Better off in NZ or not?

[frodo/maya]

Hi everybody!

Do you think that you are better off in NZ than in SA financially or not?    We are aware of the fact that one needs to start all over again in terms of buying a house, car, building your credit record etc etc. and we are not afraid, but it would be interesting to hear some views directly from the horse's mouth than from the doem profete that you get in SA. 

Do you also think that we as saners are more materialistic than other nations? I have came across this remark quite often.

Ursula
 

[ronaldd]

Ursula,  things are more expensive and houses are more expensive.

Then again,  in the last 2 years since i left i am told SA became very expensive too.

Better off in NZ ,but not financially better off.

[jeanekaren]

Hi Ursula

A very good question for us still in S.A. We are looking very carefully at possible incomes in our professions, or if there is only one income in the family. Friends in NZ has given me a benchmark comparable to my S.A. salary. This is our starting point, from there we will work out probable expenses. It is exteremey NB to us that we will be able to have a (decent) house and a comparable lifestyle, maybe not at first but definately after 2 years.

I'm looking forward to the responses from our ex and future countrymen in N.Z.

Regards
Jeane

[Snoozy]

I guess it depends where you're coming from in SA. If it's from the cities, you should be less well off financially over here. Certain occupations this will be different, for example teachers, but in most cases the disposable income you end up with will be lower. I had to take a cut moving from Joburg (SA's highest paid area) to Welly (along with Auckland, NZ's highest paid areas).

From a materialistic perspective, we have lived and travelled in several countries, and South African's have thus far been clearly the most materialistic people I've met. It's sad but it's true.

And your house will be smaller. But the size of a house is not everything in life

[SaKiwiBoer]

What does "better off" mean?? Does it mean "prosperous" or does it mean "safe"??
Honestly??
We're safe'r in NZ than in SA. I don't know if there's a place on earth where anyone can say they're safe. But we're safe'r, if you know what I mean.... 
We'll be 3 years in NZ by end of June'10. And we're not more "prosperous" or even "close" to where we were in SA. Due to the fact that I haven't gotten a "steady" "proper" job yet. Maybe if we stayed in ACKL or Wellies, that might have been different, but we're not. Until that happens, we won't be able to get even, or ahead.
Just my 2c worth as per usual. Enjoy, SAKB

[kol1974]

I think this has been said SOOO many times over.  You don't come to NZ to get rich.  EVERYONE has a decent standard of living, no shacks but only 5% of population earn more than $100 000 pa.  The average salary is $45 000 pa and if both parents work this is a comfortable living.  The mindset is different here.  You don't have to own the 4x4, big house, fancy furniture etc.  "That don't impress them much" to quote Shania.  The decision to come to NZ should be for other reasons than money.

[JAMOMA]

I agree, If you want to come over here and you
cannot be without the 5 bed, 2 bath double storey house and
the 4x4 and the leather jacket, you are going to be dissapointed.

Unless you get a job that pays VERY well. Most of us end up
in the middle income group I think, so can't afford that.

I don't have anywhere near the life style that I had in SA, but
it really doesn't bother us. We eat well, live in a nice house (although much
smaller than in SA), I bought a good little car (NZ$500 cheapy for now)
and the kids still get their treat every day, we BBQ and have a bear every
now and then. But there is just So much here to do that is free. You can be busy
all weekend and not have to pay a sent for the entertainment.

Will I go back, so that we could have our old life style again??

N E V E R 

Status is not a big thing here at all. You don't need the flashy car and
big house. But you will have to let go of your own materialistic view to
enjoy life here I think. Unless you are one of the lucky few that can earn
mega $$.

I don't want to give the impression that you will be living below the
bread line either. You may just have to move that line down a bit 

Less money - More life 

[SaKiwiBoer]

I agree with JAMOMA and kol1974. It's not who you are and what you have, here. It is a lot different from SA. But I do think it is changing slowly but surely. I also think it is different in the bigger cities than out in the "sticks" where we are...  . We can see and hear the kids in school already. They have to have this and that because the "friends" have it. Which to me means in the future that "no care" attitude is going to be different than the way we live at the moment. Cheers, SAKB.

