New Zealand

Does anybody know of any websites that give a cost of living comparison between UK and NZ?

(yeah I know it's a long shot....)

couple of startin points:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/new-zealand-expat-forum-expats-living...

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-12707.html

http://www.nzemigrate.co.nz/Webpages/RealCostOfLiving.html

http://www.broadbaseinternational.com/cost-of-living

http://www.emigrate2.co.uk/lifestyle_and_leisure_detail-41.htm

I was told its about 50% of UK prices for property, FMCGs, etc. However, the person I spoke to was a New Zealander and was convinced it was the World's Best Country in that inimitable Antipodean way.

Do bear in mind that while cost of houses etc may vary/be half price etc you have to take into account differences in wages too - what I mean is you can't always say oh well I earn x-amount here which means I'll get z-amount there so I'm automatically going to be better off.
I learnt this the hard way when I lived in Canada which has a very low cost of living compared to here but in line with that doesn't pay anywhere near as well so it all equals out.

My impression, having spent a few months backpacking there was that many things are a lot cheaper (for example food or drink), but a lot of imported stuff (eg cars, tvs) are about the same. If you're planning to live there, though, housing costs (rent or buy) are way, way lower, but wages are lower too. It generally feels much less wealthy than the UK and I can well understand why so many Kiwis come here in their twenties to make some cash before going home. Harder to find work than here, too.

Beautiful place and incredibly friendly people. Some of the small towns did seem like the kind of place where the main thing for locals to do on a Friday night was go to the pub and have a punch-up with the same people every week, but that's my only criticism really.

Where's Matt H? He should be able to answer this.

I lived in NZ for a couple of years and it really is comparable - rent is cheaper but wages aren't that great. Supermarkets are expensive, so I found it cheaper to eat out in cafes most evenings!

I didn't have any problem finding work (I do have dual citizenship but that didn't really make much difference.) "Back-packer" work eg. bar/cafe work, cleaning hostels, shop work is very competitive to get, but I didn't have any trouble getting back into management.
There's plenty of property to rent and people really are so friendly - they actually go out of their way to help you out :-o

My advice is to go out with plenty of pounds in your pocket and make them last!!

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Well, it really depends on what you do.

I've been out here since November and I can honeslty say I've never had so much disposable income.

I earn around $60k a year. If you do a direct conversion, that equates to about £22k a year. However, cost of living is cheaper, so I normally halve things here to give me a more realistic value - i.e. I earn around £30k.

Also, if you buy a house in NZ, you'll be skint for years - renting is about half the price.

I pay $350 a week for a big three bed house with a sea view. This would cost me about $700 to buy.

Buying food is more expensive, but eating out is probably cheaper. I think where you really save money is on activities. It's free to go to gigs, or free to park etc. (I never pay for supermarket parking).

Clothes are pricey, but fashion is a bit of a luxury here. The lifestyle lends itself more to BBQs at home with your mates rather than expensive nights out clubbing/drinking.

This all a bit vague, so if you want some further details, let me know and I'll PM you my e-mail address.

Otherwise, emigrate.co.nz is mustard for working this stuff out.

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Toasties!

Good work.

A friend of mine came back from a few years in NZ and Australia with several pairs of snow wash jeans - she binned them within the month when the piss taking reached its peak!