moving to sydney

Forums: Australia
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Hello,

I'm considering taking a short term treaearch poistion (6 mo. post doc) at the University of Sydney. My husband and 1 year-old daughter would be joinging me. So I hoping you can help me with a couple questions.

1) They're only going to pay me 20, 000 (austrailian) for the 6 mo. I'm aware with rent and everything we will at best break even and at worst deplete or savings/ go into debt. How doable is this? I know cost of living is totally variable, but I'd like to get sense of just how financially strapped we would be.

2) Where should we live? We've looked online and think that Glebe, Newton and Randwick are possibilities (among others). We also think Drummoyne or surrounds would be nice, but we would need a car -- which brings me to my final question...

3) How much would it cost to buy a beat up old car? It would be nice to have the means to explore the surrounding countryside.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

S

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 1,050 • Replies: 9

No top replies

skye, Good place to inquire about cost of living in Sydney. There are several a2k members who actually live in Sydney, so they should be of some help. Good luck! As a one time visitor to Sydney some years ago, I'd say that your AUD$3,333/month should get you through without too much sacrifice of your savings.

0 Replies

what about taxes
well we wouldn't really have $3,333 a month to live on, with taxes and all.
and then there's the insurance thing...

0 Replies

Hello Skye, welcome to A2K.

You going to have to really budget to support three people on just $20K for six months. It's doable but you will have to find the cheapest accomodation you can and keep your food bills down. Staying somewhere near the uni will keep your transport costs down. I would start looking around Glebe, Pyrmont, Newtown and Chippendale. They are all an easy walk. There are lots of cheap old cars around. You could get a fairly decent one for $1500 - $2000.

Things to remember;

You will need to pay 1 months bond.

Almost all accomodation is totally unfurnished.

You will have to pay a deposit to connect electricity and phone.

On the bright side there is plenty of free entertainment to be had around the place.

0 Replies

Per capita income comparisons usually don't mean too much, but here's the latest figures for the US and Australia. Australia $26,632 and US $35,992. This is one of the reasons I thought the AUD $20,000 would be sufficient for six months. I know that on my visit to Sydney some years ago, the cost of food and wine were quite reasonable compared to US prices.

0 Replies

ci I did get your pm but I don't have the juice to respond yet.

Adrian is right on target. I live in Adelaide which is a smaller city (about 1 million) than Sydney and in another state and I am not competent to comment on living in Sydney as wages and costs of living are quite different between the two cities. However I can say that Sydney is a terrific place to visit, I love it when I can get there and spend anything from a long weekend to a week. Hopefully you can sort things out skye - you and your family would enjoy it immensely. I know a couple of people who are University of Sydney graduates (law) - it's a good University, hope all goes well.

0 Replies

By all means; finding something to do and enjoying Sydney will be the least of your problems. Rentals, taxes, and such are another matter for which I have no clue. But you can bet your bottom dollar, you'll really enjoy Sydney.

0 Replies

Thanks for all your responses.
I've decided to take the research position. Things will be tight (and we'll probably blow throuh some saving to be able to travel) but it's just too good an opportunity to pass up.

So now to find a place to live: Do we line up something sight unseen, or stay in a hotel for a week or so and find something once we get there?

Ive noticed that apartments are pretty expensive in Sydney. Will the cost of transportation cancel out the cheaper rents farther away from the univ.?

We could find a two bedroom in say Drummoyne for the same or less than a studio or 1 bedroom in Glebe.

wish me luck

0 Replies

skye, I wish you luck not only in securing lodging that meets your needs at reasonsble cost, and also for earning that PhD in six months. Wink

0 Replies

Skye - congrats on taking the step to come to Sydney - I'm sure you'll have a ball!
Does the university offer any assistance with finding accommodation? I know that when I was working for Sydney Uni, I was involved in helping to sort out some apartments, shares, or flat-sits for visiting staff in medicine faculty.

Considering you have a child, I think you'd welcome more room than a studio. Consider also Five Dock and Ashfield, suburbs the same distance out as Drummoyne, but in a direct line to Uni. Not quite as salubrious as Drummoyne, but quite nice, plenty of parks, amenities - I live quite near there.

I'll put an email address in my profile for a short period, if you want to contact me direct with some questions - I'm not always lurking here. Do you play tennis? Smile

0 Replies

moving to sydney

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know