why nobody wants to live in New Zealand anymore – Wel.nl

New Zealand is the second worst country to move to, according to a survey of expats.

Expat network organization InterNations asked 12,000 migrants in 181 countries how they liked their new place of residence in terms of quality of life, safety, cost of living and integration, among other things.

For 52 countries, the number of respondents was large enough to draw conclusions. New Zealand finished in 51st place, narrowly overtaking Kuwait. Australia, which is next, finished in ninth place.

Fairy tale
It is remarkable that New Zealand is so low in this ranking. In general, the country is considered a paradise on earth with beautiful nature, a relaxed population and great prosperity. Some cities are considered the most livable in the world.

But it turns out to be a fairy tale: wages are low and life is expensive. Almost half of those surveyed said their income was not enough to live comfortably. By comparison: on average, 28% of all respondents thought their income was too low to lead a good life.

Inequality
The relatively large number of respondents also felt that they were paid too little for their work in New Zealand, that they lacked meaning in their work and that the working weeks were too long. “Life here is too expensive compared to wages,” it seems, among other things. An Indian expatriate worried about the “widening gap between rich and poor”.

New Zealand politicians also see the problem and speak of a crisis in the cost of living, with rising prices for food, petrol and housing. Nature is the only thing the country scored above average on.

Mexico tops the list and is the most popular location for expats, in part because of its low cost of living and ease of integration. Additionally, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal and Spain round out the top five. The Netherlands occupy a very average 22nd place.