AUCKLAND CITY COST OF LIVING 2023 l New Zealand l Budget l September 2023

[@universityofnowhere]

I realize this is aimed toward overseas people thinking of moving to NZ, but I enjoyed it too. An ex-Aucklander here, who now lives in Canada. I actually have a ZA friend who moved to Auckland that I knew when I worked on ships! That petrol station I remember; it's top of town somewhere, Pitt Street possibly. One thing I noticed when I went back in 2018 for 4 months (to Nelson) I bought a good quality, but inexpensive used car with very low kms and insurance was cheap. I used an Insurance broker who got me the best deal possible. The walk or run from Mechanics Bay to St Heliers is incredible. It's such a beautiful city with a harbour that you need to see to believe. The War Memorial Museum is incredible too. Those grounds and the neoclassical building are very atmospheric and for me, takes me back to my childhood when we had school trips there in the 1970s.

[@CreativeReaper90s]

If you don't mind me asking, why and when did you shift to Canada... Asking cos of the current homing crisis in Canada. I am planning to pursue my masters in NZ what would you recommend for a immigrant students city or suburbs... Just a general thought..

[@Andy_M986]

​@jeesonthomas3639 have a look at Hamilton or Palmerston Nirth,both University cities,smaller and cheaper then Auckland,Wellington and Christchurch. Dunedin is another city,but if you don't like the cold ,that might not be a good idea.

[@CreativeReaper90s]

@@Andy_M986 hey man got offer letter from AUT city campus... N yup I don't like severe cold thus didn't try anything in South Island

[@abhimanyu6852]

Hi everyone anyone knows about ICL business school in Auckland for level 9 fees is just 16 lakhs is this right college ?

[@dlandy241]

Hi I've been watching your Videos for a while before I came to Auckland. And i still watch your videos after I arrived in Auckland. It will be awsome if I can meet up somewhere by your next video shoot. So I can just say hi to my family ( in South Africa) for 10 second on your video. That will be awsome. Keep up the good videos.

[@Andy_M986]

I filled the work ute up the other day here in Perth,cost $1.99 a litre, usually up around $2.30.

[@lozzbright706]

I’m a sixty six year old , and I appreciate what you do , keep it up

[@BeingBedingfield]

Thanks so much, we really appreciate it 🫶

[@JurgenNel69]

Thanks for this video guys! I asked about this during your last q&a and it almost feels like this video was made specifically to answer my question 😂 keep up the good work! Can't wait to make the move!

[@brendanshield]

I lived in Auckland for 39 years and loved it. Will head back eventually. You can't measure everything in dollars terms. No where's cheap anymore. Just degrees of expensive and totally outrageous.

[@stillissac]

Thank you so much! I am about to finish high school and was really worried about costs. Obviously things such as a nice modern apartment won't be something id opt for but the demo budget helped me get a feel of what the costs are.

[@BeingBedingfield]

Thanks so much for watching, glad our video is helpful 😊

[@deborah675]

Accommodation is more expensive in Auckland but I think other bills (food, electricity, phone) are pretty much the same and would be even higher in remote places. The big advantage to living in the CBD is not having to run a vehicle which you do need in many other parts of NZ.

[@themarketplacenz]

Thanks for your feedback. Great video, keep up the great work.

[@ZimJoggerDownUnder]

Nice to see you guys settling well in NZ. Ran together with Craig at Comrades 22, he moved to NZ in September as I moved to Sydney in October 😊

[@jamesclark7266]

Hi Guyz, Enjoy watching yr journey in Akl. Am in Sydney. Came here for a holiday in 1979 & never returned. Things are expen$ive here as well. Keep up the excellent work. Cheers.

