The housing stock in New Zealand and prices for energy unless you're building a passive home from your own specs (which will cost 3-5x more than it would cost t

The housing stock in New Zealand and prices for energy unless you're building a passive home from your own specs (which will cost 3-5x more than it would cost to build in EU or US due to materials and labour) will make New Zealand winters (a low of around 1-3C in most of the country) worse than what you experience anywhere else. Most New Zealanders relied on wood fires until the 90s. Many still do. Most homes are drafty, which is okay during the summer - unbearable in the winter. New Zealand had to supplement older people and retiree heating costs during the winter, because too many old people were getting sick and dying. Your income will be about half of what you make in the EU, and about a quarter what you'd make in the US. Your cost of living will be higher than both. For OP, I'd recommend a cheaper part of Europe. You're still within flying distance from friends and family, but you can likely rent, buy or build property that fits your needs during the year. The north part of Australia might be more suitable if that's something you don't care about - wages are stagnating in Australia, property prices are beginning to plateau (in some cases come down) - however materials and labour are still ridiculous right now.