Originally Posted by Julian It depends, New Zealand can be cheap in certain aspects and expensive in others. Home ownership is quite easy in New Zealand, with an average house costing around $320,000 in the cities and $240,000 in outlying areas. Average income is around $50,000 Petrol is currently $1.43/litre Food bill for a single person would be around $60-$80/week Electricity is around $80/month for my 5 bedroom house + partner and 2 kids

That's in NZD not USD correct?

My wife and I are exploring options for a change of location once she finishes school next year. Auckland and Wellington look to have a rather temperate climate - maybe a tad cold.

Right now, we are planning on heading over to Koh Samui (island in the gulf of Thailand) on her spring break to check out the area, people, and the cultural differences and see if it's doable.

Where ever we go, it has to have a beach; I have fins