Living in Nelson

In Nelson, the median rent tenants pay is €1,192 a month (2026) and unemployment is 3.4% (2023).

Residents of Nelson numbered 54,300 at the end of 2025. The unemployment rate was 3.4% at the end of 2023. Nelson was home to 13,860 foreign residents at the end of 2023.

Last checked 2026-10-0213 sources

Population54,300people31 Dec 2025Official source · Stats NZ

Median gross salary (region)3,247EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Linked Employer-Employee Dataset: LEED measures by industry (based on ANZSIC06) and region, December 2024 quarter

Median rent1,192EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Tenancy Services (MBIE) — Detailed monthly rental bond data by territorial authority (median weekly rent)

Unemployment rate3.4%country median 3.3% — 3% aboveOfficial source · Stats NZ

Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Nelson?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in New ZealandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Nelson.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Mobile plan, 10 GB€37

Internet, 60 Mbps€36

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	35.54 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	One NZ fixed broadband⁴Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	37.06 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	One NZ Endless Plus⁴Official · national market
Median monthly rent	1,192 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Tenancy Services (MBIE) — Detailed monthly rental bond data by territorial authority (median weekly rent)¹¹Official

Is Nelson a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker61%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 51–71%

Skilled employee67%strong on work, weak on safety · range 58–76%

Student39%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 28–50%

Family61%strong on family, weak on safety · range 50–72%

Retirement33%strong on housing, weak on admin · range 20–46%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

25.5% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 13,860 of 54,300 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in New ZealandUnemployment in Nelson is 3.4%. Of 91 cities with data, 42 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

0–22–44–66–88–1014–16

Nelson 3.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	3,247 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Linked Employer-Employee Dataset: LEED measures by industry (based on ANZSIC06) and region, December 2024 quarter²Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	3.4 %country median 3.3%	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ⁸Official

What does a salary buy in Nelson?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,341of €2,605 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,605
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · Tenancy Services (MBIE) · 2026-07-31	− €1,192
Internet€36 · official · One NZ fixed broadband · 2026-09-30	− €36
Mobile plan€37 · official · One NZ Endless Plus · 2026-09-30	− €37
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,341

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Nelson Salary needed to live in Nelson

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Nelson. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Work and Income employment service — Public employment service

Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand

Job Search

Open official service

Open the New Zealand service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Nelson. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Nelson's nearest airport was NSN, 6 km away and offered 4 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	4 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	6 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	NSN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official

Language courses and integration in Nelson

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

1verified local records

Nelson

View official record

Check courses in Nelson How the country programme works

Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Nelson

Climate and air quality

Nelson's monthly mean temperatures were 15.8°C in January and 4.6°C in July.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 32.11 · Feb 33.71 · Mar 27.99 · Apr 21.85 · May 20.05 · Jun 15.67 · Jul 12.83 · Aug 15.67 · Sep 17.69 · Oct 21.15 · Nov 25.07 · Dec 27.67 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan 3.58 · Feb 4.53 · Mar 2.78 · Apr 0.07 · May -2.2 · Jun -4.95 · Jul -4.73 · Aug -4.48 · Sep -2.46 · Oct -2.75 · Nov -0.64 · Dec 0.36 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan 15.8 · Feb 15.95 · Mar 13.91 · Apr 10.72 · May 8.04 · Jun 5.62 · Jul 4.6 · Aug 5.66 · Sep 7.3 · Oct 9.05 · Nov 11.36 · Dec 13.88 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official · coordinate grid

Population and city profile

Nelson covered an area of 422.2 km² at the end of 2023. At the end of 2024, the population density reached 129.1 people per km².

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport74.5%
Foreign residents25.5%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	422.2 km²	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ⁹Official
Foreign-resident share	26.4 %	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ⁸Official
Foreign residents	13,860 people	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ⁸Official
Population density	129.1 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Stats NZ⁸Official
Population	54,300 people	31 Dec 2025	Stats NZ⁸Official

Population over time30 published observations, 1996–2025

40,136

45,279

50,421

55,564

54,300199620022008201420202025

Population rose 31.8% between 1996 and 2025, from 41,200 to 54,300.

