# Require Guidance for shifting to wellington



## aspire (Apr 6, 2013)

Hi

I am in IT and in final negotiations for an offer in wellington
I shall be thankful if you can suggest me
1:-For a single guy , is the salary of 90k sufficient ? i know its subjective but u may give a small picture
Also in NZ what other things are often included in package [ or which i should ask them ] like health insurance, travel coupons etc etc plz suggest
2:- I have got diff figures for cost of living in wellington from different websites. if you can suggest for same like grocery, rent [ i know it can be 1400 pm etc other things ]
3:-is wellington cheaper than auckland ?
4:-any good websites to learn more about the city 
website to find best deals in nz
website to find out best rentals [ except rentals.co.nz]
website to get the price /cost of living
website to find best broadband/cell phone
any other website which you can suggest for any new comer 
Any good relocation guide

ps :- i had already gone through below
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ne...23-general-relocation-questions-answered.html

I shall be thankful if anyone can suggest

Best Regards


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## Rosieprimrose (May 9, 2014)

Hello, yes Wellington is less expensive than Auckland for housing and travel costs as its more compact. Personally know of many families surviving on less money than that. If you have PR be aware that health insurance in NZ is desirable but really not 100% necessary. What is important about Wellington and I guess any other city is that housing costs vary greatly from suburb to suburb. Wellington is, in my opinion a beautiful city, with so much to offer. The inner city area is buzzing with cafe culture and the outer areas have plenty of outdoors activities to offer. Obviously the inner city and surroundings suburbs are more expensive for housing, but may offer a ten minute bus trip to work. I always think its much better to get an idea of food prices to go to a supermarket website and look at the prices directly. One large one in Wellington is "New World" google that, look at the costs and get an idea.


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## aspire (Apr 6, 2013)

Rosieprimrose said:


> Hello, yes Wellington is less expensive than Auckland for housing and travel costs as its more compact. Personally know of many families surviving on less money than that. If you have PR be aware that health insurance in NZ is desirable but really not 100% necessary. What is important about Wellington and I guess any other city is that housing costs vary greatly from suburb to suburb. Wellington is, in my opinion a beautiful city, with so much to offer. The inner city area is buzzing with cafe culture and the outer areas have plenty of outdoors activities to offer. Obviously the inner city and surroundings suburbs are more expensive for housing, but may offer a ten minute bus trip to work. I always think its much better to get an idea of food prices to go to a supermarket website and look at the prices directly. One large one in Wellington is "New World" Google that, look at the costs and get an idea.


HI 

Many thanks for guiding me and providing me a nice picture
I am checking NEW WORLD for the things 

Just a request if there is some relocation guide or some useful websites that can be great for rentals, understanding NZ system, internet ,power ,gas

I am currently in India . I am currently searching for rental from rentnz website
please suggest what are the basic requirements required by the owners like any references [ i am from india and cannot provide any NZ references as it will be my first accommodation ] or any other thing.

2:- I want to avoid the agent fee ? how can I search where people directly advertise ?
3:- Also do the owner except some security or advance etc if yes how much so that i can budget ..
4:- Also are there any clauses 

I want oral and dental insurance so will check that too ,

I am moving first time so many many queries in mind 

Thanks in advance


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

aspire said:


> Hi I am in IT and in final negotiations for an offer in wellington I shall be thankful if you can suggest me 1:-For a single guy , is the salary of 90k sufficient ? i know its subjective but u may give a small picture Also in NZ what other things are often included in package [ or which i should ask them ] like health insurance, travel coupons etc etc plz suggest 2:- I have got diff figures for cost of living in wellington from different websites. if you can suggest for same like grocery, rent [ i know it can be 1400 pm etc other things ] 3:-is wellington cheaper than auckland ? 4:-any good websites to learn more about the city website to find best deals in nz website to find out best rentals [ except rentals.co.nz] website to get the price /cost of living website to find best broadband/cell phone any other website which you can suggest for any new comer Any good relocation guide ps :- i had already gone through below http://www.expatforum.com/expats/new-zealand-expat-forum-expats-living-new-zealand/131523-general-relocation-questions-answered.html I shall be thankful if anyone can suggest Best Regards