[@ChantalTV]

We start our move down to Auckland from Paris on Tuesday. I have canceled most of our app subscriptions and will see how much time we have in NZ summer. It seems that the east suburbs are popular to live as well as it’s easy to take the train into town. We have lived 27 years in the center of Paris so we really like to live a bit out of the center ;-) Thanks for this update

[@BeingBedingfield]

Oh wow, thats quite a move! We really love city living at the moment, but there are many great suburbs all around 💕 all the best with your move 🙏😁

[@lifewithLucyNZ]

Hi ChantalTv the east line to the city isn't running at the moment due to upgrades and maintenance and will only be running again in Jan or Feb of next year hopefully. Something to keep in mind for your move if you decide to look in East Auckland for a place to live.

[@tonyclifton1278]

I'm in East Auckland (Botany Downs area). There are no train lines near where we live (Panmure being the closest), but there's a pretty decent network of busses from out here. Welcome to NZ!

[@CreativeReaper90s]

​@@lifewithLucyNZthanks a lot for that info ma'am I am planning for my masters in NZ n most probably will be coming in feb intake so this was useful😊

[@lifewithLucyNZ]

@jeesonthomas3639 awesome, which university will you be attending? The bus system from East Auckland is quite good but we are really hoping the trains will be back up and running next year.

[@SiphaG]

Hi Chantelle and Craig such informative vlog for other subscribers. I’m interested in the trading hopefully you can gave more information on this on later stage. It will be first for me being interested in this. Yes groceries price are up .in Australia too. You two have a blessed week 😍😍

[@LucasWorldTravel]

We always love these types of cost of living videos. That is indeed quite pricey considering it doesn't include entertainment and activities. But this budget is very generous so there is definitely some room for some cost savings.

[@grahamcook9289]

Those groceries are horrendously expensive. No change there then in NZ. The problem was always that NZ is a big farm, with agriculture being the major industry, meaning all the best quality food went for export. In the domestic market you either paid the export price for decent food, or bought the cheaper stuff that was well below export quality standard.

[@grahamcook9289]

Cold in Auckland in winter? I don't think so.

[@jozettebowes6538]

It was nice meeting you guys in person😊 Thank you for sharing your experiences🎉I know I've learnt alot and still am🥳

[@BeingBedingfield]

Aw, you too ☺️ Still learning every day!

[@meagi6116]

just curious whether you go to fleamarkets in south Auckland for fruits and veges...can get bargins from it on Saturdays or Avondale markets

[@Explorcation]

Hey guys, this was put together very well and soo informative. I find it interesting that rentals are listed weekly, we are used to monthly here. The price of parking 😳 Mmm that ube pastry looked so good! We are slowly finding more businesses using ube in pastries and coffee..yum! We would go to that market all of the time. We love being able to get a variety of food in one spot!

[@ColinSchafli]

I'm curious to know, after doing the demo budget, did you find it surprisingly a lot more/less than what you thought or in comparison to what you may spend now on average a month? I assume you've budgeted things very well yourselves so it probably wasn't a big shock, but can imagine this catching people out and not realising they may need as much as what was mentioned (demo). This would be helpful information to many I'm sure, so glad you added those things as references, so it could give others better insight as to what to expect, especially if they're considering moving to the city from abroad. 👍 Hope you're both doing well and not getting blown away or soaked! 😉🤣😂🇳🇿

[@grahamcook9289]

What do you do for a living?

[@ll-rb7or]

Dentistry is hellish expensive, root canal =R16K to R19K per tooth.

[@gnomevoyeur]

Accommodation prices just make me cry sometimes. I'm old enough to have moved into my first rental apartment in 1990 for a thimbleful of nothing but I made some financial errors and didn't buy my first 1 bedroom apartment until about 7 years ago. It's suburban but in a high income city (Canberra) and interest rates have almost doubled in the last year but I'm still paying more than I need to with $400 AUD per week. Boomers will complain about enormous interest rates in the 80s but the complexities of finance mean that was an absolute godsend for inexpensive housing. It's a terrible time for young people today.

[@Asscrackistan]

Almost as if it's designed that way.......to keep us slaves on a hamster wheel.......after purposely destroying the economy by shutting business for 3 years.......hmmmmm......are you waking up yet??

