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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

what is living in australia like

    living in sydney australia

    Living in Sydney (What It’s Like)

    by Nick & Raychel May 8, 2020
    In the past few years, we’ve been so lucky to live in different cities around the world like Toronto, Vancouver, Phnom Penh, the Okanagan and Sydney. Now, in a time of reflection, we are looking back on all these amazing places we’ve been so lucky to live. So alas, let’s talk about the pros & cons of living in Sydney.
     
    We moved to Sydney from Canada in 2018 on a Working Holiday Visa. Of course, everything in this article based on our opinions and experiences. We also believe it’s important to mention that we moved to Sydney after having lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a year, as we believe that impacted our perspective. 
     
    Prefer to watch, not read? Find our YouTube channel here.
     

    High quality of life in Australia

    As you probably know, Australia is a country where people generally live high quality lives. Living in Sydney (or Australia in general) typically means reaping the benefits of a developed country.
     
    The drinking water is clean, the education system is fantastic, and the medical system is amazing. It’s all around a lovely, safe, clean place to live.
     
    Depending on what your circumstance is, if you’re thinking about moving abroad for the first time, Australia is a great choice. It’s well set-up, it’s safe, it’s clean, its beautiful. Many expats settle in well, since it’s not a hard country to adjust to.
     

    It’s easy to find an apartment in Sydney

     
    Because there are a lot of expats there, we found it very easy to find an apartment (multiple apartments) while living in Sydney. 
     
    There’s no shortage of finding a place to live, whether you want to live by yourself, whether you want to live with roommates, a place by the beach or something more expensive, or less expensive. There’s tons of options because there’s so many expats in and out of the city.
     
    It’s a traveler’s paradise, so there are a lot of options for places that you can just pick up a lease and live there.
     
    We found Sydney to be a really inviting city in general. It wasn’t very hard at all to find an apartment. It’s not very hard to make other friends that are expats. We lived in a house actually at one point that had a whole bunch of different travellers in it – and the city is full of those types of arrangements.
     

    There is a wide variety of really good food

    Because of the rich diversity in Sydney, there is no shortage of great food from all over the world.
     
    Like many big cities, there are a lot of food options in general! Cheap food, expensive food, street eats, anything! Seriously. Anything you are craving, you will be able to find. 
     
    And when it comes to living in Sydney- that is a huge pro in our books.
     

    Sydney offers an amazing mix of city and nature

    You never really feel like you’re in a big stinky city while living in Sydney, because you are surrounded by so much nature! Beautiful beaches, hikes, and parks – Sydney really has you covered when it comes to getting your nature fix.
     
    Within Sydney alone, there are well over 100 beaches, and you are always a bus/train ride away from beautiful destinations like the Blue Mountains or Kangaroo Valley.
     

    A fantastic transit system

    Some locals may laugh at us. I know some of my colleagues sure did when I *constantly* commented on how efficient the transit system is within Sydney.
     
    The transport system consists of trains, buses, ferries and the light rail – and they all work together to get you around (and out of!) the city as efficiently as possible. 
     

    The jobs pay well & the market is great

    Like finding an apartment, we found job hunting in Sydney pretty easy to do. There were a few things we wished we knew before moving there, but once we got the hang of the job market, we had jobs within 48 hours. 
     
    The pay in Australia in comparison to (especially) Canada or the US is really high. The pay is really high. The minimum wage alone is very high, and we found that actually many entry-level positions pay higher than minimum wage.
     
    For example, in Ontario (Canada), the minimum wage is $14 and MANY employers pay $14 an hour, a lot. In Sydney, the minimum wage is $19.49, but many employers are willing to pay more than that – even in coffee shops, restaurants, and other service positions.Of course, you have to take in consideration the conversion rate, but we think it’s important to mention.
     
    The best part is that we found jobs in our field – with ease – and high pay. Not much gets better than that.
     

    We can’t deny that Sydney is expensive 

    All that said about the wages, they do match how expensive the city is. Especially if you’re planning on going out and having drinks at the bar or just doing recreational activities that typically cost money.
     
    Sydney is expensive. We can’t deny that. We do believe our wages matched how expensive the city was, however, and we never struggled with money while living in Australia.
     
    Most employers understand that you’re in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
     
    Hey, if that’s our only downside (and it’s not really a downside since the wages are so good), we can’t complain.
     
    Have you ever lived in Sydney? Let us know what you thought about it!
     

    What about the nitty gritty stuff about moving to Australia? Find our article here.

    or read here: the SURPRISING costs of moving to Australia & everything we did wrong 

     


     
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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

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ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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* Language Barriers: English is our first language, but we learn key phrases before visiting a new country, use language apps, and rely (pretty heavily lol) on Google Translate for help.

*Bank Accounts: Our primary bank account is in Canada, and we open accounts in other countries if we stay for more than 6 months. We use WISE for fund transfers.

*Safety Overseas: Yes, we feel safe by using common sense, learning local laws, and staying informed about local news.

*Budgeting and Saving: We work on the road, choose affordable accommodations, and keep travel costs low.

*Routine: We’re still figuring this out, ngl. 

*Belongings: Sold everything in 2017, traveled with just a backpack, upgraded to a van, downsized AGAINA and now have a $100/month storage locker (!!!) 

*Handling Change: Honestly? Online therapy and staying connected to friends help, but we’ve learned to embrace the constant change of our nomadic lifestyle.

Any questions about living on the road? 
Drop ‘em here.

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  • It’s official – we’ve quit our jobs once more as our journey takes us abroad again. Over the past 5 years, we’ve been travelling & working temp gigs along the way. 

With just 5 weeks until we touch down in New Zealand, we’ve checked off step 2 on our to-do list. Selling our trusty van, quitting our jobs, securing visas, booking flights, snagging travel insurance, updating resumes, job hunting, finding accommodation, packing our bags, and saying our goodbyes.

This marks our third move to a foreign land without ever setting foot there before. There’s no turning back now, but we’re ready for the adventure. 

So here’s to another wild ride.

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  • One of the biggest misconceptions about affordable travel is that it has to be uncomfyBUT there are ways to *actually* enjoy economy - so let’s chat about it. 

Here are our main tips for enjoying saving money on travel:
Follow @porterairlines and sign up to their email list (link in bio) to get first access to their biggest sale of the year so far.
Off season travel. Trust us. It doesn’t hurt the bank account and guess what - travelling in the off-season means shorter lines, more affordable accommodation and less crowds.
Add some spontaneity into your life & be flexible (if possible). 
Porter Airlines has had our backs as savvy travellers for YEARS and we absolutely love them for elevating economy air travel. 

If you haven’t had the chance to experience Porter’s Actually Enjoy Economy experience - Now is your chance.
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On long travel days, we love being together but we definitely don’t want to talk lmao. There is something amazing about being *with* your person, but not needing to say anything at all.

Anyone else?

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