nanettedv Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Hi We've been living in Melbourne for the past year (immigrated at the start of lockdown) and it has been great. But there's still something in me that feels we have not found the right spot for us yet. I visited Sydney over the weekend for the first time and I was blown away by the beauty, attractions and general vibe of it! Coming from Cape Town originally, I really appreciate the hills and being able to orient yourself and not feel so lost, as I do most of the time in Melbourne because it's so flat. So now I'm seriously considering moving my family to Sydney. My research indicates that Sydney is suuuuuper expensive in comparison to Melbourne, especially rent. But then again, that probably depends on where you decide to live. I was hoping someone would be able to give me insights on this. If any of you have done it, and I suspect many have, what has been your experience? I checked Numbeo (Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, Australia And Sydney, Australia (numbeo.com)), but it just made me feel like we'd be living a peasant's life 😄. Where is a good place to move to? we'd be looking at living in a 4-bed,2-bath,1-parking house close to a train/ferry. and of course, good public schools and daycare/kinder around. We currently live in the Eastern Suburbs and paying a mere $580pw for our house with similar specs. What would I be paying and where would I look? Planning on doing a few trips up this year to check out different areas and schools, but would be good to get some direction. Also, what does daycare cost in NSW? Same as in VIC? I'm paying $125 per day now. And are public schools also virtually free, apart from a nominal annual cost? Thanks, and looking forward to your responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Just my 2c on this, before you make the move come and have a look at Brisbane. I've met so many people that have moved from Sydney & Melbourne to Brisbane and they absolutely love it here. Looking at the numbers its definitely a trend: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-internal-migration-estimates-provisional/latest-release The website cuts the last column off, but you can have a look at the numbers at the link I provided: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanettedv Posted February 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Worth considering, thanks Chris! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 So we lived for 4 years in Melbourne, then 2 years in Brisbane and now 3 years in Sydney, we have also spent 1 of those Sydney years on the central coast, and 1.5 years in Pennant hills (Closer to the city), and now back on the Central coast for the last 6 months. (And we moving into our own place in 6 months, so finally giving up renting) We couldn't handle the Melbourne grey winters and miserable weather So Brisbane is amazing, reminds me of Durban, i would move there in a heartbeat, but their economy is a much smaller than Sydney and Melbourne so it is harder finding a job there and the salaries are lower, i ended up traveling so sydney all the time for work, so it just worked out that here was the place to move permanently We first lived on the central coast, about and hour and a bit to get into the city by train, but when i ended up having to be in the city from early every day, we moved in closer No it is a once a week in the city and the rest of the time is a work from home, so we have moved back to the central coast The central coast is much cheaper to live, 600 per week will get you a 3 bed house, and food / eating out / going to the beach and so on is much cheaper, we are 10 minutes drive to the beach (A nice beach with lifeguards and a restaurant) in a 3 bed house and we are paying 650 per week In pennant hills we paid 750 for the same house on 1/3 of the land So in my books the central coast is the best of both worlds, close enough to the city to be commutable to Sydney or Newcastle, but with a Durban vibe, and affordable, hence the reason for us now buying a place here We have just put our 6 year old into his second year, and our 3yo will be in the Q, we went with a small catholic school, and he is seriously happy to be going to school there, amazing teacher / child ratio, they teach good values, they dont hammer the catholic bit, just an extra class that is religion, they are amazing ($3k for the year for him) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberJoe Posted March 14, 2021 Report Share Posted March 14, 2021 Sadly $580 wont get you much in Sydney, plenty of two bedroom apartments go for more than that. But that being said, rents have been dropping due to no immigration, people leaving the CBD for further out suburbs and towns so if you are planning to move, now might be the best time. Once the borders open, pretty sure its going to be a free for all again and rent will rise again. We've managed to get our rent dropped by $70 a week last year so now is a good time to negotiate with landlords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 1, 2021 Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 Helpful and up to date rent comparison - scroll down to the individual cities https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php?avg=1&t=1 In Sydney specifically, the closer you are to the city or near water, the more you'll pay in rent and for property. There are quite a few suburbs on the outskirts of Sydney and on train lines/good public transport that will give you more bang for your buck. A very popular area for families and for South Africans is the Hills District, North West of the city. It's your typical suburbia with larger homes, decent gardens, lots of parks, good schools, massive shopping centers, many churches etc. but you're far from the action and a good drive from the beach. although the train or bus will get you to the city in 40-50 minutes, when you add the time to drive to the nearest station and the walk from the last stop to your office, you're looking at more than an hour and up to 90 minutes on a bad day if you're driving all the way. At the end of the day you have to weigh up quality of life (not spending 3 hours a day in transit and walking distance to the nearest beach) with the cost of renting. That said, depending on your job/employer you will be able to mostly work from home in which case distance from work is not such a big consideration. We've lived in suburbia (Hills District), Inner West (basically in the city) and now on the Northern Beaches, so we've experienced all the aspects of living in Sydney. Each had its pros and cons. For us, being a few hundred meters from the beach and about an hour away from work, is the perfect combination. If you are able to, maybe do a few visits to Sydney and check out the various options and like other's suggested, check out other options like Brisbane and Perth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieterLouw Posted June 2, 2021 Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 (edited) On 6/1/2021 at 8:07 AM, Riekie said: Helpful and up to date rent comparison - scroll down to the individual cities https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php?avg=1&t=1 In Sydney specifically, the closer you are to the city or near water, the more you'll pay in rent and for property. There are quite a few suburbs on the outskirts of Sydney and on train lines/good public transport that will give you more bang for your buck. A very popular area for families and for South Africans is the Hills District, North West of the city. It's your typical suburbia with larger homes, decent gardens, lots of parks, good schools, massive shopping centers, many churches etc. but you're far from the action and a good drive from the beach. although the train or bus will get you to the city in 40-50 minutes, when you add the time to drive to the nearest station and the walk from the last stop to your office, you're looking at more than an hour and up to 90 minutes on a bad day if you're driving all the way. At the end of the day you have to weigh up quality of life (not spending 3 hours a day in transit and walking distance to the nearest beach) with the cost of renting. That said, depending on your job/employer you will be able to mostly work from home in which case distance from work is not such a big consideration. We've lived in suburbia (Hills District), Inner West (basically in the city) and now on the Northern Beaches, so we've experienced all the aspects of living in Sydney. Each had its pros and cons. For us, being a few hundred meters from the beach and about an hour away from work, is the perfect combination. If you are able to, maybe do a few visits to Sydney and check out the various options and like other's suggested, check out other options like Brisbane and Perth. The Northern Beaches looks amazing! Especially Narrabeen. Living my whole life in Jozi, the thought of living walking distance from the beach sounds like a dream. For a long time we researched that area and monitored rent prices however it looks more like we will end up in the Hills District as that falls in our projected budget. At least the Hills look like it's surrounded by parks and water which is a good alternative for our outdoor lifestyle, and then hit the beaches over weekends. The Northern Beaches also looks like it's more apartment type accommodation compared to houses in the Hills,which I don't mind, it's just something we'll have to get used to if that is what we choose. Which suburbs in the Hills are close to train lines/good public transport into the CBD? Edited June 2, 2021 by FutureSydneysider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleku Posted June 4, 2021 Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 These suburbs are on the Metro train-line - Castle Hill, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kelly Ville, Rouse Hill But that should not stop you from venturing into other suburbs, the bus routes are very good and all use the M2 motorway which is ±40mins to CBD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 8, 2021 Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 Train Stations in Hills District and Northwest Sydney starting closest from the city: Beecroft Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Castle Hill Hills Showground (Castle Hill) Norwest (Bella Vista) Bella Vista Kellyville Rouse Hill There are trains every few minutes so they do not even have a train schedule - you just show up and get on the train. (The trains are driverless). Check this link for info and a map showing all the stops: https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/metro#/ All the suburbs from Cherrybrook onwards are popular with South Africans with Cherrybrook being the most popular suburb mainly due to the very sought after Cherrybrook Tech highschool which is a selective school, so you can only get in there either by living in that school zone or by passing a selective school exam in year 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieterLouw Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Thanks @Aleku, @Riekie, this helps. Quote All the suburbs from Cherrybrook onwards are popular with South Africans with Cherrybrook being the most popular suburb mainly due to the very sought after Cherrybrook Tech highschool which is a selective school, so you can only get in there either by living in that school zone or by passing a selective school exam in year 6. Are most public schools inclusive regardless of where you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 14, 2021 Report Share Posted June 14, 2021 All public schools have zones (catchment areas) which is basically a certain area surrounding the school and you have to live within that zone to attend that school. This includes selective schools which means you would not have to sit the selective exam to be able to attend the school (selective schools are public schools). If you want to attend a public school in another area from where you live you can do that if they have spaces available as they have to accept the kids that live within their catchment first. For private or Catholic schools you have to submit an application which could be approved or declined but you do not have to live within that area and also do not have the right to attend if you do not meet the entry requirements, regardless of where you live, whereas with public schools, if you live within the catchment area they HAVE to accept you. Hope this makes sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted June 14, 2021 Report Share Posted June 14, 2021 Have a look here to understand the selective school process: https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/australia-s-selective-entry-school-admissions-explained 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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