IainW

That £100k should mean you can stay mortgage free, *if* you pick the right place to live - that'd make your $45k go a lot further. If your income in the UK is in the £15-20k bracket I should think you'll be OK, if you're used to more then it'll be tight.

There's no secret to all this - we've found costs in NZ to be broadly similar to the UK, so just work out what your UK income is in £ and if your NZ income = 2.5/3 times that in $, your standard of living will be the same.

AustinWong

I noticed that in both instances above there is only one income earner.

Once the kids reach 5 years old they go to school. This will mean that the second parent can likely work. Even if you work parttime you could earn say $10,000 to $15,000.

So you are then on a higher income right?

So maybe you will need to be a dual income family. This is how we get by.

My wife does the finance. To live a life here in a comfortable manner and not have to worry about finances (this does not mean well off or rich but have most your needs met) you will need a joint income of about $70,000.

Less than this will mean it is tougher. But hey, there are those who do it. Friends of mine are on $48,000 living in Hamilton City on quite a low priced rental mind you. You have the benefit of living in lower cost regions like levin and having a reasonable amount for a deposit on a house which are cheaper in provincial towns. But work is harder to come by.

I would strongly suggest living in the south island is cheaper for properties.

I will see if I can get our budget off my wife and put a few scenarios together for both of you (above) in the next few days.

Cheery.

Lawrence

Babycatcher

This has been really interesting... I too have been a little deflated by some of what I have read. :scared:
There are so many dilemmas...
We are likely to keep our house for at least a year before making the big decision - it will mean that we are unlikely to have excess money to bring but if we decide that NZ is not for us then we haven't given up our house here. We may even decide to buy a small 3 bed property somewhere as a buy to let if we do decide to settle in NZ just to have a bit of security.
I am a bit scared about health costs but see that there is insurance - wonder what happens in the event of an emergency?
Anyway keep us updated as you make decisions as you will be helping us all out...
Thanks everyone!

hubbard

As a previous poster says if you choose carefully where you live and end up either mortgage free or with a small mortgage you could do it but do you really want to move to the other side of the world and be on a continual budget? NZ is ok but it is not that amazing. If you have a nice life in the UK with good friends and familiy, your kids are happy at school or day care, and the area you live in is not Moss Side then do you really want to give that up to penny pinch for the next 5 - 10 years constantly worrying about paying your bills? Why not come over to NZ on vacation when your children are a bit older and enjoy it in the summer time as a tourist spending UK pounds?

I have lived in NZ and am now in Australia and living overseas is ok, it is a nice change but having been away 4 years now I still look back and think was it really worth the things I have missed out on in terms of family and friends. We are not remotely struggling financially and have a high disposable income and I still think this.....money doesn't equal happiness but being absolutely brasic soon equals misery especially without the familiarity of home.

AustinWong

Have a look at this site to calculate your income.

http://www.ird.govt.nz/forms-guides/keyword/

Here you will be able to calculate your income after tax and your family assistance (if you are entitled to this).

For $50,000 I put it throught the on line calcualtor and got this:

Annual after tax income is $38,630 => $742.88 per week
Family assistance (assuming 3 children under 12) => $168 per week
Total weekly after tax income is => $910.88.

I will PM Rita, babycatcher and spacecake our family budget. We live comfortably and do not really have to worry about money. We don't live beyond our means or have an extravagent lifestyle.

I would not want to earn less as it would mean that we would not be able to save stuff all.

As for buying a house:

www.realenz.co.nz as mentioned before is all you will need to get a good picture.

To calculate your mortgage
www.bnz.co.nz

To give you an idea of food costs. Run your UK shopping list through it and have a look.

https://www.woolworths.co.nz/homeshopping/Default.aspx

Renting can be about the same as buying.Here is a site to show you rentals costs in NZ:

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/housing/tenan...t%20region.asp

This one will give you market stats on property prices. Use a large spread of years to see the trend.

http://www.reinz.org.nz/marketfacts/...cts.dll/Search

You need to balance income with where you want to live and availabity of work.

Also, If you put more deposit on a house you need less to live on as well.

