American on working holiday visa to leave NZ early due to cost of living

Thursday, 5 September 2024

A woman on a working holiday visa is returning to New York because she found the cost of living in NZ too expensive.

Stephanie Greenidge, from New York, says she worked three jobs to make ends meet.

She also says she encountered racism here.

A woman from one of the most expensive cities in the world says New Zealand’s wages and cost of living is so bad she’s having to go home early.

Stephanie Greenidge came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa from Brooklyn, New York last November.

“I feel like it was more work than holiday. I had to spend most of my time working,” she said.

Her visa has two months left but she’s decided to leave before it expires after using more than $11,000 savings, spending all her time working to survive and having no time or money to travel the country.

The 28-year-old wanted a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of New York and to experience the country’s tourism and nature, with the hopes of seeing Fox Glacier.

She’d been earning $24.50 an hour working 40 hours in retail but had to get a second job as a photography instructor to pay her bills.

“I’m working two jobs and I had a gig back at home so I still had to work that. So basically three jobs to stay alive.”

“I expected since the minimum wage is higher here than America I thought there would be more money in my pay check but that really wasn’t the case.”

Greenidge spent $238 a week on rent for her Wellington flat, not including expenses, and up to $100 a week on groceries. Chuck in a rising bus fare and phone bills for calls back home and she was left with little to explore the country.

“I thought since I am from New York, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, I would be fine here with whatever salary I have, but the groceries are really expensive, the rent in Wellington is generally expensive.

“It adds up and I think the cost of living is honestly not liveable for the wages I’ve been getting.”

She didn’t realise how much activities things such as Hobbiton and visiting Fox Glacier would cost, which made them out of reach.

“I barely even made it to the South Island because I was working all the time,” she said, only visiting Christchurch once.

As well as the cost of living challenges, Greenidge also encountered the worst racism she’d ever experienced being called a derogatory term on a number of occasions.

“I was willing to ignore the racism and the homesickness if it wasn’t for the cost of living. If it was a easier place to live and earn some money I’d happily stay longer. It’s just too expensive.”

So what would be here advice to others coming to travel and work?

“Come with money, lower your expectations a little and listen to what the locals have to say.”