Discussion
Front page of the West Australian today says that by some measure of 'expense', that Perth is the most expensive capital city in Aus. Beats 2nd place (Sydney) by 7%.
They added up bread and milk and divided by their favourite colour, or something.
I'm sure the East Australian paper is reporting the opposite.
EDIT :-
Found a link.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/21409119/high-c...
They added up bread and milk and divided by their favourite colour, or something.
I'm sure the East Australian paper is reporting the opposite.
EDIT :-
Found a link.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/21409119/high-c...
Edited by Bibbs on Wednesday 12th February 00:32
onny said:
But my net income here after paying all the taxes and NI etc I actually take home slightly more here than I do in Aus. Big difference in Tax law between the 2 country.
I find I pay far less tax here in Aus than in the UK. On the face of it the countries seem to offer a similar overall tax burden but there seems so many more areas I can claim against my income here, especially if you own an investment property.Exchange rates complicate things. When I first started spending a lot of time in Australia I would look at a price, think it looked a bit expensive in pounds but you could divide that by 2.4 and realise everything was really cheap. Today you divide by 1.8 and get a number that's still expensive.
This stuff is difficult, I'm British but run companies in both countries, employ people in both, spend time in both, I'm not trying to promote one over the other. But the prices our staff pay for accommodation in Sydney are eye watering compared to what they would pay in the UK, even in London. Add in cars as well (although quite a few of our Sydney staff don't own one) and just on those two items the difference is huge.
A thing that really surprises our visitors from Australia to the UK is food. The assumption is that that's great there and poor here, but take an Aussie into a branch of Sainsburys and the scale and range of what's available amazes, something you start to understand if you stand in a branch of Woolworths or Coles.
Then factor in airfares, any of our staff in Australia who visit here a lot hold a return portion of a ticket, you really don't want to be buying Aus-GB return if you can avoid it, far cheaper if you can do it starting here.
A final thing, perhaps not relevant to many, is if you are fortunate in having a lot of money to spend you run out of quality in Australia, take hotels for example, in Sydney you have the likes of the Hyatt and the Four Seasons (and others) but compare top hotels in Sydney to the top ones in London and the gap is huge, just the four seasons on George street v the four seasons near park Lane are different worlds.
Of course the UK is colder and wetter, which can be a huge difference, although in the UK in summer I love the way it stays light until 10.00pm or more, makes the good weather so much more accessible when it comes.
But as I say, comparisons get silly, it's all about what one person can do and experience in each country, but the point is that there is no universal rule, 'come to Australia and you'll be better off' is a wrong without a 'might be' in the middle. It depends on who you are and what you want.
This stuff is difficult, I'm British but run companies in both countries, employ people in both, spend time in both, I'm not trying to promote one over the other. But the prices our staff pay for accommodation in Sydney are eye watering compared to what they would pay in the UK, even in London. Add in cars as well (although quite a few of our Sydney staff don't own one) and just on those two items the difference is huge.
A thing that really surprises our visitors from Australia to the UK is food. The assumption is that that's great there and poor here, but take an Aussie into a branch of Sainsburys and the scale and range of what's available amazes, something you start to understand if you stand in a branch of Woolworths or Coles.
Then factor in airfares, any of our staff in Australia who visit here a lot hold a return portion of a ticket, you really don't want to be buying Aus-GB return if you can avoid it, far cheaper if you can do it starting here.
A final thing, perhaps not relevant to many, is if you are fortunate in having a lot of money to spend you run out of quality in Australia, take hotels for example, in Sydney you have the likes of the Hyatt and the Four Seasons (and others) but compare top hotels in Sydney to the top ones in London and the gap is huge, just the four seasons on George street v the four seasons near park Lane are different worlds.
Of course the UK is colder and wetter, which can be a huge difference, although in the UK in summer I love the way it stays light until 10.00pm or more, makes the good weather so much more accessible when it comes.
But as I say, comparisons get silly, it's all about what one person can do and experience in each country, but the point is that there is no universal rule, 'come to Australia and you'll be better off' is a wrong without a 'might be' in the middle. It depends on who you are and what you want.
