New zealand

I've seen a 3 part documentary on New Zealand before.
There seems to be a lot of hobbits, elves, dwarfs, and orcs there. Not sure if that's a place where your expertise are valued, unless you possess some magic skill sets.
The documentary is rather quite popular. Maybe you've seen it before too.

For your research, look into expat forums in the country you are interested in. They can give you better answers than anyone here on RFD can. (e.g. ToyTownGermany for Germany, EnglishForum for Switzerland, etc...)

lovetolearn wrote: ↑ Has anyone been to new zealand? How is it like to live there? Is the job market any better there than toronto? And the cost of living.

Availability of jobs depend on the field of work. Christchurch is in a process of rebuild after it was flattened by a series of earthquakes over the years. There are decent jobs in tech and IT as well with many budding startups.
Salaries are usually better than Toronto, but cost of living is generally high in NZ and Aus. Considering NZ and Canadian Dollars at par, you would be paying around 2500$ a month in rent alone, in places like Auckland.

Another thing to note is that it's a very small country, both area wise and population wise. We have more people in GTA (7 million) compared to entire NZ(5mil). So the economy would be considerably smaller. I imagine that would mean lesser choices of career options and lesser number of jobs to chose from.

I'm in the mental health field. I waa thinking moving to Wellington

I've just done an internal research report which included some information on New Zealand. The economy is booming. GDP Growth rate is notably higher than here, expected to 'settle' around the 3.5% mark in 2-3 years. There's net migration like here too adding to the boom. China's imports have increased again after falling in 2015 which NZ exports alot of its products and resources to. However, Australia, which impacts the region is actually having some fiscal issues so it is a potential source of headwind. NZ's housing market is actually as much or now, more overheated than Toronto (Australia is actually more over heated than NZ), and affordability is a major issue there too. So the same fears of a bubble are there too.

All in all, it looks to be a good time there, and well worth the thought of moving there, especially if you're just renting.

My only concern with New Zealand are the earthquakes that happen there? How often does new zealand have an eathquake?

When you say NZ housing market is more overheated than toronto does that mean more expensive?

Since the population is just 5 million, I imagine that job opportunities would depend on your field. Also, you'll probably have an easier time there if you are White, as 75% of the population identify as European, 15% as Maori, 12% as Asian, etc.

lovetolearn wrote: ↑ When you say NZ housing market is more overheated than toronto does that mean more expensive?

Yes, generally much more expensive than Toronto. Even the rents are more. I have a very close friend who was lived in Auckland for 2 years before moving to Brisbane this January.. He was paying some 550$ a week in rent for a condo.
But then Auckland is probably the costliest city to live in. Where you are going might actually be more affordable. Earthquakes are common though they are not always deadly. I remember Christchurch 2005 was really bad. But technically they are still a risk.

Also, as I said earlier, a smaller population means a smaller economy, and smaller number of jobs to chose from. Might not actually be a concern if you are happy staying at the same job for long.

I would be looking to rent a basement or apartment in wellington