Moving to Sydney...

[abetterlife]

I am new to the forum so forgive me for repeating a question that has probably been asked a thousand times but...

I have been made an offer to move to Sydney and I want to make sure that I will have a comfortable life when I get out there. I am a pretty spontaneous person and having never visited Australia this move is probably the biggest thing my partner and I have ever undertaken, and obviously full of unknowns.

As I have said I will be moving with my partner, we are both 27, there are just the two of us and I have been offered a 457 visa for 4 years. We don't really live an extravagant lifestyle; maybe eat out at our local a couple of times a month and head to an upmarket restaurant once a month as well, maybe also take in a show or two at the theatre. We like to get out in the car at the weekend and go for walks in countryside, and maybe visit different areas of the UK and stay in a cheap B&B. We really want to learn to surf, and I hope this takes up most of our weekends in the summer. I also Ski and hope to get some skiing in the winter and drag my partner along for her fist skiing trip.

We live in a very nice area in the UK in a small village outside London in two bed terrace, and would like to live in a "nice" area in Sydney. We are currently looking at the lower North shore as an initial area. I will be working in the CBD and everything I have read seems to indicate you can't go wrong in this area. We really want to be close to everything, at least at first so we can experience as much as possible before deciding on an area.

I will be the only person working initially so will need to support both of us until my partner can find work so it is important we get the salary right, although accept that some of our lifestyle choices may be affected. I have been offered $135k including super, this seems like a really good offer but the cost of renting seems extremely high in Sydney and could eat up a large lump of my monthly income.

So onto my questions;

Are we making the right choice in moving to Sydney having never visited??

Will we be okay on this salary, at least for a short time?

Is the lower North shore the right area to be looking, should we consider other areas?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[abetterlife]

If the answers were on the forum I would have found them, unfortunately all circumstances are different and therefore sometimes require to be treated as such. If you would like to offer advice it would be most appreciated.

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by abetterlife

If the answers were on the forum I would have found them, unfortunately all circumstances are different and therefore sometimes require to be treated as such. If you would like to offer advice it would be most appreciated.

But bumping your post just puts others down the chain and that's not fair to them. If someone could have answered your post then they would have.

If everyone bumped their post then we wouldn't see any new info at all!

If you've already done a search for this info then you may have received from info from there because I know that salaries in Sydney have been discussed before.

Check things like rentals in the area since that will affect your budget the most.

I don't live in Sydney and so I can't help on the specifics but there are some questions that people can't answer when the questions are very specific.

Regards,
Karen

[kaz101]

Actually looking at the times you only left the post on here for 5 hours and do you realise that most people in Australia were asleep during that time period? You have to give the forum members time to answer any questions.....

[abetterlife]

Am I able to delete the post? The last thing I intended was to upset anyone, I will try an alternative way to gain advice.

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by abetterlife

Am I able to delete the post? The last thing I intended was to upset anyone, I will try an alternative way to gain advice.

You haven't upset anyone I'm simply trying to explain how this forum works effectively. As you can see from the amount of posts and help that is given this forum it is a good forum but you have to give people time to reply. For example I'm posting this and it's 6.19am Central Time in Australia at the moment (when most sane people are fast asleep ).

Do you still want your post deleted?

[amaslam]

Originally Posted by abetterlife

I am new to the forum so forgive me for repeating a question that has probably been asked a thousand times but...

I have been made an offer to move to Sydney and I want to make sure that I will have a comfortable life when I get out there. I am a pretty spontaneous person and having never visited Australia this move is probably the biggest thing my partner and I have ever undertaken, and obviously full of unknowns.

As I have said I will be moving with my partner, we are both 27, there are just the two of us and I have been offered a 457 visa for 4 years. We don't really live an extravagant lifestyle; maybe eat out at our local a couple of times a month and head to an upmarket restaurant once a month as well, maybe also take in a show or two at the theatre. We like to get out in the car at the weekend and go for walks in countryside, and maybe visit different areas of the UK and stay in a cheap B&B. We really want to learn to surf, and I hope this takes up most of our weekends in the summer. I also Ski and hope to get some skiing in the winter and drag my partner along for her fist skiing trip.

We live in a very nice area in the UK in a small village outside London in two bed terrace, and would like to live in a "nice" area in Sydney. We are currently looking at the lower North shore as an initial area. I will be working in the CBD and everything I have read seems to indicate you can't go wrong in this area. We really want to be close to everything, at least at first so we can experience as much as possible before deciding on an area.

I will be the only person working initially so will need to support both of us until my partner can find work so it is important we get the salary right, although accept that some of our lifestyle choices may be affected. I have been offered $135k including super, this seems like a really good offer but the cost of renting seems extremely high in Sydney and could eat up a large lump of my monthly income.

So onto my questions;

Are we making the right choice in moving to Sydney having never visited??

Will we be okay on this salary, at least for a short time?

Is the lower North shore the right area to be looking, should we consider other areas?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Yes, you will be fine on this salary (I came over on much less and still less than this and support a family and mortgage on it). North Shore is always nice, you can live in most places of Sydney so Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs, so whatever suits your tastes.

Also on a 457 you can usually have your rent paid pre-tax, speak with the payroll about that. That should save you some substantial amounts of tax (several hundred a month at least).

[JimJams]

I presume they may also be able to claim LAFHA (Living Away From Home Allowance)... unless that's what you mean but the benefiting from rent paid pre-tax...

[Fjellsen]

For sure you will be able to have a nice place on the northern beaches with that salary. We are living in Mosman in a 2 bedroom apartment with wonderful views, and up to now only my wife worked and she is payed less then you will be payed. On the 457 visa you will pay less tax and my guess is that your will have more money less tax then a lot of households have even when two people works.

Good luck!

[abetterlife]

Thanks for all your posts, they have really given me the reassurance I was needing.