Moving Costs

What are the moving costs to Australia?

The moving costs of emigrating to Australia is not a thing to be taken lightly!!! Not only are there the visa costs, but there are other costs such as medicals, shipping costs, costs in moving your money assets over (including pensions), flight costs.  You will most probably be selling your house which means estate agent cost, solicitor cost amongst others.  The benefit of cheaper housing in Australia is dwindling fast as Australia succumb to the global pressures of the credit crisis.  You will find the cost of living in Australia comparable to that of the UK with some things cheaper whilst other things will be more expensive.  Here’s some pointers to help you work out the moving costs involved.

Visa Costs

The cost of visas varies widely and is dependent on what type of visa you go for.  For example a 5-year business visa cost approximately $2,000AUD whilst a remaining family member visa would cost over $3,500AUD. Check the Australian Immigration Webpage for more details.

Other Visa Costs

Other visa costs such as medicals and police reports can be approximately £250 per person

Assurance of Support

Some visas require an Assurance of Support from an Australian resident and is around $5,000 for a single person or $7,000 for a couple.  Check the details of the visa to see if this is required or contact the Australian Immigration Department.  Here is another useful link


Shipping your personal belongings can cost anywhere from £1,000 (approximately a pallet load) to £5,000 (a 40-foot container), but don’t forget to add on insurance aswell which can easily come to another 10% on top.  Account for the cost of quarantining your pets if you intend to take them to Australia with you along with the actual cost of transporting them.  AirPets is one of a few companies able to help with the transportation of pets.  Be prepared also for any quarantine costs that might be charged due to you for handling any items that they deem either hazardous or unwanted.  Our dedicated Shipping has some more details for you on this subject

Selling Your House

This obviously depends on the value of your house, but basically you need to account for the solicitors and estate agents fees.  Don’t forget any long term contracts that you might need to either buy out of or keep going, such as Internet or Phone plans


Depending on where you move your pension too and when you move your pension, there may be costs involved.  Our Pensions page will give you some more detailed information

Flight Ticket

With the prices going up as much as they are recently, it is currently costing around £1,000 per person for a return ticket to Australia.  Don’t expect to pay half that for a one-way ticket, but do expect around the £600-£700 mark at least

Moving you money over to Australia

When calculating how many Australian Dollars your Pounds Sterling will give you, contact someone like HiFX to get an idea of what exchange rate you will get as it will differ from what the dollar is currently trading at.

Renting a House in Australia

There’s plenty of properties to rent in Australia, given that most people wanting to sell can’t due to the volativity of the property market, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get a cheap deal  Depending on how close you want to live to the CBD and or course how modern and clean the place you require to be, expect to pay easily $500+ for a half decent place per week!

Buying a House in Australia

Just like in the UK, buying a house is a costly business.  There are the usual solicitors fees, but you must get buildings and pest inspections carried out as part of the contract which add to the cost.  You can get a good solicitor for around the $600 mark and the inspections should really cost no more than $150 a piece

When you get your mortgage, make sure the bank clearly indicates to you what charges will be made to you at the point of sale or you may end up with less than you need to buy the house.  You are also required by law to insure the property once you enter the contract, however most insurance companies cover the house for free if you continue the insurance for the first year.

Getting mobile

You can drive on your English driving license for 3 months, after which, you will need to get an Australian driving license which can cost as little as $122 for a 3 year license, but the best option is to get a 5 year license for only $160 or so.  This does depend on the state that you are getting the license for, so please use it only as an indication.

Buying a car costs will vary state to state given the different legislation, but account for Rego and insurance when looking at cars to buy.  Rego will be approximately $600 per year and fully comprehensive insurance can easily be $600+ although insurance isn’t necessarily required in some states (Queensland for example).

Medical Cover

The health system in Australia is not free, so be aware that if you require medical assistance early on in you stay in Australia it will cost you.  Check out our Health page for more details.

Other Costs

Don’t forget the usual hidden costs of moving such as phone installation, mobile phones, internet access, Foxtel (Sky) installation