richyandkat

Hello all, new to this place, so be gentle with me!!

Me and the wife are prob moving to Auckland in Feb 08, I've been offered a job with the RNZAF. Everyone says that it's cheap as chips in NZ but is it really?? I know Auckland is prob one of the most expensive places to go but how does it rate? is it cheaper than the UK? Obviously using a straight currency conversion my salary is a lot less than i'm on now but will i (and my wife until she finds work) be able to live on it? Around 40k a year? we don't live an extravagant lifestyle but we want to be comfortable? Please help!!!

Cheers

happynz

Because housing is usually the largest outlay of any household's budget, especially in a place like Auckland which has the nation's housing costs, I think that being in the RNZAF and having subsidised housing will find your lifestyle will be satisfactory if you have modest tastes.

Justcol

we are going through the application proccess and everyone we have spoken to has said the opposite.
cost of living is high and wages are low.
we are not to worried about this as we have a large amount of equity in our home and this will allow us
to buy outright in nz meaning no mortgage.
house prices do still appear to be lower than the uk but that can depend on where you want to live and we are told auckland is the most expensive

Amber and Chris

Yes- i agree, if you are living on base or get subsidised housing that will greatly alleviate your costs as accommodation is expensive. Our rent is almost double what it was (admittedly we lived in Canada where it's cheaper than UK). Bills seem to be a bit higher too.

There are lots of threads on this topic if you search "cost of living" or "budget" for example; lots of ideas on managing within a budget.

I must admit from what I've seen so far (not been here very long though so don't take this as the absolute truth) I think Auckland might be difficult to manage on 40k. But I could be wrong - and if you have accomms sorted it will be much easier.

Good luck.

happynz

Auckland certainly is the highest when it comes to housing. Other costs such as food, clothing and other things like that are about the same as the rest of New Zealand (fruit and veg maybe a wee bit cheaper if you buy from the fruit and veg shops). Utilities are also about the same, but you won't have to run a heater as long as you would if you lived in a place like Invercargill or Christchurch, thus your wintertime heating bill would likely be less.

If you are a moderate or heavy smoker your budget will be shot to hell. A carton of smokes might run you between NZ$90 to NZ$120.

owen

the onle way i'm comparing cost is not converting dollar to pound but working out the percentage of bill versus wage received then researching the same in nz. i feel its the only way. ie rental is 35% of wage here in a town on the outskirts of mancs but trying to get to 25% wage in auck, hence freeing up money ect......
research upon research

RedMonsk

Is a carton 200?

uk+kiwi

The consensus seems to be that living costs are higher in relation to wages than in the UK.

'Cheap as chips' is what people may think holidaying in NZ on GBP.

I think given living costs in Auckland (especially housing admittedly which may not be factor with the NZRAF package), I would assume that you would need your current UK salary converted by the exchange rate to have a similar level of financial comfort as you have in the UK. Especially as I noticed you were originally from the NW which is not a comparably expensive part of England - unlike Auckland is within NZ.

Be careful and do your research. There are lots of calculators available, including one on the NZIS website I believe. Whenever I've done one, based on how we live in the UK, it's said we need to earn a fair bit MORE than our UK income multiplied by the exchange rate.

happynz

Yes, I believe a carton is ten packs with each pack being 20 cigarettes. The majority of smokers appear to buy packs of tobacco and filters and roll their own. A packet of that is around twenty dollars.

Thank goodness I don't smoke. If the cancer didn't get me, the cost of it would give me a heart attack.

RedMonsk

I do smoke unfortunately!

Forever talking about giving up, but haven't managed it so far. The cost of cigarettes in the UK is extortionate! For instance, 20 Marlboro Lights are around £5.30!

happynz

If you gave up the tobacco and banked the money saved within a few years you would be able to buy a section with a sea-view in Bluff. Just think, you'd breathe in deep the tangy salty sea air without hoiking up smoker's lung butter. That's right, fresh air on your own plot of Godzone. Now, isn't that a good reason to give up that nasty weed?

onion

I completely agree, mind you it is one of the most addictive habits to kick

RedMonsk

Would love to, but easier said than done!

Hubby is a smoker too and would also like to give up. I think I would have to be hyponotised into thinking I never ever smoked before. They also use smell association. What disgusting smells could I conjure up when I lit a cigarette???

happynz

I agree that kicking the nicotine addiction is a difficult ask. However, get off the butts! You'll definitely increase the quality of your life.

Sermon over.

danny.f

Tis a good point. My wife and I were on a joint wage of around £60,000 in Britain,and were spending money on crap(ok love,I was!),2-3 holidays a year,and really were never wanting for much-and that was with a mortgage of around £900 a month.

Here,now been promoted each to similar roles,we have a joint income of $120,000 (actual whole time equivalent is probably closer to $105,000),with a mortgage of around $2,500 a month and we're struggling. We have no spare cash-there were so many hidden extras we hadn't known about,even with research,such as school fees,council rates being so high,interest rates are stupid,petrol is NOT cheap-it's at nearly 60p a litre-,I personally think weekly shopping,beer,snacks and stuff is about equivalent,and of course,housing. Houses are NOT cheap people-not with the average wage to be earned.
It is not the cheap option everyone thinks-you have to be careful. I've got a mates 40th after my match Saturday-I'm getting the bus there! The bus! Jesus!

Would we do it all again knowing the truth though? Hell yes! We're not stupid!