Survey finds emigrating to New Zealand the best move

The majority of respondents to the survey found New Zealand the best place to live outside Britain in terms of quality of life, standard of living and cost of living.
 
More than nine in ten of the expats surveyed, or 92%, reported that they were “happier living abroad than they were at home” and that immigrating, including emigrating to New Zealand, was a good decision despite the economic recession.
 
The NatWest survey was conducted for in conjunction with the Centre for Future think tank.
New Zealand knocked Canada out of the top spot this year, the bank reported. It follows another survey released in October by Alliance & Leicester International, which also ranked New Zealand first for quality of life and cost of living.
 
Third-best place to live in terms of quality of life in the NatWest survey, after New Zealand and Canada, was France, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, the USA, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.
 
Other findings of the survey included:

• More than six out of ten (62%) said that feeling dissatisfied led them to move abroad
• More than eight out of ten (86%) feel their lives after immigrating are better than they had expected
• Despite the global economic downturn,  almost all of those surveyed said they made a good decision when they decided to immigrate (98%)
• More than six in ten expats said they had left the UK with less than £5,000 in savings, yet 64% reported having a net worth now between £250,000 and £1m
• Nearly 8 out of 10 expats now earn between £50,000 and £85,000 a year, indicating either that the financial benefits of working abroad are huge, or that those who opt for the expat lifestyle tend to come from higher-wage groups
• More than a quarter, or 26% of those surveyed, said they had a net worth between £500,000 and £1m. 

The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with emigrating to New Zealand.