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Have you checked the immigration page of the Australian Government? You can't just pick up and move there! And your pup will be in quarantine for six months. Are you aware of that?
You'll need a work visa to be in the country. Not to mention the puppy being in quarantine for a while. Australia has very strict immigration policies so be aware of what you are getting into. No can't pick up and move there on a whim.
Without a lot of entanglements you'd probably need about $15-20K. Deposit and rent for an apartment, some furniture, a small older car, living expenses for a while, airfare, quarantine costs, visa costs, etc. It all adds up.
Sorry, but the only thing I could suggest is, whatever anyone tells you or whatever figure you come up with, double or triple it! Life down under is pretty expensive and money doesn't seem to last as long as it does here.
Have you looked into transporting you dog? There are certain breeds they would not let into the country, and dogs can be quarantined for min. of 30 days and up to 6 months. When we lodged our application for residency in NZ, we found "agencies" to handle everything, and we were looking at more than $2000 per animal, not counting plane fair. Just offering some advice.
And on another note, my husband went to Australia to work recently. If you do not have a valid work or student visa in the system or you do not have a return ticket on an airline, you will have a lot of trouble getting into the country. They are getting real serious about entering the country and taking away jobs their citizens could do. Just FYI!
Everyone has different needs so it really is hard to expect people to give you a figure.
Assuming 6 months of looking for work rough guide to start:
Temporary Accomodation ???
Rent 1,000 USD x 6 mos = 6,600
(Melbourne studio or 1 bedroom realestate.com.au - 300 AUD/week)
Mobile Phone 50 USD x 6 = 300 (pay as you go plan, vodafone)
Utilities 200 x 6 = 1,200
Food 250 x 6 = 1,500
Dog food ??
Dog vet ??
Dog quarantine ??
Cheap Car 5,000
Insurance (car) 750 (6 mos)
Health Insurance ??? (free if federal permanent resident)
Public Transport ???
Entertainment ???
Misc Expenses ???
The number you come up with.. double it. You can google melbourne public transport and private insurance in Oz to get a feel for cost.
I agree with you minibrings. Without knowing the individual, it is really hard to give an actual number. Just looking on craigslist, one bedroom apts, can go from $600 and on up (I am not sure about some of the areas though). Do you have to put down 1st and last months rent as well as security deposit down there? What about a pet deposit?
We found food really expensive. Heck, a Happy Meal was $5.oo, so eating out was a waste of money for us.
Also, are you required to have health insurance if you are not a resident?
Well at least it got cheaper. When I left Oz late January, the AUD was close to PAR with the USD, and now it has shrunk to .65. Rents in Oz are on a weekly basis. I was looking at realestate.com.au for 1 bedroom flats in Melbourne and you can get flats for 300 AUD/week (195 USD per week - roughly 800 USD and up per month). When budgeting I always plan on worse case. There is no requirement for state sponsored migrants for health insurance but doctor visits were about 65 AUD per visit and a trip to the emergency room starts at about 300 AUD per visit.
dunno about craigslist but apartment rental adverts in Oz list the weekly rate (see Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au). I will be back in Oz end of next week and I am looking forward to eating my first dozen South Australian oysters paired with a nice chilled reisling -- at a lower price than last January due to the bad AUD!
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