New Zealander reveals what is more expensive about living in Australia

A New Zealander that is now living in Sydney has hit out at an item Australia is famous for, claiming it is far better in her home country.

A New Zealander who recently moved to Australia has revealed what she’s been surprised to find is much more expensive here.

Anna Kate is in her thirties and she and her husband Matt moved to Sydney in September 2023 to launch a business in the health and fitness space.

The ambitious couple wanted to move to Australia because it wasn’t too far from home and the population size is much bigger. New Zealand has a population of just over five million, whereas Australia has a population of over 26 million, so they figured it would give their business a better chance.

The couple moved here last year. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

She's revealed that the coffee is just "fine" in Sydney. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

The couple are enjoying Australia, revealing they had already prepared themselves for everything to be expensive.

“I feel like New Zealand was hit with the cost of living crisis before Australia. So we were expecting it to be similar here and we were right,” she told news.com.au.

Anna Kate said there have been some things they’ve been pleasantly surprised to find are more affordable.

“Getting alternative milk from cafes. Other than that, it is all about the same. Petrol is cheaper,” she said.

Despite the fact that a soy latte is cheaper in Australia, the marketer isn’t that impressed with Aussie coffee.

In a recent TikTok, she said that she was “stupidly excited” to return to New Zealand for a wedding because she wanted to drink some “good coffee” for a change.

When someone in the commented and asked if the coffee in Sydney was bad, she replied and said it was “fine”, which isn’t a rave review.

She's found Sydney more expensive. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

She plans on staying in Sydney. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

Despite finding most things on par with New Zealand in terms of price, there are some expenses that have left her shocked.

“Second-hand cars are almost double what you’d pay in New Zealand and with all the registration fees and license fees, it is definitely more expensive,” she said.

Anna Kate said she sold her car in New Zealand for $6000 to move here, but to get a replacement car in Sydney in a similar condition, the price was doubled to $12,000.

The price of buying a car has put them off of owning one altogether.

“We purposely haven’t bought a car yet because of this. We’re happy using public transport and Uber as we need,” she said.

Anna Kate did point out that it is “relative” because, obviously, wages are better in Australia in general.

But, for now, if they factor in Uber and public transport into their budget, it is still cheaper than buying a car.

Her wage has gone up by 30 per cent. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

They haven't bought a car here. Picture: TikTok/AnnaKate.ofc

She said eating out and drinking alcohol are more expensive. Plus, because she still remembers the price of things in New Zealand, she’s always quick to notice when she’s paying a premium for something in Australia.

“Some grocery items are more expensive too. Currently, tomatoes are $5.99/kg at my NZ supermarket vs. $9.90/kg at my local Coles,” she explained.

Ultimately, she’s spending more, but her wage has surged since moving down under and that helps offset the costs.

“Our spending is up. We spend more on rent and more on going out,” she explained

Despite the extra cost of living in Sydney, Anna Kate has zero regrets. She posted on Instagram that she wasn’t missing New Zealand at all.

“No shade to Auckland, but we just don’t miss it. We’re almost three months in, and it’s weird to feel we have a home in Sydney.”