[Tia Maria]

OK you know the drill, $70K (total family income before tax).

Obviously these polls tell you nothing about where people live, if they have a mortgage, If they have NZ family support, (ie as babysitters, or helping getting set up), how many children they have, whether they grow their own veg or like to travel outside of NZ etc etc.

What I'm trying to get a feel for is what is considered by most to be a reasonable wage, that they could live on as a family unit. In our own countries we tend to already know what kind of wage is purely a school leavers wage and what is required when you take on family responsibilities.

I also think migrants requirements and expectations are different. Partly because we will naturally make the comparison to our home country but also because the costs of coming over here, establishing yourself in a new country and job market, and often not having family to turn to can put on extra burdens that locals don't have.

Cheers

Tia

[Moorf]

As a couple... happily.

[Georgebulldog]

It's got to be worth it to live here, I think I would happily give up some stuff to just be here

[nippa&pippa]

I will be more happier on $70K then $50K, that can happen if my OH go back to his old type of job as bodyshop manager but he will be under stress again and won't see much of children again. We prefer our current lifestyles so the children see my OH more than before and for me, I am glad for his supports when he get home. It is lovely to watch my OH holding hands with my eldest son (holding a bucket of feed) and my daughter (in huge gumboots) walking down the drive to one of paddocks to feed the cows when he get home at 4:30pm (or 12pm on friday) and came back with all three of them carrying firewoods with smiling faces as they are having fun. That is priceless than my OH to work more hours to get more pay. It is our choice of lifestyles...maybe not suit others. But we won't get that type of lifestyles in UK because the lands is so expensive in UK.

[Familyofmonkeys]

But we won't get that type of lifestyles in UK because the lands is so expensive in UK.

Too true!

[Familyofmonkeys]

We would have to cut back alot to live on $70k, but we could do it....would mean alot less saving though and would have to reconsider housing options too....would have to live somehere alot smaller which wouldn't be ideal with 3 kids when they are older.

[peebles16]

This more like our current situation although I have chosen "struggle but worth it". I do feel that we live reasonably well on this level of earnings (I do like some luxuries and am not about to give them up :) )

Also think that we are still getting used to shopping, buying seasonally, budgeting etc as are recent arrivals to NZ and have had some outlays we didn't budget for. However, we don't currently save money and I would like to and do get a fright by unexpected bills that can stretch things till pay-day.

Karenx

[Tia Maria]

If you haven't done already, please vote on the other two polls, I'll compare the results in a couple of days:

$50K poll:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18193

$90K poll:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18195

Cheers

Tia

[urban78]

I voted "couple, happily" :)

[Sam B]

Well, I've voted Family - struggle but worth it. We don't have a mortgage, but I'm terrible at budgeting and I would struggle on this amount and we probably would row a bit. But it would still be worth it. Big apologies to those of you who I know manage on FAR less than this.

[benandclare]

We voted Family and happily because as we're a couple at the moment we are soon to be a family........... No Clare is not pregnant but her 16 year old lad is joining us in June :raebanana.

We're confident even with an extra mouth to feed and look out for we'll still be ok on 70K :cheers

[James 1077]

Definitely couldn't do $70k as a family in NZ unless we were rent / mortgage free (or only had a very small mortgage to pay).

We wouldn't have come out on that sort of income as life in the UK would have been better (although, to be fair, we would have probably just gone elsewhere as I really wanted to get away from the UK! :) ).

[SharpBlade]

Well, I voted family, happily. We are a one income family around that $ mark, we have 5 children.
All this is ok because our mortgage is very small (but that itself took years of saving and working. Nothing comes easy).
Having more money would allow us to travel back to Europe but I guess that's something that we can work on, saving a few cents here and there and being patient. Laura

[incredible hulse]

Could live on that but not how I'd want to. I didn't work out what Helen Clarke's band of merry men's tax breaks would be though.

[sizzlingbadger]

No way we could ever live on that as a family. We have too larger mortgage and outgoings for us to exist :exit

Have great admiration for those that do and still enjoy life :)

[CJ22]

Nope, wouldn't do it. As a single maybe, but I wouldn't sniff at a combined salary of $70K. It's not whether we could survive or not - we'd simply be living off well below our proessional market value.

[irishliz]

With 4 children and all that entails - school fees ($600 per year), activities (Swimming $330 for 3 per term, rugby, football, cricket, and all the kit), doctors, dentists (our oldest needs braces - expensive) etc there is no way we could manage on that especially if we were covering rent or a mortgage. We are not extravagent and are realistic and I do not know how families manage on less.

I admire anybody who can manage on this. If it was just us we could but the kids, especially the older ones, cost lots more.

[SteVan]

These threads are very informative. They are really helpful and give a good idea of what to expect financially from NZ. Thank you for this idea!!!! :laugh