A New Zealand expat who recently moved to Australia has expressed her frustrations about the high cost of living compared to her home country.
Gabby, a 24-year-old apprentice plumber, is fed up with having to pay to travel on toll roads frequently, but says it is the least of her worries as other weekly expenses are enough to give her a “heart attack”.
Gabby revealed she is paying $500 a week for “half an apartment” in Sydney after moving across the Tasmania in the belief she would be paid more.
“I’m getting paid less than I was making in New Zealand, when you factor in conversion rates,” she told her TikTok followers.
The New Zealander began racking up expensive road toll bills the moment she gave her address to authorities.
“I get mail every day and they always tell me I owe money,” he said.
A recent letter said I owed $9.25 in tolls plus a $20 processing fee.
“$29 because I went into a tunnel. What do you want from me?” Gabby raged.
New Zealand expat Gabby (pictured) has expressed her frustration at the cost of living crisis in Australia compared to New Zealand.
‘Please someone book me a flight back to New Zealand because I can’t take it anymore.’
Gabby also complained about the cost of insurance and registration for her vehicle after receiving a bill for nearly $800.
“This has arrived by mail, damn it, compulsory third party insurance, personal injury insurance (or) green certificate,” he raged.
‘Your due date for $742.80 is August 25th, which is in what, two weeks?
‘Why do I owe you $800 for shit?’
She told viewers she would not pay the mandatory third-party insurance because “she doesn’t have (the money) anyway”.
“It’s nonsense. It’s nonsense. It’s nonsense,” he concluded, calling it “robbery in broad daylight.”
Fellow New Zealanders agreed that the cost of living in Australia is crazy compared to their home country.
“I wanted to move to Australia, now I’m having second thoughts that I should stay here in New Zealand,” one wrote.
A second added: ‘Bro you’re making me nervous about leaving New Zealand now,’ another wrote.
One Australian agreed that the tolls were a “nightmare”.
“I currently have $1,000 in retirement funds because my license plate didn’t work for a few months without me knowing,” the woman said.
Another added: “Welcome to Australia. Breathing costs money.”
The New Zealander was furious that the cost of the tolls (file image) exceeded $29 after they were mailed to her while she pays $500 a week on her half of an apartment.
Kiwis are Australia’s fourth-largest migrant community, according to data from the Department of Home Affairs.
There are about 586,020 Kiwis living in Australia, a population that has increased by only 2.9 percent in the last decade.
Many are attracted by the job opportunities, higher salaries and warm weather.
Stats NZ’s director of population indicators, Tehseen Islam, also revealed that far more Kiwis were crossing the ditch than Australians. 1News information.
In 2023, around 44,500 New Zealanders left for Australia, while around 17,500 Australians returned.
Mr Islam also found that people with New Zealand passports accounted for 84 per cent of departures to Australia and about 61 per cent of people arriving from Australia.