Depending on where you're moving from, you might be in for a bit of a shock. Prices in Australia are wicked expensive, pretty much across the board. I spent most of my life in Canada, and five years in Japan, near Tokyo where the prices are high, and it took me four years to get used to how much things cost in Australia. The rationalization is generally 'it's a paradise tax'. Australians don't realize how pricey things are, but people who travel and can accept the costs write it off as the price of living in such a great country.
It is a pretty nice place, most things considered.
Now, actual prices:
I live about 30 minutes drive, 40 minutes train from the heart of Brisbane's CBD (central business district), towards Ipswich. Rent here is $250/week and up, but it's a very cheap area. Rent is, like everywhere else, rising steadily. Every time our lease is renewed we pay another $10-20/week. Prices are likely higher in other suburbs, perhaps others can confirm.
Bike prices are VERY steep. If it costs you about a grand each to ship your bikes, you're going to be well ahead of the game, assuming they can be ridden here. Talking to international Monster owners, my recent purchase of a 1994 M900 was about double what you'd expect to pay in the UK, and prices in North America seem to be much cheaper than here as well. You can see the new prices for Ducati bikes
on Ducati Brisbane's site.
Kitchen ware, food, cars, petrol, all very very expensive. Unless you're moving from the UK or Norway, in which case it's not so bad. Also, the quality here is low - you pay more and get a lot less for it, which makes it sting all the more.
Note to Australians: My dad's Australian, I have an Australian passport, and I chose to live here. I'm not slagging the place off, but you're getting screwed. Please keep the "if you don't like it, leave" to another thread, or PMs.
