European explorers landed first in Australia, as it is known. It happened in 1606 when Willem Janszoon found his way to the continent. Then, Luis Vaz de Torres, a Spanish explorer sailed through the strait letting it bear his name later that year. In the 17th century, around 30 other Dutch navigators formed their path down south to explore the coasts, calling it New Holland.
A significant effort to settle in Australia began to take shape in 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook graphed the eastern coast for Great Britain along with a report that supported the colonization of Botany Bay. And eventually, that region became Sydney.
The first fleet of ships that arrived from Great Britain discharged at Botany Bay in 1788 in order to form a penal colony. The British would form many other colonies with the coast of Australia, over the next 100 years. Meanwhile, explorers started their journeys along the interior to have a look at what was waiting for them there. The agriculture opportunities and a gold rush eventually brought prosperity.
For several years Australia has been top-listed in the most popular living destinations list. At present, there are around 25.1 million people living in Australia. The promising quality of life, astonishing wildlife, and the scale of metropolitan areas are enough to draw anyone’s attention. Living in Australia means getting combined in a society that is rapidly growing. It also hints at a lower population density, low pollution levels, and modernized infrastructure.
If all these factors tug at you to make a move to Australia, then here are some pros and cons of living in Australia that you will want to consider.
Pros of Living in Australia
1. High Living Standards
The salaries offered in Australia are noticeably high if you have a certain skillset, mainly when you live in one of the cities along the eastern coast. It is not strange when immigrants find themselves earning notably more once they move to Australia as compared to when they were at home, even with the lesser value of the Australian dollar as compared to the other currencies of the world. Adding in the social protection programs and other financial safeguards that are intact here, you’ll be finding that it can be an amazing place to live.
2. High-Quality Healthcare System
Australia consists of one of the best healthcare systems in the world when it comes to quality and quantity of care. There are mixtures of private and public institutions available here and the hospitals are well-equipped with up-to-date technologies and well-trained staff.
3. World-Class Educational System
Once you become a resident of Australia, the options for public school for your family become free up to grade 12. Textbooks are also provided as another form of educational opportunity. Place above France, Switzerland, and the United States while ranking fourth in the world today, the system is known for its effectiveness.
Even if it can be pricier to send a child to a private school here, sometimes as much as $40,000 per year, you may still relax knowing that the public system will offer your family a high-quality education.
4. Unique Animal Life
There are chances of running into a deer while driving down a road if you live in the United States. And once you begin living in Australia, it will probably be a kangaroo that you find yourself driving by. You’ll get to visit a koala preserve, come to know some wombats, and we can’t forget about the Tasmanian devil. Excluding opossums and wallabies, Australia is the only country in the world where you’ll come across marsupials almost every day.
5. Easy Citizenship Process
If your goal is to pursue citizenship, then you must become a permanent resident once you begin living in Australia. Contrary to what you go through in other countries with a similar standard of living, the processes that you must follow are more straightforward. You will have to give proof of your fluency in English, and there is a requirement for you to have lived in the country for the past 48 months. After that, you’ll have to pay the fees, which are under $500, and then pass the citizenship test.
Cons of Living in Australia
1. Living Expenses
Along with a high standard of living, Australia also has a high cost of living, where the prices for food and utilities are likely to be higher than what you’re used to. Unless you’ve already planned this in your budget this could turn out to be a shocker, even if you’re moving in with the offer of a well-paid job. It should also be noted that private health insurance is rather costly if you don’t have coverage signed with the state Medicare system.
2. Challenging Housing Market
Known for being among the hottest housing markets in the world, Australia is reaching one of the quickest rates of any other country since 2008. Having survived the financial crisis without much difficulty, the value of the economy of this country never really quivered like it did in Europe and the United States. You will notice that it takes a significant investment to get a down payment even if you move to one of the rural areas of the country.
3. Isolated Living Experience
Because of its unique geographical position, Australia serves as its own country and so there are no land-based borders formally attached to manage when you begin living here. There are a few countries that share a maritime border with Australia, counting New Zealand, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands, but there is more isolation to handle here as compared to other parts of the world.
You’ll be experiencing this problem because of the distance that occurs between many of the cities in Australia as well. Perth, which is situated along the western coast of the country, is more than 1,000 miles away from the other important cities of the country. There are time zone differences to maintain like there are in the U.S. also, you’ll have to consider their location time too.
4. Summer Christmas can be Unusual
For many people, the very essence of Christmas might mean snow. From snow angels and snowmen to snow forts and snowball fights, everything comes under the Christmas charm. Snuggling with your loved ones in comfy pajamas while enjoying hot chocolate and warm cookies, the idea just goes on.
Christmas has been portrayed with sparkly snowflake decorations along with tinsel and Santa hats.
But nothing from the above list falls out in Australia. As Christmas here occurs in the middle of summer, people have barbecues and go to the beach instead. And if you’re someone who just moved in, adjusting to this new detail might be a little displeasing. But it won’t seem so weird once you become a part of Aussie culture.
5. Stressful Visa logistics
A heap load of paperwork comes with moving to a new country. And it can get pretty stressful to go through the logistics of acquiring a visa as there are quite many rules to follow.
Even when you fill out every form and get hold of every certificate while meeting every requirement, you may still not know what the future holds. As your fate falls in the hands of an immigration officer.
So the stress of visa applications and the decisions to be made can become more bothersome than necessary.
Cost of Living in Australia
After weighing the pros and cons of living in Australia, you may have set your mind on a decision. And if you’re planning to make a home out of this country, here are some basic costs of living you should know.
1. Housing and Renting
House costs over Australia change greatly. Sydney tops the list with the middle house cost at A$1,142,212, whereas Adelaide incorporates a more reasonable middle house cost at A$542,947. If you don’t essentially need to live in one of the enormous cities, you may consider living in some of the little ones, where the costs are more reasonable. Hobart encompasses a middle house cost at A$530,570 and Darwin at A$509,452.
For those who are leasing, once again a larger area is everything. Whereas a Sydney rental midpoints out at approximately A$2,649 per month for a 1-bedroom loft, leasing the same measured flat in beautiful Hobart will be half the price.
2. Utilities
Shopping around will get you a better than average bargain on utilities, but basics, including power, gas, and internet for a standard two-room flat will come to almost A$350 a month.
3. Food
Basic supplies are more costly in Australia than in other major cities around the world.
A dozen eggs will be around A$5.00. A loaf of bread is around A$2.73 and a 2-liter bottle of milk is A$1.66. A week after week shop can extend from A$80 to A$300.
Supper for two at a mid-range eatery in Sydney will take a toll upwards of A$70, compared to around A$108 in New York or London. Normally you’ll pay A$11 for a Big Mac Meal, A$7 for a beer, and A$3.50 for a coffee. But you’ll be ensured a good one since Australians take their coffee seriously.
4. Healthcare
Australia has an amazing healthcare framework. Permanent inhabitants have access to Medicare, but even then numerous Australians take out private wellbeing protections to cover additional items, like dental and pro care. Comprehensive cover can fetch up to $500 a month.
Expats from Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are entitled to treatment through Medicare, much obliged to the reciprocal health understandings between countries.
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