The Hong Kong couple moved to a small island in Australia, spending nearly NT$990,000 a year as a "cattle"!
After the 80s, Hong Kong people A Yu and her husband He Sheng went to Australia's only island state - Tasmania in 2012 to study, and after graduating from university, they stayed on a skilled immigration visa and are now naturalized in Australia. He Sheng is an architect, while Ah Yu works in social media marketing and film production. At first, the two chose Tasmania, all because they were attracted by the local university admissions, and later due to the booming development of the construction industry, He Sheng got many job opportunities, so they decided to stay as a "cattle pioneer".
Located off the coast of southeastern Australia, Tasmania is a heart-shaped island across the sea from Melbourne, the southernmost capital of the Australian mainland Victoria. Mr. and Mrs. A Yu have been in the local area for 8 years, and have long been accustomed to a quiet life, and they love to enjoy the scenery with friends in their spare time. The biggest difference between life in Australia and Hong Kong is that they have a work life balance. Ayu believes that compared with popular big cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, Tasmania's prices are lower in terms of housing, transportation, etc., but eating out is more expensive than other big cities. What is the basic cost of living for a year in Tasmania?
The Ayu couple live in the suburb of Lenah Valley, just a 10 minute drive from the centre of Hobart, which is very convenient. Three years ago, the two bought a 1,300-foot (about 36-square-foot or 117-square-meter) detached house with three bedrooms and one bathroom and garden for HK$2.5 million (about NT$9.43 million), which AYu described as a gorgeous house in the local area, "medium and medium", but in terms of spacious space and comfortable environment.
Home insurance is about $80 (about NT$1,694) per month, and water, electricity and gas bills are about 100 AUD (about NT$2,118) per month, depending on the season. In addition, they are required to pay a Council Rate of $150 (about NT$3,177) per month to the Government, similar to local taxes and management fees, including sending people to collect garbage every week and mowing the residents' gardens (near the pedestrian area). Between the couples, an additional person will be found to cut the grass to maintain cleanliness, averaging 20 Australian dollars (about NT$424) per month. Accommodation accounts for the largest portion of household expenses, costing $24,600 (about TW$521,170) a year.
There are not many local restaurants to choose from, and the consumption is not low, so Ah Yu mostly cooks at home for three meals on weekdays. They would go to supermarkets and weekend markets to buy groceries for about 480 Australian dollars (about NT$10,169) per month. The extra cost for them is coffee, each of them drinks at least one cup of coffee a day, mainly brewed at home, and spends 80 Australian dollars (about NT$1,694) to buy coffee beans. For eating out, it costs about $200 (about NT$4,237) per month. A local McDonald's meal sells for 11 Australian dollars (about 233 Taiwan dollars), which can probably be used to measure the price of eating out. The annual cost of eating and drinking is $9,120 (about NT$193,214), which is the second largest household expenditure.
Tasmania's public transport is not well developed and buses are less frequent, so locals come and go mostly by car. Mr. and Mrs. Ayu have two cars, and in terms of driving 4 days a week, the fuel money of the two cars is about 120 Australian dollars (about HK$678) per month. As for the fully insured car insurance, the two cars together cost $1,600 (about HK$8,975) a year. The licence fee is about $600 per car a year, depending on the new and old car, different models, and the horsepower is not large, the government will charge different license fees, and the two cars will total $1,200 (about HK$6,774). The annual cost of transportation is $4,240 (approximately HK$23,922).
Tasmania does not have the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, and there are not many options for facilities such as shopping malls. AYu believes that the entertainment of many locals is to climb the mountain, watch the scenery, ask friends to eat at home, BBQ; Usually rest is to watch TV, play electric with friends, so save a lot of entertainment costs. Spending is mainly used on paid electronic platforms, such as Netflix, to clip with friends, 10 Australian dollars per month (about 211 Taiwan dollars); DisneyPlus $10 per month (about NT$211); Spotify is also sharing a family plan with friends for $5 (about $105) per month. Finally, there is the Internet fee, A Yu often has to upload videos at work, and the Internet fee is more expensive, 90 Australian dollars (about 1,906 Taiwan dollars) per month. Entertainment costs $1,380 (about TW$29,236).
A Yu pointed out that although There is Medicare in Australia, the government encourages residents over the age of 30 to buy more health insurance, otherwise the tax will be more. The total amount of medical insurance for the two is about $3,240 (about NT$68,641) a year.
There are two kittens in Ah Yu's home, and the food is about 200 Australian dollars (about 4,237 Taiwan dollars) per month, snacks are about 40 Australian dollars (about 847 Taiwan dollars), cat litter is 40 Australian dollars (about 847 Taiwan dollars), plus toys are about 50 Australian dollars (about 1,059 Taiwan dollars), and a total of 3,960 Australian dollars (about 83,895 Taiwan dollars) is spent each year.
Overall, the most basic expenses of living in Tasmania are about $47,000 a year, or about NT$997,423, but note that taxes and other additional fees are not calculated.
