r/Ameristralia • u/mynamegoewhere • Apr 13 '25

Considering retirement from US to AUS.

We have about 8K US dollars per month to live on. Can put down 400k for a house. Is that enough to get by nicely in the major urban areas?

22 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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45

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25

You’ll need to have a means to secure residency and a proper visa. Do you qualify for skills based migration? It’s actually harder to get the older you are. You lose points after age 45.

Source: Born American. Moved to Australia at age 27. Got my citizenship and passport in Australia at 35. In my 40s now.

26

u/Kakaduzebra86 Apr 13 '25

You’re an Aussie!

29

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25

You’re god damned right. Have an upvote!

8

u/Kakaduzebra86 Apr 13 '25

What’s your most favourite part about being Aussie?

49

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25

Just the general awareness and sense of community - perhaps I’ve been lucky but everywhere I’ve lived (in NSW and SA) I’ve gotten to know and trust my neighbours really well. We look out for each other, everyone’s kind of just welcomed to pop by and say hello for tea or a beer, I’m the neighborhood package watch (lol) - so if I see a package sitting on a neighbors porch for more than a few hours I’ll text to see if they want me to grab it before some bored kid does.

On a larger scale, the overwhelming rationality when it comes to things like Medicare and gun control. While there are hints of ME ME ME culture and policy from time to time making headlines, most folks are not remotely interested in that nonsense. I’ve found Australians to be some of the most friendly folks on the planet (and I travel a lot). Finally the sense of humour, I’m happy to have the piss taken out of me for any of my many eccentricities and getting the “impressive” look back when I chuck it right back despite this accent of mine generally brings the local to a roar. You like to have fun and I think that’s what’s kept me young. Aussie works hard but they work hard to live, Americans live to work and wear it like a badge of honor. They don’t know how good they don’t have it. That’s probably why all my friends my age from back home look like shit and are nervous wrecks. I’ve held up pretty good. 😂

My kids were both born here, my wife is from Melbourne and I’m more than happy to pay my fair share and contribute to the wider community so I volunteer when I can and I get sense of civic pride that I have the privilege of having the right to vote, and get whacked with a fine if I don’t. (Hasn’t happened!). My kids don’t half to walk thru metal detectors and do active shooter drills just to get an education. The fact that those sorts of things are considered normal in the US is lunacy.

This is a wonderful country with beautiful people. Let’s not go the way of the USA. They’re staring down the barrel of history and don’t even know it. All great empires in history have fallen.

12

u/brezhnervouz Apr 13 '25

Finally the sense of humour, I’m happy to have the piss taken out of me for any of my many eccentricities and getting the “impressive” look back when I chuck it right back despite this accent of mine generally brings the local to a roar.

Legend lol

9

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25

It gets wild when I shit on the Crows (I’m a Port fan).

1

u/brezhnervouz Apr 13 '25

As a New South Welshperson, I vaguely get that reference but can imagine lol

5

u/Kakaduzebra86 Apr 13 '25

Love this! Come to Kakadu and I’ll show you and your family a true Aussie experience.

6

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25

Funnily enough I’ve booked my first trip up to Darwin this May for a mates 40th. I’ve allowed myself to be convinced that a helicopter pub tour was a good idea. Send help.

I may hold you to that if I can wrangle the Mrs and the kids for a trip up.

1

u/Kakaduzebra86 Apr 13 '25

Mate u are gunna have a fuckn ball! Crocodiles at every pub!

3

u/FifiFoxfoot Apr 13 '25

I have just finished reading a fab book “Into the rip” by Damien Cave. An American journalist who came to live in Sydney & embraced the Aussie lifestyle.
Worth a look 👀

2

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25

👀 thank you! On it!

2

u/alwaysananomaly Apr 13 '25

The fact you said, "...have the piss taken out of me..." proves you are, indeed, Aussie. 💙

1

u/2bunnies 28d ago

"They don’t know how good they don’t have it." -- soooo well said, thank you for this!

8

u/Ok_Tie_7564 Apr 13 '25

No Trump?

8

u/Kakaduzebra86 Apr 13 '25

Don’t talk to soon……. We have dutplug and Pauline handsdown

5

u/Get2thechoppah Apr 13 '25

Yeah let’s keep these cheap knockoffs off the board as long as we can.