[@ll-rb7or]

Scooter rental=R11 to unlock and R5.40 per minute, good luck waiting at a traffic light , could cost R18 😮

[@greggiles7309]

I rent a Studio in Anzac Avenue for 320 a week, my only bill is unlimited internet at 80$ a month, i dont have a mobile plan. I live in CBD to save travel time and hassle. Its close to my work.

[@BeingBedingfield]

Sounds awesome, thanks for sharing! There’s definitely something to suit everyone here in the city 🤗

[@tonyclifton1278]

Why Knot is lekker! Just up the road from our place. It used to be a lot more lekker before everyone knew about it though...

[@how_to5769]

How much is a second hand car?

[@puwiston]

This is amazing city that I love thank you for share it

[@grahamcook9289]

That central city lifestyle suits young professionals, but dare I say you two are really 35+ middle aged suburb people.

[@jared2232]

How do you guys find the the wages in comparison to South Africa? I watched your video on comparing the two places and it seemed like your home was cheaper. Do the wages offset that cost for you? I lived here for a year in 2015-2016 and would have loved to stay but I came from Canada and was working the same profession but earning about 55% of my normal pay. The huge pay cut took away from my quality of life big time.

[@AzureCloudCowboy]

Did you guys move from a house to a flat?

[@vicbay100]

R50 n bread. One should have your dollar income to do sensible comparison. R33 for fuel. Mince 170pkg.

[@vicbay100]

But tx fr sharing.

[@whereismymind6696]

Our weekly grocery budget is $380. Family of four. Envious of your budget 😅

[@ll-rb7or]

Average white bread , not Pam's =R42 a loaf.

[@ll-rb7or]

Average job salary @$30 /hour expect to pay 30%tax on earnings and minimum wage is only $22.70 per hour. Thats why people work long hours in NZ to be able to survive.

[@pillred5974]

I never thought petrol would ever be dearer in NZ than it is here in England you are paying around £1.55 a litre at the current rate of exchange yesterday it was around £1.39 here, and those grocery prices wow! I would say they are nearly double the UK prices, for a farming country those prices of fruit and veggies and meat are much higher than I would have thought, are the wages really good enough to compensate? I am shocked at how expensive it is to live in Auckland, what the hell has happened it used to be so cheap when I lived there compared to here.

[@deborah675]

Food has always been more expensive in NZ, it’s taxed at 15% whereas the Uk food is tax free.

[@pillred5974]

@@deborah675 When I first returned to NZ for a holiday in 1993 petrol was $1 a litre. I got $2.75 to the pound which meant to me it was 36p a litre when in the UK it had been 75p now it's $3.20 there which is £1.70 when it's £1.40 here, what I'm getting at is prices in NZ have risen a lot in comparison I watched a fella called Dutch Daves vids from Browns bay he went around his local Countdown store I was shocked at the cost of everyday food items, I get what you mean about the 15% tax. Still, your prices are a hell of a lot more than 15% dearer than here, I was just wondering why a country with such farming resources has to charge so much when I can buy NZ lamb for nearly half what you are paying. Thanks for replying, I'm sure despite the cost of living you would not swap NZ for here in the UK.

[@ll-rb7or]

All calculations were at R11 ZAR to $1 NZ Dollar , on 16 December 2023.

[@halgrynshaun]

I got caught out at Newmarket parking when I had my new car and forgot to register the car. After our movie we were struck with a $45 bill for our parking😅

[@BeingBedingfield]

Whaaaaat 😭🥺 that is shocking!

[@manuelfg2902]

Rental prices, crazy

[@CarlVolschenk]

Cost of safety?

[@BeingBedingfield]

🤷🏻‍♀️

[@AvantiMoltoVeloce]

So this means that, if I'd get a wage of 95.000 dollars per year, I wouldn't even be able to afford, let's say, a small flat with 2 rooms and a single bathroom? Everything looks like it's extremely expensive!

