Comparing the cost of living between Sydney the UK and the USA
Bondi Beach, Manly Wharf, the Blue Mountains, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Rocks, Taronga Zoo, Sydney Tower, Darling Harbour, ANZ Stadium and the SCG. Life in Sunny Sydney is great isn’t it? Living in Sydney is something that most Sydney –siders often take for granted. We forget how lucky we really are to live in this amazing, yet “expensive” city.
As recruiters, one of the trickiest encounters we face is convincing overseas candidates to make the move to Sydney (and other Australian cities for that matter). This is because we are often told “Sydney is too expensive”, but is it?
Now let’s compare the cost of living in Sydney with the UK (London and Manchester) and the U.S.A (New York and Los Angeles).
The UK
In the digital and media industry, like many others, there is no doubt that candidates from the UK (or rather their skills) are very attractive to the Australian market. Many of the world’s global agencies have based themselves in the UK and often have global hubs there.
London
How you ever heard that Sydney is much more expensive then London?
Well, according to many recent sources, Sydney is actually 17% cheaper to live in than London.
Here’s the breakdown:
| Example:
Personal care and clothing, e.g. Cold Medicine Zara dress
Rental cost, 2 bedroom apartment in expensive area 2 people utility bills
Transport. e.g. public transport monthly ticket Fuel (1L, ¼ Gallon) Taxis (8 KM, 5 Miles) |
Sydney $12 $77
$3,168 $171
$140 $1.50 $22 |
London £5.44 £35
£2,507 £122
£134 £1.40 £18 |
If you take into consideration that accommodation is 28% cheaper, transport is 36% cheaper, then even with the higher cost of personal care and clothing, 4% and 5% respectively, overall your average living cost in Sydney is actually cheaper.
Manchester
Now life up north in Manchester is a different story and yes you can say that Sydney is indeed more expensive to live in than Manchester.
In fact Sydney is considered to be 23% more expensive than Manchester. But if you are looking to make a move outside of Manchester in search for greater opportunities, possibly abroad or closer to home like London, you may want to remember that it is cheaper to live in Sydney than the rival city down south. Sydney is across the board, more expensive in every category than Manchester.
Just to give you an idea accommodation is 86% more expensive (largely responsible to rental costs), food is 3% more expensive, personal care is 24% more expensive in Sydney. Transportation is in fact cheaper 7% cheaper in Sydney.
How does Sydney compare to the U.S.A?
Like the UK, the digital age is at advanced stages in the US and there is a large talent pool to choose from particularly in New York.
New York City/ NYC
It is believed that for New Yorkers to maintain their current lifestyle, they would need to substantially increase their salary to live in Sydney. Sydney must have quite the reputation abroad! But did you know that Sydney is actually 6% cheaper to live in than NYC?
And here is the breakdown:
|
Example: Personal care and clothing, e.g. Cold Medicine Toothpaste
Rental cost, 2 bedroom apartment in expensive area 2 people utility bills
Transport. e.g. public transport monthly ticket Fuel (1L, ¼ Gallon) Taxis (8 KM, 5 Miles) |
Sydney $12 $3.70
$3,168 $171
$140 $1.50 $22 |
New York City $14 $4.60
$4,024 $147
$112 $1.07 $18 |
Los Angeles/ LA
There may be people in the West Coast of the U.S who have considered looking at options in other cities, whether in be on the East Coast of the U.S in NYC or perhaps even Sydney. To those we say, if you’re looking to make the move and don’t mind how far away you go just as long as you can afford and maintain a great lifestyle, than Sydney is an amazing and cheaper option (minus the flights of course!).
Sydney is 28% more expensive to live in than LA, but NYC is 46% more expensive than LA.
Just to give you an idea accommodation is 34% more expensive in Sydney, food is 18% more expensive in Sydney, transport is 60% more expensive in Sydney. In fact in every category of living Sydney overall is more expensive than LA. But maybe if you’re looking at an alternative to the Sunny and beach lifestyle of LA, you might consider Sydney?!
There is no doubt that Sydney is and always will be an expensive city to live in. But take it from an “Aussie” (who travels 45 minutes to work every day rather than finding a place in the city center and walking or having ocean views at Bondi or Manly), Sydney salaries allow you to live and maintain a great lifestyle.
If you are looking at options in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia, make sure you do your research. Don’t blindly follow everything that people post on forums, don’t believe every word they say about how ridiculously high your salary needs to be in order to “survive”. Take the time to look at credible sources and websites to make an informed decision. Many visiting real estate websites, online retailers or supermarket chains online would give you a better idea of the market.
Australia might be cheaper than you thought.
But what’s most important, it’s the place where your dreams become reality!
Sources
Expatistan – http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living
Numbeo – http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp
EA-Int’l – http://www.ea-int.com/wp-content/uploads/EA-Int_Cost-of-Living-Guide_2.pdf
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