Cost of Moving to Australia From New Zealand (2026)
What it actually costs to move from New Zealand to Australia — the free Special Category Visa, flights, shipping versus rebuying, and the real biggest expense: your first month's rent and bond. Includes single-person and family-of-four budgets. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Moving from NZ to Australia:
- 0:13 SCV 444:
- 0:25 Auckland–Sydney flights:
- 0:36 Extra luggage vs a container:
- 0:48 Upfront rent + bond (NZD):
- 1:09 Cutting costs:
- 1:20 Moving NZD 10,000 across:
- 1:33 Family of four:
- 1:46 What people miss:
- 1:57 Where to read more
Transcript
Moving from New Zealand to Australia costs a single person NZD 3,590 to 14,150 — and there's no visa fee at all.
The Special Category Visa, subclass 444, costs $0 and is automatic on arrival — no application, no skills assessment, and no English test.
Flights are short and cheap. Auckland to Sydney typically runs NZD 200 to 500 — sometimes as low as NZD 150 on a sale fare.
Most people don't ship anything. Extra luggage costs NZD 100 to 300 in baggage fees; a full shipping container runs NZD 4,000 to 10,000.
Rent and bond eat the biggest share of your budget. Upfront, Sydney needs NZD 3,400 to 4,800; Melbourne 2,600 to 3,800; Brisbane 2,400 to 3,400; Perth 2,400 to 3,200; and regional cities as little as 1,800.
A few things cut the bill: have a job lined up before you arrive, skip shipping and rebuy instead, and fly midweek, when fares run 20 to 40 percent cheaper.
Sending money across costs something too. On a NZD 10,000 transfer, a bank might take 200 to 400 in fees and exchange margin — a specialist transfer service can save 100 to 200 of that.
A family of four should budget NZD 17,100 to 40,000 for the whole move, once you add flights, temporary accommodation, a bigger rental and, often, a car.
One thing people don't expect: an NZ student loan doesn't pause when you move. IRD still expects repayments, and interest keeps accruing the whole time.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Short versions
- Moving to Australia costs nothing in visa fees (0:39)
- Your NZ student loan doesn't pause when you move (0:28)
- Ship your stuff, or sell it and rebuy? (0:32)
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