Best way to start a new life and how the expenses are

Ayoma wrote:

Hi there,

I need to get a complete idea of how expenses on Canbarra state , housing rent transpor day today expenses schools how to look after the younger child pls

Check out this website www.numbeo.com for all the information you are looking for. Canberra is an expensive place to live.

Ayoma,
My family and I have lived in Canberra for over 30 years.  Canberra is an expensive city in which to live but this is because it has the highest average income level of all Australian cities!  Many people avoid Canberra's high cost but maintain the high incomes by living in the nearby NSW city Queanbeyan and working in Canberra.  Queanbeyan is only a short bus or private car ride from Canberra and while in the past it has not compared well with Canberra's amenity it is subject to a good deal of urban renewal now.  Canberra's costs can also be avoided by living in or near the village of Murrumbateman which is about a 20 minute drive from Canberra or even in the town of Yass which is about a 35 minute drive away.

Public transport cots in Canberra are consistent with those of Australia's other cities, perhaps even a little cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne.  Most Canberra schools are government owned and operated and are, on average, Australia's best in terms of student performance.  Costs are low for government schools and while all parents are asked to make a yearly contribution of around $200 this contribution is voluntary, not compulsory.  Students use public transport to and from school at concessional rates.  Child care before reaching school age is expensive however.  In June 2012 the average cost of child care in Canberra was $82.43 per day.  However this cost can be substantially avoided by using the very well supervised home care system that runs across Canberra.  We used this system for our two young sons, now both adults, and it was very satisfactory indeed and we made good friendships that we maintain now via the system.

Canberra offers Australia's best education, from pre-school through to post graduate university, very safe conditions for family life, and is Australia's most picturesque city with wide open space throughout the city, the Canberra lakes, many of Australia's best public attractions, and is near to Australia's snowfields, some very good beaches (about a 2 hour drive east) and no more than 31/2 hour drive to Sydney's Central Business District by 4-lane divided highway.

My wife and I are retired now and should it prove possible we would be delighted if you could somehow contact us when you arrive and we would be very happy to show Canberra and surrounds to you and to provide whatever assistance and support we might be able to, according to your needs and our abilities.

Best wishes,

Evan.

Hi Evan,

First of all thank you for a very detailed informative message. Myself coming to Australia in few months time and i am planing to settle down in Adelaide because its relatively cheaper than other cities but please advise me where should i stay? Adelaide or Canberra. I do have an experience of working in IT Sales for about 9 years and will be hunting for a job obviously. So need your expert opinion from that perspective as well. How much will be the living expense in start and food if you can give an idea. Thanks

Rgds,
Muddassir

Hi Mudassir, Sydney is Australia's most expensive city for everything unless you live in one of the satellite cities, like Newcastle, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains.  However living in those areas imposes higher transport costs.  Perth is also very expensive.  Melbourne is a popular destination but it is not far behind Sydney in living expenses.  Adelaide and Hobart are much cheaper than the other state capitals due to their smaller size, especially Hobart, however finding work in either will be more difficult.

Probably most IT related jobs by proportion exist in Brisbane and Canberra.  Canberra has Australia's highest average cost of living but also has the highest average wage.  Canberra offers great living amenity, being large enough to provide everything a city can provide but at the same time being small enough to provide very safe living and essentially no pollution.  Canberra has excellent recreational facilities, educational facilities, restaurants and cafes.  Many big multi-national companies have their head offices in Canberra.  Adelaide is a bit larger than Canberra but also more isolated.  Canberra provides easy access by road, rail and air to all Australian cities and bigger towns.  It also has a better climate, being not quite so hot as Adelaide in summer.  On rare occasions it can snow in Canberra in winter.  Canberra also has a satellite city, Queanbeyan, which is only about 15 minutes away by public transport (bus) so living costs associated with work in Canberra can be very reasonable compared to other Australian cities.

My oldest son lives and works in Canberra, in the IT sector, and his living costs for food and other household goods, including feeding his large dog) is about $600 per fortnight.  In addition his home loan costs about $1,300 per fortnight (he is buying his own home).  His salary is in the vicinity of $84,000 and he has been in his present job for about 3 years.  He works as a software tester in a large government department but wages in private enterprise are around the same.  Wages in Adelaide for a similar job are significantly lower than Canberra.

I hope that helps but please feel free to contact me again if you would like more information.  I have a blog at Now Canberra which includes information about living in Canberra.  You may find it interesting too.

Regards,

Evan