Hamilton_should we leave Abu Dhabi, will we have a better life?

[Lyndsey_Livings]

Hi Everyone
I have been on here before when we first thought about NZ but now it is becoming very real. We may be moving to Hamilton from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The one thing that concerns me still even though I now have more positives than negatives is the housing. Are people really so cold????? Secondly maybe I have or havent't worked this out correctly but if my hubby had a salary of 120, 000 NZ dollars a year then we owuld just make it but with no savings, I really thought it may be possible to live on 120, 000.00 and have one holiday to somewhere like Fiji once a year and a few camping holidays, maybe I have calculated this wrong but then again is this the reality??? Any help much appreciated, expat from England to Abu Dhabi and now to NZ ????
Thanks
Lyndsey : )

[G-Mo]

I think you haven't worked something out correctly, NZ$120,000 is a good salary. The average pay in NZ is about $50,000... So, your husband would be earning more than twice the salary of an average two income family. Unless you plan to make yourself house poor by overextending on a mortgage, something in your calculations must be off.

[topcat83]

$120,000 is a very good salary. Of course it depends on what your expectations of standard of living are

For houses - take your time finding one that is properly insulated and has a heat pump, and you'll have no problems - other than anywhere is cooler than Abu Dhabi! New builds are built to good standards, and even have double glazing!

[Lyndsey_Livings]

Originally Posted by topcat83

$120,000 is a very good salary. Of course it depends on what your expectations of standard of living are

For houses - take your time finding one that is properly insulated and has a heat pump, and you'll have no problems - other than anywhere is cooler than Abu Dhabi! New builds are built to good standards, and even have double glazing!

Great thank you topcat, much appreciated, our expecations are as follows:
A better work life balance: less hours hubby now working 60 plus and every other wkend, more time together, more places to walk, dinner at mid range bistros 3 times a month, a few camping holidays a year, 1 main holiday (eg Fuji), to be able to buy fresh fruit n veg to cook at home for the week with a few bottle of nice vino to go with dinner, good internet connection and a house with 3 bedrooms and not so cold that I can't feel my fingers. People on here say how bad the cold is??? I know NZ is not going to be a 5 star hotel resort like Abu Dhabi nor do I want it o be but the above are honestly are expectations???? Are we expecting too much?
Thanks
: )

[G-Mo]

I'm not sure who all these people are saying it's so cold in Hamilton. The average daily temperature in winter (July/August) is around 12 degrees, overnight lows can drop to lows of -3. It rains a lot (nearly 50inches of rain a year), especially in the winter, and that makes it damp... The damp can make you feel colder if you don't dry out. I'm not sure where in the UK you are from, I lived in London for 5 years, and didn't find the weather in Hamilton too dissimilar (my sister-in-law lives just outside Hamilton in Tamahere). I'm from Canada, and we often have periods of -40 or -50 celcius... Now that is cold!

[topcat83]

Originally Posted by Lyndsey_Livings

Great thank you topcat, much appreciated, our expecations are as follows:
A better work life balance: less hours hubby now working 60 plus and every other wkend, more time together, more places to walk, dinner at mid range bistros 3 times a month, a few camping holidays a year, 1 main holiday (eg Fuji), to be able to buy fresh fruit n veg to cook at home for the week with a few bottle of nice vino to go with dinner, good internet connection and a house with 3 bedrooms and not so cold that I can't feel my fingers. People on here say how bad the cold is??? I know NZ is not going to be a 5 star hotel resort like Abu Dhabi nor do I want it o be but the above are honestly are expectations???? Are we expecting too much?
Thanks
: )

I don't think you're expecting too much - that's certainly the lifestyle we have, and we certainly have the few bottles of vino (in fact one too many last night!)

This is a fantastic place for camping too. Campsites are well set up and (unless you go for the very basic DOC sites) they have good facilities - usually a communal kitchen too so you don't have to take along the kitchen sink.

And the South Pacific Islands are very reasonably priced. I always think of Rarotonga being the equivalent of Majorca, Vanuatu is maybe Tenerife and the sunshine coast in Oz is the equivalent of the Costa del Sol!

We've been here 5 years now and I have never regretted the move. We have the kind of life now that I could only have dreamed about in the UK - the whole 'lifestyle' thing, with ducks and alpacas turning up this week!

[G-Mo]

Originally Posted by Lyndsey_Livings

a house with 3 bedrooms and not so cold that I can't feel my fingers.

You should look at New Zealand Real Estate, I think you will find that you can purchase a very reasonable 3 bedroom home in or around Hamilton for between $350,000-500,000... Even with only a minimal deposit, that is well below the sort of mortgage a $120k salary could purchase, so, given your needs, you wouldn't be house poor.

After tax, your husbands average monthly income would be about $7500, a big mortgage on a $500,000 place would cost about $3000 in payments. That leaves about $4500 a month for bills, food, VINO! and more...

Of course, you could lower the mortgage amount by buying a cheaper house or putting down a larger deposit... I calculated on you putting down only 5% on a $500k property.

[Lyndsey_Livings]

Originally Posted by topcat83

I don't think you're expecting too much - that's certainly the lifestyle we have, and we certainly have the few bottles of vino (in fact one too many last night!)

This is a fantastic place for camping too. Campsites are well set up and (unless you go for the very basic DOC sites) they have good facilities - usually a communal kitchen too so you don't have to take along the kitchen sink.

And the South Pacific Islands are very reasonably priced. I always think of Rarotonga being the equivalent of Majorca, Vanuatu is maybe Tenerife and the sunshine coast in Oz is the equivalent of the Costa del Sol!

We've been here 5 years now and I have never regretted the move. We have the kind of life now that I could only have dreamed about in the UK - the whole 'lifestyle' thing, with ducks and alpacas turning up this week!

Great, thanks again topcat, I think it is gonna happen, just have to go with it and take the plunge! Have a wonderful hubby so should be so happy about that, all should fall into place. Do you, by any chance, have any info on Hamilton? Thanks : )

[Lyndsey_Livings]

Originally Posted by G-Mo

You should look at New Zealand Real Estate, I think you will find that you can purchase a very reasonable 3 bedroom home in or around Hamilton for between $350,000-500,000... Even with only a minimal deposit, that is well below the sort of mortgage a $120k salary could purchase, so, given your needs, you wouldn't be house poor.

After tax, your husbands average monthly income would be about $7500, a big mortgage on a $500,000 place would cost about $3000 in payments. That leaves about $4500 a month for bills, food, VINO! and more...

Of course, you could lower the mortgage amount by buying a cheaper house or putting down a larger deposit... I calculated on you putting down only 5% on a $500k property.

Great, thank you so much for taking the time to reply, so nice for people to help others, hope I can do the same when/if we move? ! Maybe we will just grow our own veg/fruit/VINES= Happy days : )

[G-Mo]

Originally Posted by Lyndsey_Livings

Great, thanks again topcat, I think it is gonna happen, just have to go with it and take the plunge! Have a wonderful hubby so should be so happy about that, all should fall into place. Do you, by any chance, have any info on Hamilton? Thanks : )

Here's a great place to start with some information on Hamilton:
Hamilton, New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And here is the city's official site:
Home, Hamilton City Council & Hamilton, New Zealand