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Australia’s Most Affordable Towns

The most affordable towns in Victoria are, not too suprisingly, all country towns:

Australia ~ Not So Cheap.

Our first three months in Australia were bliss. We were living in between two worlds; Switzerland and all the long hours commuting, expenses and past stress was behind us and Australia with the reality of integrating here and setting up our new life somewhere ‘out there’ in front.

These first few months were spent imagining all we could do now we were here. The reality of decreased salaries, real comprehension of the daily cost of living and value of the dollar hadn’t hit home. This is what’s known as the ‘honeymoon’ period.

Point to Consider: During the time of planning the move and applying for visas, having an idea of the day to day living costs can suddenly become essential. With all the talk of Australia being great for life style, it is still important to consider whether you can afford to enjoy the life style you want and to start to build realistic expectations.

Arriving with large lump sums of cash after selling up overseas can leave an inflated sense of wealth, until the bills start rolling in.

During the ‘honeymoon’ or before, is a good time to start drawing up a preliminary budget. It is of course difficult to get an overall feel of the change of the day to day expenses all at once. Prices are different; some items cost more and others a lot less.

In a World wide Survey carried out by http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving3.htm, comparing the Cost of living in over 100 countries, at number 20 (listed as the most expensive city in Australia) is Sydney, at 68 Melbourne, at 84 Brisbane, at 89 Adelaide and Perth is at 93 (Darwin didn’t feature in the top 144). Compare these results to your own city to get a general perspective.

Australia ~Hosts the Most Expensive Cities Worldwide.

In a news report this week, it has been noted that Australian cities have now become the world’s most expensive and most unaffordable to live in.

The cost of houses, mortgage interest rates, cost of living (food and gas) etc. are not in line with current salaries which are staying stagnant.

It’s also worth commenting that the US market crash is helping to put Australia in the spotlight.

An Increase in the Cost of Living.

Over the past 5 years we’ve noticed an increase in the cost of living.

Typically Australia has a reputation for being reasonable, if not a cheap country, to live in.

However, there has been a gradual increase in the price of groceries, fuel, houses and interest rates. Since local salaries haven’t as yet increased to help bridge the gap this does leave many new comers and Australians struggling to maintain the status quo.

Not only are house prices steadily rising but there is also a shortage of accommodation. In some suburbs, renters and house buyers need to out bid each other to secure a place to live.

Houses bought at auctions are selling at an all time high and real estate agents are kept busy. Whilst this brings with it good cheer to home owners there is dismay for their children and current renters wanting to buy.

One known Australian dream is the opportunity for everyone to buy and own their own home. This ideal is barely within grasp but to help ensure the market stables, the council and government plan to build an extra 145 000 homes over the next 20 years and release more land for building.

Useful Resources:
Brisbane House Prices: http://www.brisbane-australia.com/100070.php