Which Country is Better to Live In Australia or New Zealand?

Is living in Australia or New Zealand preferable? We bet you’ve thought to yourself this at least once. Not just your family will be thinking about moving to both nations!

Here’s the problem

Australia and New Zealand are both wonderful places to call home. Looking at the reason for your emigration will help you decide where to go with your family.

What inspired you to uproot your family and begin a new life in a foreign nation, in other words?

To live in a safer environment or to provide for their children’s education, for instance, is one reason why many individuals immigrate. When you focus on issues like these, you’ll start to see differences between Australia and New Zealand. Following that, you can decide which nation is best for your family to reside in.

Should we consider certain elements that might affect your choice? Let’s begin because we believe it to be a good idea.

(You can alternatively go to the end of the article, where there is a summary of everything.

Are you relocating to make a profit?

Most of our clients relocate overseas in pursuit of a better quality of life. This translates into higher pay for many of these workers. A higher pay then gives the individual additional freedoms and opportunities.

Australia is the nation to pick if this is also your primary driving force. The typical annual income in Australia is AUD79,632, while that in New Zealand is NZD52,000 in 2020.

However, focusing solely on pay does not provide us with the whole picture. It is also essential to take the cost of living into account. You’ll find out how far your pay will get you by doing this.

Compared to New Zealand, Australia has higher average costs for rent, groceries, and consumer goods and services. However, in comparison to Australia, New Zealand has a 14.99% lower local purchasing power overall.

Let’s try to interpret these statistics, shall we? Let’s examine actual pricing for commonplace things as they are displayed on Numbeo. We will display all costs in Australian dollars so that you can make apples-to-apples comparisons.

Please take note that the exchange rate at the time of writing was 1 (Aus) to 1.08. (NZ).

Housing

In comparison to New Zealand, Australia will cost you more for rent. Australia has 12.48% higher rent overall.

Say you want to lease a studio apartment in the heart of the city. You can anticipate paying $1,707.20 per month in Australia while paying $1,448.71 in New Zealand for the identical flat. Perhaps you’ve just begun a family and choose to reside in a suburban area. If you rent a three-bedroom apartment in such situation, the expenditures will almost balance out. Your rent will be $1,960.74 in Australia and $1,933.98 in New Zealand.

Utilities

In Australia, it will cost you $217.68 a month to keep the lights on and the water running; in New Zealand, it will cost you $163.86 per month. This price covers additional essential services like trash collection for an 85 sq m unit.

You’ll undoubtedly want to know how much of your income you’ll spend on internet access as well. In actuality, New Zealand will cost you more than Australia to do this. Having said that, there is not much of a difference. In New Zealand, it will cost you $77.78 per month for uncapped data over ADSL or cable at 60 Mbps or greater, whereas in Australia, it will cost you $74.05.

Do you work for a living or live for a living?

In other words, do you value your career or your leisure time more?

If the former is the case, Australia is a good option. Australia provides more opportunities, both in terms of job availability and advancement opportunities. This is due primarily to the fact that Australia has more and larger cities, as well as thriving industries. New Zealand’s major corporations, on the other hand, are mostly concentrated in and around Auckland.

However, if work is more of a means to an end, New Zealand will be your best match.

The ethos of ‘life is for living’ is well known among New Zealanders. They believe that a good day’s work should be balanced with time spent with family and friends, as well as time spent in New Zealand’s beautiful outdoors. In fact, according to the 2019 Expat Explorer Survey, New Zealand ranked second in the world for work-life balance.

Which do you prefer: living life quickly or slowly?

Australia’s major cities are constantly bustling with activity. During business hours, cars zoom through highways, whereas at night, eateries are crowded. No matter where you go, there is always something to see and do. This is not to argue that living a laid-back lifestyle is impossible in Australia. It simply implies that while deciding where to settle down, you might have to forego the cities.