[@ll-rb7or]

Short trip on bus just over R22

[@ll-rb7or]

2 bedroom apartment for $850 per week =R9350 per week😮

[@ryantait177]

Dankie

[@renatamortazavi2450]

Very informative video, guys! 👍 We love it. Living in any large city can be expensive, no matter where in the world. 🤔 Thank you for this valuable information. 💖 You guys are amazing! 💖💖

[@djnash8456]

Very expensive city, Dhaka is more cheaper. Love from Bangladesh

[@ll-rb7or]

1 x donut =R71.50 each

[@amarildosilva7348]

If u get a 2 year visa you have healthcare

[@roderickburns5151]

Thank you for this video also the woman in this video is very beautiful. Whoever is married to her, don't let her get away. Amen and God Bless!!

[@grahamcook9289]

Don't eat the donuts, then you save on the donuts and the gym membership.

[@ll-rb7or]

Petrol=R34.76 per liter

[@ll-rb7or]

Rump steak R264 per kg.

[@ll-rb7or]

Tomatoes =R132 per kg

[@JordanSpeck1990]

Hey guys. Is there a way I could somehow get in touch privately through some platform to ask Craig one or 2 questions regarding budgets and his opinion on the budget I've sort of compiled based on averages I've found online regarding living costs for certain expenses We will be arriving in NZ soonish but really want to get an idea of what would be considered comfortable rent on our salaries so we can start applying for places asap

[@richjdnz]

Yup, NZ is a pricy place to live. I'm a kiwi born and bred and I remember it has always been expensive, right back to when I was a child in the 1970's. I've grown my thinking over the years to the point where I'm happy to say, I'm proud to pay that premium because NZ 'works' on all sorts of levels. We are so lucky here. I look at the UK, the US and other places (like your home country) with increasing despair. Our upcoming general election has amplified for me, despite the negativity and personal attacks (tho some of the billboard vandalism has been quite witty), that our democracy is still working here, in 2023 :-)

[@BeingBedingfield]

Yeah, agree with you, things just work here, and it’s amazing 🤗

[@grahamcook9289]

I guess you left South Africa to avoid the rampant crime and highest murder rate in the World. What price can you put on escaping that?

[@ll-rb7or]

Lamb chops =R198 per kg

[@ll-rb7or]

2 L milk =R41

[@ll-rb7or]

12 eggs=R99

[@ll-rb7or]

2kg Potatoes =R88

[@ll-rb7or]

Chicken =R75 per kg

[@ameersayed179]

South Africa might be corrupt and crime can be an issue. However, nothing beats the goods and services in S.A. The value for money and bang for your buck. You can live 1st world standards with 3rd world thinking. Everything also tastes better and the natural beauty is unmatched. There are pockets of excellence in S.A like Umhlanga/Balliol in KZN, Sandton in Joburg and basically the entire Western Cape. I believe its only going to get better as there's a lot of opportunities to grow. NZ, Canada, UK, Australia and the USA have peaked already. S.A is going to take off in the next 5 years.

[@SoulBuddy2222]

I agree with you, but you should give Gauteng and KZN more credit than that. There is more than Sandton and Umhlanga going right. Guateng and KZN are not big economic hubs for nothing. Sandton and Umhlanga&Ballito look expensive and nicer because they have millionaires. I live in the far north of KZN. We are not millionaires, but enjoy relatively good quality life with decent service delivery and lush indigenous forests all around us.

[@ll-rb7or]

Bananas =R38 per kg

[@grahamcook9289]

Auckland is just one giant sprawling bland boring suburb with the World's worst traffic problem. It is literally hell-on-wheels to live anywhere in Auckland. It's always been that way and no nothing is changing. It will just continue to get worse and worse. And windy Wellington or shaky Christchurch are no better. In many ways they are worse.

[@johanswart8154]

Have you been to North Shore and hook up with all those Afrikaans communities?

[@ll-rb7or]

Movies =R550 for 2 x tickets

[@ll-rb7or]

Pork chops =R176 per kg