Salary, Salary, Salary !!!!!

[stojsa]

Hi guys,

PLEASE, PLEASE help us!!!
Can you dear people tell us if my husband (Health care assistant) and I (Early childhood teacher) can afford to live a decent life in New Zealand?
We heard that house prices are around $250.000 and that both of us are gonna have $33.000 (after tax) per year and that weekly cost for food and everything else is around $1.000 !?
So, we'll ask again-is it possible to afford a house and a decent lifestyle with that kind of money?
Every advice would be appreciated.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!
Ned & Sania

[Moorf]

I'm afraid I know nothing about the salaries for the occupations you mention, but in my opinion in areas where the housing is $250k the jobs are either lower paid, there's a fair commute or opportunities are scant... in the only City I have personal experience of, Chch, a $250k house isn't going to be in the nicest of areas (imho )... but then I don't know what lifestyle you want, or need, and a "bad" area for me might be an area you would be happy with...

[firstkings]

I'll be taking home quite a bit less than that per week. My wife will not be earning. We have 4 children. Posts I have seen previously suggest I'll be fine.

I have found these pages helpful

http://www.nz-immigration.co.nz/cost...-expenses.html

http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/discus...9;t=000299;p=0

The latter helped stop my jitters!

Two questions though - do you have children? (BIG expense!)
do you have equity from the UK for a house deposit?

You should be fine,

if not I'm stuffed!

David

[stojsa]

OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks a lot David and Moorf, we are so confused now as we calculated and it seems that we are gonna have $1,000 less per month than we thought and we are now having second thoughts .
I can't believe it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David, we don't have children yet, but thinking about it seriously and working on it ! We don't have any equity unfortunately and links you sent us were so useful.
Moorf, we just want to live in safe area and about lifestyle we want, need... we are so modest.
THANKS AND BIG HELLO TO YOUR FAMILIES !!!

Ned & Sania xxx

[willsken]

From my research I think that if you will be $66000 after tax between you and you live in a modest way then you will be fine. There seems to be plenty of people who manage to live on less.

[stojsa]

Nicola, thanks for your reply , but we are gonna be $33.000 (both of us) after tax. We are far away from $66.000.

[jdbob]

I have to wonder about the accuracy of the site Living Expenses

They show petrol at 1.16 per litre. I bought petrol in Lower Hutt a week ago and it was 1.57 per litre.

[veronica]

stojsa, bit puzzled at what work you will be doing if the two of you are working full time and only earning $33k. between you. the minimum wage is $10.15 for an adult, and multiplying that by 8 hours, then by 5 days and again by 52 weeks would give an annual income of over $21k for one makes $42,000+ for two. ok there will be stoppages but my daughter does temp office work just clerking and reception and is getting around $15 an hour, are you sure you aren't going somewhere that is exploiting you.

[stojsa]

Veronica, we checked on www.kiwicareers.govt.nz and we calculated million times, so my wife would have around $25,000 per year for start-it could be first five years and my wage would be around $17,000, which makes $42,000 per year minus tax of 19.5% and it is $33,800 net.
We are talking about Early childhood teacher and Health Care Assistant wages.
Can you check this site PLEASE and tell us what you think about it?

Thanks, speak to you soon

[Singel]

Rule of the thumb, if your mortgage/rental is less than 40% of your take home pay, then you should be able to live comfortably.

Based on your combined take home pay of $33k per year ($687.50 per week), your mortgage/rental should not exceed $275 per week.