Is it true its cheaper to live in Australia than in the US? Do koala bears eat in trees on the beach?I've
always had a dream to move to Australia and purchase a beach house. I
heard its hella cheap. I also heard that koala bears sit and eat in the
trees on the beach. I want to confirm this. hehe. What are some
differences in the economy and culture in Australia compared to the USA?
I'm really serious about moving one day.
Sorry koalas. Can people answer the questions please?
Other - Australia - 10 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :1 :
Yep. And kangaroos collect the fares on the buses.
2 :
Koalas.
They are NOT bears they are marsupials!
You just call them koalas.
3 :
Don't know about relative cost of living. Houses on the beach are expensive, but most big cities are near the water anyway.
Koalas eat eucalypts, which are not found on beaches; found in the bush.
I think Australia tends to have a more laid-back lifestyle.
Lots of outdoor living. Better public health and social support. Stronger gun control.
4 :
Houses
on the beach are not cheap anywhere. Most beaches are separated from
forests by either cliffs or dune systems and there are few trees close
to the beach, those that are are usually not favoured by koalas.
You might find koalas cute but you really do not want to live close to
them. Until you have heard randy koala males roaring at each other, you
have no idea what noisy neighbours are.
Generally, Australians are relaxed and friendly. We don't have a gun
culture and religion is something you do privately. While the USA will
elect a black, Jewish woman as President before an atheist, Australia
has no such problems and we have had a number of atheist Prime
Ministers.
5 :
In terms of disposable income, I think the
US is still ahead. We have a lot of hidden costs too, as nothing much is
actually made here, everything imported involves some crook charging
huge mark ups.
Culture is changing and depends on if you are planning on living in a
city or the country. If you go for the cities then you find a
significant first generation Asian population, whereas in the country
its probably more of the 'Oz' that you are expecting.
Outside the cities the population is fairly sparse and you can go many
miles between 'one-horse' style towns.
6 :
You can still
get really cheap beach houses if you don't want to live right on the
city beaches. The koalas on the beaches are probably on the East coast
of Australia (as WA doesn't really have native Koalas if I remember
rightly), and the houses in those areas would be getting a bit more
expensive. As for the cost of living, the last time I was in the US,
fast food was cheaper there, fresh food generally more expensive,
clothes and consumer goods cheaper in the US, and salaries in the US
were higher.
That said, the standard of living in the two countries is roughly
comparable, and I felt more relaxed in Australia than in the US.
7 :
i
live on the beach (in melbourne) and our house cost approx 1.6 million i
think. but i can't compare because i have never lived in the usa. Even
if you dont live right on the beach, the capital cities are all situated
on the coast so your sure to be near the beach mostly anywhere. And you
will never find a koala on the beach, you have to go into the bush to
see them.
8 :
Any kind of house near the beach will be
"expensive", even in small "remote" beach village like Emu Park, where
top quality land has been selling for AU$700,000 without a house and
recently a house and land package was well over a million. Neither of
these were absolute beachfront but were on hilltops overlooking beaches
and with views of Great Keppell Island. Down the hill but still not near
the beach places were going for AU500,000 and you might as well be
living in any little rural village, but 10 - 15 minutes walk from a
beach.
You may have been told that Australians pay 47% tax and that it has a
socialist economy. Neither are true. We have welfare system that the
Federal Government would like to dismantle but the old age pensioners
and military veterans would kick them out of office so fast their
clothes would be smouldering when they landed. Then they would get a
thorough kicking.
Absolute top income tax rates may be 47% for really high incomes. We
pay income tax on a sliding scale, the more you earn, the more you pay.
Below a certain level, you pay nothing, or next to nothing. My salary
is above average and I pay about 26%, that is taken from your pay before
you get it.
On top of that there is a 10% "goods and services" tax on everything
except fresh, uncooked food. This does not vary across the whole
country, no differences in state sales taxation systems as in the USA.
State taxes are on cars and some transactions like buying houses. If
you never buy a house or car you pay no, or almost no state taxes.
Elementary schools are called primary schools here, they last till the
kids are about 13, then it's off to high school. In some areas the last
two years are called "college" which IMHO is dignifying them a bit too
much. Leave school some months or more after your 17th birthday. To
university or technical college, which teaches things like accountancy,
carpentry, cooking, hairdressing, you name it. There still may be
"instututes of advance education" too, which generally take you to
diploma or degree standard in science or engineering, other subjects
too, depending on the state and locality. Alternatively get a job,
probably not a very good one if you leave school at 17 and specially not
before.
Churches are Catholic, Anglican (Episcopalian) Uniting Church which is
Congregationalist/Methodist/Presbyterian, also Salvation Army and
Baptist etc. Australian are not big church-goers.
Federal elections every 3 years, state elections every 3 years, local
elections every 3 years. When things are in phase, that means one
election every year. The official Head of State is HM the Queen,
represented in Australia by the Governor-General, who is appointed by HM
from a (very) short list of 1 person sent to her by the Australian
government. There is no President.
The country is ruled by the majority party in the Federal Government,
currently a Coalition of the Liberal and Bational parties. "Liberal" in
Australia means something different to what it does in the USA. The
prime Minister is the selected head of the Liberal Party, his deputy is
the head of the National Party. They can be sacked by their own parties
and on occasion have been. The cabinet is selected from Members of the
House of Reps and the Senate, mostly by the P.M., not from some set of
unelected cronies like Ms Rice and Mr Wolfowitz (was) as in the USA.
Any of these can also be kicked out by their own parties and at least
one or two of them get the chop every year, mostly from the P.M.
Koalas live on particular types of eucalyptus trees. Mostly these do
not grow near the beach, but in some places they might.
9 :
I
am a Aussie living in the US and I do not think a house on the beach is
hella cheap. You would not get anything descent for under 350'000.00.
Housing in Australia has gone through the roof. But don't let that stop
you Australia is the best place in the world.
10 :
Yes, its
true, But life is very better there. You can find most cheapest
Accommodation and Hotel bookings in Australia at
http://www.roomseeker.com.au
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