# Would It be wise?



## sendelany (Jun 18, 2013)

Hello Guys.

This is my very first post. I'm a 30 year old South African living in Johannesburg thinking of moving to NZ with my wife. We have a fairly comfortable life in SA partly because of the lower cost of living and that we are in the IT industry.

We want to Immigrate to experience a different life in a new country and are considering NZ because of it's beauty, weather and safety. Our biggest concern is the high standard of living. Especially with the price of housing.

I would like to know especially from South Africans in New Zealand if you had to suffer financial adjustments in NZ. We are both in IT with me being a Software Engineer (11 Yrs experience) and my Wife a Test Analyst (1 Yr experience) and would like to do the same in NZ.

Any monthly budgets will be appreciated from any Town/City as we have not yet decided where to settle.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

sendelany said:


> Our biggest concern is the high standard of living. Especially with the price of housing.
> 
> I would like to know especially from South Africans in New Zealand if you had to suffer financial adjustments in NZ. We are both in IT with me being a Software Engineer (11 Yrs experience) and my Wife a Test Analyst (1 Yr experience) and would like to do the same in NZ.
> 
> Any monthly budgets will be appreciated from any Town/City as we have not yet decided where to settle.


Hi and welcome to the forum,

I think you mean your biggest concern is the high "cost" of living ?
It is very true that the cost of living in NZ is high and in relation to that salaries can be lower than what you would expect for the same occupation in other countries.
Yes, housing is expensive other than in remote rural areas, but in these areas they are far away from the cities and the jobs.
In general, the cost of property here is very high, especially when you consider the quality of that property isn't what I would call great. It is getting better as building code is reviewed and updated but still shocking in some ways when you actually see a new home being built, but it is what it is.
NZ is all about the lifestyle and many people come here to be outdoors and not stay within 4 walls all day. Unfortunately to live in a beautiful country like this with a very low population, low traffic, low serious crime, decent weather and climate etc etc there is a premium to pay.

If you are both in to IT, your best option to find work would be either Auckland or Wellington, then possibly Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch.
Auckland will be the most expensive by some margin due to the higher cost of living there, but none of the others are much cheaper.

Approx. budgets for living in or near a major city like the ones mentioned (all stated monthly in NZ$) :-

Rent on a 3/4 bed family home - $2100....this works out at $500 per week. You'll need to stump up 6 x the weekly rent up front on signing a rental contract then you'll have to pay the weekly rent again as soon as you move in to maintain advance payments.
Electricity - $250 (If you pay for gas also then the monthly cost for electricity will be lower as you will use gas for some appliances)
Water - $25 (You may not have to pay this if you don't have a water meter. In some places, water is paid by the landlord/owner as part of the council rates).
Gas - $250 (If you are paying for gas, e.g for cooking or a hot water/central heating system then your electricity consumption will be lower and as such your electricity bill lower)
Mains gas is only available in some parts of the North Island. In other places, and if the facility is there to use gas, it is the bottled LPG variety with a huge 5 foot tall bottle costing approx $100 but should last 3 or 4 months.
Broadband, phone line and a few calls - $100
Sky TV or similar - $48 minimum
1 x smartphone mobile contract - $20 minimum (using own phone)
Refuse collection - $40 (this is either paying to rent bins annually or buying the council refuse sacks at the supermarket) 
Contents insurance - $55
Groceries - $800
Transport costs for 1 x standard car (vehicle road tax, warrant of fitness, insurance, annual service, sufficient petrol for say 1200 KM's a month - $300

Other costs to consider :-
You will have to pay income tax on every cent you earn.
You will have to pay ACC contributions on every cent you earn up to a cap of around $1700 per year.
You will (depending on your visa status) pay a % of salary in to Kiwisaver which is a government managed savings funds for your retirement years - factor in 4% of earnings...I think this will become mandatory soon?
Cash for eating out and socialising.
School for kids as they aren't free, plus the cost of trips, uniforms and stationery.
Visiting the GP isn't free unless under 13 years.
Visiting the dentist.
Savings for holidays or a rainy day.


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## sendelany (Jun 18, 2013)

escapedtonz said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum,
> 
> I think you mean your biggest concern is the high "cost" of living ?
> It is very true that the cost of living in NZ is high and in relation to that salaries can be lower than what you would expect for the same occupation in other countries.
> ...


Thank you very much. I really appreciate the detailed information, it gives us a clearer understanding of what is in store.

I agree, the quality of life must come at a price. The expenses do seem manageable as long as one has a steady job with a reasonable salary. We were thinking of trying to secure jobs before moving or at least try. Any idea if there are any employers willing to hire immigrants? I heard from a colleague of mine he once came across an online platform where NZ employers recruit from other countries.

Many thanks.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

sendelany said:


> Thank you very much. I really appreciate the detailed information, it gives us a clearer understanding of what is in store.
> 
> I agree, the quality of life must come at a price. The expenses do seem manageable as long as one has a steady job with a reasonable salary. We were thinking of trying to secure jobs before moving or at least try. Any idea if there are any employers willing to hire immigrants? I heard from a colleague of mine he once came across an online platform where NZ employers recruit from other countries.
> 
> Many thanks.


Yes there are employers willing to offer potential immigrants work but all depends how desperate those employers are for your skills and if they struggle to employ from within NZ.
An employer shouldn't offer work to a person overseas without the right to live and work here. They should always be employing from within NZ first.

All you can do is search for the vacancies and apply like everyone else and hope that you are the perfect candidate.
I dont know of any specific online platforms where NZ employers look to recruit from overseas. There definitely are employers who do look overseas as I am proof of that but as I say it all depends what industry and specialty you are in.


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