NZ vs Australia
Would your family actually be better off in Australia?
Three quick steps. Real tax, family payments, rent, childcare, petrol and power on both sides of the Tasman, and what you'd have left at the end of the month.
Or try an example
Who's in your household?
Kids0
Worth knowing before you go
- Kiwis can live and work in Australia on arrival on a Special Category Visa (subclass 444), and since July 2023 can apply for Aussie citizenship after four years living there.
- NZ citizens living in Australia can get Medicare, the Child Care Subsidy and Family Tax Benefit, but generally not unemployment benefits like JobSeeker.
- The In-Work Tax Credit here includes a temporary fuel-crisis top-up that ends by 31 March 2027. NZ petrol is unusually high right now too.
- Super is paid by your employer on top of your salary, so it isn't in your take-home. KiwiSaver works the same way but at a lower rate.
- If you have a student loan, it starts charging interest once you're treated as living overseas, and you'll have yearly repayments to make to IRD.
Estimates only, to help you think it through. Pay: ABS Aug 2025 and Stats NZ Jun 2026 median hourly earnings by occupation. Tax: IRD and ATO 2026–27. Family support: IRD and Services Australia 2026. Childcare: Dept of Education Mar 2026 fees, 20 Hours ECE, FamilyBoost, Child Care Subsidy. Rent: Domain Sep 2026, Trade Me Aug 2026. Homes: Cotality and REINZ Sep 2026. Petrol: MBIE Oct 2026, AIP Sep 2026. Power: MBIE Aug 2026, AER and Victorian default offers 2026–27. Food: Stats NZ HES, World Bank price levels. A$1 = NZ$1.232 (2026-10-19).