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finances to emigrate


veinkamerer

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Little bit of help. My wife and I are in the process of applying for a 190 visa. Excluding the cost of the visa and travel, how much money must we have to our disposal to emigrate ? We don't want to get to Oz and be welcomed with a big surprise of " still have to get a job and the cash is at a minimum " I believe this planning is critical.

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We calculated (2 adults and 2 children) that we'll need minimum R30 000 - R50 000 per month to survive (depending on furnished / unfurnished accomodation) This include accommodation & groceries. Scary, I know, but that is why every one is determent to find employment asap after landing! That is on a 189 visa and we don't have to budget for school fees.

Also remember you'll probably want to buy a cheepish vehicle to get around with initially, apparantly that would be +- R250 000., although some forumites claimed that it is possible to survive that first few months without your own car, due to efficient public transport.

A container to take your own furniture over costs anything between R70 - R80 000 (I also have to get new quotes on this). The cost to furnish out your home from scratch (opposed to the container) will depend on things like if you are willing to buy second hand stuff or not.

In short, the cost of the Visa and LSD is only a small portion of what's to come. We really did not realise this in the beginning (luckily, otherwise we might not have started at all).

For instance, we did not comprehend the major amounts of money lost in things like policies made paid up, vehicles and properties to be sold, life savings divided by 10 ....

But those who know says it is all worth it.

And one of these beautiful days, we'll tell you if it is, because the future & safety of our children do not have a Rand value...

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Thank you very much, this will definitely help. I'm 100% with you on the value you place on a better life ... especially for the kids ! NO money can buy that !

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Kanniewagnie you don't have to spend R250k on a cheapish vehicle. You can look at half that or even less. Since we have been in Aus we have bought cars for $4,500 (Astra), $3000 (Ford Falcon), $9,000 (Hyundai Tucson). Even a Suzuki SX4 may be only around $10,000. If you are after something bigger you can now get a used Pajero around $15k but rego & petrol will be high. Obviously all used vehicles.

For some reason they seem to last better and cost less to maintain here. I think we drive a lot less.

You can pick up a brand new Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio around $17k.

Avoid double cabs, BMW or Merc as they are very expensive in comparison to everything else.

Look on carsales.com :)

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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Some places are better than others with with public transport, the public transport in Melbourne is great you can definitely do fine without a car until you earning the bucks.

It also depends on how far you willing to go to save, several people on the forums went camping until they got a job, accommodation will be your biggest cost so that is what you need to work hardest on keeping the cost down

Depending on weather you need a house or a campsite when you arrive will significantly affect the cost

Cities are also a lot more expensive, if you heading to Sydney you will pay close to double for housing compared to Melbourne from what i have seen on the forums, they even seem to charge a lot more for camp sites (My wife and i camp a lot)

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We made it as a family of 4 on 6500 when we came over. I could have gone longer, harder and leander but was naive in the early days and did silly things like buy from IGA.

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If you have kids I disagree about being able to get about with public transport. Really can't imagine catching buses and trains to buy groceries with kids in tow.

But yes you can find a cheapie car, think we paid about $4000 for an old Camry and three years on it's still going strong.

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I would say to live comfortably for 2 of you in Sydney you need to plan between 850 to 1100 dollars a week. Regardless of your income I would say bank on 400 to 450 per week for rent. The other stuff is more variable like food, transport etc. I would personally suggest you try if you can make sure you got 6 months living cash.

Some people come and source work quickly, others have a struggle.

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Hi Veinkamerer

I noticed you live in Kuruman - This is going to be a change for you !! I used to live and work at Tswalu and know you live in a tough but spectacular part of the world.

Have just done the first month recon ( we are a family of two adults and a 6yr old) and the following jumps out;

Food =$800

Petrol =$250 (that is with 88Km a day school trips and some sight seeing on the weekend) - Public transport IS excellent and once you get your head around it, it is solo simple and amazing to use.

Rent = that is the stinger and is totally dependant on where you stay - this IS you biggest cost by a long way.

