Is Sydney really that bad?

[I want to go home]

Ok, Anyone here who has recently moved from Sydney?

I am looking for up-to-date opinions on cost of living, lifestyle difference in Singapore and Sydney.

We have been away from home (Sydney) for almost 10years now and I am feeling like it is about time to go back, but my husband seems convinced that life in Singapore is cheaper and better quality than Sydney....

[recently moved back]

Hi

In terms of cost of living differences, we have just moved back from Singapore to Sydney and what I have noticed is as follows:

Singapore - rent expensive, schooling expensive, some groceries expensive, alcohol expensive, eating out expensive, cars expensive.  Public transport - cheap, some groceries cheap, familiy activites cheap (compared to sydney) eg sentosa luge / aquarium / mini golf, cinema, wild wild wet.

Australia - fruit expensive, some groceries expensive, bread/milk basic groceries - expensive, public transport expensive, parking (especially in the city) expensive, things to do on weekends/ as a family - expensive.  Schooling - much cheaper, tax obviously higher, alcohol cheaper, can eat out at a decent restaurant without costing an arm and a leg.

Obviously the tax is alot higher in Sydney, however, if you are not paying international school fees (and not sending your children to the best private schools in sydney) then this isn't a significant factor.

We are actually able to save a similiar amount in Sydney (stronger AUD, earning in AUD, saving on converting SGD to AUD when sending money back) but I personally wouldn't make a decision just on the money factor when deciding to come back.  I don't think it will be a huge difference either way.

There is definately a big lifestyle difference and this would depend on your circumstances.  For us, we had 2 kids (6 and 4) and so for us the timing was perfect as they are really enjoying their sports etc being back in Australia.  However, the biggest difference has been for my husband and I.  We definately miss the lifestyle we had in Singapore (having a helper, a great social life), but we are really enjoying being back and it is lovely to watch the kids be more active and loving being back.  I think if you both are coming back to work full time in Sydney with kids then it is definately a struggle.  If only one has to go to work and the other is at home and can look after the house, then that's not too big of an adjustment to make.

Mind you, we've only been back 2 months so maybe our feelings will change....

[I was]

I was in Sydney for quite some time immediately after leaving Singapore.

In Sydney transportation is a lot more expensive than in Singapore.

Food is also a lot more expensive (and not as nice in my opinion) in Sydney vs. Singapore. However that being said, the difference is in the lifestyle. In Singapore you are probably used to going out to eat on a whim. In Sydney most people would be keen to bbq in the park somewhere with some steaks bought at the local market... although obviously people do eat out quite a bit in Sydney. On a day to day basis though eating out 3 squares a day in Sydney will bankrupt most common folk. You will have to migrate to a cooking mindset more or less...which for me was no problem because I like cooking...if you cook though its not going to be substantially more to eat...

When I first arrived in Sydney there was this overwhelming feeling of finally being able to stretch out LOL! It was very relaxing to me...the whole beach culture thing is pretty good (aka super nice) as I really love the beach.

If you are an outdoors person Sydney is amazing and will be in a large contrast to Singapore. In Singapore its not so common to get grass or sand under your toes and you have maybe one option for 'beach' whereas in Sydney...it is beach heaven.

Again though getting around in Sydney will be much more expensive. There is no comparison. 

Rent in my opinion was more expensive in Sydney (as you noted the stronger currency), BUT for a similar price you get 10X better place in Sydney. Dollar for dollar though depending on what kind of life you live in Singapore you can end up spending a little more in Sydney.

The main difference though will not be (as much) in your pocketbook as it is in your lifestyle. Its like comparing night and day.


 

[potato]

I'm not from Australia but when I went there on holiday I found food shopping to be excellent.  Yes it was a little bit more expensive than here if you eat the same kind of thing you'd eat here but if you like meat like lamb and beef then prices are much better than here, so just as buying local here makes sense, buying local in Australia does too.

Baked potatoes are an example of something I love but rarely get to have here because the potatoes are too small - I ate loads of them in Australia!   

I think it depends on your diet, if you are from Asia then you might be disappointed with what you can buy there (and find it expensive to purchase) but if you're a westerner then it's cheaper than here to make the kind of western meals that you might enjoy.

[I imagined]

I imagined (obviously wrongly) that food would be pretty inexpensive in Australia as the country is such a major producer and exporter of food products.

Similarly with accommodation,in bigger countries land is, on the whole, cheaper and that has an impact on housing costs.

(My reference point for above 'imaginings" was Canada.)

[websites]

It might be worth having a look on websites such as woolworths and coles which both do online shopping - might give you an idea of price.  There are also websites such as domain dot com au for property. 

I

[Scummy NLI]

In a bored/sad/anal moment a few months ago, I input details of our Carrefour shopping list into a spreadsheet then compared prices to Coles website (WA). The Aussie bill was 40% fewer $ than the Singapore one.

This obviously depends on what you eat and the exchange rate at the time. The only thing that was more expensive in Coles was eggs, but the eggs were bigger.

[g.alert]

In a bored/sad/anal moment a few months ago, I input details of our Carrefour shopping list into a spreadsheet then compared prices to Coles website (WA). The Aussie bill was 40% fewer $ than the Singapore one.

This obviously depends on what you eat and the exchange rate at the time. The only thing that was more expensive in Coles was eggs, but the eggs were bigger.

Scummy that is an excellent piece of geekery 

I wonder if supermarket prices in WA compare to Sydney though.  In the latter, as a student, I remember thinking groceries were expensive.  Then again, when you are a student, everything is expensive! 

[Scummy NLI]

Yep, moving at the end of the year, so currently very geeky and excited. You should see my scale drawings and spreadsheets for furniture plans!

From what people say on "British Expats", costs other than housing are broadly the same throughout Australia. Food may be slightly cheaper in Sydney (and I think Melbourne) as Aldi is there too.

Ironically, people on BE who've moved to Oz from the UK moan that food, utilities, cars are more expensive and the driving is worse. Coming from Singapore, all these things will be cheaper/better, and yes I know we'll pay more tax but we'll get free/cheaper medical care and schooling. So I actually think we'l be better off and will live in a lovely big house close to the beach rather than a small condo.

[ididit]

I moved to Sydney from Singapore 6 months ago and absolutely love it. All told we spend about the same (or a bit less) as we did in Singapore, and tax is way higher, so we are probably worse off financially but we are SO much happier. We were happy to take a financial hit for lifestyle reasons. We have a really beautiful house in a fantastic part of town for less than our mediocre condo in Sing. We have loads to do here, have met fantastic people, my kids are just thriving. We spend lots of time at beaches and parks. Almost no time at malls. Really immeasurably better.

[$Pripps]

Well if I get a job there I would to there as well, but I guess that is unlikely since I over the 45y border and it seems then a bit tricky to immigrate there.

[just back]

Just got back from a few days in Sydney and was surprised how much prices have gone up in the last year.  Also surprised how many little things were charged for ie, $5 for the shuttle between the terminals at the airport.

I always thought that Singapore was much more expensive, but do believe that Sydney is catching up.  However, the big things such as rent, schooling and cars are way more costly here.

It was nice though having such a lovely range of choice in the supermarkets.........yum