Has moving to Oz been worth it?

Hi, considering ALL aspects of moving from canada to oz, such as health insurance, education system, cost of living, mortgage, employment, etc, has it been worth it. My husband and I (mid 30s-no kids, general business degree) are planning to leave toronto for oz but are unsure of what life would bring us. Some inputs (bad or good) from those who have experienced life in oz after living in canada would be great.

Before I start answering your question I just have to ask if you've looked into the requirements to immigrate/work in Australia. It is somewhat difficult to get in and you have to have a profession/trade that they want.

As far as living here goes it's been great for us so far. I would say the biggest downside is the cost of living, however just like Canada there are expensive places and cheaper places. So it really all depends on where you want to go. If you want big city living, or a suburb of one it will be more expensive. If you are about farther away from the big cities then you can have more reasonable housing prices.

We left from Fort McMurray and moved to an outer suburb of Brisbane. We found the housing prices to be about the same or a bit cheaper here. However if we were right in the city it would have been a lot more expensive, but we didn't want to live there anyways! We actually got a lot nicer house here, for cheaper, than we did in Fort McMurray. But then Fort McMurray is very expensive even by Canadian standards.

Health care is a bit different. If you are permanent residents here you do get free healthcare (Medicare). You generally have to pay for doctors appointments out of your pocket though and then Medicare will reimburse you for a portion of it. It costs be about $20 out of pocket after it's taken care of. You can find a doctor who bulk bills (you pay nothing) but they are hard to find and have longer waiting lists to get in. So I personally don't mind paying the $20 to get an appointment. I can get in rather quickly and don't have to wait hours once I'm there.

Medicare generally covers hospital expenses, doctors appointment (most or all of it), blood tests, ultrasounds, CT's, etc. My daughter stayed overnight at the public hospital and we weren't charged a thing.

There is also private health care, so it is a two tier system here. If you earn over $140,000 (I think that's the amount now) as a couple then you might as well take out private health care or they will tax you. If you earn under that then it's up to you whether it's worth it or not. We have private health care (because of the income cap) and we haven't used it at all. Sometimes with private care you could still end up paying a fair bit out of pocket. for example you choose to stay in a private hospital. The hospital will bill Medicare for the fees and then they will pay their portion, then your private health care pays a portion and whatever is left over you are stuck paying. If you go public then I would generally say there are no fees at all.

The education system I can't comment on too much because my kids are not quite in school yet. I think it's fairly comparable to Canada though. There are a lot more private schools here though so it's a lot more common to have that choice when sending kids to school. The state schools (public) are free although they do generally have some expenses. Like uniforms, they all have them and can range from cheap to expensive. My daughters uniform for kindergarten next year is $120 for 3 shirts, shorts and a hat. I'd say that's about average or possibly on the cheap side. But then you don't have to buy as many clothes for them so it sort of evens out. There can also be textbook fees, voluntary contributions, etc. So I think there may be a bit more out of pocket expenses than in Canada. But personally I don't mind. I like the idea of uniforms and of having textbooks in pretty good condition (unlike some that I had to use in school!).

I've already mentioned housing costs. Really that depends on what you want though. I'd say on average it's probably more expensive. If you're coming from Toronto though you may or not find it so bad. You'd really have to look up the real estate for whatever city you're planning on going to.

http://www.realestate.com.au
There's also a tab on there for renting, which is generally a bit cheaper. Mostly due to how they view investment properties here and negative gearing (using a loss on the rental to offset income).

Mortgages would be about the same process and system as Canada although the interest rate is a lot higher. Our mortgage is at about 8.16% at the moment, so a lot more than Canada. The one good thing is that they have offset accounts here. If you have one whatever money you have in your bank account will offset that amount from your mortgage. So if you keep $20,000 in your account then $20,000 from your mortgage will not earn interest (which means you don't earn interest on your regular account though). But it's worth it because it essentially means that your regular bank account earns aabout 8.16% interest which is great!

As far as every day things go I find groceries to be similar or a bit more expensive. Fast food seems a bit more expensive, but then the dollar is less here. Restaurants on appearance seem more expensive but the taxes are included in the cost (as with everything here) and there really is no tipping. So it works out about the same to Canada. Now that I think about it most things are similar to Canada except the tax is built into the price rather than tacked on at the end like in Canada.

The only things that have really struck me as being expensive is electronics. Our TV was a bit more than we would have paid in Canada and computers seemed expensive too. White goods also seemed expensive. Other than that things seem pretty similar. Used vehicles tend to hold their value about the same as Canada as well.

