Jump to content

Sydney's weather and cost of living


PrissyMissy

Recommended Posts

We are possibly looking at relocating to Sydney if the KL does not work out for us - could anyone based in Sydney please provide some honest information.

Not really something we want to do - but we have to go where my hubby can secure full time work. The agents have told him over and over in the past few months that the market is dead, and direct applications (6 in total in the last two months) have amounted to = no reply from company.

We have been watching the weather in Sydney for the last week and it is colder than New Zealand (where we relocated from in June 2013). Is this normal? What is the weather generally like? Life in NZ was a nightmare because of the cold, we never warmed up ever and the houses were damp and cold.

Looking at the rentals, for the size house we are looking at - the rental would be $700+, is this considered an average rental for a decent area in Sydney. This is in comparison with the rental market in Auckland, New Zealand.

Not sure about other things and general cost of living????

Any help would be useful at this stage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've had a very cold spell the last few days but it's warming up to 30 and 33 in the coming days. Sydney's weather is much like Pretoria's weather apart from the EXTREMELY hot and humid days that we experience in summer.

Regarding rentals, not sure where you're looking at and what your requirements are, but you can find cheaper rentals further out of Sydney. We're in Castle Hill (easy access to Sydney CBD via bus services) and we pay $585 a week for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathr, formal lounge and dining, tv room, laundry, double garage and a granny flat with all the luxuries which my 21 year old daughter uses.

By the way, Sydney has experienced one of the hottest winters in quite a few years and set some records with regards to temperatures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow you are getting loads for your rental - we looked at St Ives, someone who lived there before mentioned they enjoyed the area.

Not sure how far out your area is, but we would not want to be more than 30min out from town.

We are in Brisbane now, 15 drive to station and 45 min to CBD on the train.

If these temps I have been watching are the hottest in Sydney, I am worried - we left a cold and wet NZ for a warmer climate, the reason we chose Brisbane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a warm couple of days especially for spring but the last 2 days had caught everyone off guard. Must have been a cold front that came through. It is not as warm as Brisbane but definitely much warmer than New Zealand.

I understand that you don't want to be too far out of the city but taking the bus from Castle Hill to the CBD takes about 65 min. They are so frequent (every 2-5 min) and we have a few double decker buses as well going to the cbd. They mostly travel along the M2 motorway which shortens the trip substantially. A train line is currently under construction but will only be finished in 2019. Castle Hill is 30 km from Sydney and if driving (off-peak) will take you about 33 mins.

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Brisbane and because we don't know Brisbane so well, we decided not to put our hearts too much on one neighbourhood and know that we will possibly move 2 or 3 times before we find the neighbourhood that's right for us. That's IF we do decide to move to Brisbane at all. Maybe that's the way you should look at it too. Try out a suburb and have a look at others, get to know the area and make a decision based on what you find here.

Edited by Heymanse
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heymanse if you don't mind me asking - why are you possibly looking at relocating to Brisbane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Prissymissy,

Firstly bear in mind that the average commute in Sydney is over an hour. That's one way. So if you want to live 30mins from the CBD then it will be an up market suburb with a price tag to match.

Sydney has just been really badly planned over the years. For example, having the CBD so close to the coast and so close to a major national park forces a lot of people to live "out west" with a commute to match. I hear the M4 motorway the "westies" need to use is a nightmare in peak hours.

Add to that the fact that there is a housing shortage in Sydney and they just aren't building enough new houses to keep up with demand.

But people love Sydney because of the job market. However for the last two years its been terrible. I have two friends who have been looking for work for over 6months. We have massively over qualified people applying at my work all the time. A lot of them have been retrenched lately. The Aussie dollar has been really high for a while..that has caused international companies to shutdown operations here. For example... Symantec (Norton Anti Virus) recently layed off dozens of people. Even Telstra (Aussies Telkom) is planning on retrenching hundreds of people.

The up side is the election is over. A friend was nearly retrenched because the new government is cutting funding to the National Broadband Network. But once the dust settles, big companies should start to spend again. For example, we are hearing rumors at work that one of the largest retailer here is thinking about a large upgrade to their supply chain in Sydney. That suggests they think the market here will pick up.

So, sorry for all the doom and gloom. I live in Sydney and love it. But the high house prices, long commutes and weak job market aren't for everyone.

cheers

Edited by monsta
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Prissymissy

Why not stay where you are at the moment and hubby keep applying for work and only move when he lands a job, he can easily fly from Brisbane to Sydney for an interview.