Siscar said:
A thing that really surprises our visitors from Australia to the UK is food. The assumption is that that's great there and poor here, but take an Aussie into a branch of Sainsburys and the scale and range of what's available amazes, something you start to understand if you stand in a branch of Woolworths or Coles.
For a nation that has a bit of a superiority complex about food, Australia's supermarkets are just absolutely dire. Even NZ has far better selection and quality of food. thehawk said:
For a nation that has a bit of a superiority complex about food, Australia's supermarkets are just absolutely dire. Even NZ has far better selection and quality of food.
We find the food here (inner Sydney)from Woolies and Coles to be of a far higher standard than the equivalent in the UK. I like that independent butchers and fishmongers still exist. The Harris Farm in Kings X is excellent, the best fish and meat I've found.Size wise, you're right they don't compare to a Tesco Extra.
Siscar said:
But as I say, comparisons get silly, it's all about what one person can do and experience in each country, but the point is that there is no universal rule, 'come to Australia and you'll be better off' is a wrong without a 'might be' in the middle. It depends on who you are and what you want.
This. Personally I don't do the comparisons...For one I think it completely misses the point of moving to the other side of the world and I also believe that the British style of worrying about keeping up with the Joneses is not compatible with the Australian life style. Pommygranite said:
Supermarkets in the UK are far superior to Australia.
Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
Steak sanga and 6 pints of wheat beer!Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
Siscar said:
Exchange rates complicate things. When I first started spending a lot of time in Australia I would look at a price, think it looked a bit expensive in pounds but you could divide that by 2.4 and realise everything was really cheap. Today you divide by 1.8 and get a number that's still expensive.
This stuff is difficult, I'm British but run companies in both countries, employ people in both, spend time in both, I'm not trying to promote one over the other. But the prices our staff pay for accommodation in Sydney are eye watering compared to what they would pay in the UK, even in London. Add in cars as well (although quite a few of our Sydney staff don't own one) and just on those two items the difference is huge.
A thing that really surprises our visitors from Australia to the UK is food. The assumption is that that's great there and poor here, but take an Aussie into a branch of Sainsburys and the scale and range of what's available amazes, something you start to understand if you stand in a branch of Woolworths or Coles.
Then factor in airfares, any of our staff in Australia who visit here a lot hold a return portion of a ticket, you really don't want to be buying Aus-GB return if you can avoid it, far cheaper if you can do it starting here.
A final thing, perhaps not relevant to many, is if you are fortunate in having a lot of money to spend you run out of quality in Australia, take hotels for example, in Sydney you have the likes of the Hyatt and the Four Seasons (and others) but compare top hotels in Sydney to the top ones in London and the gap is huge, just the four seasons on George street v the four seasons near park Lane are different worlds.
Of course the UK is colder and wetter, which can be a huge difference, although in the UK in summer I love the way it stays light until 10.00pm or more, makes the good weather so much more accessible when it comes.
But as I say, comparisons get silly, it's all about what one person can do and experience in each country, but the point is that there is no universal rule, 'come to Australia and you'll be better off' is a wrong without a 'might be' in the middle. It depends on who you are and what you want.
As an Aussie who has been living in London for 10 years and was recently back in Sydney for a month this to me is pretty much spot on. So many people in oz talk about the UK like its some third world country when they really have no idea what its like in terms of living standards. Apart from the weather the UK (and being based in London) has many things going for it you just cant get living in Oz. Whenever I go back to Sydney (where I was born) the first week I want to come back and cant believe I am living in the UK....by the end of the 4th week I cant wait to leave. This stuff is difficult, I'm British but run companies in both countries, employ people in both, spend time in both, I'm not trying to promote one over the other. But the prices our staff pay for accommodation in Sydney are eye watering compared to what they would pay in the UK, even in London. Add in cars as well (although quite a few of our Sydney staff don't own one) and just on those two items the difference is huge.
