Drover Jess

Hi everyone

I wonder if you can help us?

I realise this is a very broad subject and there are as probably as many opinions as standards of living but if we start from the principle (when the markets are a bit more stable) that a house ( ideally 4 beds with an office) in NZ (perhaps small town in Waikato, or similar) can be brought outright ( with no mortgage) with proper planning and proceeds from a UK house then what salary/income would then deliver a comfortable standard of living for 2 adults. [with or without visiting supposedly independent offspring!] We are not heavy spenders and do not seek a hectic lifestyle although we do eat well at home, would want sky (if the tv is so bad. although we do not have sky in UK), occasional meals out and a few beers.
We usually grow our own veg and would try to buy our meat from farming friends. We are practical down to earth country people.
We expect my hubby would get a car with his job and therefore the sale of my ford focus here will get me something 2nd hand over there.

We are looking hard at every aspect of our lives as the work balance is all wrong here and it is currently all work (we even live on the job) and whilst trying to put it right here, by either staying and re-organising or moving to a different job, we are also looking at all options and have often considered NZ.
We know salaries are comparibly lower, but feel the advanatge of capital going further eg: for a house makes a big difference.
We have been to NZ before and have a lot of NZ friends already and we know we'd feel right at home... in a funny way perhaps more than we do where we are now.. if we had to choose in the UK where we'd go to it'be the SW.

anyway please excuse my ramblings and many thanks in advance for all your answers

j19fmm

Being nosy...what type of jobs do you do, and what would you be looking to do in NZ?

Batty

I think 'Drover' Jess might be a bit of a giveaway ARE you a drover?

Hi Jess. We have a big mortgage and earn around $110k a year - if the mortgage wasn't there and we didn't smoke we'd live very nicely on $50k and that's in Auckland.

Drover Jess

well spot on
I used to be a drover in my youth but now prefer safer options.. and am multiskilled but dh would be the main applicant

dh is very skilled and experienced in a specialised sector of agriculture and when I was talking by chance to NZ house when they rang us about my daughter's student visa in January the helpful officer said that with our combined rural skills they were sure they could build us a package.. that was very encouraging..

recently dh was top of the applicants for a job that was advertised in the UK, but then we heard on the NZ rural grapevine that the previous person in same post was laid off due to a financial downturn, so withdrew as not at all sensible to move across the world if the job might only last months when already in very secure post in Uk, so further research in NZ is needed.. we plan to come out in 09 on hol and investigate further, we have been before

also timewise 18 months would be ideal to finish off pt time MSC (further insurance) and see the young adults towards even more independence.. and see what property prices are doing
but knowing approx how much the regular living costs are at this current time helps us in our plans.. as we may decide to move jobs in the uk first before then moving to nz.. and we know the costs are rising everywhere

specific NZ costs info would help too please:
what does mobile contracts cost eg: Currently I pay £25 month here and it covers all my minutes and texts,
how much is sky (we dont have it here),
and how much is medical insurance, we already pay for a dentist here.
and any other costs not listed on calculator below that anyone thinks is helpful

do you think the ENZ cost of living calculator [http://www.emigratenz.org/cost-of-li...-zealand.HTML]
is a fair representation and for those of you living there do you think the costs in there are correct

thanks so much for all your help, sorry for more ?'s and ramblings...