I'm just thinking of all the costs associated with a move of that scale and the chance of not landing a job there. Interstate removals are so expensive.

6 job applications is not many in the current climate and unfortunately it seems to be a common theme to hear no reply back, although you can phone and ask for feedback to improve your chances. Just to clarify, I mean feedback if you get to interview but don't get the job.

I think I'd send out a large volume of applications countrywide, maybe 30 or 40 and see what happens (sorry I can't remember what your hubby does) and make it clear that he is happy to relocate.

Also bear in mind that it can take a month or more to hear back from a company that you have been shortlisted.

Good luck.



Have you tried these guys? http://www.exclaim-it.com.au/

My Career

http://www.sparkrecruitment.com.au/?gclid=CIP0o5Pd_rkCFYpIpgodnUQAjA

Seek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heymanse if you don't mind me asking - why are you possibly looking at relocating to Brisbane.

My husband, who grew up on a farm in the Kalahari, is easily affected negatively when the weather turns cold and the days are short. He gets quite depressed because he feels that he can't get out and do as much as he wants to. Add to that a job that he hates at the moment and you get someone that thinks he can easily make it somewhere else where it is warmer all year round and the possibility to work the same job for the same company he used to work for and do in RSA, is like a carrot in front of a donkey (pardon the expression).

Now that we've been to Brisbane, I can honestly say I'm not all that impressed. In fact, I'm scared beyond belief that it will be the wrong move for us. Time only will tell. If hubby does land a job in Brissie, the agreement is that he will stay in Brissie and I in Sydney for at least six months. That will give him ample time to settle in and see if it is really what he wants and if he's finally happy in his job. Only then will I quit my job and get things ready for a big interstate move.

The other reason we're considering moving to Brisbane, is the fact that we'll probably never be able to afford owning our home in Sydney. Sydney's home market is just ridiculously high. I'll pay almost half the price for the same house in Brissie than I would in Sydney.

So Brisbane seems the logical joice for us but whether I'll be able to leave Sydney behind is another story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

all I can say is dont think of commuting Sydney to Brisbane every weekend, it sounds doable and fabulous but it was tough on my husband as flights expensive and not at the times you want and we are very accessible to transport. I find this thread interesting because we want to move to Perth rather than Sydney after almost a year in Brisbane. I spent 4 hours today with my husband and teenage sons cleaning community halls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heymanse, your planning sounds good,hubby commuted to Sydney from Melbourne weekly for 5 months before we made the decision to move there. It's worth the alone time to be sure it's the right move as interstate moves really cost a lot.

Brissy is a lovely city and I'm sure you will be happy either way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

all I can say is dont think of commuting Sydney to Brisbane every weekend, it sounds doable and fabulous but it was tough on my husband as flights expensive and not at the times you want and we are very accessible to transport. I find this thread interesting because we want to move to Perth rather than Sydney after almost a year in Brisbane. I spent 4 hours today with my husband and teenage sons cleaning community halls.

We were more thinking towards him only coming once a month to Sydney or me to Brisbane to save on costs. It will obviously be hard on all of us but it will be harder if we up and move to Brisbane, get there and find that it is not for us and have to come back to Sydney.

Heymanse, your planning sounds good,hubby commuted to Sydney from Melbourne weekly for 5 months before we made the decision to move there. It's worth the alone time to be sure it's the right move as interstate moves really cost a lot.

Brissy is a lovely city and I'm sure you will be happy either way.

Sometimes, it is worth the sacrifice I guess to make absolutely sure we're doing the right thing. I honestly don't know why I haven't been able to put "Brisbane" and "lovely/beautiful" into the same sentence yet. I guess it is more a gut feeling telling me that moving to Brisbane at this point of our lives might not be the right thing to do. I wasn't nearly as scared when we made the move from Pretoria to Sydney than I am about the move from Sydney to Brisbane.

For now, I think we should just stick it out in Sydney and hubby should try and find himself another job. If only he can land that all elusive job where he can finally be happy in.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

We are going to be needing to move from Perth over east, probably Sydney as that is where most of the IT work is. At least you can commute if forced to, to Melbourne or Brissie etc. I been looking at the rental prices though and to match what we have now in Perth, we are going to almost pay 2- 2 1/2 times more a week! We have a very good wicket with the current owners, so I realise that run is coming to an end.

Not looking forward to moving again! Eisch, but we will go where God sends us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hoping the IT market has picked up in Sydney as hubby still has to find a job there...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an awesome clip Fish. You should put it in its own thread. I'd love to send that one on to family.?

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...