Employment has been good for us, that's a big reason why we came. My husband is a mining engineer and they are in heavy demand here, so he's had no problems with work. I can't speak for other professions though. Some people in trades have difficulty getting their qualifications recognized, but if you have business degrees then I don't think you'll see a problem that way.

If you are planning on trying to find work before you leave be aware that it is VERY difficult to obtain work before you leave. Partly because they really don't look at people from out of the country. Possibly because they might think you don't have a visa, or beause you're seem as too expensive to bring over or there might be problems (like house to sell, etc). So generally you'll have to arrive before you can really get anywhere with the job hunting. My husband tried to find a job before we left but it was just about impossible. Once he arrived though they were all over him. Some people are lucky enough to get jobs, but it depends on your job and whether they can fill the positions within the country or not.

On the whole I would say that we love it here. I would gladly stay for as long as we could. But when we came over we had decided that we were only going to stay for about 3-5 years tops. So we've always known we would be going back. But, as I said I would happily stay here. Mostly we'll be moving back to be near family for a change, and also because we know that if we move close to family that we will be able to buy a house mortgage free. Plus, we've always liked Canada so weren't exactly moving to get away.

But I do like it here. The Aussies are very friendly people, and on the whole life is pretty good. Mind you my husband has a job that pays very well and financially there are no issues, so that helps.

Compared to Winnipeg, Sydney (4 years) and now Melbourne (2.5 years) get two thumbs up. Both my wife and I (mid 30's no kids) are very happy here.

Its like a big playbround at times

From talking to other ex-pats with kids, the educational systems are behind North American standards, and i think it shows in the workplace.

Hi
The short answer is Yes, but it's taken me 13 years to get to this point, perhaps I'm less flexible than younger people (in my early 50s now).
My husband & I both had PhDs from Canadian Uni's, so found our training helped tremendously in climbing the career ladder. (Many here had lower educational qualifications in our respective professions.)
Can't fathom returning to Canadian winters, even in Vancouver which was home before moving to sunny Perth. My current work here is well-paid and easy to balance with home life: I'm a self-employed health professional, my patients get a rebate from Medicare which they wouldn't get in Canada.
Buying a puppy helped me to feel settled into the neighborhood: many locals meet at a park just down the street, so I've got to know & like my neighbors, many of whom moved here from other countries. We can walk there in relative comfort most seasons of the year, aside from a few very hot days in summer.
Our daughter is enjoying school, has just completed Grade 7--not sure how it compares to Canadian education although a good friend in Edmonton's education elite said Alberta has the highest Maths achievements in the Western world.
Often frustrated with Australian Medicare & private health care: very expensive, but some things are funded here which aren't in Canada (& vice versa).
Driving on the "wrong side of the road" took some adjusting, but is second nature after a couple of years.
The cost of return flights to Canada to visit family can be prohibitive, especially if you have kids or if you have a sick relative and have to get home in a hurry.
Generally speaking, if you're in a job that pays well and rewards higher education, you should find the life here quite enjoyable and satisfying.

I found you in this forum and was hoping you could shed some light!
I'm 27 and my husband and I are thinking about moving to
Australia, but we are still quite anxious about this drastic
change.

I was born and raised in Toronto, but we have decided that we
want to move to a warmer climate.

What are your experience? How long have you lived there? Was
it hard to meet friends? What should and shouldn't I
know? ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Yours, Mary

For us it is definitely better to live in Australia. We moved from Victoria, BC to the Gold Coast so the cost of living is quite the same. I am from here but we have all lived in Canada together as well.

Food can be a bit more expensive but we don't have Mexico near us to import from! Fruit and veges are usually Australian grown, we don't mind paying more if it means we are supporting the farmers.

I prefer the health system here, we have private health cover and I had my two children in a private hospital. I had my own room with a double bed so my husband could stay and my fund paid for 5 nights for a normal delivery. We have a GP nearby who bulk bills, so we don't pay anything to see her, it is all paid for by Medicare.

We enjoy the lifestyle, we spend every weekend at the beach, we meet other families for BBQs at the beach and we have the option to drive up the mountains, wineries, surfing trips and camping all year round. We have annual passes to Seaworld and it's just a short drive away.

