[Singel]

I thought it might be interesting to find out the actual expenses of a couple and then, to find out what is the minimum salary in order to afford these expenditure.

Here is our actual expenses per month : A couple with no kid living in Auckland
Energy 90.00 (using heat pump)
Gas 30.00
Insurance 271.00 (health/life/income protection/car/house/content/AA membership)
Sky TV 44.00
Telecom 130.00 (landline & internet)
Council 100.00 (rates)
Council 35.00 (water)
Grocery 500.00 (including eating-out)
Petrol 200.00
Sub-Total : $1400

Rental/Mortgage $2000

GRAND TOTAL : $3400

Based on the above expenditure of $3400 per month, the minimum income is $55k per annum i.e. $3,498 per month (after tax).

Just a sharing :cheers

[Debbie P.]

Thanks Ivy, this is a really useful insight.

[marcia]

Thanks for the info.

I'm just so glad we won't have a mortgage, don't think we could survive with 3 kids if we did!!

[Jameelka]

Thanks Single,very interesting.
Just wish we could sell our house here in the UK.Just rung the estate agents and they said it's been quiet due to the football,so fingers crossed once it finishes we may get some interest.

[marcia]

Just wish we could sell our house here in the UK.Just rung the estate agents and they said it's been quiet due to the football,so fingers crossed once it finishes we may get some interest.


So when does it finish and will we have droves of people fighting to get through our doors????? ;)

[Jameelka]

Sure the men will put me right!! but think it's 9/7??!!

[Cardiff Irons]

Thanks Single,very interesting.
Just wish we could sell our house here in the UK.Just rung the estate agents and they said it's been quiet due to the football,so fingers crossed once it finishes we may get some interest.After the World Cup it's only about 3-4 weeks until the start of the new season. Doesn't give much of a window for selling does it?:no

[Cardiff Irons]

Oh, forgot to mention, enormously helpful post Ivy.:nice1

Would obviously be even more useful if you and Mr. Singel could instantly hatch 4 children (aged 18, 15, 10 and 8) to make the figures more relevant to us ;).

[viking]

For two children I've been using http://www.emigratenz.org/cost-of-living-in-new-zealand.HTML

[Cardiff Irons]

For two children I've been using http://www.emigratenz.org/cost-of-living-in-new-zealand.HTMLIt's not enough Viking. More, more, more.......

;)

[StevieD]

But Steve, you seem to forget that the domestic football season holds no interest to anyone except the "big 4 or 5"!! :) Don't think that will affect the housing market, whereas the jingoistic world cup makes everything stop. Does here anyway.

Good post Ivy - thanks for sharing.

[David with a dream]

A very good insight, still though I will keep getting my weekly lotto until we head off :nice1 David

[Aydon]

We've just got Life Assurance and HEalth cover and car insurance and are looking to rent in the Chch area.

Life/Health cover: $116.00 a month ($400,000 cover)

Car Insurance: $715 per year for a 1.3 car and a 2.0 Rav4 4 Wheel Drive - no under 25s allowed to drive - paying annually was cheaper than paying monthly - same as UK.

4 Bedroom property on new subdivision about 25 mins south of Chch: $1560 per month.


Obviously I can;t comment on living costs, but will update when/if we rent.

[Jerry]

Very helpful – thank you!!!

[Avalon]

Grocery 500.00 (including eating-out)


:o I'd be too embarrassed to post my grocery budget. And I cant stick to it!

[Cardiff Irons]

But Steve, you seem to forget that the domestic football season holds no interest to anyone except the "big 4 or 5"!! :) West Ham, Everton.....who are the other 2 or 3 Steve?:D

[Singel]

Here is our actual expenses per month : A couple with no kid living in Auckland
Energy 90.00 (using heat pump)
Gas 30.00
Insurance 271.00 (health/life/income protection/car/house/content/AA membership)
Sky TV 44.00
Telecom 130.00 (landline & internet)
Council 100.00 (rates)
Council 35.00 (water)
Grocery 500.00 (including eating-out)
Petrol 200.00
Sub-Total : $1400

Rental/Mortgage $2000

GRAND TOTAL : $3400

Based on the above expenditure of $3400 per month, the minimum income is $55k per annum i.e. $3,498 per month (after tax).

It is a very tight ship to run on a $55k income. Those are fixed expenditure which do not take into account the other variable expenses such as doctor/dentist visits, holidays, garden stuff, birthday celebrations, house maintenance and etc.

The rule of the thumb is that the rental or mortgage should be about 40% of the take home pay. Which means that the figure of $2000 for rental/mortgage must scale down to $1400 or alternative boost the income to $85k.

This is how we control unnecessary expenses and I find it really useful, is that, we keep asking each other whether that particular thing that we wish to buy is "MUST HAVE" or "NICE TO HAVE". This way it really help us to rationalise and avoid impulsive buying.

Just a thought :cheers

[Singel]

Would obviously be even more useful if you and Mr. Singel could instantly hatch 4 children (aged 18, 15, 10 and 8) to make the figures more relevant to us ;).
We need to turn back the clock or have a crystal ball ;) :laugh

[Marie P]

I will try and find some figures to help you Steve and Gil as we have 3 kids [13,10,and 7 ].

[Little bit of news today ....the building company say they will cut the site in the next 10 days .....Ivy keep checking for us please :nice1 ]

Marie x

[Singel]

[Little bit of news today ....the building company say they will cut the site in the next 10 days .....Ivy keep checking for us please :nice1 ]

Marie x
I will do that Marie. I will count how many teabreaks they take :laugh

Marie, we will made some photos and email to you :cheers

[Cardiff Irons]

Thanks Marie and Ivy. You Senior Members, always being so very helpful :nice1.

