5 Tips to Know Before Moving to Australia

Moving to Australia may seem like an easy task, but you need insider info to tackle obstacles all on your own.

In today’s article, we’ll explore 5 expert tips that will help you move to Australia and find your new home in the down under.

You may even decide to not move to Australia, depending on how well you consider you can acclimatize to the different environment.

Are you ready?

Let’s get started.

1. You may be a little confused, even if you speak English

It’s not a secret that Australians have the lingo that they use in day-to-day life. You may even hear an abundance of curse words, curse words that shouldn’t be spoken in other countries, as a term of endearment.

Some Australian terms you may have never heard before are:

Barbie: Barbecue

Macca’s: Mcdonald’s

Ankle biter: Child

Bogan: Redneck

Bathers: Swimsuit

Brekky: Breakfast

And that’s just the start of the slang. Before you head on over to Australia, learning a few of their slang words will help go a long way.

For instance, if someone says “S’Arvo”, they’re referring to this afternoon. If you’ve never heard of this before, don’t worry, you’re not alone!

2. The cost of living is HIGH in central cities

Many users on platforms like Reddit.com, have gone ahead and stated how high the cost of living is in Australia. One of them stated:

I think one needs to have a salary of at least $200K or have at least $2M wealth to be comfortable in Sydney. That's in AUD and for 2023.

As of 2024, the costs have continued to go up, for all purchasable goods and will continue to go up. If you don’t have a lot of money to live off of before you get situated, you may want to decide to live elsewhere. The average salary in Australia is around USD 65,000, and $95,000 AUS.

Tips: Look into applying for jobs before you move to Australia, or have a safety fund that’s going to support you during your move to Australia. And if you’re a smoker, it may be a good time to quit as a pack of cigarettes will cost you around $22AUD or $17USD.

3. Housing oversight has some problems

In Australia, it’s common for building regulations to be much looser than in any other part of the world. Many apartments and residential buildings are constructed poorly, with cheap materials, often disastrously impacting residents and investors.

Tips: If you decide to move to Australia and purchase a home, it may be a good idea to have an inspector come along with you to make sure no corners were cut.

One of the biggest complaints is terrible insulation during the winter months, leading to a very cold and uncomfortable house in the winter.

Another task before purchasing a home is to have it inspected for pests. Australia is renowned for having pesky critters, and buying a house full of ‘em is likely not at the top of your list. Vet your real estate agent as well as your inspectors to ensure that they are operating legally and lawfully within Australia.

4. You can hire movers to help

Before moving to Australia, you’ve likely considered that you may have to sell your belongings before moving there. But with the best Australian international moving companies getting all of your belongings safe and sound to Australia should be no problem.

One great aspect of moving companies is that they offer full-service moving, which takes care of all the packing, unpacking, and even the garbage disposal at the end. If you’re in a pinch, and have little to no time on your hands, full-service movers make the moving process easy.

You can also leave your furniture and belongings in storage in Australia so you can take your time until you arrive. Without any stress and tons of belongings to haul with you, you’ll show up to Australia ready to tackle the big move, without the unneeded stress.

5. Australia is FAR away from the rest of the world

Australia is a big island, referred to as an “island continent”, without any connection to any other parts of the world.

Note: This means that if you have family in the USA or Europe, travel is going to be necessary. And the resulting bills as well.

The other problem with living in Australia is that you won’t be able to go on a road trip to any other countries nearby. If you’re used to living in Europe, this may be a big change that you are not prepared for. Flights are also incredibly long from Australia to the rest of the world, resulting in higher fees for airlines.

Conclusion

Before you move to Australia, checking out the culture may be a good idea rather than outright moving there without visiting. The culture is vastly different than what you might imagine, and you may have a different opinion of Australia after visiting.

Note: That being said, Australia is a great place to live if you have a good income.

If you are struggling, the high prices in Australia for housing can be offputting for anyone without a lot of expendable income. With these tips in mind, you should be able to make better decisions when it comes to moving to Australia.

About Guest Expert Apart from our regular team of experts, we frequently publish commentary from guest contributors who are authorities in their field.