danny.f

Agree. Someone once said on this site (like I've been a member for years!!)
that it is advisable to stop thinking in terms of what things used to cost in Sterling-you'll never get comfortable with the idea-start thinking in dollars-and don't look back.
Live within your means and all will be reasonable. A lot of posters appear to be debt free. That'll do me!!

dlmckay

OK, this may sound a little on the negative side, but I wish I had this info when I arrived...

Don't fall into the "oh it's half the price it is in England" trap - I did and wish I didn't! Remember that you will be earning dollars, so you should be thinking dollars.

Basically, if you've a whole home set up in the UK, bring everything with you and then you won't need to buy anything new when you arrive!

Don't spend money like water when you arrive, get used to what the price of things cost, window shop lots to get a feel of costs, peel the "no circulars" sticker off your letter box and read them.

Be aware that anything Made in China will last five minutes and be aware that the cheap quality you have come to expect in the UK doesn't exist here. My funniest (now) moment was when I bought a duvet for $20 - bargain! Queen sized duvet for 7 pounds!!! When I opened it, it was almost like gauze, it was so thin!!!!!!! You could see the duvet through the cover and all the dye ran out on the first wash... lesson learnt - who's ever heard of thread count? Not me in the UK, I assumed all duvets came at a standard quality... Ah, ASDA and their beautiful kids' patterned duvet covers for 5 pounds...

catzohm

The worries were generated by reading previous posts on this site which implied (last Year) that $60k was the absolute bare minimum you would need just to survive, we ain't prepared to move to the other side of the world just " to survive" and has been said before " the scenery may be great but you can't eat it" .The lifestyle we're looking for is a roof over our heads food in our bellys and the odd pint in our hands, and a bit left over for the odd meal out, a bit of scuba diving, fishing and the odd bit of retail therapy If we can achieve that on less than $100k then all well and good, it increasesour options no end. We do not aspire to the new 4x4/BMW in the drive and 5 beds/ 3 baths home and the endless conversations about how much "ones" property value has risen in the last 12 months, in fact we LOATHE that mentality and want to escape from it. So, all you good people who have negative comments about the reality of life in NZ please, please qualify them so that we the uninitiated can make an informed decision. $70k seems ok to us but when you read that $60k is the breadline you do tend to worry!

theguitardoctor

hear, hear....exactly what we aspire to as well, fingers crossed $70K would do it....looks like it might in Rotorua from the rental costs I've seen.

Javelin

If you are mortgage free you'll be laughing on $100,000 a year. My wife and I arrived in Auckland three weeks ago with two kids and about NZ$5,000...and that tends to focus the mind. The first week we were here my wife had three interviews, the second week she worked as a temp at NZ$19/hr, and on the Monday at the start of the third week she began a full time job. At the same time I had two interviews and I start a full time job this coming Monday, (the start of the fourth week).

Our combined salary will be $115,000 pa ...after tax, rent, utility bills and childcare fees we'll clear about NZ$900/week and it's enough. When our son starts school in February that figure will go up to NZ$1,125/week. Opening a bank account is easy...we did it when we arrived and basically showed our passport...getting an IRD number took less than 24 hours as we faxed the form and they called us the next morning with the numbers.

Just do it...we love the people and from our previous experiences of visiting New Zealand we love the pace...if you're looking to live a UK lifestyle...why go to New Zealand. Hope that helps!