soo_the_panda

Yep - adverts are awful! I watch either ABC/SBS or stream TV on netflix and stan. Can't stand the commercial channels here!

Hi, I'm in a two bed apartment not a four bed house so my costs will differ. I would suggest about $60/month for a standard 'unlimited' internet plan. Most of these will include voice over internet calls, so there really isn't a need for a landline. Most mobile providers will include overseas minutes - I use Amaysim (on the Optus network) and for $45/month that includes unlimited calls and texts worldwide. Hopefully someone else can advise on gas and electricity.

There's a government logo on their website, so assume it's government?

Hi Rhian, I've sent you a private message :)

Kaihan, it'd probably be really useful to have an Australian mobile number to use (you'll need one anyway, so may as well get one beforehand). Just make sure your phone handset is unlocked before leaving home, then go to any supermarket and buy a simcard (usually $1/2) and put some credit on it. You'll probably need it for more than just rental inspections. Good luck!

Oh yes I forgot about library groups. There are usually some kind of singing/reading groups at the library on weekday mornings. Also have a look at the Playgroup SA website for your nearest Playgroup. Plus there are privately run playgroups too... maybe google and look on facebook? For example I live in Glenelg and there's a playgroup called 'Holdfast Sensory Playgroup' in Somerton Park, which you can find by searching its name on facebook. Good luck!

Hi Rachel and welcome to the forum. Usually in Adelaide when you have a baby you are assigned to a 'new parents group' (often referred to as Mothers Groups) by Child and Family Health Services (CAFHS). You could contact CAFHS and ask about being put into a group. Most people start sometime when their baby is 1-6 months old (we had ten people in our group, most of our babies were about 2-3 months when we first met. You generally have 5-6 sessions with a nurse then can continue to meet up with the whole group / people you want to. Outside of that I know there is an app for parents called Mush that you could try?

Used Complete Removals - several years ago now. Very very happy with the service. Can't remember price but it was comparable when we shopped around. They were fast, very friendly, on time and careful with our stuff. Worth every dollar!

Yes there are no regulations against this in SA - you aren't obliged to take a property until you've been offered and signed a rental agreement. You can therefore apply for as many as you like.

A few thoughts from me... - Melbourne has so many more job opportunities (in general, I know very little about your fields of work, expect a midwife friend - a new graduate - moved to Melbourne after not finding work in Adelaide post graduation, near the top of her class. There were just way more students than vacancies. May not be the case for experienced midwives.) - Houses are much more expensive in Melbourne. Salaries don't seem to be significantly more - eg there is no equivalent 'London weighting.' You may earn a bit more, but in my mind, not nearly enough to justify the expensive real estate there. - Adelaide is comparable to a big town in the UK. Melbourne feels to me like a 'real city.' I love both! - Glenelg and Brighton are both lovely and offer the lifestyle you describe. Glenelg is much bigger in terms of number of shops, restaurants, pubs etc. The main roads in both suburbs are called Jetty Road. But Jetty Road, Glenelg, and its surrounding streets (plus the marina and Moseley Square) are home to a far greater number of shops, cafes etc than the comparatively small stretch at Brighton. Brighton is less touristy - Agree with Snifter - 750-850 will get you a lovely 4 bed home with pool in many suburbs, but might be pushing it for Glenelg or Brighton. But you could also look at the slightly cheaper suburbs around those areas, depending how bothered you are about walking to the beach/cafes/shops. For example, West of Brighton road (not beach side) in Brighton is a lot cheaper than Brighton near the beach, also consider suburbs such as Seacliff, South Brighton, Hove. Or even a suburb or two further out - eg Dover Gardens, Seaview Downs (near Brighton but not walkable to beach) would get you a significantly better house. Depends what you want to compromise on. You could also look around Glenelg at Glengowrie, Glenelg North, Warradale - all a bit cheaper than Glenelg or Glenelg South. - The evenings are not long and light like English summers! That's one of the things I really miss about the UK. In fact, I'm heading over for a holiday next month and can't wait to sit out late with a glass of pimms in a lovely English country pub beer garden! Good luck!

