Australia: great place to live but at what cost?

Australia: great place to live but at what cost?

  • Australia remains one of the favourite places for Brits to relocate to, although the rise in the cost of living there in recent years has deterred a few - especially those with sterling to convert.

But whilst some aspects of life in Australia ARE more expensive than the UK, others aren't.

A new Cost of Living Comparison Tool reveals exactly what prices people are paying across the UK, Australia (and America) shows just how expensive Australia's cost of living is.

Budget Direct's comparison tool, which uses data collected primarily from Numbeo, the world's largest database of user-contributed data, allows users to compare three cities across a number of key categories including their Weekly Shop, Living and Getting Around.

Because, whether it's surfing the net, grabbing a bite out with friends after work or going to see the latest blockbuster movie, on average Australians are paying some of the highest prices in the world.

One of the standout differences was the cost of a pre-paid mobile phone tariff.

Australians are paying on average nearly four times more for this than the US and nearly three times more than they are in the UK.

Clothing prices also set an expensive trend in Australia with Aussies paying on average 57 per cent more for clothes and shoes than they are in the US or the UK.

One particular price comparison that stood out from this was a pair of Nike trainers. In the US and UK these would sell for approximately $90 where as in Australia they would cost approximately $150, a staggering 60 per cent more. No wonder people like to jump online to stock up on their favourite wardrobe essentials.

An individual bottle of your favourite soft drink, like Coke or Pepsi, may not go down as smoothly knowing that it costs less than half price in some parts of the US than it does in Australia.

Aussies will be pleased to know that one of their beloved simple pleasures, coffee, was cheaper on average than the UK and the US. This was one of only a small handful of things that are though.

To see how much your weekly shop costs in Sydney compared to London or to see how much a night out would cost in Melbourne compared to Los Angeles.

Here are some other comparisons between UK and Australian cost of living

Property

* When comparing the averages for Australia and the UK renting and buying in the city centre are more expensive in Australia than the UK

* However when you look at the individual cities London costs 6.5 per cent more than Sydney for a one-bed apartment to rent in the city centre (and it is even more in New York City: 23.5 per cent more than Sydney).

* Property purchase. It would still cost you more to buy in the city centre in London, nearly 25 per cent more per square meter than Sydney.

Utilities

* Utilities on average are nearly 10 per cent cheaper in Australia compared to the UK

* If you just compare Sydney and London they are just over 20 per cent cheaper in Sydney

Getting around

* On average taxis are just over 20 per cent cheaper in Oz than the UK

* Petrol is just under 35 per cent cheaper in Australia than the UK

Eating out/Entertainment

* On average eating out in Australia costs more than the UK - about 15 per cent more. However, when comparing London to Sydney, London is more expensive.

* A ticket to see the latest blockbuster film would cost 8.5 per cent more in London than Sydney

 Read our mini guide to buying a property in Australia.

A Place In The Sun