Karen says she gets by on $35,000 by being careful, never buying things at their full retail price. (File photo)

Wellington woman Karina, who does not want her surname used, earns between $8000 and $10,000 a month. But she says if you think that makes her wealthy, think again.

From that, she has to cover $715 a week in rent, debt repayments, the cost of before- and after-school care for her two children and all the household bills.

She is a contractor so she gets no holiday pay or sick leave.

It is a struggle sometimes. "Especially when I need to save for the months when there are public holidays like at Christmastime. Basically, if I don't work I don't get paid. So I try work as much as I can."

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It was revealed yesterday that more higher-income families are seeking help with their finances and tens of thousands say it's hard to make ends meet.

Karina said it was unfair to assume that someone earning six figures was doing well.

"Everyone's situation in life is different. My divorce meant I incurred half the debt. That's not entirely my fault. But also, I rent a house so my kids can grow up in a nice, warm, safe place and that costs more, unfortunately.

"I would never judge anyone on any income because some could be earning $50,000 and could have little outgoings and no debt and save more than I do. No one knows my history and shouldn't judge what they don't know."

Meanwhile, Karen is on less than $35,000, working part-time. She says she is doing well. Her mortgage is being paid faster than it has to be and she sent her kids to semi-private schools.

She is careful with her food shopping and only buys things on special. She does not have a car.

"I know people that earn quite a bit of money … what happens is that the higher the income you have the higher sense of security you feel. What comes with that – they feel they can go and spend and not have to worry about it. One day reality kicks in. It comes down to your spending habits."

While $100,000 might sound a lot, in some parts of the country it is barely enough to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced house.

BEVAN READ/STUFF Campbell Hastie says $100,000 might be a good income but it won't get you an Auckland house in most cases.

Nationwide, the median individual income is just under $50,000.

Auckland

High house prices mean that people with a $100,000 household income would struggle to get a mortgage in Auckland, says mortgage broker Campbell Hastie.

"It's quite a good amount of money as an income but the question is, is it enough in Auckland? No, it is not."

Most people he dealt with would have $120,000 or $130,000 coming in between them each year before they tried to buy a first home, he said. Banks wanted higher levels of income if people had not saved a 20 per cent deposit.

Loan calculators from the banks indicate that with a 20 per cent deposit, two children, no credit cards, loans or overdraft, a couple would need to earn $115,000 to service the loan on a median house price in the biggest city.

STOCK PHOTO Karina works as much as she can because she doesn't get sick pay. (File photo)

That would then cost them $3812 a month, for 25 years.

If a couple were able to get a loan while earning $100,000, their home loan repayment would be almost two-thirds of the roughly $6000 they had after tax each month.

A typical Auckland power bill is about $180 a month and they would also have to pay rates, insurance, travel expenses and for their food shopping. Nationwide, the average amount spent weekly on food is about $220 - or between $8000 and $1000 a month.

Once the mortgage and bills were paid, a $100,000-a-year couple would only have about $200 a week to cover their other expenses.

Wellington

A couple with two kids in Wellington would have to earn at least $90,000 to buy the median-priced house and would have monthly payments of $2610. Their power bill would be about $185 a month.

After the food and mortgage were paid, a Wellington household earning $100,000 would have about $500 a week to cover all their other expenses, including car costs, repairs, maintenance, insurance and rates.

Christchurch

The same couple in Wellington would have to earn at least $70,000 to buy the median-priced house and would have monthly payments of $2062.

A typical power bill would be about $197 a month.

A $100,000-a-year couple would have a bit more to come and go on - about $600 a week once the major bills were paid.

The Commission for Financial Capability's barometer survey of 2000 New Zealanders aged 18 and over has found that people in all income brackets report struggling with money. It deals with people earning up to $200,000 a year.

Almost 20 per cent of those earning more than $100,000 a year who described themselves as "sinking badly" lived in Auckland, and 41 per cent of those earning that level of income who said they were "flying ahead" were in the biggest city.

A quarter of the struggling high-earners lived alone and 30 per cent had children.

Almost 30 per cent of those struggling on more than $100,000 said they found it hard to save money and half lived from one payday to the next.

"Education matters," a spokeswoman for the commission said. "Out of the 'sinking badly' high-income group, 35 per cent finished high school, 45 per cent have a certificate/diploma/trade qualification, 18.8 per cent bachelor, 1.3 per cent masters; for those 'flying ahead', it's 15.9 per cent high school, 29.5 per cent certificate/diploma/trade qualification, 29.5 per cent bachelors, 25 per cent masters."