North Adelaide would be great, so would Croydon. However they are quite different. Croydon is a much smaller area with a different feel. It's a very arty area - very 'up and coming' with some hipster cafes, retro furniture stores etc popping up. However the small strip of shops is a small one. North Adelaide is more comparable to a small town centre in the UK with two main streets of shops (O'Connell and Melbourne) and many more restaurants, pubs, etc. It is also a more 'prestigious' area for want of a better word. Lots of old money. Big grand houses etc. I really like both, but they have a very different feel. I agree North Adelaide is better for choice of shops, cafes etc and to be able to walk into the city itself. And I agree with Snifter - also consider the city centre itself. In fact I think that's a better option than North Adelaide and Croydon, but would add some time to your partner's commute north. Have you also considered Prospect? It is probably in the middle of Croydon and North Adelaide in terms of both size and 'feel'. However please note it's one of those areas where the exact street can make a huge difference. Eg some areas (and prices, accordingly), generally the Southern end closer to North Adelaide are much nicer than the areas close to Churchill Road in the West and Kilburn in the North. But definitely worth looking at. Buses go regularly down Churchill Road and Prospect Road, or if you're towards the north end, can get the train from Kilburn.

Thanks, both. No, I'm not surprised... I didn't think there was any easy way of avoiding paying the normal way - but wanted to check. Good point re car hire (not car hitting - ha!) yes, definitely worth doing it that way than the obscene amount that the car rental agencies charge. Thank you both for your replies

Hi. Wondered what people generally do re. travel insurance when returning to the UK for holidays/to visit family? I am British and now also an Australian citizen. My partner is Australian. Our daughter has an Australian passport, was born here, but dual citizen as I am British. I have always just purchased an annual travel insurance policy, but ours is currently out of date. We don't have any other big trips planned this year, so wondering about purchasing cover just for a trip this year which is 3 weeks in the UK visiting family and 2 weeks in France. Presumably I am covered for medical issues in the UK and I wouldn't need to be insured for spending time in the UK in my parents' home... but obviously want to be covered for any flight issues / trip cancellation / luggage loss. Or is there no way to separate these, and we need just to buy general travel insurance cover, just as any Australian family would when visiting the UK? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi Luke. Brighton is a lovely area and well regarded in general (house prices reflect this). Hove and North Brighton also great. You will notice a difference in house prices, with more expensive houses in these suburbs west of Brighton Road (ie closer to the beach) with comparatively less expensive options on Brighton Road and east of Brighton Road. Warradale is mainly new homes and generally well regarded. Oaklands Park is a bit of a mixed bag - one of those suburbs with some really quite nice roads and then some I really wouldn't want to live on (Westfield Marion is one of Adelaide's main shopping malls and is in Oaklands Park - there are some 'not so nice' areas immediately surrounding the centre) but still not a bad suburb overall. With a young family, you might want to look at school zones in these areas if you are planning on public schooling. Brighton Secondary School is very popular and ranks highly - accordingly it is zoned so that may influence where you want to settle (although high school is a long way off - if you are wanting to buy with a term to staying put long term, it may be worth checking the zone). There are lots of good and popular primary schools in the area too - Glenelg, Paringa Park (in Somerton Park - this has a very small zone of just Somerton Park and North Brighton I believe), Brighton and Seacliff. Warradale Primary I have also heard is good.

http://www.bobinoz.com/blog/category/cost-of-living-in-australia/ is a useful site with some articles you may wish to read. As has been said, and I'm sure you appreciate, these costs can really vary from household to household. To give you a starting point, we pay $60 a month for unlimited 'naked' internet $45 a month for a 'bring your own' sim mobile plan with Amaysim, with unlimited calls and text in Aus and 7GB data and unlimited calls and texts to UK About $550 a year to insure me and partner to drive our 3 year old SUV, bought brand new Council rates vary on size of land and which council area it is. We pay about $1200 a year for a large apartment in city of holdfast bay. Electricity we budget for around $500 a quarter but this can vary wildly depending on size of home, usage, if you have solar, type of plan you have, etc. Gas honestly can't think what we pay, a lot less than electricity Water we pay about $200 a quarter. Other costs you may not have thought of as I'm not sure if they apply in the UK (I didn't own my own home there) are an emergency services levy for home owners - about $250 a year for us and it seems more people have health insurance here than in the UK. I find electricity and groceries are the biggest costs compared to the UK, with petrol being the biggest saving. Overall I think it balances out and previous posters are correct you cannot compare to pounds as hopefully your salary is a lot higher here than if you were to convert it to the UK equivalent. Agree, do an online food shop on woolworths or coles online to check out what your average shop might be. But once here Aldi is much cheaper for basics and local fruit and veg shops and the markets can be much cheaper for produce. Many people also use discount places (like the Pound shop!) like The Reject Shop and Cheap as Chips for toiletries, cleaning products etc. It's less of a 'one shop buys all' mentality here, though I'm sure many still do just one big supermarket shop. I just make more effort to shop around here as groceries is one of our biggest expenses.