I am considering moving from the U.S. to Australia. What's it like to live there?

I currently live in a small town in Pennsylvania about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh. I will have my Bachelor's degree in communication from The University of Pittsburgh in June and am seriously considering moving to Australia. I am single and do not have kids so now is the best time to move if that's what I decide to do. I am obsessed with beach, I love hot, sunny weather, and like being surrounded by people of all races/ethnicities/backgrounds. I am a cultured, educated, amiable and motivated young woman. I make friends easily and yearn for more adventure and excitement in my life. I have been doing a lot of research and have heard extremes of both the good and the bad and everything in between. I have some questions and I would greatly appreciate some more insight please!



I will have my Bachelor's degree, as I mentioned, and have about 4 years of work experience. What can I expect to make? Again, I am single and will not have any help with income (until I meet a wonderful Aussie man, of course ;) so I need to make sure I would be able to comfortably live! (I would consider a roommate, I suppose)



I am young and enjoy the nightlife, as well as culture. What city would have the best scene for other twenty-somethings? I.E, theaters, museums, comedy clubs, bars, restaurants, etc.



What are the crime rates like? Are the people of Australia more optimistic and imaginative than the general population of the U.S? Everyone is so cynical and jaded here!



One of, if not THE biggest concern I have, is from what I've heard about all the dangerous critters that reside on the continent. I keep hearing horror stories of giant, aggressive spiders, thousands of species of venomous snakes, sharks, etc. Is the wildlife there really as bad as people make it sound? I am not naive and I understand each country has it stereotypes, but is the premise of this ghost story based in enough truth? My biggest fear is of spiders, eek!



What is the cost of living there like? I have heard Sydney is very expensive, so I am leaning more towards Melbourne.



Speaking of cities, what would be the best city for me to live in? I plan on being there for 2 or 3 years (maybe longer if I fall in love with it!). I like busy cities (meaning there's a lot to do) with a laid-back feel (the hustle and bustle of an NYC type city might stress me out too much). I enjoy diversity and despise the uneducated, "red-neck" attitude.



Now I know a big stereotype with Europe is that they do not like Americans (b/c of the American stereotype?), but how do Aussies feel about Americans? No ill blood there right? I don't want to feel like the odd-woman out all the time! :P



Also, I know it changes a lot, but what is the current conversion rate?



That's all I can think of at the moment. But if you can think of any other pertinent info please let me know. I have travelled within the U.S. and to the caribbean before and I guess I just want to make sure that if I did make the move I'd enjoy it, and be financially and socially sound after I did. It's exciting thinking about it, but I want to make sure I don't have a naive, too high of hopes about the whole thing.



I guess I just need to know what lifestyle changes I would need to make; all the major differences and adjustments, you know?



Thank you for your input!!



~SarahI am considering moving from the U.S. to Australia. What's it like to live there?
Sounds like you have thought it through long and hard. You should go for it and see how you like it! You will never know otherwise. I come from Scotland and live in Tasmania now but lived in northern NSW before that. Probably the biggest difference for you are cultural things. Although Australia is a multicultural society, it's heritage is British so there are many things which for me are similar but for an American would be different. (Sense of humour being one!) Having said that, goods and services are pretty similar and most things you can get in America you can also get here. The Aussie dollar is very strong right now against the US $ (about $0.92 today) so things will seem more expensive for you than they would have, say 2 years ago when it was as low as $0.64. One other thing I found was that certain things like internet access and mobile phone deals were more expensive here as the competition is way less than in the USA or UK where multiple companies are fighting for the business of millions. Here there is much less competition so costs are higher -a small price to pay to live in such a great place! Melbourne would be ideal for you I think - a lovely city with all you could need but feels not too big.



I think Aussies are very welcoming and friendly, laid back generally but of course like everywhere there are all types of people - you don;t sound like a 'stereotypical american'!
Sounds awesome! You should try putting this question in the travel: other-Australia section; you will get more answers! :DI am considering moving from the U.S. to Australia. What's it like to live there?
very warm, poisonous things, lots of shrimp throwing onto various barbys
I'm a native Californian, a state which is sinking into the Pacific under the weight of its own debt.



I'll take the Aussie outback any day over living in San Francisco.



If I were young as you, I'd give it a try.
you can't just move to australia they are very tight on immigration at the moment if you do not qualify by their points system you do not get in , you can qualify in the essential jobs category but that includes hairdressers and bricklayers of which there is apparently a shortage in australia
Ohh, im from Australia :) dont worry, were nothing like the stereotype of our country haha. weell, i reckon the best place is either Sydney or Melbourne. Sydneys greaat ! its got like heaps of cities and shops and stuff and the beaches are really nice :] And Melbourne is really good too! Its hugee haha. I also think that Adelaide is nice, its really pretty, and peaceful. :) but if your looking for like the main state, it would be Sydney. Also, if your looking for amusement parks then go to Queensland, the gold coast. :D And when you come here you'll proberly notice, that our accents are nothing like the stereotype! and that we dont ride kangaroos to school. lol. anyway, australias a beautiful place to be in :) hope you have fun !
couldnt be bothered reading it all but if i was you id move to NY, im from melbourne and i wanna go there, melbourne was like 3rd best place to live couple years ago, but now violence w/in cbd has risen greatly, become getting stabbed robbed and worse especially towards minorities. exchanges rates like 1 aus = .91



go on EX conversion



peace
Sarah you'll love Australia but make sure you get a jo because we're very serious on immigration now as Australia is very multicultural. The city you'll like best and is right for you is Melbourne, you'll love Melbourne as it's Australia's biggest city with five million people living there and it's very multicultural with different races all over the city, so you'll be surprised.

There are night clubs, museaum, theatres, restuarants and many other eventful and things that you'll like.

Now you won't have to worry about venomous snakes, spiders and shark is Melbourne, although there is an occasional spider sighting throughout the metropolitan area their little and you won't see snakes in Melbourne unless you go in the country or the outter suburbs during summer.

Sarah Melbourne sounds like the place for you, and there are beaches right near Melbourne so you can joy the beautiful south westerly winds during summer after a scorching day.

I bet you want to know Melbournes climate now, the city itself and the metropolitan area is unpredictable and weather can change in seconds in Melbourne from sunny to cloudy, to hot to cold so very unpredictable. You'll love summer where it's mostly sunny with an occasional thunderstorms but it gets humid at times and temperatures can pass 45C (113F) so be prepared to experience some scorching hot weather in summer but the beach is much more pleasant for 40C+ days where it's always cool in the water. Autumn is a pleasant month but it can get wild at times but it's mostly sunny with mild temperatures and it's a transition to winter and temperatures are not as bad as North America, it rarely snows in Melbourne, sometimes in the outter suburbs but temperatures are usually 11C (52F) but it's very windy in winter so it will feel colder than it actually is. Spring comes and it's pleasant this is when we see warmer weather and go into a transition between winter and summer.

Now like I said before all seasons can experience four seasons and it's all likely to be one day known as four season's in one day. Sarah be prepared for anything in Melbourne concerned with the weather.

So I hope you choose to pick Melbourne because you won't regret it, you will feel very welcomed and Melbournians love Americans plus this is a very multicultural city so you won't have any problems.
You get more money for your dollar.



You can't have long baths because we have a drought going on.



Don't live in Adelaide, we'll murder you in a fashion that will ENSURE you stay in the newspapers for many years.



We love Amercians. Really.
I don't know anything about Australia. But you sound like you have curved yourself in the right direction. You seem like a very high class educated woman. You are going to do big things.