moving to Port Vila (original) (raw)

Hi,

We're considering a move to Vila from Qld, Aust. with our family (2 adults, 3 kids) but are having a really hard time getting useful info about living in Vanuatu.
If any of you could answer some or all of these questions we'd be extremely grateful and we'll buy you a drink when we get there!

Cost of Living: What is an average rent for a 3 bedroom house? We've received one rental listing which has extremely expensive houses - on average in excess of 100,000vt a month - is this normal?

Are most houses rented furnished?

Is there a reasonable second-hand market in Vila for household goods, appliances and vehicles, boats etc? How does the price of second hand vehicles compare to the prices here in Aust.?

Electricity - what should we expect to pay to power a 3 bedroom house with family (eg. washing machine, TV, fridge, computer, lights etc)?

Water - who supplys it (a company contact email would be great), what would we expect to pay as above?

Can anyone supply a link to a detailed map of Vila - we need to know where the suburbs are, and can you give us any recommendations on which suburbs might suit our family? We would be working at USP and the kids would likely attend the international school.

Work visa's for wives/partners: my husband has secured a job at USP. What is the likelyhood of getting a work visa for myself? I work in admin roles here in Aust.

We are concerned that the cost of living in Vila is more than we can afford on one income. Are we paranoid, or is it really expensive (compared to Australia)??

Can't wait to hear from you.

Regards
tigertales74