But, Hubbard is right. The grass is not always greener. I am heading to UK next year for about 2 years and a few other places after that. But I will return to NZ at some stage. But maybe I will like UK more? Who knows? I will be keeping my house though indefinitely.

You could jump the ditch to NZ as well for 1 or 2 years.

Just remember though if you do this that you take into account you still have a house in the UK and if you get the money out by selling it you will have more money available from your incomes if you put it into buying a house in NZ.

Ask me more questions if you like. If you want I can also give you my phone number via PM so you can call for a chat. I find this a good way to help me think.

All the best

Cheery

L

Babycatcher

I will PM Rita, babycatcher and spacecake our family budget. We live comfortably and do not really have to worry about money. We don't live beyond our means or have an extravagent lifestyle.

I will look forward to this PM thanks it will help Thanks

AustinWong

Ok I have converted our family budget into something I hope you will understand.

I hope you all have Microsoft Excel. If not I will try to cater for you somehow.

Does anyone know how to send an attachment on this forum when sending a PM? If not can those who want a copy of the budget please PM me for this, with your email address.

Cheery

L

Squidge

Heh look you will always here a negative for every positive, I read this forum every so often I think yes you're right or no you're wrong.

I have a friend here who moved over back in 1991, she has brought her 3 girls up here and since being in Tauranga has moved them 3 times before she found a school that suited them.

On the whole it it is a different, yes it is the same language and they drive on the same side of the road BUT it is a different country with different ways of doing stuff. One thing I would say do not expect Utopia, living is the same you get up go to work come home pay bills etc the only difference is geography.

I like it here, the summers are lovely, the open spaces are great, but I am a country girl, the only down side is that I miss my friends.

I would never say to anyone you must do this it is up to each person but those expats I talked to like it here and wouldn't go back. It all depends on where you live, what you are doing work wise and the friends that you make but that applies to the UK too.

AustinWong

here is an interesting web site I found bu accident to night.

http://www.emigratenz.org

and an interesting thresd for you looking at moving here.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/show...ghlight=thames

Cheery

Spacecake799

I seem to go from highs to lows every time i read this forum. Whilst i know it will be hard we have thought about leaving england for a long time. We could move to America really easy but i wanted somewhere safe to bring my children up. As two of them are 14 and 12 i want them to feel its a move for the better and although they are really exited i don't want the novelty to wear off. We have very little family in the uk and while we enjoy our life we have very little dissposible income. I want this move to be a good one but the money side of it really worries me. I hope to study something when i get there maybe accounting but im not sure yet. Basically were all exited by the idea of moving to nz but money issues are a worry.

AustinWong

Well I think you need to do the numbers and see if it gives you figures you are happy with. No point living hand to mouth week to week. It won't matter if you live in Utopia if you stuggle financially. And the stress could be a real relationship killer too.

If you have a big deposit to buy a house you may very well get by comfortably. There are also other variables.

All the tools I posted along with other bits form others is all most could offer you I think and should be enough for you to work it out on paper.

You are also suffering from "Paralysis by Analysis". Get an Anthony Robbins book called "Awaken the Giant Within". I bought it 2 years ago..never read it. My wife has picked it up recently to read and thinks it is great as do many I know. I am going to read it next when she finishes.

We are going to the UK for a couple of years for a family adventure and will be leaving behind 2 houses which we will need to rent out (one is already rented the other we live in). There is stress in this itself. Also we need to top up the mortgage as well another stress. But you know what? No more a stress than not going over to the UK for a couple of years and hitting 50 wondering what if, or dying from a disease or illness and not having the adventure.

I know a millionaire couple form the UK here I met very recentely. They left UK and bought property in Italy. They have millions in property in NZ and they reckon it is better here than Italy. They live in the Waikato are of New Zealand. So that is their story. They tell me it is terrible in the UK, but many tell me it is great. Who do you believe?

They say I won't make it over there in the UK. But my mum came to NZ from Malaysia after leaving my father in 1987. She raised 3 children ages 2, 11 and 14 by herself. She started working for McDonalds after some study and various jobs she is now earning $70,000+ per annum and owns 2 houses.