When we first applied for my husband's permanent residency about 5 years ago he was accepted straight away and there were so many jobs here, people were calling him! Now unfortunately so many of our friends have lost their jobs, there is just not much out there anymore but of course that depends on your profession.

We do really miss Canada at times, family and friends especially. I think if we didn't have all our activities and friends here we would feel a lot more homesick. The only bad part is that we are too far away from Canada, the flight is such a pain with young children!

No one can tell you how it will be for you. For us though I think it's been worth it. We moved here with the intention of just doing something different for a few years, although we got permanent visas so we could stay forever if we wanted.

So for us it was really just an adventure for a little while and a way to see the country while we're here. We still intend on going back to Canada in another year or two, but to be honest I love it so much I could stay for good. We just happen to love Canada too and if we move back it'll likely be close to family, so that's a plus for us.

We've been here for almost 2 years so far. We moved here without ever having visited before. I didn't find it too hard to make friends, but that is mostly because I have little kids so you meet parents at the school, or playgroups and things like that. Although like anywhere it is tough to meet good friends that you can have around for a chat or go out with. But now I've got a few close friends that I met through my daughters kindy. It helped that most of us were stay at home moms so we would go to the park and things like that and now we do other things without the kids too.

I can't think of too much advice other than if you come I would make sure you have a plan. Decide how long you want to give it and what to do if one of you wants to leave. We knew coming in that we would be here for at least two years and about a maximum of 3-4. That's actually helped us to settle in a way because we just needed to get on with life, make friends, etc, because we were going to be here for a few years. Also, they are pretty similar countries but still have their differences. Nothing major but you just can't be constantly comparing things to your home country. You just make the most of things however they are.

I'm 27 and my husband and I are thinking about moving to
Australia, but we are still quite anxious about this drastic
change.

What are your experience? How long have you lived there? Was
it hard to meet friends? What should and shouldn't I
know? ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

The older you get the harder it is to make friends. At 27 you'll be fine, especially if you like to drink Hanging out regularly in a pub in Canada sounds kind of pathetic, but Aussies are more British in this way and the pubs are much more like a community centre.

I've been living between Vancouver and Sydney since 2004.

You should also know that whatever decision you make, it doesn't have to be forever.

Hi both

As you are both young and without children, my advice is to go for it. Living and working in your respective professions in a foreign country will take you far and you will have a tremendous learning experience.

That said, be prepared for the higher cost of living. If you make over $150K, you have to take out private health insurance or risk getting taxed extra. The interest rates and house prices are higher. The education system is decent, maybe not as good as Canada, however I am not an expert in this field. I do know there are medical schools here that one can enter straight out of high school! TV- most programs are a year or two behind season. Even if you do get Foxtel, you still will miss Canadian tv channels. You will buy internet by usage. For example, 5G costs us $50 per month.

Salaries do seem to be a bit higher, however, so is the cost of living. Income taxation is similar or slightly higher than Canada. You will be taxed a medicare level as well, however, if you are on a 457 VISA, you can claim this amount back (because you need to take out private health insurance instead).

I notice this the most in the grocery stores. 3L of milk is $6.50. 2L of coca cola is $2.50-$3.00. Gas (they call it petrol here- $1.25L as of 8 March 2009). Get the picture. And there is no where near as much selection in stores. I found that part the most difficult to adjust to. It feels like there are a few large companies in the country who practically have a monopoly on the domestic market (think Qantas airlines).

As for the Australian people. IMHO, they are a proud people. You meet a mixture of very nice lovely people, and some who you want to run away from at break-neck speed. Many are arrogant, and have a British type snootiness towards Americans. The thing I noticed most is the racism, it is rampant! And I don't think people who are not of colour can fairly comment on this. Don't expect the same type of customer service which you get in Canadian restaurants. The people here dress better, and if you are into fashion you will notice the women and men here always look so put together, even if it's just a trip to the store!

Take a risk, you will learn so much and be that much more enriched for it. After 1.5 years, I am planning the move back, because this is not a country I want to settle in. No place like home!

best wishes

Can I just remind some people that with the cost of living in Aus, we don't have to heat our houses all year round so we (my family) pay at the most $70 a month for electricity. Depending on where you settle in Aus you can grow your own fruit and veges all year round.

The service may not be as good here because we don't have to grovel for a tip! hahahaha

Minimum wage is a whole lot higher and GST is lower.

I have found that if you compare similar cities eg: Vancouver to Sydney, the cost of living is similar but if you are comparing kamloops to Melbourne then, well you know.