Hi,

1. Yes $90k is sufficient salary for a single person in Wellington. Many families survive on less!
On a $90k salary you will be taxed $20620 and you will pay $1305 towards ACC.
This leaves you with $68075 which works out as $1310 per week take home (Nett) pay.
If you come here on a resident visa you can elect to pay into Kiwisaver which is a savings scheme for retirement years. You can opt in so long as you are a resident or above and usually your employer will match your contributions up to a certain %.
You can opt for 3, 4 or 8% contributions so factor in your pay would reduce by this amount.
If you elected to pay Kiwisaver at 4% then your weekly Nett pay would fall to $1240.

So with this in mind you can see how much money you'll have in your hands each week prior to paying out for accommodation costs etc.

With regards to other benefits with your salary package it all comes down to the employer. The larger companies usually offer something and will usually tell you at the interview stage. If they haven't mentioned anything to date Id be concerned that there's nothing else.
I work for a large nationally recognised company and all employees get Southerncross Regularcare Health Insurance, Death & Disability Insurance and Income Protection Insurance plus we get corporate rates at a lot of retailers around the country etc.
Not saying that's normal but it's certainly a possibility. You won't get if you don't ask!

2. Have a look at all the supermarket website like Countdown, New World and PAC & Save to see cost of groceries. Look at Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, Dick Smith for household goods, electricals and furniture. Look at Briscoes for homewares.

Rent is depicted by the size of the property and the location so if you want to just rent a single room with a ruck load of students it'll probably cost $75/$100 a week in the city where you will share all the other costs. If you want your own 2 bed house within walking distance of the CBD then maybe $600 a week ???
If you live further out then you'll get more for your money or the same for much less but the trade off is you'll have a commute.

3. Yes.

4. For property. Have a look on www.trademe.co.nz which will give you an idea of likely costs for the size of property and location you want. You may not be able to register as the administrators do not allow overseas members. You will need an NZ IP Address to register no doubt.

For all other websites just use www.google.co.nz and you'll easily find what you need.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

aspire said:


> HI Many thanks for guiding me and providing me a nice picture I am checking NEW WORLD for the things Just a request if there is some relocation guide or some useful websites that can be great for rentals, understanding NZ system, internet ,power ,gas I am currently in India . I am currently searching for rental from rentnz website please suggest what are the basic requirements required by the owners like any references [ i am from india and cannot provide any NZ references as it will be my first accommodation ] or any other thing. 2:- I want to avoid the agent fee ? how can I search where people directly advertise ? 3:- Also do the owner except some security or advance etc if yes how much so that i can budget .. 4:- Also are there any clauses I want oral and dental insurance so will check that too , I am moving first time so many many queries in mind Thanks in advance


Yes there are relocation advice website - just use www.google.co.nz to find them. Just enter "Living in Wellington" or "Relocating to Wellington".
There are many internet providers, again just use google by searching for the providers just based in Wellington.
Mobile phones - there are only 4 networks available. 2Degrees, Vodafone, Telecom and Skinny Mobile. Have a look at their websites to get an idea of price.
I'd say Skinny Mobile are the cheapest but they are also the newest and have less coverage. I'm with 2Degrees and find them great and being cheaper than the other two.
Vodafone and Telecom have been around a while and I'm sure both provide a full service - mobile, landline, sky tv (Vodafone) / cable or fibre tv (Telecom) and broadband internet / superbroadband and all on one bill. We are with Vodafone and have landline, normal broadband 80Gb per month and Sky Tv standard package & we pay around $140 a month.
Again with power and gas there's a choice and they're all around the same price. Just google. We've been with Contact Energy and Genesis Energy and find Genesis to be a lot cheaper however we only have electricity now whereas in a previous property we also had gas which is very expensive. There are no water charges unless you have a water meter. Water is paid in the council rates that the landlord pays but if there is a water meter then there's a way to pass on the charges!

Usually a landlord will want a reference to establish that you are going to be a good tenant. If you haven't rented before then you may need to ask your bank to provide something based on a previous mortgage or finance arrangement like a loan etc ?
You may be able to rent a place without a reference if you are here in person so the owner / landlord can personally vet you but from overseas you may not fair so well.

