Originally Posted by
Kenny
Nope...I paid around $440 a month for healthcare insurance in Australia. My wife and I were planning to start a family, so we had the family plan. Here, I do pay about $100 more a month but it includes everything, including 2 pairs of glasses a year. I have progressives so that's around $1000 a pop I don't have to pay.
You say that Australians pay "slightly" more taxes and that we get more for those taxes. Exactly how would you know? Have you actually lived in the US? All I can tell is that my wife and I paid AU$475000 on taxes and rent in the 5 years we lived in Sydney. I tell that to guys I work with who are earning $220k-$350k a year here and they're speechless. As I said, I pay 60% less tax on the same amount. That's more than slightly less to me.
The leave thing depends on who you work for. Contractually, I now get 14 days after 2 years BUT I can turn that into 4 weeks just by tweaking how I bid for my roster.
Look, i understand the quality of life you can have in Australia but it is becoming increasingly more expensive and unaffordable. If you have a family and one income, you'll eventually have to move to the boonies to afford living in NSW.
Well put and balanced. Those who have never ventured beyond the fish bowl don't understand.