New Zealand's capital, Wellington, has been ranked one of the least affordable
cities in the world for buying a property. The picture is also grim for renters,
with a 12% rise in prices in the past year. That, along with increases in petrol
and food prices, has led many to consider moving to nearby Australia -
where they have the right to live and work.
Chris, a builder, his partner Harmony and their four daughters recently left
Wellington to start a new life in the Australian city of Brisbane.
Despite owning their home and earning reasonable salaries, they were still struggling.
"We have four kids, so it was expensive. We'd notice Australians saying you know the
cost of living is going up - but that was the cost five years ago in New Zealand,"
says Chris. Leaving New Zealand and the rest of her family was a
difficult decision for Harmony. But she says the move was necessary for the children.
"You can't make a living in New Zealand. There is no living. You just go backwards.
You don't get a choice if you want to live, you have to move, or
New Zealand has to change. I want a future for my children and there
is none in New Zealand," she says. The New Zealand government has tried
to increase some short-term measures like fuel subsidies and halving the cost
of public transport - but for many, it's not enough.
In Brescia, Italy, steel runs through the veins of the community.
In the past 15 years the industry has endured the financial crash and
the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, with the war in Ukraine and Covid lockdowns in China,
trade is being disrupted further. Mirella and Lucas met at a cast iron
foundry in Brescia. Their two steady wages are up against rising food, petrol
and energy costs. "With regard to electricity, we have recently suffered
like everyone else. Our bill has doubled - even though we are never at home",
says Mirella. "We are tightening our belts. Instead of saving a lot,
you'll save less," says Lucas. Orders at this cast iron foundry continue.
But a crucial source of raw materials from the south-eastern Ukrainian city of
Mariupol are in now short supply, after Russian troops occupied the region.
Mark Impraim owns a catering business in Ghana - one of the most expensive
countries to live in, in Africa. He shops for ingredients for one of his most
popular dishes -jollof rice - at a local market. But prices have doubled
in recent months. Mark looks at a bucket of tomatoes, dismayed at the price tag.
"[This box of tomatoes] used to be 20 cedis. Now it's going for 40," he says.
"I should double the price of the food I serve, but that would scare away customers.
I try to find a way around it by decreasing the quantity."
Among other rising costs eating into Mark's weekly budget is a supply
of drinking water. Sachets of water have increased in price twice in four months,
due to the devaluation of the cedi.
Water suppliers say passing the costs on to customers is unavoidable.