Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Cost of living in New Zealand

fernandovalente

fernandovalente

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 29, 2008
366
0
Third world **** hole, I mean, Brazil
Hey,

There's a chance I will move to New Zealand soon. I'm an iOS developer and there's a company interested on hiring me. The problem is that I don't know the living costs and the average salary for my field. Does anyone knows how much it costs to live in Auckland? And how much is the average salary for an iOS developer?

Thanks!
 
I live near Wellington in New Zealand, and the cost of living is quite expensive throughout the whole country. Pretty much everything here, from milk to computers is more expensive that other western countries =/

As for you being an iOS dev, I don't think it matters, as you'd get paid by Apple, wouldn't you?
 
mrsir2009 said:
I live near Wellington in New Zealand, and the cost of living is quite expensive throughout the whole country. Pretty much everything here, from milk to computers is more expensive that other western countries =/

As for you being an iOS dev, I don't think it matters, as you'd get paid by Apple, wouldn't you?
Click to expand...

It's a full-time job for a company that develops iOS apps. Would I be able to support myself, buy a new computer, a new phone and travel once/twice a year with 60k/year?
 
fernandovalente said:
It's a full-time job for a company that develops iOS apps. Would I be able to support myself, buy a new computer, a new phone and travel once/twice a year with 60k/year?
Click to expand...

Is it just you, or do you have a wife/girlfriend or someone to support as well?

My family of four pulls in anywhere from 80-120k a year. We live pretty comfortably, but most people here get by on about 60k (thats the av income in NZ). If its just yourself you should have enough to uphold a decent lifestyle. :)
 
mrsir2009 said:
Is it just you, or do you have a wife/girlfriend or someone to support as well?

My family of four pulls in anywhere from 80-120k a year. We live pretty comfortably, but most people here get by on about 60k (thats the av income in NZ). If its just yourself you should have enough to uphold a decent lifestyle. :)
Click to expand...

It's just myself. So I think I will be fine :)
 
mrsir2009 said:
Where abouts do you live in Brazil? Whats the climate like?
Click to expand...

It depends on where you are. In most places, it's hot as hell. In the south for example, it's very cold. In Rio, it's not unusual to get 33º Celsius in the winter. I Live in São Paulo, and here it's usually hot at day and cold at night. In the winter, it's cold, but we don't usually get less than 5º Celsius as the minimum temperature.
 
fernandovalente said:
It depends on where you are. In most places, it's hot as hell. In the south for example, it's very cold. In Rio, it's not unusual to get 33º Celsius in the winter. I Live in São Paulo, and here it's usually hot at day and cold at night. In the winter, it's cold, but we don't usually get less than 5º Celsius as the minimum temperature.
Click to expand...

In most of New Zealand its pretty cold - 30C max in the summer. In Auckland its a bit different, the air is very humid and muggy, so it tends to stay the same temp 24/7 (it doesn't cool down at night). When I went to Auckland it was too hot for me, as I'm used to freezing cold Wellington :D Should be fine for you though!
 
mrsir2009 said:
In most of New Zealand its pretty cold - 30C max in the summer. In Auckland its a bit different, the air is very humid and muggy, so it tends to stay the same temp 24/7 (it doesn't cool down at night). When I went to Auckland it was too hot for me, as I'm used to freezing cold Wellington :D Should be fine for you though!
Click to expand...

Thanks for this information. I've heard there's beach and snow in NZ. But to someone who'd love to move to Canada, it's not that bad. hahahha
 
I think in some areas NZ is more expensive, but I also think it's a bit overstated. For instance, flights can be quite expensive if you don't book well in advance. A flight from Auckland [top of Nth Is] to Dunedin [Bottom of Sth Is] can cost anywhere from NZ$100 to NZ$500 one way depending on when you book [that's about US $75 - $380]. So if you book a holiday a month or two out you'll be fine, but if you leave it till 2 days before you'll be screwed.

