NEW ZEALAND IMMIGRATION NEWS

Study Shows UK Migrants Should Live in New Zealand

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Low living costs and high standard of life have seen New Zealand rated the best place for UK citizens to migrate to.

Alliance & Leicester International (ALIL) has released results of a recent study looking at the cost and quality of living in 14 popular expatriate destinations - New Zealand, Australia, the UK, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Florida, Canada, Dubai, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong and France.

To determine living costs, the study compared property prices, the cost of a return flight to the UK, income tax rates and the cost of an average meal in a mid-priced restaurant. It also considered the cost of various other items including a litre of petrol, a bottle of beer, a litre of milk, a bottle of water and a cup of coffee. ALIL found that New Zealand has one of the lowest average property prices (£105,750) and low costs for food, drink and fuel.

To determine living standards, ALIL then analysed each destination’s weather, crime rate, working hours, annual leave and internet connectivity. These categories were given an appropriate weighting and used to determine an average score. New Zealand’s tax regime, with the highest band set at 39%, was significantly lower than in Australia (50%) and France (48%). New Zealand was also found to boast a low crime rate, high internet connectivity, consistently mild weather, favourable working hours and generous annual leave.

New Zealand was considered the best place to live as it had the both the lowest cost of living and the highest quality of life of all 14 destinations.

Simon Ripton, Acting Managing Director of ALIL said, "New Zealand does on average appear to offer a high quality of life at a reasonable cost - attributes that many people value in their country of residence. Its strong cultural links to the UK also make it highly attractive to many UK movers".

If you are interested in Visas to New Zealand or would like more information on Skilled Migration, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you.