[feeble]

I read a lot about people saying that the salaries in NZ are much lower compared to Europe. Now I've been offered a job with a salary of $55K per year and if my calculation is correct (33% tax in NZ?) I find the result per month very pleasing. Maybe the salaries in the UK are much higher than the rest of Europe, or the tax rate isn't that high in the UK? The tax rate for me at the moment is a bloody 45% (on a salary of appx $70K), so I'm very happy with what I've been offered in NZ :P It's pretty much the same as I'm earning here at the moment.
Or am I missing something?

[Moorf]

Without knowing your occupation or management level it would be hard to comment on whether that is a good or bad salary! If you were a cleaner it would be an exceptional salary but crappy if you were head of Telecom!

[Carol]

Sounds Ok - but I can tell you there is no way on earth we could survive (as a family of 5) on that amount of money here!

[veronica]

Some of the salaries are comparable, our son in law earns slightly more here than the UK and daughter found she could earn more temping here that she did clerical for the NHS back home. Another friend has had to take a drop in salary but he is in IT. So its horses for courses really.

[feeble]

It's for a position of Firmware Engineer and I would only have to support myself.

[wilson182]

Sounds good to me, hubby is on just under that, not quite enough to support a family of four with only him working, but he managed ok when he was on his own.

[Moorf]

That's pretty good then, more so if just you to support :nice1

[Diny]

If you only have yourself to support then that's a good deal.

Word of warning though ..... don't get hitched - you'll never be rich (ask my husband).

:laugh :laugh :laugh

Diny

[Timbo]

but its better than diggin a ditch....aye what.

[lynden]

Hi
Just thought I`d pitch in,I have been offered a starting salary of $42000nz and a car,I was told this is a good wage for Hamilton,surely it does depend where you live????I know this is more than a police officer starts onin NZ.I am taking a substantial drop in earnings from what I get in the UK but I would be mortgage free in NZ...Is $42K any good???
Cheers

[Carol]

if you are going to be mortgage free then yes - that's great!

[coastcat]

Allow me to gesture like a game show hostess towards this site's handy Cost Of Living Calculator (http://www.emigratenz.org/cost-of-living-in-new-zealand.HTML). If you can estimate your expenses (the calculator gives some guidelines, and you can figure out housing by using real estate sites and ENZ's housing rental estimates (http://www.emigratenz.org/HouseRents.html)), you can determine how much you'll need to earn to live comfortably. Remember, the guideline numbers in the COL calculator assume a family of two adults and two children, so adjust the numbers accordingly.

$55k a year for a single person should net you a comfy lifestyle in NZ, even in Auckland.

Edit: Don't forget, Danpoll, it's 33% on the portion of your salary over $38k. If you earn $40k, you're taxed at 19.5% on the first $38k and 33% on only the $2k over that.

[Danpoll]

I am feeling a little sad, my measley $17 an hour and grand total of 38K is looking rather a small amount. True houses are cheaper on the sth island. oh well I am poor in the UK so being poor elsewhere will be new experience.

after 38k its 33% tax, ouch

I would pressume that like nearly all others on this forum, is that we seek a better standard of life and living over career's or money aspirations

cheers
Daniel

[Danpoll]

sorry I mean 35K a year, Iam getting poorer by the minute


Daniel

[feeble]

I was also prepared to earn less money than here in Europe in return for a better quality of life, but you won't hear me complain now that the salary's good as well. I'll be working in Hamilton by the way

[veronica]

Is there a minimum that you have to be offered to apply for permenant residence. Somehow the figure of $44,000 comes to mind. Anyone out there with definate information any thoughts on this.

[lynden]

I seem to remember hat a salary of $45K is required when you are offered a job on the POL or OSL by an acredited employer,,

[coastcat]

Is there a minimum that you have to be offered to apply for permenant residence. Somehow the figure of $44,000 comes to mind. Anyone out there with definate information any thoughts on this.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/DDD82D69-1024-4BEC-95A0-5FDA50F7BFA0/0/NZWorkPolicyMeetingtalentSkillandlabourneeds.pdf

The above is a PDF entitled "New Zealand Work Policy", published in March 2004. It states that the three Work To Residence visas (POL, Accredited Employer, and Arts/Culture/Sports) require that the applicant must have "ongoing employment with a salary of at least $45,000". This requirement applies to getting the work permit and getting residency after two years of working under that permit. I'm not sure how this applies to the OSL, though (still trying to dig through the NZIS website to find the info, ack).

[Terry&Sophie]

I'm glad to hear so many other people are querying the salary issue too. We're in the position of really wanting to move to NZ, but not knowing whether we'll be able to earn enough to make it a sensible option. We're yet to find a job advert with a salary quoted, and without job offers we really have no idea what we would be paid! :?

Just in case anybody can help, we're thinking of living/working in the Auckland area, and getting jobs as a mechanical engineer and a civil engineer.

I've been doing some calculations, trying to work out the minimum we'd need, and based on that the $55k feeble was talking about sounds like it could be pretty comfortable. I'm just not sure what I'd do if we got out there and could only find jobs offering $30k! Or... worse still... if I can't find a job at all!! :eek :eek

Sophie (and Terry)

[Timbo]

I`am sure that there was a thread going a while back about this. Seem to remember, possibly Karl, saying that whereas $60 would be reasonable, it would not go very far in Auckland because of higher housing costs etc. The national average income in NZ is (or was) around the $45k mark.
At the end of the day it all comes down to what kind of lifestyle you want really.

[KD17]

We're going to feel the difference in salaries when we get there :hopeso I'm sure.

We [currently] live on the Isle of Man and pay very little tax with virtually no unemployment and high salaries, but I'm sure it will be worth every penny lost to live in NZ...

:nice1

Keith & Debby

[Terry&Sophie]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this applies to all job areas, but I was told today by a NZ employer based in Auckland that as a rule of thumb I should expect approximately twice my UK £ salary in NZ $. Has anyone else heard the same thing?

Sophie

[Moorf]

Not sure about that one... if Woz were to give his previous UK salary, doubled, in NZ$ I think they'd laugh us out of the building!

[chuchi]

Would anyone know if the Cost of Living Calculator found in this site gives an accurate estimate of the expenses in NZ?

Also, would anyone know if an annual salary of $50k would be sufficient for a couple (with no kids) in the Napier area?

Chuchi

[ruthyroo]

These threads just go round and round don't they?!!

From what I've read and experienced, the main factors seem to be:
Whether you are mortgage free or not (currently the average NZ household spends 25% of its income on mortgage / rent) - if you don't have to do this it's a big bonus.
Whether you have one or two incomes (I know it is a big dream of many immigrants but I have met no NZ families where mum stays home to look after kids and doesn't work at least part time).

We can each only contribute our experience. I earn $45 and it would be very difficult for DH and I to survive on that alone. DH earns $58 and it would be easier to survive on that alone. If we had kids and I did not work, we would really be struggling on his salary alone - and we don't even live in Aukland. By struggling I mean we would be shopping in Pak n Save and Warehouse only (and that really does get depressing once the novelty wears off), living very cheaply, nothing new for house, no travel abroad or holidays, no savings, and very few treats like wine on the weekend, one car (and praying it didn't need repaired!) etc. It could get depressing after a while, and you can feel likeyou've moved backwards in life rather than forwards!

Last thing, the average salary in NZ is actually $28,800 - see the article below for a range of NZ salaries

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&st oryID=3601575

So that suggests that a lot of people here survive on this - but having been here a while I can see how they do it, and it's not really a way of life that I came to NZ for. If I'm going to be poor and struggling financially then I want to do it with my friends and family around to sympathise and help out!!