does Austrialian minimum wage have the buying power it does in America?

Question

So Australian minimum wage is $15/hr.

Here in the US, you have to be a skilled worker to earn that, like an entry-level mechanic, medical assistant...

Anyway, $15/hr where I live can get you a 1 bedroom apartment, and you can pretty much raise a small family if you're really smart with your money.

if you're single, you can afford a car payment and have money to go out at night for $15/hr.

Can you do the same in Australia? A friend of mine went there, and she says the cost of living is very high.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The cost of living in Australia is very high! What we pay for a gallon of gas they pay for a liter. I have been to Perth 2 times, and Sydney 3 times.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Australia&country2=United+States&city1=Sydney&city2=Virginia+Beach%2C+VA
$18.50 us for a pack of cigarettes!

? · Answer

First off, minimum wage in Australia is not a clear cut 15/hr.  They also pay as little as 7$.  Dependent on age...and experience.

Also, cost of living IS  higher.  As are ALL the wages.  An Australian with my degree and similar job makes nearly 30K more than me a year.  A police officer (depending on locale, makes around 15 to 20K more a year than officers here, PLUS bonuses.  NO government employee in the USA gets bonuses.

So, sure, go ahead and raise the minimum wage....just make sure that everyone else's wages are raised as well so we can ALL be like Australia.  smh.

Pragmatism Please · Answer

The USD and the AUD are pretty much on par right now. It really depends on where in Australia you live, just like it does here in the States. More desirable areas cost more...

Where I live, a one bedroom apartment is around $1500/month--an amount that would be hard to pay on $15/hour. $1500 is cheap compared to Manhattan in New York City though. You can probably find rent at $200/month in the worst parts of our mid-West.

I would say $15/hour is a reasonable minimum wage for an adult working full time. I'm an employer and currently trainees are getting $12.50/hour and my qualified technicians earn 21.25/hour.

? · Answer

hahaha

look at some store web sites from down under and see what things cost and $15 per hr isnt that much

price steak, beer, cigarettes, gasoline and look at the price of a new full size pick up truck. you will think minimum wage in the US is pretty good after that

Anonymous · Answer

Cost of living is higher and the american dollar is worth more. I will bring up video games in australia since I have some australian gamer friends, the average price for video games in australia cost 100$. In america they cost 60$

MTR 2.0 · Answer

I have actually been to Australia and the cost of living on average is not significantly higher than it is here in the US.

Maybe she visited a city where the costs can be higher but of course the same is true here in the US.

EEEEEE!!!!! · Answer

PPP difference is about $8k bucks
http://www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=67

? · Answer

Australia is successful because everyone is one race there
there is no multiculturalism and no diversity

an enviable place to be indeed!

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does Austrialian minimum wage have the buying power it does in America?

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