A thing that really surprises our visitors from Australia to the UK is food. The assumption is that that's great there and poor here, but take an Aussie into a branch of Sainsburys and the scale and range of what's available amazes, something you start to understand if you stand in a branch of Woolworths or Coles.
Then factor in airfares, any of our staff in Australia who visit here a lot hold a return portion of a ticket, you really don't want to be buying Aus-GB return if you can avoid it, far cheaper if you can do it starting here.
A final thing, perhaps not relevant to many, is if you are fortunate in having a lot of money to spend you run out of quality in Australia, take hotels for example, in Sydney you have the likes of the Hyatt and the Four Seasons (and others) but compare top hotels in Sydney to the top ones in London and the gap is huge, just the four seasons on George street v the four seasons near park Lane are different worlds.
Of course the UK is colder and wetter, which can be a huge difference, although in the UK in summer I love the way it stays light until 10.00pm or more, makes the good weather so much more accessible when it comes.
But as I say, comparisons get silly, it's all about what one person can do and experience in each country, but the point is that there is no universal rule, 'come to Australia and you'll be better off' is a wrong without a 'might be' in the middle. It depends on who you are and what you want.
Pommygranite said:
Supermarkets in the UK are far superior to Australia.
Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
Well that depends on where you go, I'd say that the UK goes to greater extremes at both ends whilst Australia is more consistent in the middle. At the higher end I've dined at The Quay, Cafe Sydney, China Doll, Catalina, Altitude, Aria amongst others. They are good (actually I really like China Doll) but compared to what you'd get in London they aren't particularly special. Quay is meant to be the best in Australia, by some accounts, and really if you've not gone to the effort to get in there I really wouldn't bother.Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
But there is a more consistent middle level, loads of places where you will get a good meal without question. No lack of decent restaurants here either but perhaps more that aren't so good.
custardtart said:
We find the food here (inner Sydney)from Woolies and Coles to be of a far higher standard than the equivalent in the UK. I like that independent butchers and fishmongers still exist. The Harris Farm in Kings X is excellent, the best fish and meat I've found.
Size wise, you're right they don't compare to a Tesco Extra.
Really? Woolies and Coles in Inner Sydney... The selection and quality? I've been in that lower floor of Woolworths by the Town Hall many times, the Coles at Broadway and Eastgate shopping centres and if you think those are a high standard you need to get out more. It's people in Sydney who shop in these places who are amazed by what they can get in a Sainsburys. Take them to Waitrose and you might not get them out again. Tesco Extra? Nah, horrible places, definitely to avoid, enormous but with few other qualities, no surprise that they are suffering in the market these days. Size wise, you're right they don't compare to a Tesco Extra.
As for independents, lots of them around, half a mile from us is the farm shop we get all of our meat from, most of it from the farms around us. There's less than there were, supermarkets have put the poor ones out of business but the successful ones now compete on quality and do it very well.
I'm sorry but, lots of things to sell Australia on, it's a great place, but quality of the supermarkets really isn't a plus point.
custardtart said:
onny said:
But my net income here after paying all the taxes and NI etc I actually take home slightly more here than I do in Aus. Big difference in Tax law between the 2 country.
I find I pay far less tax here in Aus than in the UK. On the face of it the countries seem to offer a similar overall tax burden but there seems so many more areas I can claim against my income here, especially if you own an investment property.You can also have negative gearing for investment property in the UK. The difference is that outside of London, with the purchase price/mortgage and rental return, you are more likely to be in positive gearing which is much better then being in negative gearing when you only get back less than half from tax.
bigunit00 said:
As an Aussie who has been living in London for 10 years and was recently back in Sydney for a month this to me is pretty much spot on. So many people in oz talk about the UK like its some third world country when they really have no idea what its like in terms of living standards. Apart from the weather the UK (and being based in London) has many things going for it you just cant get living in Oz. Whenever I go back to Sydney (where I was born) the first week I want to come back and cant believe I am living in the UK....by the end of the 4th week I cant wait to leave.
