Wanting to move to Melbourne

[robinhebert]

Hi folks. I'm from America. I'm considering moving to Melbourne. Can anyone tell me what the cost of living is like there and are there any Americans on this forum who have moved there? Thanks.
Robin

[Dolly]

Hi there Robin,

Welcome to the forum.

There's a sticky thread at the top of the forum page "cost of living figures"...you'll find some info there.

We have a few americans who have moved over this way.....I'm sure they will answer any questions to might have.

Dolly

[robinhebert]

Originally Posted by Dolly

Hi there Robin,

Welcome to the forum.

There's a sticky thread at the top of the forum page "cost of living figures"...you'll find some info there.

We have a few americans who have moved over this way.....I'm sure they will answer any questions to might have.

Dolly

Thanks Dolly.
That was fast!
I know that Costco is coming your way and I love Costco....I would be a happy camper...LOL

[Dolly]

I'm counting down the days until Costo arrives

Dolly

[interplanetjanet]

I think it depends on where you're coming from and to which part of Melbourne you'll be moving. Housing costs are very expensive in the city and drop down slowly as you head toward the outskirts. I'm from California, so home prices outside the inner suburbs are much cheaper here. I see them as very affordable, but someone from the midwest might think just the opposite. Most products are much more expensive over here, though there are always exceptions. In the States, since there's 300 million people, there's a lot of competition and prices are much lower. Here not so much. That said, my husband and I are living off of an income that's comparable to what we had in the States, and it doesn't really seem all that much different. It's pretty close (to California anyway!).

I hope that helps!

[tentuoi]

if you live with a good saving skills, it costs only 800 dollars a month

otherwises, you are expected to pay around 1400 dollars a month or more if you spend like crazy

[tentuoi]

Originally Posted by interplanetjanet

I think it depends on where you're coming from and to which part of Melbourne you'll be moving. Housing costs are very expensive in the city and drop down slowly as you head toward the outskirts. I'm from California, so home prices outside the inner suburbs are much cheaper here. I see them as very affordable, but someone from the midwest might think just the opposite. Most products are much more expensive over here, though there are always exceptions. In the States, since there's 300 million people, there's a lot of competition and prices are much lower. Here not so much. That said, my husband and I are living off of an income that's comparable to what we had in the States, and it doesn't really seem all that much different. It's pretty close (to California anyway!).

I hope that helps!

you arre right , i share the attidute

[sryn]

Hey there,

Well I'm not American but I lived in Chicago for 10 years prior to moving to Melbourne a couple of months ago. In agreement with what Janet said, the cost of living in Melbourne is relatively higher for us considering what our income and expenses were from living in the Midwest.

There are quite a few cost-of-living references you can either Google or links that have been mentioned in this forum, but it all boils down to your lifestyle preferences.

Generally, I've found the price of most products, particularly if they are imported, to be much more expensive, partly due to the import costs and also the exchange rate. The cost of eating out is relatively high for us too, although for a nice dinner out, it might end up being cheaper as it's not customary for you to tip (we used to tip 15%-20% in the States, so on a nice meal, that adds up quickly).

If you can elaborate with details to your question, perhaps we can be more helpful in our responses!

Good luck!

[Tiffani]

Hi, I'm from Raleigh, NC and I've found the prices here to be pretty outrageous, but Melbourne is a much bigger city in a much smaller country (population-wise at least).

good luck in your quest