It is all about attitude....

There are alot of if's and buts..but in the end make the jump if you feel strongly enought to do so. If you choose not to, make sure you don't kick yourself but be happy and have peace with your decision.

Send me a PM and I will post you my phone number if you want to have a chat to bounce ideas. I will consider doing this for most of you so long as I feel I know you a bit through this site first.

All the best.

Lawrence

Fidan

Hi there,

I think I may be spending too much time looking at all the discussions going on in this forum, as I, too, feel up and down like a yoyo, depending on what I happen to come across!!

Our plan is to come for a fact finding visit in October with the aim of moving over in 18 months or so, if we like what we see. As with many people, probably our main aim is to provide better opportunities, environment, lifestyle, etc. for the children, who are 5 and 3. After coming across a very "scary story" on another thread, I am now very worried about the quality of the schools and education, as it would be very difficult to compromise on this issue in return for the lifestyle side of things. I know that this has been mentioned earlier in this thread and I realise that schooling can be "hit and miss" in this country too, but, on the whole, are people happy with the system and their experiences? Also, do children start at age 5 exactly, as, if we come over when we plan to (which would probably only happen in an ideal world!) it might mean my son starts school here for a few months, and then has to stop until he reaches the age of 5 in NZ?

Sorry if this is repeating what has gone on before, but it was just quite a surprise to learn that the children seem to be behind if they return to the Uk from NZ.

Thanks in anticipation.

Fiona

mumomonty

Before I go into one, just let me say this:
I do n ot wish to offend you - I do not know you and wish you well.
I identify with you wanting a better life for your children. Who wouldnt?
If you come to NZ, come with a lot of capital OR
Rent out your home in the UK and come for a 'tour of duty' say 2 years and then decide where your heart is.
I, personally, would not come to NZ to give my children a better future.
A better present life might be achieved immediately with the relative freedom here (i.e. if you are able to buy into a place on acreage or live nr thebeach in a home that has adeqate heating in the winter etc. because you are sitting there in thewarm in the UK and you are thinking how nice it would be but today, it is 10 degrees in the room I'm typing this in. This house is insulated and it is my home but it needs central heating and no mistake. Sorry I'm waffling.
The point is, what do you want?
Do you imagine it to be a bit more like and English Australia with warm sunny days, n o creepy crawlies and a pool etc.?
If so go to Australia. In my opinion if you are wanting the suburbs, the pool, the beach and the more americanised material stuff that's teh better bet. THey also look after their old people better. 650 kiwis jump the ditch each WEEK to improve their lifestyle. I compare it to the brain drain to the States in the 80's. Some love it, some hate it. some miss the beautiful green ness of it here but it's green because it rains and it rains a lot!
Crime is crime. It's everywhere. Would you leave your laptop in your car with the keys still in it in the UK? then don't do it anywhere.
Granted Kiwis are the friendliest people I'ave met so far ... until they drive. Then it's every man, woman and child for themselves.
I've been here about 2 years. I lived inOz before and Idon't have chilldren but If I did havea family I'd stay in the UK if I had a good income,settled life etc. or I would go to Aus and give it a go for 2 yrs and rent the UK home out if you have one there.
Wages are diabolical here - $11 an hour in a shop does not go far when the cost of living is the same as the UK. heating your home is hard when power costs so much. You end up all living in one room and worryabout the cost of the bill when it comes in. If you can't l ive on the equivalent of 12k a year in the UK you won't here. You won't improve your lifestyle and you will have regrets.

Don't get me wrong, this place has a lot going for it but if you come, come with your eyes wide open and not too many preconceived ideas of how it will feel.

All the best, you can take what I say witha pinch of salt if you like but dn't come her thinking this is the l ast oasis in a tired world. It's all one world and it's all sadly a bit dog earred and tired.

Mumo.

waynepfry

One world and and one pinch of salt, we all have dreams, best to make our own
Thanks for your thoughts , i like dog earred and tired.
jane the better half

K9s

I wish we had listened to replys like this before we went instead of dismising them as whingers
we are back home in the UK now and trying to rebuild our lives but loving every minute of it

K9