I currently live in Texas and many of the homes around here that go for 150k are nearly 100k more in Australia, they seem ridiculously expensive! However I know that minimum wage here is around 13$, since this is much higher than US minimum wage are other jobs "proportionately scaled" as well? IE Pharmacy tech job in the states might be 13$ an hour in Australia perhaps 20$/ hour.

Does pay "scale as such"?

And

What are some general areas you guys might recommend for new home buyers?

I am making a guess, but I think for tech related jobs you could make more money in the US. The US has a bigger market and seems to spend more money on research and development.

Anything mining or property related you could do better in Australia.

As to why housing prices are so high, I wish I knew, but I suppose it is basic supply and demand. There is pretty much no cheap housing available in Australia like what I have seen in the US. Even the so called bad areas have been gentrified and command high prices. Moving further out in the suburbs of any capital you will get cheaper housing, but in some ways less quality of life if you are into going out to bars and nice restaurants. Also if you work in the city you will have to be prepared for longer commutes.

As to which areas to buy into, I think first you need decide whether you want to live in the city/country/coastal areas. Even some country and coastal towns are experiencing a boom with city people looking for a sea change. Of course it also depends on your employment situation. If you could give us at least these details perhaps we can suggest specific areas for your needs.

Thanks Mike!

I am still in College unfortunately (senior year), I just really really want to move to Australia. But when im done ill have a BS in Geography with a certificate in GIS (geographic information systems), like the other user that I saw post on the education forums if that helps anyone. When I was looking at the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) I could not find it on the listing, perhaps I was looking under the wrong section. I dont think that can be correct though, GIS is one of the hottest new job markets perhaps its classified under a broader field ie a hydrologist would be classified under geophysicist in the SOL. Maybe I missed GIS in the SOL or perhaps it is listed under a broader category.

EDIT: Also the GIS position that I would qualify for would be GIS analyst, if that helps anyone

Many thanks guys!

On the housing cost I've seen statistical information in past that says ratio of (average) house price in Australia to annual salary has been about 6:1 (possibly blown out in recent years) whereas US/Canada has it at about 3:1 .

It would be interesting to find some trend graphs for both countries to see if there were indicators for it but as Mike says it is ultimately market forces and there are a lot of different factors in that, ie. housing investors because of government negative gearing taxation policies, as one earlier thread asked, are women in the workforce to blame! - more household income creating demand for bigger/better homes, more singles?, an ageing population creating less builders perhaps?, but then you would also expect that an ageing population could have less of a demand, but then again if population increases which it does that is one way singles could rise amd just a lower ratio of fit builders.

But have a look back at about half a dozen threads or so that touch on various housing topics and the affordability, and there's a few different thoughts there.
End of day, that's what we have and we have to live it best we can.

On your Geography and GIS, it could pay to look at your market in the US as to what are or where are graduates with a GIS certificate being employed (as).
My connotation of it just on thoughts is that geography information could be applied to land use management or planning decisions by governments and major real estate developers, perhaps also farming conglomerates etc. to address things like "not building on flood plains" , where to site dams for water catchments , and making most productive use of arable land.

If that is not the case, ignore it but essentially you need to look at what the US hot market is doing and assess what may be happening here in Australia that is similar and how is it being done and by whom.

Would I be able to pick up the skilled workers points with just a college degree/ certificate in hand? Or would I probably need to do some work in the GIS career field for a little bit to qualify for that.

You can do a self assess here - Skilled – Independent (Migrant) visa (subclass 175) and there's a similar table for if going for state/territory/family sponsorship.

Having one years experience in past two is a mandatory no points requirement though if your occupation is on the MODL points become applicable.
If you have three of last four years experience then you are eligible for points.

I know you are keen to move to Australia, but I would suggest trying to get some work experience in the US before you move, otherwise you might find it difficult to land a job in Australia. The US is more advanced in various technical fields than Australia, so that experience would enhance your employability when you make the move. I am just guessing, but perhaps your education could be applied to the mining industry. The mining industry in Australia is experiencing a boom and needs people with all kinds of different skills. However, you would then have to be prepared to live in isolated areas, which might not be what you are looking for.