Is Australia really that expensive to live in? Hear from Char, one of our International Candidate Liaison on her experience moving from London to Sydney.
It’s the number one question you hear when you tell people you’re moving down under: “But isn’t it insanely expensive?”. It’s terrifying when you’re packing up your life, looking at a Working Holiday Visa, and trying to figure out if you’ll actually be able to afford a life here or if you’ll be surviving on two-minute noodles.
I moved back over to Sydney in January after three years of living in London, and I wanted to completely bust the myths. Personally, I do feel like my money goes way further here. But let’s break it down properly. Let’s look at each category in detail, comparing London to Sydney.
Supermarkets
Let’s start with the hard truth. A Tesco meal deal isn’t a thing over here, and your blueberries might occasionally cost more than your coffee. Firstly, your weekly shop will never be the same here. YES, it is more expensive. According to the latest global cost-of-living data from Numbeo, groceries in Sydney are roughly 15% to 20% higher than in the UK.
But hear me out, let’s compare the food quality. In the UK, we get our food shipped in from all over the world. In Australia, pretty much all the food you eat is grown right here. It’s cleaner, fresher, and the quality is unreal. Take it from me I’ve never tasted salmon like it, and every single piece you get is good! The only thing I do miss from home is a proper pork sausage, as they don’t really have them in the supermarkets (you’re going to want to go to a proper local butcher for that).
🏆 Winner: UK is the clear winner.
Housing & Rent
The rent in Sydney may look high on paper, but let’s look at what you actually get for your money.
In London, I was paying £1,000 per month (approx. $1,950 AUD) for a single room in a very small, cramped shared house. Now, in Sydney, I pay $1,600 AUD per month (which is only about £820) and I have a room triple the size, with a balcony by the beach, two bathrooms, and the apartment itself is double the size of what I had in the UK.
To put that into perspective, the average London house-share bedroom size is around 11 square metres whereas a standard Australian bedroom average is comfortably over 10 to 12 square metres usually with built-in wardrobes and way more breathing room. Data shows that actually places Sydney rent prices slightly lower than London’s sky-high market.
Now let’s talk about bills. What we’ve been paying in the UK for energy has skyrocketed over the past couple of years, whereas in Australia it has stayed pretty steady. Plus, we don’t really have central heating in these classic, older buildings in Bondi, so I suppose that saves a lot on the gas bill too!
🏆 Winner: Australia takes the win for this one.
Travel & Transport
In London, you’ll easily spend £8 to £15 a day just traveling inside the city. And god forbid you need to go out of London you’ll be paying extortionate prices. I once paid £120 for a round-trip train ticket to Manchester, which is only a 2.5-hour journey!
Compare that to here. I just spent the weekend at my friend’s out of Sydney. She lives 3.5 hours away door-to-door by train, and it cost me $25 AUD round trip. It’s crazy.
Plus, if you’re commuting around the city for work, once you hit that $50 cap from your standard bus, train, or ferry commutes, the rest of your travel for the week is completely free.
🏆 Winner: Australia is again our clear winner.
Lifestyle & Dining Out
For a coffee lover like me, this is the biggest win. A flat white over here is about $5 AUD (around £2.60), and the coffee is a guaranteed 10/10 every single time. Honestly, this is probably my biggest daily saving compared to the UK.
But it’s not just the coffee. Eating out is so much more affordable here. I know you shouldn’t compare, but I went for dinner last week to a local spot called The Corner House. It was $55 AUD (about £28) for focaccia, pasta, and two glasses of wine! You would never get that quality for that price in the UK.
I think this contributes to why people love the lifestyle here so much more. It’s affordable to be social, so everyone is out and about doing things. In London, popping into a coffee shop for a coffee and a pastry easily sets you back £10 to £15. Here, you’re looking at about $10 AUD (around £5.20) literally half the price.
🏆 Winner: Sydney for the absolute win.
Salaries
Here is the piece of the puzzle that ties it all together: The wages. Even though I’m not a nurse myself, I speak to international healthcare professionals every single day in my role. The main reason nurses make the leap over here is that the pay scale is significantly better than the NHS.
According to Australian healthcare industry data, Australian nursing salaries are typically 20% to 30% higher than in the UK. On top of that, Australia has “Superannuation” (which is your pension). In the UK, the standard auto-enrolment employer pension contribution is just 3%. In Australia, your employer legally has to pay 11% superannuation on top of your salary.
When you factor in the higher hourly rates, the weekend penalty rates (which are amazing over here), and the lower tax brackets for Working Holiday makers, your purchasing power is just higher.
Is Australia expensive? If you just look at the price of a punnet of strawberries, yes. But when you look at the big picture the massive wage increase, the cheaper rent-to-space ratio, the capped transport, and the fact that a beach lifestyle is completely free my money goes way further here than it ever did in the UK.
You aren’t just moving for a job; you’re moving for a lifestyle where you can actually afford to enjoy your days off.
If you’re looking to make the move, or just exploring options, contact our international team for personalised guidance and support.
