I can't link to sites with cheap clothing, since the cheapest stores have no websitesBut it is out there. They're not designer labels, of course, but there it is.
If you look at the realestate.com.au site and search for rentals in the 3000 postcode (central city) it's $330+ for an inner city apartment, around $450 is more typical for a couple of bedrooms. But then if you're working in the city you'll have zero transport costs - the RACV estimates the cheapest car to run is about $111 weekly in total costs (loan interest, depreciation, fuel, servicing, etc).
In my region in the southeastern suburbs, you can get a one-bedroom apartment for $200, for example. A rather ordinary-looking two bedroom unit a couple of kilometres from major shops and services is $220, for example. But for the professionally-employed, I would probably go for something nicer around $300, for example.
As for eating, as I said it depends on your chosen lifestyle. If you cook everything at home and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegies, then like me and my woman you can eat well on $80 weekly for the two of you. If you like to eat lots of meat it might go up to $100. arket, or if you only like to eat prepared food, expect $200+/week. If you like to go out for dinner, have fast food or eat lots of junk food, then the bill goes up correspondingly. If you can't be bothered shopping around and get everything at the superm
This morning we went for a walk to Freshway, fruit and vegie wholesalers. From memory, apples, oranges and bananas were all $2 a kilogram. Eggplants and capsicums were $3/kg. Mushrooms were $8/kg. Green beans were $4/kg. Dried apricots were $8/kg. 5kg spuds were $3.
Down at the local bakery, 650g loaves of sliced bread can be had for $1.70 each, or $3 for two; we usually get one white and one grainy loaf, and eat 3-4 loaves of bread weekly.
Rice is about $55 for a 25kg bag, pasta can be got for $1/kg and oats about the same.
So 1kg of fruit and vegies daily per person, you're looking at $3/day each, or $40 a week for a couple. Carbs? Maybe 1kg rice, 1kg pasta and 1kg oats weekly. Fresh fruit and vegies and starchy foods with bread brings the bill to about $60. The other $20 is milk, cheese, meat, maybe some fruit juice and the occasional bottle of wine.
One interesting book I'd like to get is talked about here, what the world eats. It's a photoessay of families around the world pictured with their week's food.
What you notice is that as the country's wealth goes up, the first thing people add is fizzy drinks. After that, more meat. After that, lots of processed food in colourful plastic packets. Well, someone has to pay for all that processing and colour and company advertising. So your bill goes up.
The American family, the average Aussies would be about the same I think,
By contrast, we have no fizzy drinks at all. The amount of processed food we have can be gauged by the fact that the wrapping on them is generally non-recyclable, and we put out the non-recyclable bins only every 2 months - compared to weekly for all our neighbours. I wanted to get fish and chips last night but my woman made a beef and vegetable pie instead, it was great.
So yes, you can live more expensively than we do. But you don't have to. A couple could live together on the equivalent of a single full-time minimum wage while saving money. We did it - lived for about five years on about $350 a week and saved up a 50% deposit for our current home. It's harder if you have kids, obviously - heaps of expenses with them, and harder to say "no" to your kids than yourself.
The point is that Melbourne offers the choice: you can live in frugal comfort, or live with profligate waste. It's your choice, the shops and services are there for either kind of lifestyle, or anything in between.
Thanks alot mate for good information!
Its morning here in sweden so i will read more after my morningwalk.
/Mattias