Many owners use agents to manage their properties and with that you cannot avoid a letting fee which will usually be 1 weeks rent + GST. This charge is totally lost to the agent and cannot be recovered.
If you wish to avoid this fee then your only option is to rent privately but you are seriously reducing your options.
People directly advertise on www.trademe.co.nz
When renting a landlord will insist on a bond. This fee is paid directly to the landlord or agent and they then have a period of 3 weeks to lodge this fee in trust with the Ministry of Business & Innovation which is the government department that looks after all things housing and the law associated with it. You would be wise to research your rights as a tenant and the rules a landlord must stick to.
I think I'm right in saying you are only obliged to pay a bond up to the equivalent of 4 weeks rent. This is usually what is asked for in my experience but you could be asked to pay more so it's up to you if you do. A landlord could also ask for less.
By law the landlord must lodge this fee as a bond so it is held in trust and re-payable in full when you leave the tenancy assuming you have stuck within the conditions of your contract.
Normally you will also pay a couple of weeks rent in advance and always stay in advance.
So if you sign on the dotted line for a rental you may have to pay 7 weeks rent up front!!!
4 weeks for the bond, 2 weeks in advance and a week letting fee + GST then you'd pay a week or two weeks rent when you moved in and continue to pay in advance.


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## aspire (Apr 6, 2013)

escapedtonz said:


> Hi,
> 
> 1. Yes $90k is sufficient salary for a single person in Wellington. Many families survive on less!
> On a $90k salary you will be taxed $20620 and you will pay $1305 towards ACC.
> ...


Hi

Thanks for the detailed answer
My employer just discussed about package so I think the insurances mentioned are not covered..
I checked the websites and i think i can myself afford them 

Thanks for list of the stores .I have gone through and got an idea

Regarding rentals, I tried to add my ad on gumtree but it was not posted .I contacted their customer care and got following reply
Hence you are right 



> Since Gumtree is a local New Zealand classifieds site, if you are not located within New Zealand’s borders, you will encounter problems using Gumtree such as posting or replying to ads as you have noticed.
> 
> Your current IP address is originating in India which is considered to be outside of our local region.
> 
> My recommendation is to have a friend or family member post and manage these ads on your behalf until you are able to return to our local area.


If anyone from NZ can post my ad that wil be good
similarly I got issue from trademe too 


Many Thanks


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## aspire (Apr 6, 2013)

Thanks for the detailed guidance 
It really helped.. I will sure add something morw
Just issue is there i need someone in nz to post my ad on gumtree or trademe


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

aspire said:


> Thanks for the detailed guidance It really helped.. I will sure add something morw Just issue is there i need someone in nz to post my ad on gumtree or trademe


I don't think anyone here in NZ will be happy posting an ad on your behalf using their own account.
You'll have to think of another way, however I'm not really clear why and what you are advertising for ?


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## aspire (Apr 6, 2013)

escapedtonz said:


> I don't think anyone here in NZ will be happy posting an ad on your behalf using their own account.
> You'll have to think of another way, however I'm not really clear why and what you are advertising for ?



Hi 
Thats fine
I want to create an ad in section "REQUIRED/WANTED" the ad for my accommodation need and preferences. Anyways I am contacting the persons from the diff ads on both the sites


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## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

aspire said:


> Hi
> 
> I am in IT and in final negotiations for an offer in wellington
> I shall be thankful if you can suggest me
> 1:-For a single guy , is the salary of 90k sufficient ?


Yes, that is a very good salary for a single person. You'll have a good standard of living on that.


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## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

aspire said:


> Hi
> Thats fine
> I want to create an ad in section "REQUIRED/WANTED" the ad for my accommodation need and preferences. Anyways I am contacting the persons from the diff ads on both the sites


I think a good idea for you would be to come and stay in a backpackers, hostel, or motel (if you can afford it) for a week before you start work, which should give you enough time to find a rental while you are here.
Another option could be to contact your employers and see if they can find a rental for you. Usually they will be only too happy to help you out.


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