wanted to live in the UK (born there and migrated age 9). After 6 years in East London and now back in WA I am enjoying family, weather, parks, safer and cleaner suburbs...but am worried about being able to afford to live here as since the mining boom the last couple of years have pushed groceries; leisure and club pursuits; housing etc to 30-50% more than living in East London. You have to have private health cover for dentist and ambulance (covered by NHS in UK) and pay for school supplies here (covered in UK). I'm also not a car lover, so dearly miss my walks down the high street; to leisure centre; park..so car and petrol is not a comparison for our family lifestyle. Trips abroad...how can you afford those from WA? So it's a choice between family and lifestyle for me....time will tell.


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