Moving to Australia: How much do I need to bring?

I have been asked by many of our followers with this question.  My answer is simple,  It depends.  It depends on a lot of factors that I will try to spell out the best I can based on my experience.

A few factors I will name that I think will significantly affect your budget and expenses.  How many of the members of the family are leaving for Australia?  Can you or a member of the family cook?  Where you live and your proximity to the CBD and will you live in a share house?  Where you live and where you will or can find work will tell if you need a car or when public transportation is enough, the fourth.  I'll stop here for now, I know I know there is more to add but I'd rather start somewhere and let you leave your questions in the comments section below to expound on this very dear subject.

To give you an idea, my monthly budget was:

Rent = $650; room for single person, includes utilities and internet connection

Food = $400; this is a little generous already to allocate take-away meals 50% of the time

Fare = $236; if you live within zone 2 and work in the city and work for 5 days a week

Phone = $45; if you get a plan, can be heaps cheaper if you go with a prepaid service

Roughly, you should allocate $1,331 per month for living expenses for a single person.  For a family, expect more.

Briefly, allow me to go through them.

How many you are in the family will significantly affect your expenses.  2-3 bedroom rental houses 30 minutes away from the CBD can range between $300 to $400 per week unfurnished.  This excludes utility bills which are paid every 2-3 months.  The closer you  are to the city, the more expensive rental properties are.  If you go alone, a room can be rented at around $150 to $170 per week for the same location.  Most of the time, this includes utilities and internet connection.

Food.  The big questions is, can you cook?  Eating outside or buying food is relatively expensive here in Australia compared to the Philippines.  Personally, I spend between $75 to $100 on food per week.  I cook (sometimes), and enjoy a couple of take aways during the week.  For a family, you might spend a little more but this means you cook your meals and perhaps no take aways.  Just an idea, a kilo of marinated mixed chicken sections is around $7 to $9.  White rice is around $2 per kilo.  A kilo of bananas, $2.50.  A better view of grocery prices can be obtained from the website of one of the biggest grocery chain in Melbourne, Coles.com.au and view their weekly catalogue.  Oh, take aways (or takeouts) averages between $8 to $11 per meal.

Transportation.  I can only speak for Melbourne as I have not taken public transportation in the other states I have been to.  Public transportation is cheaper than buying a car, but not all of your destinations will be covered by public transportation.  Long walks can be a part of your daily commute to work.  If you live in the suburbs and work in the city, prepare to pay between $7 to $11 per day for public transportation. The most convenient option is to get a car.  If you have the money to spare, you can get a car as soon as you arrive, that means you can pay it in cash or put it on your credit card.  Decent and a relatively reliable car can range between a few thousand dollars.  Carsales.com.au can give you a better idea on the price range for the car you like.  Petrol costs almost the same as in the Philippines.  A comprehensive car insurance starts at $800 a year, third party insurance can be as low as $200 a year. Registration starts at $600 a year or more.  These figures will be dependent on the kind of car you have, with or without modifications, etc.  Costly but convenient.  If you have a Philipine driver's license, you can drive in Victoria for 6 months (last time I checked) before you need to get a Victorian Driver's licence.  However, I recommend new immigrants take driving lessons and obtain a Victorian driver's licence as soon as they arrive before they find a job.  Driving in Victoria will be covered in another blog post. 

Communications.  You will probably need a phone with data for around $30, could be more, could be less depending on how much credits you you need for voice calls, text messages, and data.  Telco's in Australia seldom offer unlimited data in a plan, if they do, it could be relatively expensive (figure around $70 or more monthly.  As soon as you arrive in Australia, you need to get a local phone number so prospective employers can contact you and know you are local, that you can attend an interview when invited.  Sim cards can be bought in major grocery shops like Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi.  You can also recharge through these shops, recharge here similarly means to a load (if you are from the Philippines, you will understand what I mean).   Oh yeah, make sure you put your new phone number in your cover letter, resume, and linked-in profile.

So Yeah (talking about trying out a very Australian expression), these are just a few important budgetary items one would-be immigrant needs to be prepared for.  If I am to suggest, prepare atleast 6 months worth of monthly expenses, the more, the better, should a job become available at a later date than expected.