Is Melbourne really that much cheaper to live than Sydney?

Moving to Sydney from Melbourne and don't know where to live?

• Help! Genuine answers only please: We are moving to Sydney from Melbourne and have two children, where is a good place to live? We currently live in Sandringham which is close to the beach, good parks and great schools. It seems that Sydney is expensive in comparison. Please let us know a good place to start. My husband's office is in Guildford, so we think 1 hour travel by car is probably the most he wants to spend in the car each way. Thanks,

• Answer:

  There is nowhere anywhere near the beach within 1 hour of Guildford. A very nice family area with great schools within a reasonable commute from Guidlford is the West Pennant Hills area including Cherrybrook, Epping, Beecroft, Castle Hill and Cheltenham. The train takes about 50 minutes to Guildford from Epping station, I'm not quite sure how long the peak hour drive would be but it's probably about the same. Nearby Baulkham Hills, Northmead and Carlingford are closer to Guildford and a little cheaper, but not quite so nice. They're good options though if finances are tight. Btw Guildford is not a particularly nice area of Sydney. I recommend staying north of Parramatta and east of Blacktown.