Which would you choose and why?... Auckland, Sydney or Melbourne

[Ohladedah]

I'm a NZer as have been in the UK for 14 years, my partner is English and we've decided that we're moving from London to NZ or Australia in about 2 years. Now that it's becoming more define we need to think about where. Any advice?

We have 3 kids, currently 7, 3 & 8 months. We're moving to have a change of lifestyle, obviously. We both commute an hour each way into central London and have relatively senior roles. I think I could get into the job market easily enough any of those cities, maybe at a lower level initially. My partner is in Finance in the property sector and might find it a bit more difficult initially. We will look to buy a house once we've settled (and assuming our house value survives brexit).

Priorities are good climate, access to beaches and outdoor activities, good schools, decent job prospects (both happy to take a step down for lifestyle resons), a decent commute, diverse culture as we love that about London, interesting events both family stuff and concerts etc.

Thoughts?

.... and also I'd say that Australia and NZ don't have a monopoly on being good places to live for families. Pretty much all your requirements are ticked for me and my family in continental Europe. I know this is treasonous for me to say as a Kiwi ....!

My extremely biased opinion is Sydney. I love love Sydney and NSW.
The glorious harbour, the cbd, the weather, the beaches, the coastlines, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands. Soooo much outdoor activity. I have heard that Melbourne is very nice also but the weather is not as good aka “ the rainy city.” If it’s a matter of dollar and cents, I’d move to Queensland.

Hi OP, I live in Auckland and travel to Sydney regularly for work. Have also lived in Wellington and London.

I like living in Auckland but we are lucky enough to have a manageable mortgage and live centrally (so very easy commute - 10 minute drive for me). Neither DH nor I have to commute on the motorway. If you were stuck doing a motorway commute in peak traffic it would seriously affect your quality of life IMO.

I've had the opportunity to move to Sydney but on balance I think Auckland suits us better. Housing is fairly astronomical in both but I think Sydney is worse. Sydney beaches are gorgeous but very pricey to live near to.

We have a good quality of life here - climate is really good, we get a genuine good 4 month summer Dec - March, and often November and April are v mild. Some great restaurants, cafe culture etc, Summer holidays in Waiheke and the Coromandel, both in under 2 hours from AK, a nice life for young kids. Still less class conscious than the UK, I think (though inequality is an increasing issue). It is expensive though - DH and I both work full time in good jobs and we live a comfortable middle class life but we don't act "rich" - old cars etc, but we do manage to travel overseas once a year.

I wouldn't live in Wellington again - I liked it when I lived there but after living in London it feels too small and government centric to me. And the climate is awful!

Sorry this is a bit of a ramble...