Kevin

Telephone is more expensive, Internet is more expensive and piss poor service/speed, Flights are more expensive, white goods are more expensive, books are more expensive... if available, depending on what you are looking for...

Kevin

...Replacement “parts” for cars, motorcycles, washing machines, cookers… most everything, more expensive.

Kevin

If you don’t mind a low budget (cold/damp/leaky) home, don’t mind what you eat and are not to concerned about “nice” things, then you may find it cheaper to live here. I’m not trying to argue for the sake of it, or to pull NZ down, but the fact is, to maintain a good standard of living here is dam expensive.

Genesis

Again the caveat comes out...do your sums. NZ is not a cheap place to live. Houses in NZ in relation to wages make it one of the most expensive places on earth to buy a house. Cars are silly money. For example most cars in the UK are about 40% cheaper. I recently got the equivalent of 10k GBP for Kates Audi...in the UK its only 6k GBP. I want to buy a Hinda S2000. Over here I have to pay about 10k GBP for a 2000ish. In the UK the same money will buy you a 2006 with an expensive hard top. Paint is silly money too. The only things that I found cheaper here are fish and chips, rates and car insurance.

Having said all that I could not afford the type of house and neighbourhood I have here in Palmy in the UK. That is one of the paradoxes. However if I had to service a mortgage on this place the sums would not stack up.

Emigration and no money are not good. However Catchafire came here with 2 backpacks and $500 and is doing very, very well. Another exception to the rule. Alas for everyone of those stories there are manifold where its gone the other way.

Genesis

We have no debt, pay for trips abroad out of a separate fund and we don't do 'flash' things but we manage to plough our way thru about $70k (arvo taxes) every year just the 5 of us. I shop carefully but to no budget (ie I buy reduced stuff ALL the time) and we are careful with lights, heating etc yet it all goes. The kids are at regular school so no private fees and most scarily we don't have rent or mortgage to pay..but every penny goes. And just two cheap cars. No boats, motorbike or stuff like that. Our avergage credit card bill per month is circa $3000-$4000. Paid off every month...so no interest.

I do admit we have a good statndard of living but nothing special. Just goes to show what you get through eh?

Kevin

Good example with the “paint” Genesis…. WTF is it with that huh? If you are renovating a house/building here, be prepared to be shocked if you have done the same in the UK. I could write a list, but just a few good general examples being… electrical cable and general electrical “stuff” … price is shocking. Plumbing “stuff”… your heart will sink when you see the prices! Tiles and tile adhesive… (can’t think of a funny to go with that), but bloody expensive. Paints/stains/fence stains/varnish etc…. all bloody expensive! Carpet… expensive, curtains/fabrics expensive.

To be honest, the few folk who find it cheaper to live here than the UK, well I’m not calling anyone a liar, but I just wonder how that actually works for them? Maybe they have different living standards/expectations or perhaps there is another element to this that I don’t see.

I do take exception to the folk who keep saying a dollar here will buy what a pound does in the UK…. Even with the failing UK economy, that isn’t the case at all. People shouldn’t offer that kind of falsehood, it is misleading to say the least. I’m not trying to put anyone off of coming here, but they need to know what they are coming to

Debbie2NZ

Yeah, I agree with all your postings Edt. NZ is ok, but like you, I have my doubts.

fayemd

Totally agree with you Kevin me and hubby have house up for sale and are heading back to UK as soon as its sold.

Been here 7 years and its been nothing but a struggle trying to bring up kids.My husband works in the construction industry and he feels like he's back in the playground somedays.

Yes parts of NZ are beautiful and there is some great stuff to do here but you just can't afford to do them on a NZ salary.

UKNZAUS

WOW there are a few people packing up, or planning on packing up! Once upon a time, I was only one of a select few who had my doubts about NZ.

I hate having to go to bed with a hot water bottle so that I don't die of hypothermia in the night. I hate having to blast the heatpump in the mornings so that my kids can get dressed underneath it. I hate the miserable grey days where I know that my house won't warm up at all and I contemplate sitting outside to study because it's warmer there.

That said I am not, personally, moving back to the UK as I have the 'bug' now and after a visit back there, I didn't like what I saw. We earn more out here than we ever did in the UK, and that's only 1 wage until I graduate in November, but it's still not enough to keep me here.

Genesis

[QUOTE=Kevin;
I do take exception to the folk who keep saying a dollar here will buy what a pound does in the UK…. Even with the failing UK economy, that isn’t the case at all. People shouldn’t offer that kind of falsehood, it is misleading to say the least. I’m not trying to put anyone off of coming here, but they need to know what they are coming to[/QUOTE]

Hmm, I think the comment about a 'kiwi buys you the same as a quid' is not possible in my eyes..except for car ins, petrol and rates. I was going on about how good UK supermarkets are today, how all the crap has gone from the ingredients of late and how bloody expensive shopping is over here. Fortunately due to my advanced years and Kate's Dad's generosity we are financially comfortable thus we can wear much of the fiscal shite wrought upon us. Add to that Kate's well above average salary and we are able to afford life here. Our kids are well happy and Kate loves her job.

If any of the three/four latter things were not in place I am not sure what we would do. A return to the UK would not be an option, even as a nurse Kate would find it hard to get work and there is no way she could get the role there that she has here. So I guess we would be off to Oz. What with the overcrowding in the UK and its overly parlous fiscal state I doubt the UK will ever be a permanent return option, unless we chose to work no longer...not sure that will be an option for a while either!!

sandra arnott

I agree with everyone ,i have good job working for cyfs and hubby works for himself as a bricklayer i have grown up kids so no expense there,and we still struggle to make ends meet,and trying to get payed for work hubby does is a joke,wish i had the guts to piss off to oz but im to scared at my age would not get work.

Kevin

A Brickie huh!... how’s he like the sand here? I’ve put down a few bricks in my time, but wow, the sand (where we are) takes some getting used to!... and what about cement mixers?? I gave mine away before coming over, god-dam wish I hadn’t! The cost of a good (UK) one here is horrendous. Then trestles… they don’t even know what brickies trestles are here!. I’ve even thought of importing them as a sideline!....... and scaffolding, it’s a joke!.......... ask ya hubby, go on ask him!

Woodlea

I take your point Black Sheep and I should have included the WFF tax credit which did help

It's swings and roundabouts, but like I said it depends where you are and what you're comparing it to, my experience of the UK is the NE of Scotland which is a lot more expensive to live than in England. Perhaps I should have make it clearer what I was comparing, but it is a fair comparison of that area to this area.
If I lived in Auckland and came from the Midlands then I probably wouldn't have made that comparison.

DC10

Bottom line is that on a modest salary of $50k / £25k (for argument's sake) you will pay an average of about 15% income tax in NZ compared to about 25% tax & "NI" (N-Lie) in the UK. For families, assuming the above about tax credits is correct, then the picture looks hugely better in NZ.

You could buy a lot of paint and electrical wire with that difference.

Bo-Jangles

The the single biggest outlay most of us have is the mortgage and surprise, surprise, its way more expensive too.

Seems most people get by relying on credit to fund the larger purchases and especially the big boys toys. No worries, she'll be right mate, if the new 3D TV is on 500 months never, never; they're pinning all hopes on Lotto tickets and 'Big Wednesday' as the exit strategy.