Renting Guide

How much is rent in NZ?

Don’t overpay - check our data on the average rent in New Zealand before you sign your lease

Last updated: 1 December 2023


When you’re searching for a rental anywhere in New Zealand it can be difficult to figure out whether a property is priced fairly. Average rental prices in the area can be a useful benchmark to use when searching.

So, to make your life a little easier we’ve compiled average rent data in New Zealand, including major cities like Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

Average rent in NZ

New Zealand’s median weekly rent is $620 as of September 2023, according to the Trademe Rental Price Index.

Major cities and tourist hotspots like Auckland, Wellington and the Bay of Plenty have higher median weekly median rents than the national median, whereas all other regions have lower median rents.

Average rent Auckland

Auckland is home to New Zealand’s most expensive urban property market, with a median weekly rent of $670.

It is, of course, possible to find areas that are much cheaper. In fact, the median rent for urban houses in Auckland (townhouses, units and apartments) is $590, and the median rent for apartments is just $570. Generally speaking, rents for detached homes tend to be higher in the North Shore ($710 median rent), East Auckland and central suburbs like Grey Lynn and Herne Bay - but lower in suburbs in South and West Auckland such as Henderson, Massey and Otara.

Average rent Wellington

Wellington has experienced a rental shortage in the last several years, which has caused its median weekly rent to reach $640 in September, 2023. Units and apartments are much cheaper, with median rents of just $495 and $570, respectively. 

Affluent central suburbs in Wellington tend to have higher median weekly rents, such as Te Aro, Mount Victoria and Thorndon. Locations further out of Wellington central tend to have lower rents such as Porirua, Upper Hutt and Tawa. 

Wellington has a high median rent compared to most NZ cities.

Average rent Christchurch

Of New Zealand’s major cities, Christchurch has the lowest median rents — just $505 for urban properties and $550 for the wider Canterbury region.

Units and apartments in the Garden City are reasonably affordable, possibly due to the high levels of new development of smaller urban homes. The median unit price is just $430 per week, whereas apartments are $495.

If you’re looking for cheaper rent you’ll find it in Woolston and Christchurch central, whereas Fendalton is known for its leafy streets, large homes and high rental prices.

Cheapest place to rent in nz

If you’re looking for cheap rent in New Zealand there are a few regions you should consider. Southland should be on your list — it’s the cheapest place to rent in NZ with a median rent of just $440 (which is $230 less than Auckland per week). Other affordable locations include Whanganui ($530), the West Coast and several towns in the less populated regions of New Zealand.

If you need to live in Auckland or other expensive regions and prefer a certain suburb there are still ways to reduce the rent that you pay. The easiest is to compromise on the property by taking fewer rooms, foregoing a carpark or even taking a flatmate on to split the cost.

Keen to take a look for yourself? Jump into Trademe’s search bar, pick a region (or search the whole country) then sort by lowest price to find a bargain.

Author

Ben Tutty
Ben Tutty

Ben Tutty is a regular contributor for Trade Me and he's also contributed to Stuff and the Informed Investor. He's got 10+ years experience as both a journalist and website copywriter, specialising in real estate, finance and tourism. Ben lives in Wānaka with his partner and his best mate (Finnegan the whippet).