Australia or NZ?

[ScottishKiwiAndAussie]

DH has the opportunity to work in either NZ or Australia. We can live and work in either country, and are looking at either Christchurch in the south island of NZ or at the outer suburbs of Brisbane in Queensland. We have visites both countries, but only as tourists, and I'm well aware there is a big difference between holiday and reality!

We have children, but home educate, so schooling is not an issue. DH would earn roughly $80k nz in NZ or $100k aus in Australia. Is the cost of living crisis in either country as bad as in the U.K? What would you choose, and why?

My husband had to work in both ten years ago and he said NZ (Auckland) felt very old fashioned but not in a good way compared to the UK.

He preferred Sydney, and he is no city slicker by any means!

Having said which, if you are home educating you may quite like the whole alternative vibe so NZ may suit you well.

Interested to see what responses you get.

Hmmmmm .... what do you like doing? I'm just outside Christchurch. Good things - access to the great outdoors! From CHCH you can easily get to ski fields for the day, or go surfing (as well as standard stuff like hiking, cycling and so on). People are pretty chilled and friendly. Cost of living is high, especially at the moment. Christchurch is still getting over pretty fucked after the earthquakes; the council was under-insured and rates are high while key facilities are being rebuilt. We have a 3 bed house; rates over $4000. Fresh produce v seasonal - which means you look forward to Dec for asparagus 🤣 And it is a LONG way to anywhere. Lots of great stuff in the S Island - much is stunning. Work-life balance great too. If you're into culture & the arts you might want to rethink though 🤣🤣 In a bit of a state of shock with the new govt as well, who seem to be desperate to drag the country backwards - rolling back anti-smoking legislation for example, and attacking some of the more progressive and bicultural things that make the country unique.

Aus - wages higher, and better perks!!
Things like long service leave if you work for the govt. Much cheaper food as well, and more choice. Houses can be v v v expensive, though, depending on where you are. I haven't lived in Bris but have friends there who love it. Family elsewhere in Aus ... life is good.

Both countries - pets banned from national parks. This might sound like an odd comment, but if you like being out exploring it can really limit things.
NZ has no IKEA. At all. ☹️
Have realised this is a very odd collection of observations 🤣

Feel free to PM me if you want more info or have specific questions!

I live in NZ but on the North Island. Food is very expensive here compared to the UK, I have just got back from UK and was amazed at just how cheap food still is there.

Unless you have a new build property the housing stock is not the best, houses are pretty chilly and heating quite expensive. New houses now have double glazing etc but nothing like the DG in UK. Education and medical facilities seem to be under pressure due to low staff levels etc. We pay to see our GP around 27GPB per visit. It is a hell of a long way from anywhere - I have been travelling backwards and forwards to the UK three times a year and the flight is a bit of a killer. I still miss being able to jump on a plane and be in Spain, Portugal, France etc in a very short time.

But it is a fantastic place to live, our climate (normally) is pretty good with proper seasons even if the wrong way around will never get used to Christmas in 28C! We have met some fantastic people and made really good friends. Christchurch is a fantastic city, we have visited quite a few times.

Good luck whatever you decide.

@LostInTheColonies I think IKEA are coming to Auckland so perhaps Chch may get one - don't think we are big enough in Hawke's Bay for them to open here.

I'm still waiting to see if IKEA gets to the S Island - Auckland's a very long way for meatballs 😂😂

And - on house quality and specifically Christchurch, you need to be very, very careful. Lots of the repair work was done by cowboys, and even new builds should be treated with caution. So, so much shonky work.

NZ is seriously challenged with the amount of money in the coffers to be able to cope with big events. The population is only 5 million and so the tax base small!!

I am Australian, but choose not to live there, because it is so far from any where else. Aotearoa/NZ would be even worse, as far as this is concerned.

But, if you are only going for a few years (at least initially) then this would matter less. Your escape route would be built in!

Lots of British people think Aotearoa/NZ will be more Home Counties than the rough and ready colonials of Australia, but loads of Kiwis move to Australia, because Aotearoa/NZ is just so parochial.

(Incidentally, if I were choosing, I would go for Aotearoa/NZ, because I have never been - but only if it were for a finite term.)

I love our life is aus but everyone's different. Get on some Facebook pages to scope out. We are over in WA so very different to east coast but we have a great standard of living.

Poms wanting Oz is a good page.

I understand that in NZ you get some money towards the cost of homeschooling this is not the case in Australia.

Immigrant Brit to Nz here. Also lived in Sydney for a year. I prefer NZ working culture to Aus which I found aggressive and difficult ti gel with. Where I live (not quite Auckland) is near calm quiet beaches I adore. The climate is perfect for me. Not too hot and not too cold. Christchurch can be gorgeous weather but pretty cold in winter. Great access to skiing though. Agree with PPs about the housing stock and NZ is horribly overpriced for property and food atm.
Brisbane is a great city but QL is stinking hot in summer. Almost unbearable so most days are spent looking for shade or indoors in AC, and the sea is terrifying. Good cheaper property though and a nice lifestyle.

