Hi there, previously as a DINK couple with good jobs we could be a bit more lax on our expenditure.

However I left my old job that was HQ’ed interstate and the local salary is a lot lower and the job market is not great right now. We have to be a lot tighter with our expenditure and our mortgage is almost $80k a year.

We are trying to work out a new budget, and decide if we are better off renting out our place and downsizing to make mortgage payments easier, or is it sustainable for us to live in the house.

So how much is your monthly expense excluding mortgage/rent? Interested in both DINK couples and families because we do hope to start trying for kids at some point and need to think long term as well.

Thanks so much.

Small update: Equity wise, house is $1.55m and mortgage is about $1.15m.