The pace of life is often slower in New Zealand, though. This can be ascribed to the fact that New Zealanders prefer downtime and that their cities are smaller than those in Australia. We all know that smaller cities have fewer residents, less traffic, and more open space.

Have you got kids?

You may be confident that, whether you choose Australia or New Zealand, your children will receive an education of the highest caliber.

Australia

Australia’s renowned Qualifications Framework ensures that both schools and postsecondary educational institutions are recognized by the government and accredited.

Australian schools also provide the following:

• little classes,
• teachers who have completed their degrees,
• subject-matter experts who teach, and
• children that require it with additional learning support.

The greatest schools in Australia are located in Melbourne and Sydney. The top five elementary schools and top five secondary schools in Australia are located in these cities. The schools are a mixture of coeducational and facilities for only one gender.

Click here for elementary schools and here for secondary schools to view the top institutions in each state or territory.

The country of New Zealand

The New Zealand educational system takes great pleasure in placing the student at the center of everything it does while remaining open-minded regarding teaching and learning methods. Children are being taught to:

• Address issues
• data processing
• cooperate with others
• Make and novelty

Wellington and Auckland in particular are home to some of New Zealand’s top universities. The schools are a mixture of public and private establishments and provide co-ed and single-gender alternatives.

Do you place a high priority on access to quality, affordable healthcare?

The quality of the healthcare systems in Australia and New Zealand is comparable. You may receive top-notch care in either country thanks to their public and private healthcare systems.

Australia

Medicare is the name of Australia’s national healthcare program, and it includes some or all of the following medical services:

• going to a doctor or specialist
• X-rays and other tests and scans
• doctors perform the majority of surgeries and treatments.
• optometrists perform eye exams

To be eligible for Medicare, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, though some temporary residents are also eligible. If you do not qualify for Medicare, you must have private medical insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia.

The country of New Zealand

The public healthcare system in New Zealand provides free or subsidized health and disability services to eligible residents. Among these services are:

• Doctor’s appointments are examples of primary healthcare visits.
• Prescription medications
• Hospital services provided by the government
• If you have a disability, you can get assistance.

Is the safety of your family your primary concern?

Keeping our families safe is a major concern for any parent. It’s no surprise that the vast majority of parents relocate to safer countries for their children and themselves.

If this is your primary concern, you must select New Zealand. According to the 2022 Global Peace Index, New Zealand was once again the second safest country in the world last year. Iceland was the only country that could beat New Zealand.

If you’ve never heard of the Global Peace Index, it measures the state of peace in countries across three domains:

• The level of societal safety and security.
• The scope of ongoing domestic and international conflict.
• The level of militarization.

Within each of these domains, a variety of indicators are collected, including violent crime, violent demonstrations, the homicide rate, and political instability.

Australia is ranked 13th, 11 spots lower than New Zealand. However, Australia is ranked thirteenth, ahead of countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden.

To summarize the answer to the question, “Is it better to live in Australia or New Zealand?”

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether Australia or New Zealand is a better option. As you can see, it all comes down to what you want for your family.

• Is the pay higher? Australia has triumphed. Australians earn more money and have more purchasing power.
• Is it to advance your career? Australia takes the top spot once more, thanks to its numerous large cities and thriving industries.
• Do you want to improve your work-life balance? Choose New Zealand, where life is for living.

• Is it to ensure that your children receive a good education? You can choose either country because they both have world-class educational systems.

• Do you value high-quality, low-cost healthcare? Again, either country is an excellent option.

• Do you wish to relocate to a safe country? New Zealand is the world’s second safest country!

Your decision to relocate abroad may have been influenced by a combination of one or more of these issues. Our advice in this situation is to create a list of pros and cons to assist you in making a decision.

But let’s not overlook…

The ability of your family to immigrate to either Australia or New Zealand also affects where you choose to go. Because of this, it’s crucial to also complete an immigration assessment so you can make an informed decision.

Lucky you if, like some others, you are eligible for both countries!