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The cost of Living in NZ?

The cost of Living in NZ?

Old Oct 27th 2011, 9:24 am
  #76  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

It always amused me that only those who do not read the Daily Mail understand the true meaning of the term "Daily Mail reader"
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 9:27 am
  #77  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

I think someone is missing the point....

Feel down.... think life in UK is better..... you know that is not the case..... you appreciate DM is somewhat bias..... but just provides a bit of a pick me up when you read some of the articles (and comments left to articles).

Really not sure what all this Erk business is about - a little rude really

Each to their own hey....
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 9:29 am
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Mmm. 90 mile beach. I thought that was supposed to be held as special by Maori & by default ecologically, environmentally and culturally also.

edit here....
I don't think anyone is missing any point. Merely adding their own to the thread.

Last edited by BEVS; Oct 27th 2011 at 9:31 am.
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 9:35 am
  #79  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

BEVS

Plenty of websites you can review to confirm many people do drive along 90 mile beach.... e.g. http://sarah-curtis.suite101.com/dri...ealand-a134952

And I think you know that many beaches in NZ are infact considered public roads, with speed limits and traffic police patrolling...
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 9:56 am
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Hi guys. Hate to be contraversial but I think you're perhas missing the critical point here. The UK pound has taken a huge hit over the last 2 years. Therefore anyone converting pounds to NZ$ at the moment is going to find NZ (or any country in the world) expensive. The only reason for this is the state of the UK pound at the moment. It has nothing to do with NZ and everything to do with the temporary.... or perhaps long-term ?? state of the British pound? I've just moved to NZ from Australia (left uk more than 10 yrs ago) and the cost of living in NZ is similar to Oz (houses cheaper in NZ) but salaries in Auckland re lower than Sydney.... So it all kind of balances out. You really can't compare salaries or housing costs in Pounds to NZ $ currently due to the state of the currency market. In NZ, jobs are plentiful compared to the UK... If you check out the exchange rate from 3 years ago you'll probably find cost of living was considerably lower in NZ than UK, salaries similar or slightly lower, but at the moment the exchange rate for british people is extremely unfavorable all over the world. My advice would be..... Leave your savings/cash in UK, come here for jobs and lifestyle, hopefully in a few years UK pound will sort itself out then you can transfer your savings across. It is not NZ that is expensive..... It is the pound that is stuffed basically! So I think the current perception that NZ is expensive is in correct. It's simply an exchange rate issue. My 2 pennies worth anyway! Rona
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 10:00 am
  #81  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Yep.

Not sure what all these "NZ is so expensive" "A bag of widgets only costs $X in the UK" posters would do with themselves if the Pound gained 25% as quickly as it lost it (ie. within a couple of months)
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 11:21 am
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by DC10
Yep.

Not sure what all these "NZ is so expensive" "A bag of widgets only costs $X in the UK" posters would do with themselves if the Pound gained 25% as quickly as it lost it (ie. within a couple of months)
Because I have lived here the past six years and the exchange rate strangely has made no difference to the cost of actually living here and spending the New Zealand Dollars that I earn. Simple as that!

The high dollar should by rights cheapen our imports quite significantly, but of course the reality being that it does not work like that. Seems most still work to the three to one rule.

Not unlike the price of petrol they're quick to move the price up a notch overnight on the petrol that's already paid for and in the tankers and pumps, but oddly doesn't work the same when things go the other way.
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 12:44 pm
  #83  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by DC10
It always amused me that only those who do not read the Daily Mail understand the true meaning of the term "Daily Mail reader"
Me too!! Glad you didn't call it a newspaper. I have rellys who read it, over the years they've become incapable of free or independent thought. The DM decides what to tell them and how they should feel about it.
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 12:49 pm
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by EdT
Private Medical Insurance here in NZ is NO dearer than the UK (e.g. BUPA), and you can get cover for doctors visits, prescriptions, optiticans, and dentists - albeit a cap of $400 per annum for Dental cover per person, but this covers check up, scale, polish, xrays, etc. A doctors appointment here is 15 minutes too... and you actually get time to sit down, have a proper discussion, and feel like you are being listened to. Appointment times are usually kept to, which to me is worth the $30..... opposed to being sat in an NHS GP surgery for an hour, picking up bugs, and coming out with ailments you picked up in the waiting room.

I took my food bill last week $150 - and went onto Tesco and worked my way down the list.... the total was very much consistent with UK. Sure you don't get many buy 3 for 2 or buy one get one free here in NZ.... but for now with the current fx the costs are not much different.

Car Insurance - under 200 pounds fully comp - try getting that in the UK. I am sure someone will respond to say they can.... but that is very reasonable. As is petrol, which currently sits around 1 pound a litre.

I took 3 work colleagues for lunch in a nice bistro / dinner last week (so 4 of us) - all in I paid around 30 pounds.... this was for a substantial and well cooked / presented meal.

