It's always really hard to answer these questions when people have such different ideas about what 'quality of life' means for them. The average salary here in NZ is only about $28,800 / year which would suggest that you could live on your $37,000 quite comfortably. However, when DH and I were trying to live on my salary of $45,000 when we first came here we were really struggling to maintain the lifestyle to which we had become accustomed in Scotland - though we were paying $250/week in rent. If we had been mortgage free we would be probably found it easier onthat salary. What problems are you having with the cost of living calculator - it does give a good indication of where your money will go, even if the actual $$$'s don't mean much till you're here and living on them!