A lot of people complain about the price of groceries, but if you shop smart you can save a lot. Every 2 or 3 weeks I shop online at Countdown and I buy the items that are on sale in bulk. So if brands of beer, beans, cheese etc I like are on sale, I buy double the amount I need. Then next time when I do a shop these products will be back at full price, but I won't need to get them because I have extra, so I get double of some other product I like that is on sale. If you do this you can make big savings. I typically get about NZ$400 of groceries for about $300 in this way. There's a delivery charge, but if you get over $250 its only NZ$8 which is worth not having to do the shopping yourself and you still make about $90 savings.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10667773

Other stuff like books etc can be expensive. A lot of people now buy overseas from Amazon and have it shipped here. It's cheaper and I've even heard that it can be quicker than ordering from local stores [if they don't currently have the title in store]. Also the Warehouse [its kinda like Walmart] has great sales. I often get 3DVD movie multipacks for about NZ$6 - $15.

It's debatable whether Auckland housing is expensive or not. Some people say it is, but if you compare it to say New York, London, or Paris, its good. I think a lot of it is relative to salary.

http://www.3news.co.nz/NZ-tops-most...house/tabid/421/articleID/195504/Default.aspx

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10745628

If your in IT the biggest grip you'll have is broadband prices and data limits. Telecom NZ is the main provider. Have a look at their website. Having said this there is a new pacific cable being laid in the next few years so that should bring more competition and better deals.

Overall NZ's a pretty cool place to live. It's a pretty laid back country. If your going to live here, Auckland is definitely the best place to live. Nice warm sunny summers [though it can get quite wet in winter]. Each year its ranked amongst the most livable cities in the world

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10748419

A good way to get a feel for the country is to have a look at the main NZ news sites below.

http://tvnz.co.nz/
http://www.3news.co.nz/
http://nz.yahoo.com
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
 
Fresh Tendrils said:
I think in some areas NZ is more expensive, but I also think it's a bit overstated. For instance, flights can be quite expensive if you don't book well in advance. A flight from Auckland [top of Nth Is] to Dunedin [Bottom of Sth Is] can cost anywhere from NZ$100 to NZ$500 one way depending on when you book [that's about US $75 - $380]. So if you book a holiday a month or two out you'll be fine, but if you leave it till 2 days before you'll be screwed.

A lot of people complain about the price of groceries, but if you shop smart you can save a lot. Every 2 or 3 weeks I shop online at Countdown and I buy the items that are on sale in bulk. So if brands of beer, beans, cheese etc I like are on sale, I buy double the amount I need. Then next time when I do a shop these products will be back at full price, but I won't need to get them because I have extra, so I get double of some other product I like that is on sale. If you do this you can make big savings. I typically get about NZ$400 of groceries for about $300 in this way. There's a delivery charge, but if you get over $250 its only NZ$8 which is worth not having to do the shopping yourself and you still make about $90 savings.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10667773

Other stuff like books etc can be expensive. A lot of people now buy overseas from Amazon and have it shipped here. It's cheaper and I've even heard that it can be quicker than ordering from local stores [if they don't currently have the title in store]. Also the Warehouse [its kinda like Walmart] has great sales. I often get 3DVD movie multipacks for about NZ$6 - $15.

It's debatable whether Auckland housing is expensive or not. Some people say it is, but if you compare it to say New York, London, or Paris, its good. I think a lot of it is relative to salary.

http://www.3news.co.nz/NZ-tops-most...house/tabid/421/articleID/195504/Default.aspx

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10745628

If your in IT the biggest grip you'll have is broadband prices and data limits. Telecom NZ is the main provider. Have a look at their website. Having said this there is a new pacific cable being laid in the next few years so that should bring more competition and better deals.

Overall NZ's a pretty cool place to live. It's a pretty laid back country. If your going to live here, Auckland is definitely the best place to live. Nice warm sunny summers [though it can get quite wet in winter]. Each year its ranked amongst the most livable cities in the world

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10748419

A good way to get a feel for the country is to have a look at the main NZ news sites below.

http://tvnz.co.nz/
http://www.3news.co.nz/
http://nz.yahoo.com
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
Click to expand...

Thanks! Very helpful post :)
 
Thanks for the answers. I did the interview yesterday. They said they needed to create an animation software and I told them I wouldn't be able to create it as I don't know OpenGL. I will keep looking for jobs in NZ as it seems to be a great place to live!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back