MrJones Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 What is more expensive compared to SA? Food or renting a home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaL Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Both probably, but then the wages are generally higher. If you do a search you will find many helpful posts and spread sheets on weekly or monthly expenses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnYellowBrickRd Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Compared to earnings, housing is A LOT more expensive than in RSA. When buying in Rands, food is very expensive too, but since earning Dollars we have been eating very well and can even afford some luxuries (like cheese) that we could not afford in RSA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaL Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Yes, funny that, food seems more expensive, but we seem to be able to buy more luxuries, and if you are a smart shopper you can get great buys with marked down items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadEnoughofJuju Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's all relative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanieR Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Rent depends a lot on the location. We have returned to Durbanville, Cape Town for a while and are paying the same rent here as we did in Noosa, Sunshine coast (R20 000/m)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrJones Posted July 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 You guys make sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadEnoughofJuju Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Noosa us rated as the most expensive real estate in Australia after all. Durbanville is nit far behind if I remember correctly. Waneer kom julle terug DanieR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's all relative. It certainly is. A cleaner or labourer in Aus, who can afford to pay a mortgage, will tell you that housing is far, far cheaper in Aus than in SA. Or is it that salaries are far, far higher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 If I do a comparison between the Rand value of rent and food when we arrived 4.5 years ago- we paid triple for our rental than we paid on our mortgage in SA (we moved as soon as we could)- we paid 3x for food than our grocery bill in SA (we learnt to pack sandwiches and make sure we didn't waste food)- our children moved from private schools in SA to parish school in Victoria, cost roughly equivalent.My wage was roughly 1.5x what I earned in SA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 We were a sinking 2 income family in South Africa constantly living one pay cheque behind with no light at the end of the tunnel. Now we are a single income family and are actually saving money for the first time in 13 years. Thats awesome. I remember your posts not so long ago where it all just seemed so impossible. It's great to see how you guys have turned it around in what is really a short space of time... Life must be feeling pretty good right now when you think about it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadEnoughofJuju Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 It was worth all the effort. Would do it again if I had to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 It certainly is. A cleaner or labourer in Aus, who can afford to pay a mortgage, will tell you that housing is far, far cheaper in Aus than in SA. Or is it that salaries are far, far higher? I remember a postman buying the house next door to our rental (for $856000!), that I wanted so badly, I actually sobbed about it. Then I broke my leg the next week (was 6 mnths pregnant too) and stopped putting pressure on Ms Karma...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerhardk Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 To respond to the original question, for us renting was far more expensive than food, relative to SA. Ignoring that you may be earning more in Australian in ZAR terms, if you compare the average house in Perth probably rents out at about $500 per week which will put you in a very average area. This will be roughly ZAR20k per month and you can rent an amazing place in a top area in South Africa for that number. So we found rent about three times more expensive.Food is more expensive but depending what is in your basket, we found it to be about double the price. However it is easier to cut back on the price of food (by changing the contents of your basket) and rent has less flexibility. Also keep in mind that we found that renting is cheap compared to buying where in South Africa the two are more aligned. So if you have to compare ownership to SA it is even more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansaPlease Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 But why ignore the fact that you earn more in Aus? Once you start earning dollars, the fact that everything is more expensive is just about moot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonVD Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'd rather compare the % of what say RSA rent and food consume of your monthly income, versus the % Auz rent and food consumes of your monthly Auz income... that should give a little more unbiased view.I rather compare the % of income used than direct value comparisons, since expenses are a factor of your earnings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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