We're in Queensland, one thing worth mentioning is that is gets really hot during summer and not much cooler during the rest of the year.

Thank you for your replies. So, to be clear,
NZ = poor housing, isolated, parochial, low wages, v v v expensive to live BUT pretty.
Australia = better housing, cheaper food, cheaper fuel, better living BUT horrifically hot.

Is Australia bearable with air conditioning? PP mention skiing in NZ, but are such things affordable if housing/food/cost of living is so high?

Re heat - I’m sure it is bearable with AC but do you want to live somewhere when you have to live with (and pay for) a/c 24/7 for some of the year? And
cannot enjoy being outside at all for a big chunk of the year? That would be a complete show stopper for me. Access to mountains nearish Christchurch would make NZ more appealing. You can just go skiing for weekends- pretty sure the cost would not be prohibitive

I don't find NZ parochial - though the obsession with rugby is pretty tedious 🤣 A huge proportion of the population has spent time living overseas; far more than the UK. And that's living, rather than weekend trips to Prague & Paris 🤣🤣 - people tend to go for a few years in their 'OE'.
Outside the cities in Aus, people are lovely (friendly,,welcoming) - but the 1950s reign supreme.

The questions are - what do you like doing outside work, and how long are you thinking of going for? And what kind of work do you do?

Lots of good in both places - I came for a few months about 20 years ago 😁😁😁

@LostInTheColonies we have a diverse range of interests within our family - lovers of surfing, skiing and hiking, but also big cities and all thats on offer there with museums/concerts/events. The sunshine coast is looking appealing due to Hinterland and surf, with big city Brisbane only an hours drive away. I guess Auckland NZ could be similar but the high cost of living and low wages make it less appealing.

@ScottishKiwiAndAussie so Bris sounds like a v good option 👍 Strongly recommend skiing holidays to Queenstown though!!

I haven't been for a long time, but have spent quite a bit of time in Australia and been to New Zealand. I loved NZ and think Wellington area would be my favourite area. I prefer the climate to Brisbane, which is too hot for me. Lots of lovely outdoorsey stuff and a temperate climate! Very very far away from anywhere is why I never considered making a move there more permanently.

I live in Christchurch and know loads of totally average earning people who go off skiing/snowboarding/boating/etc on the weekends (there are ski fields close enough you could just do a day trip if you wanted). It is expensive to live here, but outdoor activities/sports are pretty accessible.

@ScottishKiwiAndAussie Have you done a mock up budget based on both places?
We moved from NZ to Oz 5years back and had the choice of three cities for the role offered. I worked out a budget for each city which guided our decision (we're in Sydney).

A lot of the apartment stock in Sydney is also not great weather-wise. Freezing in winter, roasting in summer, often with no air con.

We find NZ much more expensive, and the education system better in Sydney (obviously specific to where we are).

Also consider what you would be entitled to based on your citizenship status. We have found Aus companies are more likely to include family health insurance.

We have also found that school holiday and wrap around care for schools are more common here than NZ.

It galls me to say this, but I would take 100k near Brisbane over 80k near Christchurch seven days a week and twice on Sundays. Having said that, if that is the only money coming in it will be...not tight, but certainly not moneybags in either place.

The heat in Sydney is fine - yes you get a few really hot days in the summer but most of the year it’s totally fine and not boiling at all.
From March - May it tends to be in the 20s, June-August it’s around 17-20, Sep-Nov you get some hotter days but mainly in the 20s with a few days in the 30s. Dec-Feb temps in the high 20s, early 30s and some hot days in the 40s. Totally fine.
Queensland is more humid and tropical though, and you don’t get seasons as much but equally you don’t get many 40+ days.
I prefer Sydney to NZ for living as I like a big city. We’ve lived in a couple of places in Aus and it can feel rather far from things in some places, but I’ve never felt that in Sydney.

I would say that if you’re in the U.K., you will be more impacted by the weather than you ever would be in Aus!

I think the thing about the heat in Australian cities is rentals: landlords are legally obliged to heat but not cool a rental. Always check to see what's included.

You’re looking at 100k AUD salary vs 74k AUD salary. That’s a pretty big difference! I think I would base this decision on budget as both places will be interesting and fun for a few years, but you still need to earn a living and cost of living is very high in NZ.

80k NZD for a family will be tight. But at the same time the outdoors is safe so there may be more “free” entertainment and fun to be had in NZ (but you’re taking a 26k AUD hit on income so not sure the access to free outdoors particularly balances this out!).

I would also consider your super vs kiwi saver. In Aus we are at 11%, and in NZ the minimum rate for employers to contribute is 3%