Strange, as I'm an Aussie too, and after 20 years in the UK, I've come back to Australia and I never want to go back to the UK.I really should have made the move back to Aus sooner.
Colonial said:
Odd idea, but doesn't it mainly come down to personal preference and the place you are in your life at this point in time?
As in there is no right or wrong, just what is right or wrong for you?
People are different, and want different things.As in there is no right or wrong, just what is right or wrong for you?
As we grow, who we are changes. So it'd make sense that the stuff we want changes too.
I'm also of the opinion that people think about it too much, instead of just getting on with it.
Siscar said:
Pommygranite said:
Supermarkets in the UK are far superior to Australia.
Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
Well that depends on where you go, I'd say that the UK goes to greater extremes at both ends whilst Australia is more consistent in the middle. At the higher end I've dined at The Quay, Cafe Sydney, China Doll, Catalina, Altitude, Aria amongst others. They are good (actually I really like China Doll) but compared to what you'd get in London they aren't particularly special. Quay is meant to be the best in Australia, by some accounts, and really if you've not gone to the effort to get in there I really wouldn't bother.Eating out in Australia is far superior to the UK.
But there is a more consistent middle level, loads of places where you will get a good meal without question. No lack of decent restaurants here either but perhaps more that aren't so good.
Yes, London has some amazing choices no doubt, as does Sydney but very few people (relatively speaking) travel and inhabit London as their primary 'go to' point just as very few move to Oz and go to Sydney.
Much like yourself i've done quite a few nice places. I worked in London and Southern England when there and here I am based in Perth but have to travel Australia wide quite a bit. What is glaringly obvious that once you get out of large core cities in the UK you are pretty much left with:
-Harvester
-Fast Food places
-Chinese, Italian or Indian
- Gastro/Country Pubs.
And the quality is really quite low across the board, unless, again, you are in a city.
Here you can eat very well in some of the major cities but even out of the prime locations you get:
-Fast Food places
-Italian (much better here than the UK on the main)
- Lebanese
- Vietnamese
-Thai
- Korean
-Chinese or Indian
- Gastro/Pubs.
The quality of food here eating out is far superior across the board to the UK. Ive had amazing seafood in a s
tty restaurant in Lancelin and a fabulous Steak in the middle of nowhere Roma, QLD, a great Salad in bloody Geraldton down to sublime seafood in Nobu and Meat in Rockpool. Simply put whether it city or burbs here you can eat out well. It just doesnt feel that great in the UK once you get out of the cities.I do agree the supermarkets here suck. just terrible and very very expensive.
Siscar, you have referred to wealth but you need to go beyond that for quality of life and lifestyle surely.
If you have wealth anywhere life tends to be pretty decent.
However I feel in Australia I can lead the same lifestyle as very wealth people without needing the resources to do it - enjoying the weather, environment, sport, boating, coffees and meals out, socialising etc. Its just the grade of transport or building i'm in that would change if I was wealthy.
In the UK everything is so damn hard - traffic, getting around, the weather, dealing with shop workers, getting to and from work, building networks for work, servicing my car, putting petrol in in the pissing rain and wind.
320 days of the year here I never have to think what to wear, what the weather will be like, will it affect my plans and dreading the 8am 'sun'rise to the 3pm 'sun' down.
The UK is awesome in Summer, no doubt, but thats roughly 6 weeks. Then you might get 2-3 weeks of a spring and thats kinda it. Its a bit gloomy thereafter.
Mostly agree with the above, supermarkets are dire in Australia, luckily in Melbourne there are great markets and a gourmet food places.
Restaurant food quality in Australia is just way ahead of the UK. Even the best places in the UK I have been to just don't seem to have the freshness in the ingredients, design wise and presentation they can be fantastic but they just lack the flavours - especially if Asian inspired.
Restaurant food quality in Australia is just way ahead of the UK. Even the best places in the UK I have been to just don't seem to have the freshness in the ingredients, design wise and presentation they can be fantastic but they just lack the flavours - especially if Asian inspired.
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