Well my friend, i never go buy groceries in coles. Coles is like 'cold storage' supermarket in KL. Super expensive. You can either shop for grocers in chinatown or BILO which will be far cheaper. Woolworth also not too bad.
Rental of course depends on the suburb. If you're renting in north sydney is like Bangsar & Mont Kiara. Of course the rental is expensive. This is very subjective. That's why i'm asking him where is the workplace. If he bought a car there, then he can seek further place for cheaper rental.
What you're saying is right, sydney is an expensive city to live but that apply to CBD. Some suburb is cheaper than you expect.
I lived in inner west sydney before, which there's lots of asian groceries you can buy. Even you can get bak kut teh (A1), maggi mee, indomie...etc.
No worries bro. , have time you can shop nike warehouse for really cheap original shoes/clothing. I bought 5 pairs nike shoes total less than AUD150 with nice design.
Purchasing property is really expensive in sydney. I think if you're working there hard enough or request promotion or after 2 years getting PR,you can jump ship to other firm for higher pay, i think should be no problem getting a property there.
Don't be surprise by high tax, competitiveness or other discouragement. Believe me, you'll enjoy there.

The office is in Newington. Should be suburb I suppose? I will be given a company vehicle which can be used privately.

I've never lived overseas before so it's very difficult to foresee my expenses.

Thanks

Anybody knows whether I'll be required to take driving lessons in order to drive?

This post has been edited by thomasthai: Dec 28 2012, 06:31 PM

you can use malaysian driver license without issue.

if you are on temp visa, your Msia license can be use..
but will be good to take few lessons to get to used to some rules in Aus.. RTA NSW

well, i guess u have to look at the overall package (not just the money) and the most important q is, why you wanna work in Sydney ?
- since its a sponsorship, i guess its a temp visa, which means no medicare, good to ask whether this is included in your package or not, as medicals is not cheap in Oz
- not sure LAFHA (living away from home allowance) still exists or not..check or find more info on the internet

since your wife will be tagging along, she will have the same visa condition as you, means she can work (if im not wrong)

those websites given by others are a good starting point to see whats your expenses like monthly.. other you need to add are some utilities bills..
- home broadband
- mobile plan
- gas, electricity and water (quarterly)

My standard when I was in Sydney was Coles and Woolworth. What I'm indirectly trying to tell thomasthai is that he needs to do his own research first and identify his own standards, not just expect to be spoonfed. Way too much spoonfeeding on LYN...

If 80k including allowances and super, you're generally looking at 4 or less cash in hand (realistically 3.8).

As you're given a company car remember you can't claim for tax deduction.

Your ability to save will depend on how much you spend on rent. Inner city parking is so insane these day I usually just ride my motocycle. My advice is to find out where you will be based out of and check the rent and gauge your cost of transport. I easily spend up to 400~500 dollars per month on just fuel. That's just regular travel.

Also like some others have mentioned, you will need medical insurance. This is a condition of your visa. For a decent level of cover you're looking at 1200 dollars. If you want the best level of cover (trust me a hospital visit here is 780 dollars easy), that's 3000 a year.

Well, I think this a good start for yourself. As mentioned by others, your medical coverage is far way important.
80k won't make you rich but think about the future. You'd have extensive working experience prospect in your résumé in future. As long your salary could cover most of your expenses, i think your progression to higher level is expected.

Newington is near Homebush, which is quite near to Olympic park. Plenty of public transport. I think you can easily settle down. Plenty of malls and groceries store around.

This post has been edited by Nemesis1980: Dec 31 2012, 11:01 AM

Thanks for the heads up. But I've read in other places that a 457 visa holder pays the same tax as other residents, no? I can't work how do you get 3.8 to 4k.

3k for insurance is steep man.

Thanks. It's not just about the money, but I think it's just not healthy for me to stay in msia. I need to sacrifice too much of my time just to survive, and I'll probably miss seeing my children grow up.

This post has been edited by thomasthai: Dec 31 2012, 09:33 PM

i used this website to calculate the take home cash...quite accurate..Pay Calculator

for taxation, goto ATO

This post has been edited by annielee: Dec 31 2012, 09:56 PM

I live on my own in Sydney. To give you an idea on my expenses per month:

A one bed flat in Balmain - $1900
BUPA health insurance - $230
Home insurance - $30
Internet and mobile phone - $130
Public transport - $100 (I cycle to work)
Utilities - $100
Food - $800 (I eat out quite frequently)

If you're on 457, for tax purposes you are considered as a resident, i.e. you pay the same tax as everybody else.

Also very crudely, your net salary is about 73% of your gross salary (excludes super and other deductions).

This post has been edited by Geminist: Dec 31 2012, 10:14 PM

I missed out my eldest daughter childhood. I worked and stay office till 2nd day for few times just to put food on the table. I always encourage people if you got chance, just give it a shot.
Not to say you're traitor or not love your country. This is very personal decision. Some people do well in their job overseas but some not. It's very depend on your working attitude and character.
I paid tax, nothing benefit here for family of 4 but only miserable life. To find extra cash, either you got strong rich family background with money backup or either you got out selling insurance or MLM. This is the scenario of Malaysia

yeah thre is iga or i go the local grocer in leichardt and petersham as i do speak a bit of italian and portugese so you do get fresh produce from thre

I suggest you to find a place near parramatta,ryde, rydalmere, ermington or rosehill which is quite close since you have a car

rhodes, silverwater is near but freakin expensive unless you know the houseowners thre

pm me if you do need some property rental agent as i can hook some up for you but pls do your own research whreabouts you wanna stay

I guess for me this is my dilemma. I do have a job that allows me to have a relaxed personal and family life in KL. Looking at the salaries in Australia I'll need something very comfortably in the 6-figure annual income to match what I have in KL and those jobs are probably the ones that are really hard to get in Sydney or other places right now due to the economy in Australia today. I guess the only way out for me is to wait out the Australian economic downturn and hope that it picks up before my PR lapses. Looking for mid/senior management roles remotely isn't exactly easy

But I do support your statement, it's not being a traitor etc. but having a family life is very important.

Hello I am lowly skilled intellectually however I am hardworking and resilient. I don't mind working under the sun or having to toil my back. Are there any farm jobs or manual labor job agencies that you guys could provide? I would really appreciate it.

if you are under 30, you can apply for WHV..
do your research.. :-)

Hey Guys, may I know how you all manage the bank accounts? There's this Everyday account and Savings account, do you guys just dump everything to Savings and transfer to your everyday account?

I'm 30 already.

goto DIAC and search for which visa is suitable for you..
do your own research, before kena from other members..

I got PR but don't feel like going. Anybody want to buy my PR? I apply for fun and got it.

I hear a lot of crap stories from friends who go there and forced to work for sub-standard jobs and then face racism from the white aussies. Some of my frens there kena scolded by racist aussie bosses and forced to quit.

Give this guy a break. I think he tried to suicide before in his kopitiam thread.