New Zealand Auckland vs Dubai

elk1973

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Latest post on 20 September 2013 - 20:34

If you had the opportunity of living in Auckland, would you? would you leave Dubai? what would your considerations be?

I'm at a cross roads...:(

Feefmick56943

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 18:40

Daza..I agree...

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Daza

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 17:56

I love the weather, I love the size of my villa, I love the desert, I love the beaches, I love that people are so sociable here, I love that everyone is impulsive, I like the working environment of my job (not saying most jobs are like mine - I think I am just lucky), I love that on the weekend I can go to the pool, I love that I have a gym in my compound, that my daughters come with me and do star jumps and skipping while i work out, I love it you can take your kids to any restaurant and no-one tutts at you or you get refused entry, I love you can take your kids anywhere in the evening, I love how its so family orientated here, i love the organised chaos, I love how nobody swears in public, I love how there is no trailer trash (sorry bit snobby) I love the activities my kids have access to, I love the hotels, I love the fountains, I love that its in the middle of the world so travel is good.....I love it :) I love your post :)

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Feefmick56943

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 15:33

As long as you have an exit strategy then live for today.

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arohadxb

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 12:31

That's the unknowable isn't it? Do you have an exit strategy for here if things do go wrong? Is the opportunity in NZ the once in a lifetime kind, or could a similar situation come again? 60k in school fees would certainly make me think twice. Yes I love all that, but at least in NZ we would be safe, even if we lost our jobs the girls would still be in school. We have 3 daughters and in the next 3 years all three will be in secondary school, so school fees will be in the region of 60k per term. would myself and hubby have jobs to support us then if we stay here? I love the weather, I love the size of my villa, I love the desert, I love the beaches, I love that people are so sociable here, I love that everyone is impulsive, I like the working environment of my job (not saying most jobs are like mine - I think I am just lucky), I love that on the weekend I can go to the pool, I love that I have a gym in my compound, that my daughters come with me and do star jumps and skipping while i work out, I love it you can take your kids to any restaurant and no-one tutts at you or you get refused entry, I love you can take your kids anywhere in the evening, I love how its so family orientated here, i love the organised chaos, I love how nobody swears in public, I love how there is no trailer trash (sorry bit snobby) I love the activities my kids have access to, I love the hotels, I love the fountains, I love that its in the middle of the world so travel is good.....I love it :) I think we could probably then safely hazard a guess that you might not be quite ready to leave Dubai ;)

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elk1973

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 12:28

Yes I love all that, but at least in NZ we would be safe, even if we lost our jobs the girls would still be in school. We have 3 daughters and in the next 3 years all three will be in secondary school, so school fees will be in the region of 60k per term. would myself and hubby have jobs to support us then if we stay here? I love the weather, I love the size of my villa, I love the desert, I love the beaches, I love that people are so sociable here, I love that everyone is impulsive, I like the working environment of my job (not saying most jobs are like mine - I think I am just lucky), I love that on the weekend I can go to the pool, I love that I have a gym in my compound, that my daughters come with me and do star jumps and skipping while i work out, I love it you can take your kids to any restaurant and no-one tutts at you or you get refused entry, I love you can take your kids anywhere in the evening, I love how its so family orientated here, i love the organised chaos, I love how nobody swears in public, I love how there is no trailer trash (sorry bit snobby) I love the activities my kids have access to, I love the hotels, I love the fountains, I love that its in the middle of the world so travel is good.....I love it :) I think we could probably then safely hazard a guess that you might not be quite ready to leave Dubai ;)

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arohadxb

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Latest post on 23 September 2013 - 10:37

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elk1973

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 22:26

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arohadxb

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 11:06

I can appreciate the cross roads, but for me personally, I wouldn't be heading home to Auckland until we were all ready to settle down. For us, the adventure is no where near over. We did go home once, but only lasted 2 years before we were hot footing it back overseas. Also, we had no choice but to live in Auckland due to work, where as other spots in NZ were appealing on other levels. Also, I would have HAD to have worked if we had stayed at home, rather than being a SAHM. Tax, even with a top salary, cost of living, buying a house in Auckland ( and remember, schools are zoned, so if you want your kids to go to a good school you need to live in that zone, and believe me, that effects the house prices) meant that we were not really getting ahead in a hurry.

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Daza

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 11:02

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elk1973

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 10:20

we're in the same boat re moving to Dubai, its just that we have an opportunity to go to Auckland, so we are at a crossroads. I love Dubai so at the moment don't really feel like leaving. But at the same time don't want to loose an opportunity, and then to flip it again, don't want to leave dubai for NZ and regret it. Unless you are Emirati, your future is NOT here. [b'>Living here is a temporary step towards a desire goal only.[/b'> If we could reach our desired goal in our home country, we would be there tomorrow. If you have the opportunity to go home, why wouldn't you go? That sounds so pessimistic mrsb! We aren't planning on being here forever but we moved here because we chose to and it seemed like a nice lifestyle. Money definitely wasn't the main motivator, in fact when we first arrived our income was less and our house was smaller than we had in London. It won't always suit us to be here but at this stage of our lives it's great. Living here is one of our desired goals, not just a step towards it. Great answer from perkynana. I'm from NZ - Auckland is beautiful and has a lot going for it. I have a lot of family and friends living there and they really enjoy it.

