Callie0109

Im sure this has been asked many times.
I am a Nurse moving to New Zealand next year (visa going through) with 2 children age 16 and 10.

Can a nurse live well on their wage? We are looking at Auckland area but open to suggestions.

I have been researching a lot. Some say it’s great some not so much. Some think it’s super expensive and others don’t. I just want to hear the experience of other nurses so im
fully prepared

Pom_Chch

Hello Callie, I hope the move goes well 🙂

To be honest you'll get the same problem any where you ask, the forums are no different. It'll be 6 of one, half a dozen of the other saying it's expensive and not expensive. My guess is this will stress you out even more.

My advice would be to work out your weekly income after tax, jump on to New World or Countdown supermarket and do a fake shop to see what it comes to. Figure out your other expenses (rent, utilities, kids, fun etc) and any other set up costs (furniture, car if needed etc). Subtract all your expenses from income and go from there!

Bo-Jangles

When you say can a Nurse live well on their wages - do you mean one income with two kids to support, or is their another income to factor in?

If it is just one salary then you will struggle big time in Auckland, unless you have substantial capital to contribute to the purchase of a house. The cost of food shopping pales into oblivion compared to the cost of housing, Nurses were all set for strike action it got called off I have no idea what they landed on in terms of pay increase, but I expect it would be barely enough to keep up with inflation and mortgage interest rate increases which are creeping up, All of the public sector were advised of a pay freeze for the next three years.

Callie0109

just me. Do you live there? I’ve heard so many different stories from different people.

Callie0109

thank you. This is helpful

MrsFychan

you also need to factor in that you pay tax on very cent you earn so https://www.paye.net.nz/calculator/ so try this calculator so you know your take home money.
you will also factor in school fees, uniform fees for 16yr if they want to continue in education, books, & fees for youngest as well as cost for trips.
then there is the cost for GP visits, that will vary on each surgery so anything from $40 - $60+ per visit, kids up til 13 are free but you will pay for yourself & 16yr old.
Denistry is also very expensive.
If you are the only adult then you will also need to factor in child care for the youngest possibly.
travel costs, clothes, entertainment. 16yr old will be able to get driving licence so cost for that possibly.
after school c& weekend clubs.
sun lotion for everyone, mossy spray, sun hats etc, these are not just a holiday thing these will be needed daily in the summer then in winter depending what type of property, more clothes, heaters.
many older house are not double glazed & do not have heating fixtures so you would be looking at electric or gas heaters.

If I knew you personally I would tell you to look at the cost to move across & if that affords you money left over to subsidise you for at least 6 months to get you and the children a place to stay & kit out.
On a single wage, especially in Auckland with 2 kids I would say it would be a struggle, unless you have won the lottery or come into some money.
my husband & I both work, 2 kids and my standard of living in Wellington on a day to day basis is a lower standard than I had back in the UK and I have to keep an eye on the money more than I did in the UK

Callie0109

Thanks everyone.

I live comfortable my on my wage in the south east of England and it looks from all the calculations I have done that I will be much the same in Auckland.

suppose we can only give it a go.
Thank you for the advice.

Moses2013

Can't comment on Auckland and NZ these days though I'd say it's the same everywhere. If you move to a capital with one income and need to rent, it often means you need to lower your standards when it comes to housing or end up with very little. Speaking to people who moved back from Auckland recently said the same about Dublin and then decided to move to the countryside instead, so situation seems to be very similar with housing issues. The only difference would be that we have a Lidl/Aldi and have more options to order online + aren't as remote (cheaper travel etc.). You can still take the ferry to France and fill the boot but these things wouldn't be possible in NZ, so probably just fewer options to reduce your costs.

Callie0109

thank you for your reply. I don’t shop in Lidl or Aldi here and I live in London now on my wage with children. I’m looking to find people who live in New Zealand that can help. I’ve researched rent and I’ve food costs and I have no Indication that I can’t live comfortably. Maybe I am missing something

Moses2013

The point is that you will rarely find people who live your life and even those who live in Auckland today don't live in the UK now, so very hard to compare.
All you can do is look at your spending habits now and MrsFychan and the others made some very good points. Some people are happy to live in a 1 bed apartment as a family, don't need a car, don't eat out, don't save and never go on holidays but manage. It's clear that nurses are underpaid, otherwise they wouldn't be on the streets: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300...what-they-want

Callie0109

that’s exactly right. It’s very difficult to work out.
We have a very active social life here and have land so it’s difficult to figure out. The holiday aspect is a difficult once as I know flights out of nz are expensive and we go away 3/4 times a year but i suppose will have a lot of exploring to do over there so won’t need to.
it’s difficult not knowing where everyone is from in the uk too as living in London costs are so high here for us anyway. Where as If people live in other areas it may hit harder moving to nz
I wasn’t aware there are Nurses on the streets there . I’ll look into that.
Always have the oz option I suppose.

christmasoompa

I'd suggest you put the figures you've researched on the forums, a list of your expected monthly outgoings, then those in NZ can tell you if the figures are off or of you've forgotten to factor some things in.

Bo-Jangles

I moved to Auckland from London 15 years ago - can't therefore comment on London cost of living anymore but in those heady days we were never ever short of money - we went on holiday to anywhere and everywhere we fancied, long haul twice a year and weekend breaks in UK and Europe. All the holidays, eating out and drinking in town, going to theatres, shows and concerts etc. all but came to a crashing halt once we arrived here and we now scrimp and scrape to afford a trip home every five years. Anywhere perceived to be nearby for holidays (Aussie, Fiji and Cook Islands) are prohibitively expensive. Domestic flights and weekends away in NZ are also way out of our league for the most part and we might manage one long weekend away if we are lucky. There's only so many time you can stomach the three or four hour drive out of town to Rotorua / Taupo / Coromandel and Northland.

There's not a man, dog, or woman alive in NZ who will not tell you that cost of housing particularly in Auckland ( and now most other cities) is off the charts.

Justcol

Unless you bring enough with you to buy a house, you won't be able to afford one within the Auckland region. Its no good using trademe to gauge house prices, as everything in Auckland is by negotiation or auction I no prices are listed. Have a look on something like Oneroof or homes NZ. They will show details of homes sold and what they went for.
My step daughter lives as a single parent to one, in Mount Eden. She earns around 90k and struggles. Rent is around $600 a week for a very modest place, we have covered Kindy fees for her or she she simply wouldn't have had enough for food or power.
There are usually nursing jobs available all across the country if you don't have to be in Auckland you will still have options. South island is generally way more affordable than the North, it might be worth considering

Tom H

Think I read today that the median rent prices in Auckland is $600 per week

Looking at the average wage from the careers site, nurses with 7 years experience earn roughly between $62k to $77k. Senior registered nurses earn up to $130k. I'm not sure what your salary would be but going on a $75k salary (a rough estimate), at least half your weekly wage would go on rent leaving with approximately $600 of that week to get your food, cover your bills, school donations etc.

If you were on a $90k salary, it would be approximately an extra $100 per week ($700 in total).

I don't know what wages you'd hope to be getting but i'd be looking elsewhere than Auckland. Then again, everything down here has turned ridiculously expensive. Thanks to Aucklanders and Wellingtonians escaping to the South Island, properties round Canterbuy are almost double the amount they should be. Some of the dumps I've seen here are almost fetching $750,000. Rental prices as well have increased (about $550 per week I believe down here now on average).

Hope it works out for you.

Oh, It also may not be the place for your 16 year old. There's a reason why many Kiwis do the big O/E here (usually Europe or Australia).