Snap Shot

I paid $18.00 for some Scholl blister plasters today. Cost in Britain, GBP3.00.

carpman

Not sure if www.chemistdirect.co.uk would have these?

We only found this website as my OH gets terrible migraines and the only thing that will touch them are Migraleve tablets which, as far as we know, aren't available over here. We order them in from here and even with postage the price is pretty good.

Got an order last week and the box had been opened by customs and still been allowed in to NZ. I had been a bit worried that we might have been importing illegal drugs but obviously not. Phew!

barnsleymat

I use a nasal spray, $20 here, 3 quid back home. How do they make their prices up?

pixiewink

Daughter asked if she could have some passion fruit in New World today....ERMMMM sorry love not at $32.99 per kg......eeeekkkkkk!!!!!

Tesco 3pack a quid or 33p each....

Snap Shot

Thanks, most useful.

Snap Shot

I fail to understand how they do it. I thought a brand available all over the world like Scholl would be a similar price to say, Britain. Just allow for the forex difference and local taxes.

Not blatantly three times the price. That particular joke is starting to wear thin now.

M_and_M

I lived in the midlands in the UK. I was on just a bit less than you quote. We needed two wages to sustain a mortgage. Originally, several years ago, we were well off. In recent years, with the recession etc, we could only just manage to make ends meet. Our mortgage was £150k. Here in NZ, I am on roughly the same, at the current exchange rate. We rent a house that is bigger and are looking to buy a house that is substantially bigger. Our mortgage will be the same as our rent is currently, which is all cheaper than our UK mortgage. A month ago, OH was injured at work and hasn't worked for about 6 weeks. We are currently surviving on just my wage. I the UK, we would have been screwed if this had happened.

Here, we still manage to live as normal, pay all the bills and ve around $1000 a month.

Are we better off? Hell yes! We will be laughing once he goes back to work and starts getting paid again!

As for shopping, you buy what's about. If it isn't, you shop online. No different. Except tht some things in the uK are still cheaper, even if you pay for international shipping.

Friends: you get out there, make an effort, I have had no problem. People in Southland are utterly brilliant. But friends won't come to you.

BenP

To be honest i have not read all 6 pages but am going to reply to your original question,

I now earn less in $ than i did in £ but the life is better, we are living on the outskirts of Whangarei and love it. I am not overly fond of Mauna there is some awesome places but also some less desirable places. Nothing in Whangarei is far 10km's from one side to the other. I commute about 45-50minutes a day as i work out of town. We have been here 18 months and still not managed to get around all the beaches!

We have had quite a lot of inlaws come over and all want to move here.

I found it very expensive at first but you quickly adapt, buy seasonal produce and its very cheap, meat is pretty much half price the uk and has taste and flavour and not pumped with water. I actually very recently done a online shop in tesco's to compare our weekly shop and it worked out marginally more expensive,

Fuel is pretty much 40% cheaper than europe so make savings there, if you get a decent insulated house your electric bills will be less than the UK.

We buy nearly all our daughters clothes from the uk though, when they have the summer or winter sales on marks and spencers or similar its perfect timing to stock up her wardrobe, my wife also does the same.

Lots of British shops offer free delivery to NZ including M&S, Next etc etc so can get decent bedding etc. If you are coming just ship your belongings with you, ours cost about £3k for a 20ft container door to door.

I am not sure what your partner does for a living as missed that bit but $93k dollars is high earnings for up here, i work at one of the largest employers in the region and thats higher than 85% of salaries there. Depends on your lifestyle but we live very comfortably on a similar income, i save money each week from my wages, we eat what we want when we want, go on holiday, drive nice car etc etc We dont want for anything to be honest.

BenP

Also my wife made friends easily through our daughter, there are many many things for you to do, there is a gym club from 1year upwards, swimming lessons, playcenters, mainly music's basically anything you want.

BenP

or cheaper to buy shoes that fit

Snap Shot

Or stop running 30 miles per week.

barnsleymat

Unleaded 95 is about 15% cheaper than Europe, not 40%. I've just had a quick look and done some rough maths.

marblep

And pedants come free

BenP

I use 98 so not sure about 95 but yeah just rechecked and about 25% difference

BenP

If you have any questions about areas to live just send me a PM and will be happy to give you the heads up, quick tip stay away from any area that starts with an "O"!