Many things here are VERY expensive..... but I think it probably balances out, especially when you consider the low cost of doing normal things - a day at the beach or a nice park.... costs very little if anything here..... an ice cream maybe.... which I had over the weekend.... a pound for a double scoop of nice quality ice cream.

Drive into Wellington.... straight into city centre at weekend.... no traffic to speak of, parking is free in a lot of areas... in the capital.... where in UK can you do that now? Can't imagine the cost of parking in London or a big city for a day at the weekend - 15 - 20 pounds?

Wages are my BIG bug bear here..... peanuts.... and something I constantly battle with.... especially when I know I can earn multiples of my NZ wage back in the UK, with decent pension provisions (relative to NZ).
How much is your health insurance premium and is it subsidised by your employer?
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 1:01 pm
  #85  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by Bo-Jangles
The high dollar should by rights cheapen our imports quite significantly, but of course the reality being that it does not work like that. Seems most still work to the three to one rule.
Totally agree with that!!
It amazes me when, like today I bought a DVD box set for my son from Amazon UK for $25. Same thing at Fishpond is $155.
If we can source products at such unbelievably lower prices, why can't NZ companies
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 1:16 pm
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by EdT
And I think you know that many beaches in NZ are infact considered public roads, with speed limits and traffic police patrolling...
After watching hoards of people on their hands & knees, picking up minuscule spots of oil from beaches due to the tanker spill on the news today, it seems even more bizarre to me that people can drive their knackered 20 year old cars/4x4's on the beaches, pissing oil, diesel etc. all over the place & no-one bats an eyelid
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 8:17 pm
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by mickey_d
After watching hoards of people on their hands & knees, picking up minuscule spots of oil from beaches due to the tanker spill on the news today, it seems even more bizarre to me that people can drive their knackered 20 year old cars/4x4's on the beaches, pissing oil, diesel etc. all over the place & no-one bats an eyelid
Because quite a few kiwis are backwards, selfish individuals with a very blinkered and insular outlook on life especially when it comes to things vehicular.
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 8:20 pm
  #88  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

The exchange rate is only ever an issue IF you plan on leaving NZ, or recently arrived and trying to maximise the value of the UK savings. It is more of an expat issue when first settling in a new country. Just like the US$ or Euro never used to really bother me when I was living in the UK.... apart from when I had a holiday planned to US or Europe.... and then I would be checking almost daily until I felt I had got a good deal (within the constraints of the fx markets).

Not that I am condoning polluting any of our beautiful beaches.... but I think the amount of oil / pollution emmitted from a 20 year old 4 x 4 (not that I have one of those) is miniscule relative to the events that have unfolded recently on our East Coast or just general pollution from shipping and pleasure boats etc. Surely that comparison is more an issue of the road worthiness of vehicles here in NZ, and not driving for example a new(ish) 4 x 4 along the coast with little more in the way of emmission than a jet ski or pleasure boat. I find it one of the pleasures of life here in NZ.... and love driving along a deserted shore line, picking a nice spot, and chilling out on the beach with nothing around for miles.
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Old Oct 27th 2011, 8:22 pm
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by Genesis
Because quite a few kiwis are backwards, selfish individuals with a very blinkered and insular outlook on life especially when it comes to things vehicular.
As are quite a few people the world over, almost certainly in equal proportions. Lets not descend into this sort of nasty unpleasantness.
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Old Oct 28th 2011, 12:03 am
  #90  
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Default Re: The cost of Living in NZ?

Originally Posted by bourbon-biscuit
As are quite a few people the world over, almost certainly in equal proportions. Lets not descend into this sort of nasty unpleasantness.
why not ?
have you heard what Joe-Blow Kiwi says about the rest of the world - at least the Kiwis who have never ventured offshore ofther than to Fiji/Gold Coast.......don't even blink an eyelid when they talk about Asians, Muslims, etc, etc. Never come accross as much "casual" racism as I have heard and seen in NZ - never lived in Oz though .

the exchange rate is important cause it deals to our ability to export and our how businesses acquire capital to invest.

the NZ dollar is at this value mainly because our interest rates for borrowing are high, that's because we don't save or invest enough of our income in banks or wealth producing areas. we have too much foreign equity (from Aussie banks) invested in property, plain and simple. this keeps NZ indebted and has seriously impacted on our overseas credit worthiness. as a result the central bank here needs to keep intrest rates high to control inflation and stop Joe-Blow Kiwi leverging more investment properties and borrowing more at 50 months interest free for a new plasma/boat. hence NZ currency is over-valued (along with the Japanese Granny effect). just like the housing stock here.

so exchange rates are a teensey weensey bit important.

let's hope that the fact the Labour have bitten the bullet and made it policy to take retirement out to 67 won't result in some policy battle with National and put that option back another 3+ years. feel like I'm gonna be voting Labour on the party vote as well this time around.
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