How much money do you need saved to move to Australia?

You need more than $500,000 in assets and an income of $65,000 which must be qualify to move to Australia.

What are the requirements to move to Australia?

When you apply, you must be under 45 age and score 65 points which must be on the list of eligible occupations. Later on after three years of living on the skilled work regional visa then you can apply for the permanent residential visa.

What is the easiest way to migrate?

There are several ways to migrate to Australia such as: Employer-sponsored visa, Skilled visa, Student visa, Family visa and many more.

Is it worth moving to Australia?

Australia is the second best country to live for the better life. The benefits of moving to Australia are good healthcare, great education system, standard quality of living and many more.

How Much Does It Cost To Move To Australia

Published by Chris Townsend

With its lush rainforests, exceptional work-life balance, and great weather, the land down under is an appealing place to live for anyone bold enough to relocate to a different hemisphere. However, before you can enjoy the sparkling blue seas, golden beaches, and rich greenery, you need to deal with all the logistics.

Among those considering shifting to Australia, one of the most common questions is, “How much does it cost to move to Australia?” it is a very valid question. We understand the desire to know exactly how much money you should spend to migrate to Australia.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to give exact numbers, as there are so many factors involved. However, we will do our best to provide estimates. Continue reading to obtain a better idea of what it takes to move to Australia, and what it’ll cost.

What Does It Cost To Move To Australia

As much as we’d love to provide you with exact numbers for what your move to Australia will cost you, we can’t do this without knowing your situation. Though, we can take a look at some of the key costs involved:

Visa fees and visa-related expenses
Costs of shipping your goods internationally to Australia
Costs of travelling

To understand the average overall cost of moving to Australia, let's examine these costs in further detail.

Visa Fees

There are numerous visas that you can apply for when moving to Australia, each with its applicable fees. The visas are separated into categories: visit, study, work, live, other, and repealed or closed visas. Prices range from as low as $485 for a work and holiday visa or $620 for a student visa to as much as $7,715 for a partner visa or $4,045 for a permanent residence visa. These numbers are all in Australian dollars.

Head to the Australian Department of Home Affair’s website to find the specific visa that you’re looking for.

Additional Visa Related Expenses

In addition to the visa application fees, there are a number of other visa-related expenses that you should budget appropriately for. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Medical examination

Depending on which visa you’re applying for, where you’re coming from, and how long you plan to be in Australia, you’ll need to get either a full medical exam or just a chest x-ray. In most cases, these will not be covered by your health insurance, and you’ll be expected to pay out of pocket.

Police clearance certificate

The fees for a Police Clearance Certificate will depend on what country and/or state you are receiving the clearance from. In some cases, you may also need to pay for fingerprinting. Those coming from the United States will be required to get a police clearance for every state in which they have lived for the past 12 months.

Fees for a criminal history record vary based on state but typically cost an average of $30 per person. However, fingerprinting and notary seals are additional expenses. In addition to a police clearance certificate, you might also have to get an FBI clearance. To have an identity history summary check performed by the FBI, you will need to be fingerprinted.

Cost of Shipping Goods to Australia

For starters, the best way to know exactly how much it will cost to have your household goods shipped to Australia is to obtain an estimate from a reputable international mover. For the most accurate estimate, you want the moving company to come to your home for an in-home estimate. In this case, they will inventory everything that needs to be shipped and devise a realistic estimate.

It’s also important that you collect a minimum of three different quotes. That way, you can effectively compare each company’s experience and how they operate and try to get the best deal possible. It has very strict regulations regarding quarantine, which you must be aware of. This makes it crucial to choose an international moving company experienced with shipping goods to Australia.

When it comes to the cost of shipping your goods to Australia, there are some important terms and factors you should know:

Full Container Load (FCL) vs. Less than Container Load (LCL): FCL means that you are taking up the entirety of the container, whereas, LCL is when you share the container with someone else who is also shipping their belongings. The benefit of Less than Container Load is that you also share the cost. Though, you may have to wait until the shipping company can fill the rest of the container before they ship your stuff.
Shipping Container Sizes: The two standard shipping container sizes are 20-foot and 40-foot. A 20-foot container can generally hold the contents of a three-bedroom house, while a 40-foot container can ship a three-bedroom house and a car or a five-bedroom house.
Door-to-door shipping vs Port-to-port shipping means that the company you hire packs the container for you at your home, transports it to the port where it is shipped to Australia, and then unloads everything at your new home. On the other hand, port-to-port means you’re responsible for getting your items to the port in your origin country and then retrieving them from the port when they arrive in Australia.

Considering these factors, we’ve put together a table of estimated costs for shipping goods to Australia from the United States.

Origin Location	Destination Location	20-ft Container Cost	Trip Duration
New York City, NY	Melbourne, Australia	$2,940	5 to 6 weeks
New York City, NY	Sydney, Australia	$3,000	5 to 6 weeks
New York City, NY	Adelaide, Australia	$2,970	5 to 6 weeks
Los Angeles, CA	Melbourne, Australia	$1,160	3 to 4 weeks
Los Angeles, CA	Sydney, Australia	$1,180	3 to 4 weeks
Los Angeles, CA	Adelaide, Australia	$1,170	3 to 4 weeks

Note: Keep in mind that these estimates do not include any add-ons, such as professional packing and unpacking, door-to-door service, and insurance coverage. So, expect the quotes that you receive from moving companies to be quite a bit higher.

How Much Does It Cost To Immigrate?

Once you figure out how you’re going to get all your stuff, you must have a plan for how you and your family are going to get there. Of course, you want to start shopping around for flights as early as possible to get the best prices. If you’re not already aware, flying to Australia is pretty expensive, and one-way tickets are often just as expensive as a round trip.

If you book at the right time – meaning at least two weeks before departure and avoiding high season – you could get one-way tickets for as little as:

Los Angeles to Australia: $670
New York to Australia: $878
Chicago to Australia: $806

If you have some flexibility with your move, August is the cheapest month to fly to Australia. Whereas, January, November, and December are the most expensive.
For more information about preparing for and planning your move to Australia and to receive your free, no-obligation estimate, contact Three Movers today!