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Daza

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 08:47

Unless you are Emirati, your future is NOT here. [b'>Living here is a temporary step towards a desire goal only.[/b'> If we could reach our desired goal in our home country, we would be there tomorrow. If you have the opportunity to go home, why wouldn't you go? That sounds so pessimistic mrsb! We aren't planning on being here forever but we moved here because we chose to and it seemed like a nice lifestyle. Money definitely wasn't the main motivator, in fact when we first arrived our income was less and our house was smaller than we had in London. It won't always suit us to be here but at this stage of our lives it's great. Living here is one of our desired goals, not just a step towards it. Great answer from perkynana. I'm from NZ - Auckland is beautiful and has a lot going for it. I have a lot of family and friends living there and they really enjoy it.

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SurviveDubai49396

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 07:17

Unless you are Emirati, your future is NOT here. Living here is a temporary step towards a desire goal only. If we could reach our desired goal in our home country, we would be there tomorrow. If you have the opportunity to go home, why wouldn't you go? can't agree more.

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SurviveDubai49396

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Latest post on 22 September 2013 - 07:17

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elk1973

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 22:03

Brilliant reply thank you :) My home town too and we visit every 18 months. My thoughts are: - we have a similar lifestyle in both cities - outdoors 8 months of the year, cafes on weekends, aren't a huge fan of malls (except to get a good walk lol). - salaries there is no comparison - when we move back it will not be for the money/savings potential. Salaries are much lower and then there is the tax (which is both on income and GST on what you buy) - job opportunities - really depends on what you do but DH and I could not get similar jobs back home - they just don't exist back home as it is an established market in both our professions and a lot of the "big stuff" would be done out of Aussie - schools, things for kids - not a big business in NZ so it is a bit more genuine and kid focused in NZ - home support - would not have in NZ. Options our friends have is an au pair or nursery school - medical care - free in NZ if you are able to wait. Insurance paid private in Dubai is better from that perspective. - cost of living - you will just change how you live to suit where you live and what you want to achieve eg savings. Depends on our situation and best to do your sums early on. - housing - expensive to buy at the moment (peak in the market at the moment). - NZ dollar - strong against the USD so it is not buying us much kiwi at the moment. If you don't need to take too much cash with you ie not buying a house then that is not a big issue. On balance - if you are moving for a lifestyle it is a great place; or if you have a particular opportunity it would be worth it. If you were moving to save money etc then probably not the right move. Great city, in comparison to Dubai is very quiet (but not as quiet as the ones that SamCT suggested) and lots of things to do on your weekends etc. Hope this helps

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Asti

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 18:59

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Anonymous (not verified)

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 16:38

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perkynana46211

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 10:32

My home town too and we visit every 18 months. My thoughts are: - we have a similar lifestyle in both cities - outdoors 8 months of the year, cafes on weekends, aren't a huge fan of malls (except to get a good walk lol). - salaries there is no comparison - when we move back it will not be for the money/savings potential. Salaries are much lower and then there is the tax (which is both on income and GST on what you buy) - job opportunities - really depends on what you do but DH and I could not get similar jobs back home - they just don't exist back home as it is an established market in both our professions and a lot of the "big stuff" would be done out of Aussie - schools, things for kids - not a big business in NZ so it is a bit more genuine and kid focused in NZ - home support - would not have in NZ. Options our friends have is an au pair or nursery school - medical care - free in NZ if you are able to wait. Insurance paid private in Dubai is better from that perspective. - cost of living - you will just change how you live to suit where you live and what you want to achieve eg savings. Depends on our situation and best to do your sums early on. - housing - expensive to buy at the moment (peak in the market at the moment). - NZ dollar - strong against the USD so it is not buying us much kiwi at the moment. If you don't need to take too much cash with you ie not buying a house then that is not a big issue. On balance - if you are moving for a lifestyle it is a great place; or if you have a particular opportunity it would be worth it. If you were moving to save money etc then probably not the right move. Great city, in comparison to Dubai is very quiet (but not as quiet as the ones that SamCT suggested) and lots of things to do on your weekends etc. Hope this helps

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SamCT

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 10:06

It's my home town and I'd go back in a heartbeat if my husband was keen! (he's still finding Dubai/Middle East fun). Auckland is a big city, and life really would be what you made of it. However if my family and friends weren't there, I'd go live in the smaller places like Whangarei, Napier, or even windy Wellington. Maybe you should go visit beforehand? <em>edited by SamCT on 21/09/2013</em>

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Beany

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Latest post on 21 September 2013 - 09:28

I have never been there but we're leaving this year and have been looking at a lot of those 'most liveable cities/best quality of life' tables - Auckland is almost always in the top 10 on international tables, often it's in the top 5. So it must have something going for it! What I really want after living here is to be somewhere with varied natural landscapes, where we can be outside all year round, and have a simpler and healthier lifestyle.

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Ginnee

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Latest post on 20 September 2013 - 21:08

Not unless my salary was about 4-500k ($) a year, as half gets taken by tax. Then the rest is spent on fuel (2.50 a litre) and groceries v expensive. Lovely in summer but winter is cold

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