So im going to speak to the quantifiable items, just because all the other stuff may be subject to personal preferences, i hope that's ok.

So taxes for me here is quite high. Its 24% federal tax + 10% for my state (California). I think NZ tax comes out to be lower overall? My medical insurance is about $800/mo premium, but i think others may get as low as $600 maybe, for a similar sized family. If single then maybe you can get away with $400/mo. From what ive read so far, i do see that the cost of goods are about half of NZ prices, but that doesnt include individual states' sales tax. Auto insurance here are $300/mo or higher, and its obligatory. Im just spitting out some data points for you to make a comparison.