Australia

DECIDING WHERE TO GO

Are you planning to make a move and come to Australia? Indecisive about where to go, the best place to reside or the type of experience you want to have? Around 5,000.000 visitors arrive to Australia every year and their main reasons to travel Down Under include holidays, business, education, employment and visiting friends and relatives. Their decision is based on the different features and possibilities along the Australian Capital Cities.

Australia caters for different lifestyles and budgets. It is up to the visitor where to settle considering his/her job situation, accommodation needs, climate preferences and other personal circumstances like funds and living standards. Once the traveller has put all these considerations together, making a decision about a final destination is much easier and plans about his/her stay in a certain city can be made.

The ideal for a visitor is to select a city that offers a balance between economic opportunities and cost/quality of living. On top of these considerations, he/she will need to place professional goals and personal needs. For instance, if you are looking for a place to explore night life and the excitement of big cities, you might stay near the main capitals or areas with high population; but if you prefer quietude and a slow-paced life, you could choose more isolated areas such as small towns and less populated cities.


A temperature you can handle

Another thing you need to take into account is the weather. As a reference, people who are not fond of cold temperatures could be very happy in the heat of Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland; with Darwin maintaining high temperatures and steady rain along the whole year whilst Perth and Brisbane hold warm summers, some humidity and mild winters.

Although NSW, Victoria and South Australia are known for their hot summers and heatwaves, they also offer much cooler winters and wind chills. Nevertheless, this pronounced weather does not prevent capital cities Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide from enjoying a warm atmosphere, sunny days, beaches and backyards almost all year around.

As it is expected, not everyone finds high temperatures amusing. There are those who can handle a cold climate and take pleasure in winter and indoors activities. Those who find heat far off their liking can take advantage of cities like Adelaide and Melbourne once the summer is over, or reside in Tasmania with Hobart as the capital city, reaching a maximum of 21in summer and evident wind chills and clouds along the whole year due to its southerly latitude.

Tailor to your budget

In addition to weather preferences and lifestyle, your budget plays an important role when deciding where to live in Australia. Knowing how much you can spend will tell you the type of accommodation, food, education, transport and entertainment you will afford. The cost of living for every city in Australia calculates the average amount of money spent on these components and also includes personal and incidental expenses like health and leisure.

Surveys and poles carried by universities, migration consultants and the hospitality industry agree that Sydney has the highest cost of living in Australia. A survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting shows that Melbourne and Darwin hold a second position, followed by Brisbane, which has been rated as one of Australia’s least expensive cities. Despite this, some cost of living calculators and customized reports state that Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart have even lower costs of living due to isolation or demographic factors like population levels and development.

Additionally, reports like these establish that although Sydney, Perth and Melbourne have the highest paying salaries, cities like Brisbane and Adelaide have been increasing their wages in the last years, which makes them attractive destinations due to their affordability, development levels and professional/ economic opportunities.

As you can see, your decision should be based on several factors, but you can be sure Australia has place tailored to your budget and whether your purpose is studying, travelling or migrate, you will need to be aware of your financial resources and how to obtain the best of them in a particular area or town.