SuperBQ I think you are being a bit dramatic.
I have just made the move, Vancouver to Auckland, been down here one year. Overall I would say cost of living is similar, Auckland maybe 10-20% more expensive than Vancouver overall.
NZ has cheaper car insurance (big time), meat, cheese, and dry goods. NZ has wildly varying prices on fruit&veg depending on the time of year.
The biggest things I miss from Canada are stick deodorant, wider range of OTC meds. Clothes shopping in Vancouver is cheaper and miles better.
NZ has lower income tax if you make more money... I'm making less than, 150k. my income tax burden is about 6k lower than in Canada. you can reference here for the difference
https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/rhpd...Welcome.action
https://www.paye.net.nz/calculator.html
Housing here is absolutely garbage unless you can afford top of the line accommodation.
Career opportunities are leaps and bounds better than Vancouver. Me and my partner are both climbing the promotion ladder like crazy since we arrived. Together we are making 60% more money between us than we were at home. This may vary person-person. In general, the more specialized your skills are, the more in demand you will be in NZ. In canada my skills are dime a dozen, here, one in a hundred-thousand.
weather is much nicer in Auckland, and the pace of life is much more relaxed.