TV, phones, internet =$200 - depends on bundles you take but we work on this and it comes in very close

Cars are different here - You get a lot more car in the small car range than in SA. You can get a great little Nissan Pulsar - New with good specs for just under $20k and that is drive away (This means that all registration costs included and These are Not cheap here). You will need a customer number with RMS but that is quick and simple and need passport, bank statement on bank letterhead and bank card.

Met an ex South African last weekend who is doing really well and he said he bought a Porsche Cayene, drove it for two or three months and then sold it because he felt strange driving it .....Huh ?? Australian don't ask what car you drive - it DOES Not matter here. There ARE a lot of fancy cars but you don't have the status attached.

Expect the unexpected - television connections have sign up fees, phone line have sign up fees, rentals have bond payments (think deposit), Need Opal card for transport (sign up fee but is credited to card), Toll roads are much more prevalent here and need a E-Tag (Sign up fee) - South Africa has a long way to go to match amount of tolling done here but Here the money goes back into the infrastructure (or so it would appear) and happy to pay tolls.

BUT - Remember this......... You do Not have to Pay for;

Security, Generators, Bottled water to drink (tap water is great here and in cities they have taps of mineral water to fill your bottles with - Yup, you read right), High household insurance, Private schooling and govt schooling is great, MED aid, Huge petrol costs, etc, etc, etc

When you get here you HAVE to try and not multiply everything by 10 - you will go mad. The correct multiplier (bundle for bundle) seems to be around 5-6 and this gives you a better idea of value of what you may be buying.

Good Luck and Enjoy the Ride !! The lifestyle for you and your kids is indeed priceless and worth all of it.

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Just to add to all the above: On a LSD trip during Feb this year, I bought a '98 Ford Falcon (gas and petrol) for Au$800 spend about another Au$800 to service it and road worthy - paid Au$ 520 on rego. I used it on that trip and when I returned in June to sign contract etc again. Now it's waiting there for our imminent return.. And it's a good runner.

Public transport in Aussie is some of the best you get. And a good thing to REMEMBER is that people don't give a :whome: (hoot) what you drive and where you stay. So you don't have to worry about comparing with the Botha's next door..

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Thank you very much, this will definitely help. I'm 100% with you on the value you place on a better life ... especially for the kids ! NO money can buy that !

We used to have friends in Kuruman but they're in Salt Lake now. Don't you buy your groceries in Black Rock or something?? ?

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LOL. Nice to see Kuruman is on the map. Keep the info coming, the more the better ! Rangerbob, it's great to see you know the area. My wife actually does some work/testing for Tswalu, working with Gus, Dylon and Wouter. (maybe you know some of them). Are you still in the same line of work over in Oz. Maybe you could help us (my wife) apply for the right job over there. She's a Animal Health Technician. ( Veterinary Technologist over in Oz .. we think)

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I read somewhere on this forum about a family who went over with $2800 in their pockets after accommodation for a few months was sorted, the lady got a job working as a cleaner and they made it happen. Not that I think anyone should take this chance, but definately inspirational for us that worry about everything still in SA.

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I read somewhere on this forum about a family who went over with $2800 in their pockets after accommodation for a few months was sorted, the lady got a job working as a cleaner and they made it happen. Not that I think anyone should take this chance, but definately inspirational for us that worry about everything still in SA.

If it helps to know - you will almost always be able to make money as a cleaner. As long as you are willing to work fast and well, and be reliable, that is. You will need to have your own ABN and receipt book. You have to keep accurate records and pay tax on any earnings.

Quite a few couples work as cleaners together in teams. You can do 2 hours for $100. You need to allow for travel time between jobs.

Our cleaners are a mom & daughter-in-law. They work for many SAfricans. They are booked solid!

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Great to know. Thanks Bronwyn&Co. Something we will definately look at doing untill we find jobs in our line of work. That is something we will be great in since we do it all ourselves now in SA anyway.

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Great to know. Thanks Bronwyn&Co. Something we will definately look at doing untill we find jobs in our line of work. That is something we will be great in since we do it all ourselves now in SA anyway.

But I warn you these guys work fast! Like almost speed-cleaning.

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