gossage

Hi Sarah

The $777 includes family assistance that I would get as I am a resident. I wouldnt really want to take in a lodger with having a small child. It is so annoying that I can afford to live better in the UK than in NZ. I am a research scientist and will have to take a 12K pay cut in NZ yet the cost of living is about the same as the UK. The maths just dont add up!!

Are you living in NZ at the moment? If so what are the utilities like cost wise?

P2L

Not yet.

On the way in the next couple of weeks just got PR on Monday

Where abouts are you looking at settling? Plenty of people on here can offer advice about the best deals for utilities etc.

Chin up I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it'll work out

Sarah

The Weezer

This is from today's paper. It doesn't really give an idea how much income you will need to pay for your needs, but it does bring up the fact of how hard it is to save money on a NZ wage:

http://stuff.co.nz/4003349a11.html

lapsed kiwi

At a guess, I'd say around $150 pw groceries, $150 per month utilities, $50 per month contents and car insurance (I pay $150 for large house, contents and three cars). I'd have thought you could get a reasonable 2-3 bedroom rental in ChCh for $300pw - have you had a look at trademe? You'd have to factor in childcare at least until your child starts school some time in the next year. Not sure about life and health insurance - we have life in UK and don't bother with health, there is some free health care in NZ. I make that around $600pw - so don't give up on your dream!

sky

You can get help with your rent and rates too if you're below a certain income and help with child care costs I think ... if I was just me and one child I could live extremely cheaply here and the rent wouldn't be as much as you stated cos you would only need a one/two bedroomed unit really till you got a feel for the place.

gossage

Thanks everyone for the fed back. Guess I need to do a little more research before I throw the towel in!

lardyl

Yep, "welcome to the Third World" as the first Kiwi car salesman I met described it.......well he was from Bolton originally!!
yep coming to NZ requires a financial hit for almost all of us... MrsL earns about 60% of her UK salary and me, well its gonna be NZ$ and GB£ equivalence so go away and do the math........most expats I have spoken to who are not cashed up from the UK property "boom" are finding it hard and many dont make equivalence......
If you wanna come you really gotta wanna.......
But there are ways to make do over here, lots of people do survive on very little, I've not experienced quite so much hunger being a house-husband and all that, since being a PhD student and have lost about a stone with about 2 inches gone around the waist....so not all bad you say, but not having much dough when you are used to not caring about your finances on a day to day basis is something that the Expos, glossy pamphlets and DVDs didnt prepare me for.....but hey that should all change in a couple of weeks...
Anyway ramble over, good luck gossage and hope that the decision you make lies well upon you.....

backdoor

Just a quick question. We are currently in Canada. From our paychecks income tax is deducted aswell as unemployment insurance, Canada pension plan and union dues. (hospital employee) So, if you make $1800 every two weeks you might bring home $1000. Does New Zealand take off more than just income tax? I have been offered position at 70k and husband 45K so, we are trying to figure out if we will have enough money to live in Auckland with 2 kids.

Cheers

Charlie Paynter

We lived in Auckland for 3 years and came back about 6 years ago. We loved the place and life but the only thing we could not cope with was the income v living - and I was on a salary of $110k!

We have been back a couple of times since and with the rise in house prices, the problem can only be worse. It is a great place, but at the end of the day, no matter where you live, your earnings must afford a reasonable standard of living.

Best of luck

Alex

I completely agree with all that has been said. You really must want to come!! and I wish we had done more research first. After a year of being here, the reality of the situation has set in, we have just come back from Auckland as we are not happy here in Northland. We have both been offered jobs in Ackl so we would be on over $180,000....however we watched the traffic from our hotel room on North Shore.....then we revised the many hours that they wanted us to work..........and we reckon that we would be better off as a family visiting New Zealand for holidays.

Boopy

Just income tax for me - Im a nurse.

Zak and Sandie

You don't need to spend more than $320 a week to rent a two bedroom unit in Christchurch. Property is far cheaper in Christchurch than it is in Auckland (where I live). You may as well rent a two bed when you arrive and then you will have the time to get to know which part of Christchurch you may want to live in. If you rent in NZ you do not pay general rates as the landlord is required by law to pay them. I find insurances here are much cheaper than in UK. You will need to pay a school donation when your son starts full time school.
We live in a 4 bed house and our electricity is about $140 a month and water is about $150 a quarter. Our school donation is $240 a child (we have 3).

Zak and Sandie

When we arrived 2 years ago my husband was the sole earner on $65K + car and fuel. It was much easierI went out to work. We could live on that amount but to have a nice lifestyle you both need to work.

lapsed kiwi

The only govt deduction is income tax, but depending on your employer there may be other deductions - mine has a very good superannuation scheme but I make compulsory contributions to this.

As for whether your income would be enough, I would say $115k is a good income even for Auckland, and of course split between two earners is more tax efficient than a single income. Obviously a lot depends on yor circumstances and expectations, eg how big a house you want and how much capital you're bringing. But you're going to be earning a lot more than the average household.

Batty

Don't forget the ACC contribution - 1% I think - miniscule amount really for the benefit we get from it