Despite their extreme distance from Britain, Australia and New Zealand are huge markets for overseas sellers. That’s why!
Both Australia and New Zealand have a lot going for them: widespread English proficiency, stunning natural scenery, and hip, rapidly developing urban centres.
It might be difficult to choose between the two options available. We take a look at how the two largest countries in Oceania vary from one another.
Interesting tidbits about New Zealand
- New Zealand has about 9 sheep for every human.
- The size of New Zealand is comparable to that of California, USA.
- The New Zealander-named Kiwi fruit originates in China.
- Land snakes do not exist in New Zealand.
- National parks account for around a third of the United States.
- Interesting tidbits about Australia
- The majority of Australians (80%) reside within 50 km of the shore.
- The longest golf course in the world is located in Australia (850m!
- Australia is sixth in size behind Russia, Canada, China, the United States, and Brazil.
- More snow falls on the Australian Alps than the French and Swiss Alps combined.
- The air quality in Tasmania is unparalleled.
Living expenses
Numbeo.com claims that New Zealand is the world’s cheapest country to live in on average. New Zealand has more expensive real estate, whereas Australia has greater earnings.
When compared to New York City, the cost of living in different nations is given a ranking on the Numbeo Cost of Living Index. With scores of 75.3 and 72.9, respectively, Australia and New Zealand are also much behind the home of the Statue of Liberty. This suggests that living costs in any country are 24%-27% less than in New York City.
True, the cost of living is similar in rural parts of both Australia and New Zealand, but the major differences may be seen in their respective urban centres.
The monthly utility expense for a similar sized flat in Canberra is $359, but in Wellington it is only $250. Using the same index, we find that utility expenses (for a flat of the same size) in Port Douglas and Queenstown are, respectively, $190 and $169.
Lifestyle
Australia is the third best country in which to live and work in terms of the cost of living. There are a number of factors considered by this index. Salary, pollution, life expectancy, GDP, murder rate, cost of living, and other metrics are compared. With a quality of life score of 97/100 and a cost of living of $2104 (for a single individual), Australia ranked third in the world.
New Zealand ranked 17th out of 197 countries in the index. So far, so good. Quality of life there was rated at 91 out of 100, while the average annual salary was only $1718, far lower than in Australia.
Both Australia and New Zealand are known as outdoor-loving nations, so it’s no wonder they scored so well. As a result of their pleasant environment and beautiful surroundings, they would be a great area to live.
More than 25 million people make their home in Australia, which is almost 29 times larger than New Zealand. In contrast, there are 5 million people living in New Zealand. New Zealand is somewhat larger than the United Kingdom (which includes England, Wales, and Scotland), but smaller than Japan.
Costs of Real Estate
Since both nations in Oceania have regions that attract tourists from all over the world, real estate values in the two regions are quite comparable.
The largest city in Australia, Sydney is also famous for its Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Huge Darling Harbour. There is a demand for investment and rental properties despite Sydney’s high property prices. CoreLogic’s Hedonic Home Value Index places the average home price in the nation’s capital at $1,009,428, or around £580,000.
The average cost of a home in Australia is £407,200 ($708,613). According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, the median value in New Zealand is Nz$790,000 (£418,000).
Auckland is the most sought after real estate market in all of New Zealand. Auckland’s median value was reported as $1,050,000 (about £555,555) in the most recent REINZ survey. Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury, and Marlborough are also important regions.
Employment prospects
The skill sets needed by both Australia and New Zealand are documented. As a result of zero-tolerance Covid rules that prevented migration for a while, there are severe skills gaps in several sectors.
Improvements to Australia’s migration system were announced last year, opening the door for an additional 195,000 migrants to seek for permanent residency in the country. The previous high for this figure was 160,000. There was also a rise in the allotted number of skilled worker visas, from 79,600 to 142,200.
Investigate the employment market in Australia to see if your expertise is in demand
There is a programme like this in effect in New Zealand, with some minor differences. Skilled migrants fall into one of three categories: “straight to residence,” “work to residence,” or “highly paid.” In this way, it becomes less difficult to recruit qualified immigrants for certain jobs. With these kind of employment prospects, applying for a visa is a breeze.
