So, meine Liebe, after watching Eurovision this past weekend (long-time fan of course, like most Aussies), is back on her “should we move to Germany?” dreaming.
I mostly endorse it.
I mean, there’s a lot to like about Australia, obviously, and having grown up here gives us both a measure of comfort and security. But she has dual citizenship with Germany, so the idea of moving comes up from time to time — usually when we’re stressed about the cost of living here with a mortgage and kids, as though somehow Berlin would be a utopia by comparison! (Well, in some ways it would.)
She’d find work pretty easily, as a German speaker and a very talented designer / product manager / team leader.
It should be reasonably easy for me, too, as Aussie automotive publishers are always keen on Europe-based correspondents that know the Australian market fluently (and that’s only about three people right now). I could also have a crack at a YouTube channel, driving all the new cars that are headed for Australia and/or should be sold in Australia.
So, yeah, it’s tempting.
I guess Berlin would be our preference, so we’d have a strong international and ex-pat Aussie community to lean on, but I’m also mindful the cost of living in Berlin has gone up a fair bit over the years.
I’m also mindful that owning a home there is unusual, with most having decades-long rental leases instead. That’s fine, but Australia is very much a “buy a home or die, in fact buy multiple homes or retire poor” culture, so I’d need to get my head out of that mindset.
I also love the idea of cycling everywhere, like I did when we lived in inner Melbourne before we had kids. (Can’t possibly afford to buy in those areas, and renting just isn’t a secure or sensible thing in Australia.)
And of course, living in Europe makes it much cheaper to travel to all the places we’d like to see in the general region, without having to fly all the way from Australia every time.
I’m told electricity is much more expensive, but groceries are much cheaper, and of course tertiary schooling is cheaper / free as well, so that’s compelling for our kids.
It’s a bloody big decision, either way! It’s not the first time we’ve talked about it, either, so who knows if it’ll go anywhere this time. But if we keep coming back to the topic, maybe that’s a sign..?
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