Is $88K a good salary in Wellington

[tigerlily]

I think there are a lot of things that make the comparison a hard one. For example the quality of rentals tend to be very poor, though if you are willing to pay something like $600 a week you'd probably find something pretty good (though probably not quite as insulated or heated as you might prefer). Are you bringing money over to buy a house? In that case you can make improvements to get the house up to your standards. Check out the cost of rentals in different neighborhoods- there is a good rail system here so you can enjoy the commute more than you did in Seattle. Check out the cost of cars on trade-me. Check out the prices of foods at the online shops (Countdown has one).

Essentially, if you move is motivated by making more money, I'm not sure 88K would make you feel like you had a life of luxury here. If your goal is to have an international living experience in a really cool little city, this is a great place to find that. Wellington reminds me of the best of Portland/San Fran/Seattle, only much more walkable and the people are friendlier.

[sea-wlg]

I agree with Tigerlily 100%.

Rentals are generally cheaper here, but NZ housing standards are quite low. Insulation was a relatively new requirement and 2 paned windows are still options rarely seen. So a US standard home can be a bit dear, but not too bad compared to Seattle.
Used Cars are comparable, but new are very very dear.
If you don't care too much about "luxury" goods that are now the US norm than NZ can be quite comfortable on 88k. In NZ these items are still priced quite high relative to income. Petrol is a lot, so if you don't drive you'll save alot. Food is a mixed bag, it's not cheap as a rule, but some great deals on beef, lamb, apples, kiwifruit,etc. Off-season produce tends to be quite dear though, unlike the states where we don't even pay attention.

Welly is a lot like those 3 west coast cities, but way smaller, way more walkable(due to size) and way friendlier. (though the Seattle chill means almost anywhere is friendlier)
Here, I run into someone I know about once a week. In Seattle I'd randomly see someone I knew once every 2 or 3 months.

Ultimately noone moves here to increase their financial standard of living, but their joy of living. I stand by my estimate that 88k is approximately 68k, so if you could live on that in Seattle you could live on it here. If this is less than your current funds consider the other things that make up quality of life.

When I moved I here I think our combined income took a 10% to 20% hit, we're now 5% to 10% and it generally seems worthwhile.

Feel free to PM me any specifics