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Hi, i am considering moving to New Zealand. Iam from Toronto and work in the mental health field. How is the job there and cost of living (Auckland and Wellington)
Hi, i am considering moving to New Zealand. Iam from Toronto and work in the mental health field. How is the job there and cost of living (Auckland and Wellington)
What motivates you to consider leaving Canada? Are the job prospects for working as a mental health professional bleak there? Or are there other reasons?
Hi, I can't speak to the job market because I am not there (USA here, considering a move to NZ) but just wanted to mention that you should look into their registration/licensing requirements because it will be helpful to be registered in their professional boards while you are looking for a job. Even though registration is still not mandatory I've noticed that most job description would prefer eligibility or registration in the corresponding boards.
Auckland is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and is more expensive than Wellington. The job market is good and I am sure you can get work in that industry in New Zealand.
Always be aware of the negatives, but don't let it be the driving force. Yes, the grass is sometimes much greener on the other side; sometimes it's not at all. In life, you just have to move somewhere at some point because you know it's your fate. Don't resist the move if you know it's true in your heart.
I lived in Sydney, Australia for two years. Would I move back? No. But it was an experience like no other.
I'm ready for a move real bad right now. I don't know where the hell to go to. LOL.
Hi, i am considering moving to New Zealand. Iam from Toronto and work in the mental health field. How is the job there and cost of living (Auckland and Wellington)
NZ is expensive to live in and wages aren't that great, although I suppose it depends on field, not sure about mental health, you would get more money in Australia. Don't know how much you pay for food and utilities in Canada, but when I lived in Wellington 9 years ago, I was averaging about $200-$250 a month for power, about $250 a week for food, there's usually no penalty rates either. I moved to Queensland in Australia, I pay $100-$150 a month for power, about $100-$150 for food, get double the wages I was getting in NZ and we have penalty rates. Hope that helps?
NZ is expensive to live in and wages aren't that great, although I suppose it depends on field, not sure about mental health, you would get more money in Australia. Don't know how much you pay for food and utilities in Canada, but when I lived in Wellington 9 years ago, I was averaging about $200-$250 a month for power, about $250 a week for food, there's usually no penalty rates either. I moved to Queensland in Australia, I pay $100-$150 a month for power, about $100-$150 for food, get double the wages I was getting in NZ and we have penalty rates. Hope that helps?
Are you sure about that? That would mean that each food item is typically about 160%-250% the price in NZ, compared to Australia.
I recently had a good opportunity to compare food prices between the two, and while I thought Australia is definitely cheaper, the overall difference seemed to be around 25%. I thought that was more to do with extremely low prices for reduced items, rather than just lower prices overall, although still think food prices are lower overall.
I didn't think differences in power prices seemed that great either. We pay around $160 a month, for 5 people in a 4 bedroom/2bathroom house. Where I was in Victoria, the homeowner was paying around $300 a month throughout the year, for a similar sized house, with only two adults. They had cooling costs in summer which we don't have, but their house and hot water were fire heated during winter, just like here. They actually seemed to be paying more.
Are you sure about that? That would mean that each food item is typically about 160%-250% the price in NZ, compared to Australia.
I recently had a good opportunity to compare food prices between the two, and while I thought Australia is definitely cheaper, the overall difference seemed to be around 25%. I thought that was more to do with extremely low prices for reduced items, rather than just lower prices overall, although still think food prices are lower overall.
I didn't think differences in power prices seemed that great either. We pay around $160 a month, for 5 people in a 4 bedroom/2bathroom house. Where I was in Victoria, the homeowner was paying around $300 a month throughout the year, for a similar sized house, with only two adults. They had cooling costs in summer which we don't have, but their house and hot water were fire heated during winter, just like here. They actually seemed to be paying more.
I can only go on what friends and family experience, and what I'm reading online, but food seems definately cheaper overall (per shop) than it was in New Zealand. Milk is $1.00 a litre, bread is 79 cents, boneless skinless chicken thighs around $8.00 kg, Cornflakes $1.80 for 500g (NZ Countdown $2.50), grated tasty cheese in Oz $4.75 for 750g and in NZ it's around $7.80 for 350g. Instant coffee here $2.90 for 200g, NZ $2.29 for 90g. Plus we have Aldi so even cheaper there. Those a normal non sale prices.
We are in a large 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house in Queensland with a pool and our power price is higher than when we lived in a townhouse here, although that was still 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 3 toilets, we paid $180 per 3 months for power, my son is in an gated complex, 3 bedrooms and pays around $200 per three months for power, he also gets to use the resort style pool, gym and, spa and sauna as part of his rent. I paid $1.18 litre for petrol in the weekend. We do pay a lot more for car rego though, we have two cars so pay around $1750 a year for both, price is based on cylinders.
I've never had a power bill for $300 for one month but I'm sure people do, we have 2 adults and 3 teenagers here, we only generally have the air con on when it gets very hot in summer, and we don't have a fire, and don't usually heat our house in winter because it doesn't get that cold.
Although we pay through our taxes, we have Medicare cards, so none of us have ever paid to go to the Doctor, we pay about $10-$15 for a prescription though, this is called "bulk billing" and depending on where you are located, depends on how many bulk billing Doctors there are, we have lots where we are, so I can get into see a Doctor the same day. We also have a home Doctor service here which is also bulk billed which I've used a few times when my kids needed them after hours, so you ring your normal Doctors phone number after hours and it gets diverted, and the Doctor comes to your house in a few hours. Eye tests and xrays are also bulk billed.