[paula]

finacially we're pretty much the same here (hamilton) as we were in sa (east london)... diff is here i only work part time! also we came from a small town and dont live in akl or wellington, so price of houses ect is a bit cheaper i think. but have to agree, the priorities with money here are different. in sa you "just had to have" the new car, big house, best clothes" where as here people are proud of their trade me purchases! I agree that SOME sa's seem to be a bit more materialistic (and i hate to say it but even here there is that certain look that you can just spot a sa (esp woman) from a mile away.) not all of them, but there tend to be the ones with far too much gold jewelry, big "done" hair, way to much foundation... hmmmm.... might get shot for saying that, aye... went out for cof and said to dh... look at that couple over there... they must be from sa... and lo and behold, they were!! but then i am from the sticks so maybe thats just it!
also i thought it was heaps cheaper in sa for clothes and stuff until my dad came over for a visit and brought clothes from woolies for the kids... i almost fell over with the prices, so much for doing lots of clothes shopping in sa. it worked out ver similar.
so, you will make ends meet, somehow... but if you are used to a high flying, money spending, holiday taking lifestyle in sa, then it will be quite different over here. not worse, just different. best to remember, nz is not sa, and it never will be. you are not moving to a safer sa, it is a whole diff country with a diff set of rules, stds and quirks!! makes life interesting!

[ronaldd]

Most women here go out of their way not to be feminine or attractive and they are unfortunately succeeding.

Agreed,  if "it" has nice jewelry,  nice makeup,  nice clothes ,  and standing in pac and save doing shoppping,  "it" is most like a saffer.

If "it" is barefoot and still in the cloths they wore to bed,  unbathed,  hair wild.... "it" is probably not saffer.

I say "it" because I am not being sexist.

[Shirls]

for us we are better off in NZ - and have been since the day we arrived here!

Back in SA we lived in a TINY 1 bedroom flat, although we did  :drunk:way too much of our money!

We live in Hamilton, pay $290 a week for a 3 bedroom house in St Andrews - not bad aye! I work 16 hours a week, our 7 month old goes to day care for those hours, my hubby plays golf every 2nd weekend, we still have money to shop for clothes and we live very well - and still save $1300 a month!

Our income for the year is an avg of $57 000 between us, so you don't have to earn mega bucks to live and be comfortable. HOWEVER it is what is important in your life - family, safety etc vs material objects - cars, houses boats that depends on if you will be better off.

As for the comments that have been made about clothes and make up .... I take pride in my appearance, I have never worn a ton of make up - actually I don't have time in the mornings any more!, but I do draw the line at going out in my trackie pants and slippers!
Most Kiwi's don't have the same expectations as we did in SA about appearances ... take a drive around the whop whops and you will see some scary people out there!

Here's a thought ... maybe the woman who wears all her jewelry thinks she is still in SA and does not want to leave it at home incase it gets stolen!! some habits are hard to break you know!!

[thombatt]

I don't think it's fair to compare all of NZ society to the top 15% of RSA society.

Compare all of NZ society to all of RSA society and I expect that by those standards NZ is better dressed and grromed.

[frodo/maya]

Thanks fo all the responses!

I don't want to open a can of worms about money so please  I only want to confirm what I have heard from friends and like Jeane said, for us in SA this is quite useful 

We have friends that moved to OZ in 2009, they had quite a lot of debt to fuel their "keeping up with the Jones' " moto in life . She told me that if somebody told her 10 years back that she would stay in a rental house and drive an old car she would have said to them that NO WAY NOT ME- NEVER! Although they don't have a house and they drive a small car she said that at least they have a boat! They go fishing every weekend, go the beach every day and things like that are priceless. Financially it is going to take them a while to get on their feet again, but it is a mindset thing- it just don't seem to be that important anymore.

What I am getting at is .............. since we are moving to NZ this year, people tend to put extra energy into their judgment on EVERYTHING about NZ and they don't believe me when I tell them that what I have read that saners in NZ are not that much focused on material things and those things are not so important once you are in NZ? That is where you guys come in because the opinions on this forum are so diverse   

My mother-in-law told me the other day that she does not know what to tell her friends if they ask if we have work in NZ because it is embarrassing to tell them that we don't have work yet and we are going to search for work once there! I mean really!

I must also ad that I have heard the thing about the woman not really looking after themselves when it comes to grooming. Unfortunately I love clothes jewelry (luckily for me silver) and make-up and my daughter is like that as well. I think SA woman are girly woman. We like to look after ourselves. I don't dress nicely or put makeup on to impress anybody, it makes me feel pretty  and hides my wrinkles     I will never ever go to a shop with wrinkled clothes- not me.

O ja - we are not super dooper rich in SA


Ursula

[tmprince]

may be because you couldn't wear your nice jewelry in Sa cause of affirmative shopping they are enjoying taking them out of the hidden 2nd safe and wearing them for a change, some of that stuff hasn't seen the light of day since they came home from the jewelers and had to wait for the maid to chihela before taking it out and transfering it into the safe so the maid could not see what was bought 

[frodo/maya]

so true Maria so true!  Once in NZ us sa gals want to show it all!!