What does it cost in your area?

I consider things relatively OK in Chch (haha, other than ground shaking!)

Rent varies, in an average area you're looking at aourn $300-400 for a 3-bdrm, depending on section size, garaging etc and school zoning. More in better areas and vice versa. It really depends atm though, people are paying crazy prices for an undamaged rental. Outlying areas are now basically on par with city prices as demand is excessive.

Movie rental depends - we go to United Video so it's pretty cheap, I think $4 for a new release but we go for $2 Tuesdays a lot of the time.

Food is OK - we pay $120 a week for the 4 of us, but we eat pretty basically to save money. We do however shell out on takeaways once a week when I have meetings, so that's an extra $30.

Pools for kids (public) are about $3 for a preschooler and parent.

Parking was pretty good - $2.60 an hour or $12 a day in town. Obviously not needed as much anymore pretty good public transport system, especially now they have a bus depot again.

We live in Brisbane, Australia. We rent a 4 bedroom house in a suburb about a 20 minute train ride or 15 min drive into the city and its $560pw. Daycare costs $65 per day (no nappies or food included) but we get 50% of that back from the government every fortnight. The GP costs $60 per visit but we get 50% refunded from the government straight away.
Im a nurse and I get paid $36.75 per hour in a large public hospital in central Brisbane. I work 3 days per week.
Our 4 bedroom house that we own in Auckland is rented out for $510pw.
We are moving back to NZ early next year to be closer to family and will be moving to Hamilton where we're expecting to pay about $450-$475pw rent for a 4 bedroom, close to new house.

On the north shore in Auckland we pay $395 a week in rent for a 2 bedroom place, it is attached to a bigger main house but separated from it by the garages of the two places, with its own lawn etc. But yeah looking at the rent prices others say that is quite shocking.

We pay $160-$170 a week to feed 3 of us including toiletries and nappies, but it used to be more before I stopped buying baby food jars.

Pools are $7 or $8 for an exercise class.

Movie rental is about $8 for a new release



My DH earns a reasonably good salary but we don't get working for families anymore since he got a payrise, so we are struggling more than we did on less income. My rent would be considered cheap around here :S