Your rates are comparable to most of the rest of Europe MalSannie.
The size of house too is another matter. Note this is for new homes only.
This article from Aug 2011 paints a picture...
http://www.couriermail.com.au/life/home ... 6119251532
The average floor area of new homes built in the nine months to March, including houses and apartments, was 214.1sq m, data commissioned from the Australian Bureau of Statistics by CommSec showed.
Despite that, more smaller apartments have been built during the past two years, a trend likely to continue as Generation Y starts to buy more real estate.
"They have a preference for smaller apartments close to the CBD. It is very different to their parents and grandparents who were looking for a quarter-acre block of land," CommSec chief economist Craig James said.
"Generation Y does not want the huge house to look after. They are more inclined to maximise lifestyle."
Australian houses, though, are now about 10 per cent bigger than in the US and 9 per cent bigger than New Zealand.
The UK has the "cosiest" castles in Europe, with an average floor area of just 76sq m, according to figures from the UK Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.
Home size has risen steadily in Australia in the past 25 years, with the 1985 average floor space around 150sq m.
Queensland residences were the third largest in the country, behind NSW and Victoria, with an average house size of 250.6sq m and an average apartment size of 137.4sq m. Tasmania has the smallest average homes in the country.
Mr James said it appeared the average house size had now peaked and was likely to plateau in the future, with rising energy prices making smaller dwellings more appealing.
Average house floor area in Australia (in sq m)
1. NSW 269.7
2. Queensland 250.6
3. Victoria 246.9
4. Western Australia 244.9
5. South Australia 185.4
6. Tasmania 188.7
7. Northern Territory 263.5
8. ACT 212.8
Australia 243.6
I'd like to see a comparison between new homes in these countries and also the block size these houses are built on.
Getting back on topic, I think anyone building a new house should seriously look at installing a decent size water tank, more than adequate insulation and solar panels given the way energy prices are going.
Stewie