With an income of AUD 66600/y, a four members family (two kids), what do you think about a life in St Lucia,au

Question

I want a smooth life. I have another offer in USA with a salary of 42000/year. I have to select one. Do you know about kids facilities on Australia? Child allowance, medical benefits etc.

Answer 1

I'd rather live on 66k Aus than 42k usd any day!!! The medical care in Australia is awsome.  The people are sweet and your kids will love it.  You may have to live outside of St Lucia to get a nice place to live, but you will do much better in Australia.  The Weather in Brisbane is beautiful year round.  

The day care of subsidized and the schools are fantastic.

Answer 2

I live in St Lucia and it is a really nice place. It is very expensive to buy a house here - but to give you a rough idea, a two bedroom flat (apartment) would cost $300 - 350 dollars a week in rent. But check out www.realestate.com.au for more accurate info.

You can get slightly cheaper places in Indooroopilly, or Toowong and they are both quite close to St Lucia (and better connected to the City too).

As the others have stated, one of the best public schools (which is free so there's no cost to you) is Ironside in St Lucia. As far as medical benefits go, if you have Medicare (and I'm not sure what visa you'll be on) then you don't have to worry.

Note that the tax here is prob higher  than the US - you'll be paying about $14000 a year.

However all things considered, I think that $67K in Aust is better than $42 K in US.

Answer 3

St Lucia itself is one of Brisbane's most prestigious suburbs and housing is very expensive there, but there are other suburbs not too far away that are more affordable. 66k is a reasonable but not high salary, but if you have permanent residency, you will have access to our Medicare and subsidised childcare systems. Brisbane's best state primary school (Ironside SS) is very close to the university and the state high schools near there are some of Brisbane's best. All kid's facilities in the western suburbs are excellent - they are our best suburbs.