Wellington on $110k

[Sana]

Hi all,
We are a family 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) considering about a job offer in Wellington for 110k. We are looking for a good lifestyle and like to eat out and enjoy. Just considering if its worth moving from uk to Nz? Is the pay good for our lifestyle? Any help would be great!

Cheers

[girlwithanewf]

That should be fine, lots of families on less. Obvious really, but it all depends really on how much you are going to be spending on rent/mortgage and what you are going to be bringing from the UK in terms of a deposit if you are considering buying.
Lots of free activities for children - going to the beach etc and there are ways of saving money on eating out etc with discount voucher books.
Perfectly possible, especially as your company is offering relocation expenses to offset the initial costs of shipping, flights etc.
Good luck with your decision.

[Sana]

Thanks for your reply. For now we are just thinking about renting for now, max $500 to $600 per week. Hoping to rent our UK house before we leave. Just still wondering if its worth moving because my husband has a very good job here as well so it will be a tough call. How are the groceries compared to Uk?

[kiwihusker]

If I may ask, what are your reasons for even considering such a move? From most of the posts I have read on here, the UK is generally cheaper than NZ especially when it comes to food and clothing.
For me, if someone told me to write out a pros and cons list for NZ my cons would outnumber the pros, but my pros would be much, much bigger, thus outweighing the cons. So it really so depends on your reasons for wanting such a move and what you are ultimately looking for. I hope it all works out for you either way. Cheers.

[kiwieagle]

For me, if someone told me to write out a pros and cons list for NZ my cons would outnumber the pros, but my pros would be much, much bigger, thus outweighing the cons. So it really so depends on your reasons for wanting such a move what you are ultimately looking for.

That's a really good point; I want to echo it. NZ is ever changing and it will only be "worth it" if you look at your reasons for moving here and whether or not those reasons will be sustainable.

[Sun777]

We are looking for a good lifestyle and like to eat out and enjoy. Just considering if its worth moving from uk to Nz? Is the pay good for our lifestyle?

Reply would be quite subjective, overall its a good package I'd say but depends if your current lifestyle involves frequent trips, owning a boat or expensive apartment/ house - just some factors.

[girlwithanewf]

Yes, groceries are more expensive but I wouldn't just let things like that put you off. That's just something you have to get used to and you will be earning enough for it not to be a problem. The important things to consider are such as what impact it would have on the life and education of your children. (not sure how old they are, but if they are secondary age there are obvious implications about the exam system and university). Think of it as a family adventure - you don't have to live here for the rest of your life, it is perfectly possible to come here for a couple of years, give your children (and yourselves) a new outlook on life, then go back to the UK if you find you don't want to stay or just want a change of scenery again. Perhaps you need to think about how you got into the situation of applying for a job in NZ - sometimes too much choice can be a different thing! One thing you might also need to look into is pensions. And this is stating the totally obvious, but NZ is a long long way from Europe so if you want to go back on a regular basis this will be very expensive for 4 of you.
All the best with your decision making.