Melbourne or Brisbane?

[Gimme5]

Hi folks.
I'm new to this forum so please excuse me if this topic has been done to death. Considering moving from Auckland to either Melbourne or Brisbane so hoping for some general advice and opinion. Been to both cities a number of times but can't say I know them well. My impression of Melbourne is that it is truly a world class city in every sense of the word, comparable to any of the great cities in North America and Europe. However being used to Auckland and the accessibility of the great outdoors (I own a boat and loves fishing), I find Melbourne somewhat lacking in this area. Which brings me to Brisbane; the weather seems better and the people seem to embrace the outdoors more. However, the city does not appear to be as vibrant and forward looking as Melbourne and the people less welcoming to foreigners. No offense intended but this is my general impression from my limited experience. Please feel free to disagree. The other major thing that put me off Melbourne is the price of real estate and the general cost of living. If salary is not taken into the equation, how does Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland compare? Thanks.

[anj1976]

I would say the cost of living and money earned in Melbourne is proportionate to that in Brisbane. If one earns say 100kA$ in Melbourne, he would spend approx 80 with a saving of 20k per anum as against 80 earning and 60 expenditure in Brisbane. End of teh day you save more or less the same amount.

As for Brisbane not being open to migrants, I cant say from my own experience but I have a lot of friends, I am in constant touch with them and I just asked one if she faced any issues, she says none at all. She is an Indian, Married to A Brit, has 2 grown ups.

[Gimme5]

Thanks for the reply anj1976. So I guess from your response, absolute cost of living is lower in Brisbane although purchasing power is about the same as Melbourne. It appears that real estate is a lot less expensive in Brisbane although I stand corrected. Regarding accommodation, our top priority would be in a place close to a good primary school (private or public) for my son. Any suggestions?

[anj1976]

Well.. this friend of mine, she stays 30-35 mins from the CBD in Brisbane, has a 4 room cottage with backyard, lawn, garage ofr 2 cars and a swimming pool. she pays 450/week rent. if you want a similar something in Melbourne you have to shell out much more.

[RachaelK]

You could probably do about the same renting in Melbourne. Brighton is pretty great and you'd get a 2-3 bed for about $400-500 pretty reasonably. I'm all about the outoors and there's plenty to do around here. There's the beach, heaps of bike trails (I'm heading out tomorrow!), loads of hiking, you can ski a few hours outside the CBD, etc... The markets and culture are generally amazing. I'm not as familiar with the school system since I don't have kids so can't help out there.