If my husband works on a Saturday he gets penal rates, and even if he only has to go in to do something that might take an hour, he gets paid a minimum of 4 hours, at time and a half. Because theres some kind of special deal at his work, his employer pays 18% on top of his annual salary into a private super fund. So a quoted hourly rate is normally the hourly rate plus super on top of that. I like the way they do that. He starts work at 7.00am finishes work at 3.30pm and he's home by 3.45pm. Mind you, his commute time would be a lot longer in one of the bigger cities. We also get 10 days sick leave here, where I think you get 5 days back in NZ don't you, although I think my husband gets 20 days a year with his job. His job is basically unskilled.
The apprenticeship system is different in NZ, my nephew is doing one in NZ, he has to pay when the apprenticeship people come out and assess him, and he also had to buy all his own safety gear. Two of my kids are doing them here, they were provided with safety gear, and they go to polytech either in block courses of 6 weeks a few time a year, or one day a week, still paid, and it's all free to them.
I just looked up our old house rates in NZ, they are now $3,500 a year, we pay $750 a year and our house is worth more here than back home. I think we get more services, free wheelie bin, and free recycle bins, we had to pay for rubbish bags back home. Most parks have free BBQ's, and alot of our parks have free exercise equipment in a circuit around the outer edge of the park. We had one park with 2 BBQ's back home that we had to put money in to make them work.
I think you get more bang for your buck here, plus we have the bonus of awesome beaches, and winter day time temperatures of around 23 degrees. It's a lot less stressful that's for sure. I'm sure the cost of living in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth are higher, but this is just my experience
I can only go on what friends and family experience, and what I'm reading online, but food seems definately cheaper overall (per shop) than it was in New Zealand. Milk is $1.00 a litre, bread is 79 cents, boneless skinless chicken thighs around $8.00 kg, Cornflakes $1.80 for 500g (NZ Countdown $2.50), grated tasty cheese in Oz $4.75 for 750g and in NZ it's around $7.80 for 350g. Instant coffee here $2.90 for 200g, NZ $2.29 for 90g. Plus we have Aldi so even cheaper there. Those a normal non sale prices.
We are in a large 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house in Queensland with a pool and our power price is higher than when we lived in a townhouse here, although that was still 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 3 toilets, we paid $180 per 3 months for power, my son is in an gated complex, 3 bedrooms and pays around $200 per three months for power, he also gets to use the resort style pool, gym and, spa and sauna as part of his rent. I paid $1.18 litre for petrol in the weekend. We do pay a lot more for car rego though, we have two cars so pay around $1750 a year for both, price is based on cylinders.
I've never had a power bill for $300 for one month but I'm sure people do, we have 2 adults and 3 teenagers here, we only generally have the air con on when it gets very hot in summer, and we don't have a fire, and don't usually heat our house in winter because it doesn't get that cold.
Although we pay through our taxes, we have Medicare cards, so none of us have ever paid to go to the Doctor, we pay about $10-$15 for a prescription though, this is called "bulk billing" and depending on where you are located, depends on how many bulk billing Doctors there are, we have lots where we are, so I can get into see a Doctor the same day. We also have a home Doctor service here which is also bulk billed which I've used a few times when my kids needed them after hours, so you ring your normal Doctors phone number after hours and it gets diverted, and the Doctor comes to your house in a few hours. Eye tests and xrays are also bulk billed.
If my husband works on a Saturday he gets penal rates, and even if he only has to go in to do something that might take an hour, he gets paid a minimum of 4 hours, at time and a half. Because theres some kind of special deal at his work, his employer pays 18% on top of his annual salary into a private super fund. So a quoted hourly rate is normally the hourly rate plus super on top of that. I like the way they do that. He starts work at 7.00am finishes work at 3.30pm and he's home by 3.45pm. Mind you, his commute time would be a lot longer in one of the bigger cities. We also get 10 days sick leave here, where I think you get 5 days back in NZ don't you, although I think my husband gets 20 days a year with his job. His job is basically unskilled.
The apprenticeship system is different in NZ, my nephew is doing one in NZ, he has to pay when the apprenticeship people come out and assess him, and he also had to buy all his own safety gear. Two of my kids are doing them here, they were provided with safety gear, and they go to polytech either in block courses of 6 weeks a few time a year, or one day a week, still paid, and it's all free to them.
I just looked up our old house rates in NZ, they are now $3,500 a year, we pay $750 a year and our house is worth more here than back home. I think we get more services, free wheelie bin, and free recycle bins, we had to pay for rubbish bags back home. Most parks have free BBQ's, and alot of our parks have free exercise equipment in a circuit around the outer edge of the park. We had one park with 2 BBQ's back home that we had to put money in to make them work.
I think you get more bang for your buck here, plus we have the bonus of awesome beaches, and winter day time temperatures of around 23 degrees. It's a lot less stressful that's for sure. I'm sure the cost of living in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth are higher, but this is just my experience
Sure, Aussie is cheaper overall. I'm really taking issues with the numbers you initially posted, which implied that food and power prices are on average 160%-250% higher. The differences are nothing like that.
Interesting post though -I' don't get penal rates, sick pay or any kind of super, as I'm self employed. My wife gets all of those though, and most people who are PAYE would as well.
My rates are around $1700, and I know people who pay as little as $950 and others as much as $7000.
I don't know what bulk billing is. Prescriptions aren't expensive here, although I don't know any prices.
I think apprentices should pay their own costs. I've trained up people, and had to subsidize their first 12-18 months, as they weren't delivering profit, so it's fair enough that they pay their own way for some of their training.
Many Aussie climates are nice, particularly in the colder months, but I'm more of a NZ weather type of person.
Last edited by Joe90; 07-03-2017 at 01:27 PM..
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