International community in Nelson

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
United Kingdom and Ireland	4,149	8.5%
Asia	3,381	6.9%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)	1,503	3.1%
Australia	1,089	2.2%
Middle East and Africa	990	2.0%
North America	891	1.8%
Pacific Islands	612	1.3%
Other	435	0.9%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
New Zealand European	37,848	76.9%
Māori	5,985	12.2%
Other European	4,179	8.5%
Southeast Asian	1,887	3.8%
Indian	1,026	2.1%
Other Asian	927	1.9%
Other Ethnicity	663	1.3%
Samoan	618	1.3%
Chinese	495	1.0%
Latin American	489	1.0%

Show 11 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Tongan	348	0.7%
European nfd	255	0.5%
Cook Islands Maori	231	0.5%
Fijian	171	0.3%
Asian nfd	150	0.3%
Middle Eastern	129	0.3%
African	99	0.2%
Niuean	93	0.2%
Other Pacific Peoples	84	0.2%
Tokelauan	18	0.0%
Pacific Peoples nfd	12	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
European	41,385	84.1%
Māori	5,985	12.2%
Asian	4,443	9.0%
Pacific Peoples	1,440	2.9%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African	696	1.4%
Other Ethnicity	663	1.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Alternatives for people set on Nelson

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Nelson from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Cities near Nelson

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Stoke 2.7 km away

Rent: 1,206 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2026-07-31

Alternative cities in New Zealand

Other cities in New Zealand to compare with Nelson, nearest in population first.

All New Zealand cities

Whangārei53,841 residents Rotorua55,326 residents Gisborne52,700 residents Porirua58,080 residents Invercargill48,987 residents Hastings47,682 residents

How does Nelson compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Nelson's.

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Nelson in rankings

#6 of 23 in Most international cities in New Zealand #7 of 22 in Cheapest cities to rent in New Zealand #9 of 27 in Cities with lowest unemployment in New Zealand #13 of 29 in Largest cities in New Zealand

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Nelson when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the typical salary around Nelson?

The median gross salary is 3,247 EUR/month. Source: Linked Employer-Employee Dataset: LEED measures by industry (based on ANZSIC06) and region, December 2024 quarter.

What is the unemployment rate in Nelson?

The unemployment rate is 3.4 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Nelson?

The published population is 54,300 people. Source: Stats NZ.

How many foreign residents live in Nelson?

13,860 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Nelson a good place to live?

Nelson may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Nelson?

Stoke, Richmond are near Nelson. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in United Kingdom and Ireland live in Nelson?

The official country of birth distribution records 4,149 people (8.5%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Nelson, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 8531d59fdba9f1fa8f898e689842289f]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/nelson/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_nelson-new-zealand-population-rent-salary-jobs-climate_12c0eb54c8ae,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Nelson, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {8531d59fdba9f1fa8f898e689842289f},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/nelson/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Nelson, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/nelson/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 8531d59fdba9f1fa8f898e689842289f; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Coordinate identity evidence services2.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
Linked Employer-Employee Dataset: LEED measures by industry (based on ANZSIC06) and region, December 2024 quarter figure.nz · checked 2026-09-28
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
One NZ fixed broadband one.nz · checked 2026-09-15
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Rental bond data — monthly by territorial authority Rental bond data · tenancy.govt.nz · checked 2026-10-06
Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
Stats NZ services2.arcgis.com · checked 2026-08-03
Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30

Show 3 more sources

Tenancy Services (MBIE) — Detailed monthly rental bond data by territorial authority (median weekly rent) Tenancy Services (MBIE) · tenancy.govt.nz · checked 2026-09-18
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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