Nelson - cost of living compared to Auckland?

[roseandrob]

Hi

We have been in Auckland for just over a year, and decided its not really the right city for us! We are trying to make the move down south and would like to live in either Christchurch or Nelson. I have two job interviews in Nelson next Friday, and a possible job interview in Christchurch in the next couple of weeks. We decided it would be very sensible for at least one of us to get a job first before moving!

Both positions in Nelson are paying nearly 10k less than my job in Auckland, which is expected.

I'm having a general freak out about the pay-cut and having second thoughts even though we are miserable in Auckland (commuting over an hour to work each way, 2x bad experience with rough neighbours etc. Generally not enjoying the rat-race). Just wondering if anyone from Nelson can tell us that the cost of living will be less than Auckland!? At the moment I'm spending around $200 per month on travel to work (my partner probably spends the same or more on petrol), hopefully that will decrease? Are food prices similar to Auckland? We tend to cook from scratch, and lead quite simple lives, do a lot of free outdoorsy stuff at the weekend or watch a lot of dvds! Sooooo confused at the moment!!!

Thanks

[dbonnett]

While it is possible to commute an hour each way to work in Nelson, it would be due to living far, far from the CBD - most of the residential areas are less than 20 minutes drive. There can be some traffic in the PM for people who work in Nelson and live in Tasman district (Richmond, Wakefield, Upper Moutere etc) but I expect it will be trivial compared to anywhere in Auckland.

We live north of town in Atawhai and my wife bikes the 5km to work on the cycleway - there is never any congestion in or out of town from this direction. Lots of people bike or walk to work, depending on distances, there are good cycle lanes on most of the roads and several dedicated cycleways around town.

I don't know the cost of food in Auckland and we are mostly vegetarian, so my info may or may not be relevant for you. For 3 of us (including our 9 y/o daughter), with some organic food, a few bottles of wine and some treats (chocolate block etc) I spend less than $200 per week on food. We get eggs from a local farm, buy some produce from honesty boxes and use Bin Inn for miscellany. We cook our own meals about 80% of the time. We could do it more cheaply but like the balance that we currently have of special foods and economy.

If you have (or are planning to have) kids, the cost of school here appears to be less from what I read about donations, uniforms etc - our Decile 8 Primary asks for a $50 donation and there are used uniform sales etc that keep costs low. There are lots of free things to do nearby, including nice beaches, reserves and tramping/biking trails. We rarely have to pay out of pocket for any recreational activities. There is a good library system and a reasonable cinema in town as well.

In general, I think you will find Nelson to feel like a mid-sized town, not a city comparable to Auckland (or Christchurch for that matter). You are never more than 5 minutes from hills, bay or rural lands here.

[alldone]

Cost of living is generally less in Nelson and you should be spending a lot less on petrol unless you want to live a long way from where-ever you work (most Nelsonians seem to think that a 15 minute journey to get somewhere is a long one). Cycling also very feasible due to distances and weather.

If you cook from scratch & seasonal, food prices are less or equivalent. We use a local chap who grows produce on his farm - the last lot we bought consisted of 2xbags desiree potatoes approx 2kg each, extremely large rock melon, bag baby courgettes, 2 capsicum peppers, 6 ears sweetcorn, large lettuce, 2 leeks and something else (can't remember) for $18. Fruit also not pricey - 2+kg punnets of strawberries are $8 and if you go and pick your own, strawberries, raspberries and boysenberries are between about $2 and $3/kg. I was given two buckets (yes buckets) of plums a few days ago.

Lots of free entertainment, particularly if you like outdoorsy.

I haven't lived in Auckland for quite a while (but have done a bit of food buying when staying with my father in law) and I find nelson much easier to live in.

[roseandrob]

Thank you so much for your messages.

I'm no longer having second thoughts and I think I just needed to hear opinions from people already living in the area that although I'll be taking a slight pay cut, the cost of living will be less than Auckland in the long run.. and if I gain back the 2.5 hours spent travelling to and from work each day.. well how can you put a price on that really?

We ended up in Auckland (the one place we didn't want to live really) because we arrived in the middle of the recession and it was the only place my OH could get work (he's a chippie) at the time.

thanks again

[alldone]

I was offered a job in Auckland, at about 30% more starting salary, when we moved back to NZ, but don't regret taking the Nelson job in the slightest. Hope it goes equally well for you.