Cost of Living in Australia
Comparing the cost of living in Australia is not very straightforward
Some people say that it is more expensive to live in Australia than it is in the UK, but others say it is cheaper, and they are probably both right, in their own ways.
If you move from a cheaper area of the UK to the centre of Sydney, for example, you may well notice that things are much more expensive.
However, if you move from Central London, to a cheaper area of Australia, you will find almost everything so much cheaper.
People like to look at specifics. But then, which specifics are relevant to YOU ?
The price of Strawberries varies from $4 per kg to $12 per kg, at the height of the Strawberry season here, depending purely on your location in Australia.
Bread ? you can pay between $1.10 and $4.00 for decent white sliced 700 gm loaf, depending on which shop you use.
A new arrival to Australia will tend to pay higher prices than a local, mainly due to the local knowing where and when the best buys are. But that also applies to almost every country in the world.
I have been here for some years now, and feel happy that I know where to buy things...
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Australian Bureau of Statistics Shopping basket
The ABS recently published some figures, to compare prices between the main Australian Cities
The 'shopping basket' of Fresh fruit and vegetables was:
- Oranges (1kg)
- Bananas (1kg)
- Potatoes (1kg)
- Tomatoes (1kg)
- Carrots (1kg)
- Onions (1kg)
The prices, for that basket of items, were shown as:
- $16.70 Brisbane
- $17.93 Sydney
- $18.52 Melbourne
- $18.58 Hobart
- $18.94 Adelaide
- $19.47 Perth
- $19.77 Canberra
- $23.52 Darwin
BUT
- $8.81 at my Local fruit store............
Australian Cost of Living Statistics
Data from the Mercer Human Resource Consulting World Wide Cost of Living Rankings 2007/8
Mercer�s survey covers 143 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
It is the world�s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.
Mercer worldwide cost of living survey: 2007
2007
UK Cities are Ranked:
- 2nd London,
- 36th Glasgow,
- 41st Birmingham,
Australian Cities are ranked:
- 21st Sydney,
- 60th Melbourne,
- 4th Perth,
- 86th Brisbane,
- 96th Adelaide,
Globally, Moscow is the world�s most expensive city for expatriates for the second consecutive year. London is in second position, climbing three places since last year.
2006
http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving2006.htm
UK Cities rankings for 2006:
- 5th London,
- 60th Glasgow,
- 69th Birmingham,
Australian Cities rankings for 2006:
- 19th Sydney,
- 74th Melbourne,
- 93rd Perth,
- 99th Brisbane,
- 108th Adelaide,
Moscow has replaced Tokyo as the world�s most expensive city, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
2005
World Wide Cost of Living Rankings 2005
UK Cities rankings for 2005:
- 3rd London,
- 40th Glasgow,
- 47th Birmingham,
Australian Cities rankings for 2005:
- 20th Sydney,
- 68th Melbourne,
- 84th Brisbane,
- 89th Adelaide,
- 93rd Perth,
The 1st place for 2005 went to Tokyo, Japan, with it being selected as being the most expensive city in the world to live in.
