would like to know whats a good area for young familys to move too? seems to be a lot of work around christ church area. You'd really struggle at $60K PA in Christchurch with a family mate. Properties are hard to find to rent which are half decent, and you'll be paying $400 per week at least for something acceptable - if you could find someone. On $60K, you'd be getting $800 per week. Throw in $200 at least for food, then fuel, power, etc. and your mortgage in Ireland and you're up and around break even at best. You'd need your wife to find a job at least. Then you might have childcare bills etc. You might be OK if you got a job out in the sticks where rent is cheaper if you could get the same salary, but that isn't guaranteed and may be hard to source jobs there. There are a lot of tradesmen in ChCh who earn good money - sure with OT etc you'd get more - but many are here for a short term to earn money, live in horrible places/share houses and simply accrue money working long hours. Know a few who've done that and with a strong Kiwi Dollar, send it back is pretty lucrative. Don't believe any of them have a family though. Sorry this sounds negative, but given those circumstances, I wouldn't even consider Christchurch. Wouldn't UK be a better bet? Hi Sean, you sound like we did about