look news india
For millions of Indian youth and professionals, settling abroad, earning huge salaries in foreign currency and living a luxurious lifestyle is like a golden dream. Along with Canada, America and Britain, Australia has also been among the top priorities of Indian expats for a long time. But behind the glamor of social media and reels, how difficult and stressful real life abroad can be has been revealed by an Indian woman who recently shifted to Australia. The woman has shared the ground reality of living in Australian cities, hidden expenses, rent crisis and deep mental loneliness through a detailed social media post and video, which is now going viral on the internet.
According to the Indian woman, while living in India, when people see Australia’s beautiful beaches, Sydney Harbour, Melbourne’s clean roads and open spaces on Instagram and YouTube, they feel that life there is no less than heaven. However, when a person comes to live there permanently (on PR or work visa), this romantic illusion is shattered within the first month. The woman said that people living a middle class or upper middle class lifestyle in India have to work day and night to meet even their basic needs in Australia.
The biggest problem that the woman mentioned in her experience is the historical ‘Rental Crisis’ going on in major cities of Australia (like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane). The woman said that finding a simple 1-BHK or 2-BHK apartment to live there is like winning a big battle. Hundreds of people stand in queues for inspection of each vacant flat. Landlords and real estate agents ask for huge deposits, several months’ advance rent and detailed bank balance details from applicants. Despite this, every week 500 to 800 Australian dollars (about Rs 28,000 to 45,000 per week) are spent just on rent. 40 to 50 percent of the earning is spent only on arranging the roof.
While sharing the calculation of cost of living there, the woman said that even though the salary may appear in lakhs in currency conversion, the expenses are also proportionately in dollars:
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Taxes and Deductions: Income tax slabs in Australia are quite high. 30 to 37 per cent of your hard-earned money goes to the government in the form of tax, superannuation and Medicare levy.
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Daily Ration and Grocery: Even purchasing basic vegetables, pulses and fruits from local supermarkets (such as Woolworths or Coles) is extremely expensive. Compared to India, daily food items are 4 to 5 times more expensive.
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Public Transport and Parking: Train and bus fares in Sydney or Melbourne are quite high, and if you buy a car, insurance, registration, toll tax and parking charges leave a hole in your pocket.
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Medical and Dental Care: Although there is a public health system (Medicare), there is a wait of months to see specialist doctors and the cost of dental and optical care is extremely expensive.
Even middle class families in India easily get daily household services like cook, maid, cleaner, driver or electrician at very affordable rates. The woman stressed that the ‘labor cost’ in Australia is the highest in the world. There, the visiting fee for calling a plumber or electrician to a house ranges from 150 to 200 dollars (more than Rs 10,000). Due to this, every person has to do all the household work – cooking, washing utensils, cleaning clothes, cleaning toilets and garbage disposal – all by himself after working for 8-9 hours in the office. Due to this, the level of physical fatigue and stress remains continuously high.
Apart from financial and physical struggles, the aspect on which the woman spoke most emotionally was ‘social isolation’. While in India there is a strong social network of neighbours, relatives and friends, festivals are vibrant and people are present to share joys and sorrows, in western countries everyone is trapped in their busy lives. According to the woman, after 6 pm the roads and markets there become completely deserted. Intercultural interaction with locals is not easy, and the feeling of loneliness even on weekends takes a toll on mental health.
This video of the woman has come out as an important wake-up call for all those youth, students and families who, under the influence of social media, decide to migrate abroad without adequate financial and mental preparation. After this video surfaced on social media, many other NRI expatriates have also expressed their agreement in the comment section and have acknowledged that settling abroad comes at a heavy human and psychological cost. Experts are of the opinion that before going abroad, do not just calculate the salary there, but also honestly evaluate the living cost, housing market, tax structure and your ability to deal with family loneliness.