Assanah

Well, I would say that it might be better for comparison not to convert GBP into NZD. Instead take the average salary in the UK and NZ and calculate what percentage of your income you have to use for food in both countries.
With your calculation wait a few months and maybe the NZD is even higher and suddenly everything is cheaper in NZ.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...m&city2=London
As you will see nearly everything is more expensive in London, however Londoners can still afford a little bit more than Aucklanders because they earn more. And after all they life in London, a world city, not sleepy Auckland. That is what bugs me most about the prices in Auckland. This city is just simply not comparable to New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo or Beijing. It just doesn't offer what other big cities offer.

If this website is correct than have a look here:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...untry2=Germany

Then you will know what Germans in NZ moan about. Standard of living is substantially lower in NZ than in Germany because 1€ earned in Germany buys you a lot more than 1$ earned in NZ. THAT is what people moan about after they moved here. That is what hits you so hard. You simply can afford a lot less in NZ while still working long hours. In the end you gained nothing (that is of course only true in average, for individuals the outcome can be completely different).

For us coming from Berlin things are even worse. Berlin is a poor city (German standard of course and everything is cheap):
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...d&city2=Berlin

Now, I life in boring Auckland and pay a fortune for a garden shed without insulation and heating, for food, for entertainment....ok, I stop here and just plan my exit from NZ because really the sun and the beaches are simply not doing it for me. I want long nights out with friends, uninhibited exchange of ideas, grand theater and concerts, travel, meeting new people that are actually interested and interesting, seeing my family and, yes, a good, well paid career.

waikatoguy

This is the thing. The average UK salary and the average NZ salary (for those in work) are virtually identical as far as I can tell through google. I don't think you should assume that because you are working more hours and are receiving a lower salary that this is the same for everyone. ie - it is like this for me therefore it is the gospel. And I fail to see what relevance Germany has with a comparison between NZ and UK grocery prices. It wasn't really intended as a thread to discuss which country is better than another. I'm sorry that NZ hasn't met your expectations, but please save that for another thread.

Catchafire

Considering €1 is worth approx $1.50, I can not argue with that. I am sure the €1 shops must put our $1 shops to shame.

Assanah

Hahaha, issue a gag order. That is so....

Expat Kiwi

Assanah I agree with you about the gag order. Let's go there and find out why.

I just checked the median gross weekly wages for both countries from the official government web pages.

April 2011 Median weekly earnings UK - £501 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/a...etin-2011.html

June 2011 Median weekly income NZ $800 http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_...PJun11qtr.aspx

Exchange rate on xe.com this morning was 501.00 GBP= 989.249 NZD

Those are gross incomes, bear in mind that in the UK there is a personal tax allowance of £8,105 similar to the $16,000 (£10,412.53) tax free threshold here in Australia and New Zealand doesn't have one of them.

If you're a low income family you'll probably find it harder in NZ than in either of the other 2 counties.

BEVS

Here are the posts which wish to compare income v expenditure %'s across several countries. As this is a much wider topic that a simple grocery list, they have been moved here where the subject can be discussed further.

People are then also free to adjust and add to the grocery list thread without it being clogged by the above said discussion.

Cheers.

waikatoguy

My bad. Thanks. I think I mixed up median and average somewhere along the line. I didn't really delve into it enough I guess. Listen, I'm not here to try and get people over here in some sort of statistics swindle, so don't try and insinuate stuff along those lines. It makes no real difference to me. I may have 20 or so healthy years left on earth, and I happen to love my life here in NZ and I happen to believe NZ is a pretty good little country with good people. But that's just my opinion, and I may have expressed it a few times. I don't believe I'm some sort of ogre or something and I don't believe I've said anything I'm not proud of.

Tax rates of the 2 countries are as follows. Not sure if they have changed over the last 12 months or so :

NZ
10.5 cents in every dollar for income up to $14,000
17.5 cents in every dollar for income from $14,001 to $48,000
30 cents in every dollar for income from $48,001 to $70,000
33 cents in every dollar for income of $70,001 or above.
(Thats without ACC levy)

UK
Rate 2011-12
Starting rate for savings: 10%*£0-£2,440
Basic rate: 20% £0-£35,000
Higher rate: 40% £35,001-£150,000
Additional rate: 50% Over £150,000

Grayling

You seem to have forgotten to mention that, in the UK, the first 8105 pounds of an individual's income is tax free

waikatoguy

Ok, this is where I got it from I think :

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average gross salary for full-time employees was £26,200 in 2011, an increase of 1.4pc from 2010.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...inflation.html

But in fact, when you click on the link in the story (which I obviously failed to do, the 26200 is median not average. So blame the daily telegraph.

And I read that the average NZ salary was about the same, but there's a difference between average and median.

waikatoguy

Yes, but I think someone on 30,000 pounds UK, still pays more tax than someone on $60,000 NZ. At least that's what happened when I tried those online income tax calculator things in the two countries (of course, unless I made a mistake, which going by this thread is a possibility).

According to this site http://www.pru.co.uk/guides_tools/calcs/income_tax/
someone in the UK earning 30,000 pounds pays 7066 pounds tax with a net salary of 22934 pounds ($NZ45,858)

According to this site http://money.msn.co.nz/income-tax-calculator/
someone in NZ on $60,000 pays $12,850 in tax with a net salary of $NZ47,150

and by all accounts that tax advantage increases as your salary increases.

Expat Kiwi

Yes little incidentals like tax free allowances tend to get forgotten about by some.

I could say something about people manipulating statistics and swindles but I'll be the better 'man' here and bite my tongue, again.

On the subject of savings and interest rates. Doesn't the UK also have nice tax efficient vehicles for savings, things like ISAs?

Last time I looked you could tuck away fixed rate bonds and cash into an ISA and it would be free from income and capital gains taxes. The total limit is about £11k. Not much but every little helps!

Expat Kiwi

OK You can if that makes you feel better.

That's why I always go straight to the source for my information, you can't take everything the papers say as gospel. Any Daily Mail reader will tell you that

ExKiwilass

This is a good point.

There is a lot more to living standards than the price of a grocery shop.

Expat Kiwi

Especially for families.

For instance:- the cost of school uniforms, books and stationery, visits to the GP and dentist, braces, extra-curricular activities, phone plans (yes for kids, even in NZ) school trips, school 'donations', birthdays and birthday parties, school transport etc. it all adds up very quickly.

But the major cost for most of us is either the mortgage or the rent. That's when things start to get sticky.

BEVS

It's tax ! It'll do your head in.

UK taxation on £30K GBP - $60K NZD (exchange rate dependant)

The first £8105 is income tax free. = $16210 has no income tax to pay.

The remaining £21895.00 = $43.790.00 is PAYE at the rate of 20%
(PAYE - pay as you earn )

Income tax taken against total salary of £30,000 is £ 4379.00 = $8758

All the above does depend on your UK tax code.
Further there is a NI deduction also.

NZ income tax on a wage of $60 NZD.
Can't get the calculator to work right now but I believe it to be $11K
There is ACC on top of this.