Living in Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington is a mid-sized coastal city in New Zealand (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 14°C over the year with about 1,332 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,598 a month to live centrally, and New Zealand sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside Australia and New Zealand, long-term residency in New Zealand is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €3,598
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 14°C
- 1,332 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 62/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~180 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Wellington
- Stronger healthcare than 84% of the cities we compare
- English is widely spoken
- On or near the sea
Language and culture
Main languages: English. English proficiency: native or near-native. Social openness scores 88 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Healthcare
New Zealand scores 74 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 84% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in New Zealand.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,598 a month to live centrally in Wellington, 32% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 23% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Climate
Wellington averages 14°C across the year with about 1,332 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 26% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside Australia and New Zealand. The realistic path is the points-based Skilled Migrant Category, which requires a skilled job offer from an accredited employer rather than any fixed capital, while a high-value investor residence route and an age-gated temporary retirement visa exist as money-based alternatives.
Citizens of Australia and New Zealand have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
For short visits, 1 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 60 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 137 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in New Zealand runs at about 180 Mbps, faster than 61% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Taxes
New Zealand sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Wellington in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
New Zealand scores 62 out of 100 on safety, safer than 55% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 9.6 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in New Zealand. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Questions couples ask about Wellington
Is Wellington a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Wellington scores well on healthcare, English, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a mild, wet climate (14°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Wellington and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Wellington?
We estimate about €3,598 a month for a couple living centrally, 32% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Wellington?
New Zealand is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Wellington in their results.
Can foreigners live in New Zealand long term?
Citizens of Australia and New Zealand have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. The realistic path is the points-based Skilled Migrant Category, which requires a skilled job offer from an accredited employer rather than any fixed capital, while a high-value investor residence route and an age-gated temporary retirement visa exist as money-based alternatives.
What is the weather like in Wellington?
Wellington averages 14°C across the year with about 1,332 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 26% of the cities we track.
Compare Wellington with
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Cities like Wellington
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Wellington
Moving to New Zealand as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.