Pros and Cons of Living in New Zealand

I love living in New Zealand. But no matter where you live in the world, there are going to be certain things about that place that bother you. As great as living in New Zealand is, there are things about it that I wish were different. With that being said, keep reading for the pros and cons of living in New Zealand. Keep in mind that this is based on my personal experience and opinions! Someone else’s list could be wildly different.

Living in New Zealand: Pros

Natural beauty

This is the most obvious day-to-day point for me. Coming from the suburbs of Chicago, where all you see is flat land and strip malls, being able to see mountains from my backyard is incredible. Even the most mundane drives into town wow me and make me feel grateful to live here.

Safety

In terms of overall safety, I feel much better here than I do in the States. This applies to safety from crime, shootings, violence, and most recently, COVID. I think the fact that New Zealand is so isolated and that I live in a rural setting now contribute to this. Of course, this doesn’t mean that there is no crime in New Zealand — far from it! I just don’t feel like I have to be as on-guard as I am in Chicago.

Quality of life

This point relates mostly to the standard of living and work-life balance. With generous work leaves, plenty of social freedoms, and overall high happiness ratings, New Zealand is a great place to live. Compared to somewhere like the US, I feel like there is a greater emphasis on working to live rather than living to work. People here take their leisure time seriously!

Kind and friendly Kiwis

Every interaction I’ve had with a stranger or customer service representative has been positive. Most everyone you talk to is polite and will treat you with respect. I’m seriously amazed every time when I have to call a customer service number and the interaction turns out to be pleasant and helpful.

Proximity to different landscapes

I love that you can drive a few hours here and be surrounded by a completely different landscape. (As opposed to Illinois, where you drive 8 hours straight through flat cornfields.) In New Zealand, you’re never too far from the mountains and the ocean. Just like the States, New Zealand has a variety of different climates and geographical features — only here, they are much closer together.

Hiking & camping

There are so many trails and campgrounds in New Zealand! I love the fact that I can get outside super easily and go hiking near my house. When we go on trips in the van, it’s also very easy to find beautiful (and usually free) campsites. The Department of Conservation does a great job of maintaining public lands and making nature accessible to everyone.

Mild weather

I’m from Chicago, so I’m used to extreme weather in both summer and winter. One of the biggest benefits of living in New Zealand is how perfectly average the weather is (most of the time). In the summer, it’s warm and sunny and only sometimes blazingly hot. Winter brings a bit of snow and cold, but nothing like I used to experience in the States. I’ve never had to scrape ice off of my car in Twizel, so I’d consider that a win.

Living in New Zealand: Cons

Bugs

This is the biggest disadvantage of living in New Zealand for me. I don’t know what it is, but there are always thousands of flies in the summer. Since we leave our windows (and usually door) open, they all fly inside and buzz around my head menacingly. Ben claims that he doesn’t notice the loud buzzing, but it drives me bananas. Thankfully, New Zealand doesn’t have any dangerous bugs or creatures like Australia does — only annoying ones.

Celebrating Christmas in the summer

This is something that will never feel right. I’ve spent two Christmases in New Zealand now, and neither of them has felt particularly festive. I love summer, but Christmas is the one time I actually want snow. It’s weird and unnatural and I am not a fan.

⇉ If you want to read about what American Thanksgiving in New Zealand is like, click here!

Expensive

New Zealand is an expensive place to live. Prices for food, rent, and everyday items are generally all higher than they are in the States. Even with the currency conversion being in my favor, I get sticker shock almost every time we go shopping. Don’t even get me started on shipping costs! I miss being able to get anything delivered to my door overnight for free.

Cold homes

This is a common complaint that comes up a lot in the expat Facebook groups I’m a part of. Many homes in New Zealand aren’t insulated like they are in the States, making them feel colder year-round. Our house feels cold all the time, in the summer and winter, regardless of the temperature outside. When it gets really cold, we use a wood-burning fire in the living room to keep the house warm (yes, really).

Not having visual voicemail

This is a random point, but one that bothers me nonetheless. No matter what phone provider you have in New Zealand, you won’t be able to see who has left you a message (or listen to it) without calling your voicemail number. I honestly didn’t know this was still a thing after 2008, especially with an iPhone.

Thanks for reading this post on the pros and cons of living in New Zealand! The quality of life, friendliness of the citizens, and beautiful landscapes impress me every single day. The negative aspects seem relatively unimportant when you take everything else into consideration.

Check out my ultimate guide to traveling New Zealand!

xoxo Niki

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