Cheers


Steve

[Jerry]

Hi Singel,
I would like to rent a flat close to the CBD in AKL. Could you tell me, what you get for $2000?
How many sqm or rooms, and where is it situated?

Tank you,
Jerry

[Smiler]

I will do that Marie. I will count how many teabreaks they take

Marie, we will made some photos and email to you


Marie
You have your own project manager too? :clap

Well done Ivy. Don't cut Marie's builder any slack. :nice1

Oh and we'd all like a peek at the pics, please. :D

[Singel]

Marie
You have your own project manager too? :clap

Well done Ivy. Don't cut Marie's builder any slack. :nice1

Ah ha................... our thefty bills are on the way :D :laugh

[jo-and-jeff]

I would like to rent a flat close to the CBD in AKL. Could you tell me, what you get for $2000? How many sqm or rooms, and where is it situated?
This will vary wildly, depending on which attributes are most important to you. We just got done doing a search for an unfurnished place for when our container arrives (July 19 is the latest story, yeah, right). We looked at places ranging from $450 to $750 per week (about $1950 to $3250 per month). Our wish list of high-priority items included:
close to downtown
a good walking neighborhood, with shops and restaurants
at least 3 bed/office rooms
at least 2 full bathrooms
enough sq metres of personal space to not kill each other
whiteware (refrigerator and clothes washer & dryer) included
North and/or West exposure, for the sun
patio, deck, and/or small yard
not necessarily ultra-modern, but not extremely dated (30+years) either
pre-wired for SkyTV
2 reserved parking spaces, preferably in a garage or carport
waterview

We were able to find a 3-bedroom (+office) townhouse in Parnell, with 2 full baths, whiteware, 2-car garage, decks off the living room and master bedroom which face North and have a view of the City and Sky Tower, wired for SkyTV and gas, gas fireplace, central vacuum, and small fenced-in yard for $700/week (they went down to $680/week when we offered to take a 1-year lease). They will allow us to have our cats. The kitchen is not as great as some we saw, but it will do, and it includes a microwave. Not surprisingly, I had to kiss my dreams of a harbourview good-bye.

Based on the other things we saw, we felt that this place was an extremely good find for the price -- but I expended a considerable amount of time and effort in finding it (we probably looked at 2 dozen places, and a few of them were real hovels). Rentals (especially by-owner) are typically listed in the Wed or Sat Herald, or with agencies. Unfortunately, you not only have to visit each agency (Harcourt's, Barfoot & Thompson, LJ Hooker, Ray White, etc), but you have to visit each agency office in every district in which you're interested, because agents will usually only show you their own listings. Often, desirable properties will rent before you can even get over to see them.

If you're single and only need 1 bedroom, you can probably get something with most of the above attributes for $400-$600/week ($1730-$2600/month). The biggest trick is being able and willing to be patient and put out considerable effort, visiting agencies, making phone calls, and setting up and going on appointments to view available properties. Two different $500 rental properties can differ quite drastically in quality and amenities, and you just have to chug your way through the possibilities until you find something that is a good match for your needs and wants.

Note that if you're willing to live like a poor college student (i.e., in a tiny 1-bedroom flat, with no view, no parking space, and perhaps doing laundry in a common laundry room or having to go out to a laundromat), you can get something for considerably less.

Parking in the CBD is at a huge premium, so if you need it, make sure that a reserved space is included with your rental fee.

And finally, be aware that you will need to come to Auckland with a sizable chunk of change in the bank. Renting a place usually involves paying an additional 3 full weeks' rent as a bond/deposit returnable when you move out (as long as there's no damage), plus another full week+GST which is the agent's fee and which you don't get back. In addition, the phone company, electric company, gas company, ISP, and SkyTV will all probably require a bond/deposit in addition to a non-refundable installation charge. So for a $500/week place, you could end up shelling out $3200-$3500 just to get set up, above and beyond the cost of your rent and utilities.

Landlords usually require some kind of recommendation or reference. If you currently rent, bring a recommendation letter from your landlord (and previous landlords, if you can) stating how long you've rented and that you've been reliable about paying and not destroying the place. If you own a home, bring a copy of your deed.

(To echo a really helpful recommendation from clg (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/member.php?u=168), if you can, bring a letter from your current auto/renters/homeowners insurance company stating how long you've been insured with them and that you've had no claims. This will help you get less expensive auto and contents insurance here.)

I hope that this information will be useful to you.

Jo

[I]

[Jerry]

Hey Jo,
This was a lot of new valuable information to me. I think I should start to get some references.
Thank you very much for your comments!!

Jerry

[Singel]

There are lot of feedbacks about rates increase in the papers this week : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10393938

Today, we received the Manukau City Council and Auckland Regional Council rates bills and we have to pay a total of $125 per month, an increase of 25% :no

[katandbob]

wow I cant believe that you have to do all that to rent in a city...it made my head hurt just reading it!

glad I am a country bumkin! it took a copy of our passport and I took in a copy of my bank balance and that was it we moved in the next day, with a bond of $600.

Kat

[Singel]

We deal directly with our landlord and he knew that we were here as tourists, so he never asked for referral letter and insurance doc. We do not need to show our passports and bank account. Basically, we just talked and agreed with the rent and the terms of the tenant contract (give 3 weeks notice and we could quit the rental). We moved in the next day after paying the bond (1 week) and 2 weeks advanced rent.

Maybe our landlord is desperate so he is very easy on us.

[aorland]

Great and useful information...thanks for the post Singel.