Living in Whangārei

In Whangārei, the median rent tenants pay is €1,293 a month (2026) and unemployment is 4.6% (2023).

The city covers 63.53 km², with a population density of 922.1 people per km² in March 2023. Whangarei had a population of 53,841 in March 2023.

Last checked 2026-10-0413 sources

Population53,841people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population

Median gross salary (region)3,245EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Linked Employer-Employee Dataset: LEED measures by industry (based on ANZSIC06) and region, December 2024 quarter

Median rent1,293EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Rental bond data, February 1993 to July 2026 — by territorial authority

Unemployment rate4.6%country median 3.3% — 39% aboveOfficial source · Stats NZ

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

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 Whangārei.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 broadband⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	37.06 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	One NZ Endless Plus⁵Official · national market
Median monthly rent	1,293 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Rental bond data, February 1993 to July 2026 — by territorial authority⁸Official

Is Whangārei 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 worker37%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 27–47%

Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–71%

Student38%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 27–49%

Family56%strong on family, weak on safety · range 45–67%

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

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

33% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 17,778 of 53,841 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 Whangārei is 4.6%. Of 91 cities with data, 42 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

0–22–44–66–88–1014–16

Whangārei 4.6%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	3,245 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	4.6 %country median 3.3%	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ¹⁰Official

What does a salary buy in Whangārei?

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

Left over each month€1,239of €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 · Rental bond data, February 1993 to July 2026 · 2026-07-31	− €1,293
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	€1,239

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

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Whangārei. 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 Whangārei. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁶Official
Nearest airport	WRE	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁷Official
Distance to nearest airport	6 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁷Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Whangārei. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

English Language Teaching — Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund — State Language Course

Tertiary Education Commission

For adult migrants, refugees, adult speakers of other languages.

EnglishIn Person, Online, HybridSubsidised

Open official information

New Zealand settlement services — Newcomer Adaptation

Immigration New Zealand

For migrants, refugees, newcomers.

In Person, Online, HybridFree

Open official information

Open the full New Zealand section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Whangārei.

Find courses near Whangārei

Climate and air quality

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 29.24 · Feb 31.44 · Mar 26.46 · Apr 25.08 · May 23.09 · Jun 20.49 · Jul 18.5 · Aug 18.93 · Sep 20.12 · Oct 22.29 · Nov 25.95 · Dec 26.87 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan 13.08 · Feb 13.65 · Mar 11.78 · Apr 9.7 · May 6.51 · Jun 6.05 · Jul 5.44 · Aug 4.61 · Sep 6.29 · Oct 7.29 · Nov 9.01 · Dec 10.6 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 20.08 · Feb 20.69 · Mar 19.5 · Apr 17.59 · May 15.54 · Jun 13.58 · Jul 12.47 · Aug 12.58 · Sep 13.47 · Oct 14.65 · Nov 16.4 · Dec 18.61 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center³Official

Population and city profile

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 17,778 is not 18.4% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport67%
Foreign residents33%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	63.53 km²	1 Jan 2023	Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.⁴Official
Foreign-resident share	18.4 %	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ¹⁰Official
Foreign residents	17,778 people	31 Dec 2023	Stats NZ¹⁰Official
Population density	922.1 people/km²	7 Mar 2023	Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.⁹Official
Population	53,841 people	7 Mar 2023	Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population¹²Official

International community in Whangārei

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
Asia	3,306	6.2%
United Kingdom and Ireland	2,613	4.9%
Middle East and Africa	1,329	2.5%
Australia	1,047	2.0%
Pacific Islands	783	1.5%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)	738	1.4%
North America	378	0.7%
Other	117	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published group	People	Share
European	36,867	68.5%
Māori	20,097	37.3%
Asian	4,779	8.9%
Pacific Peoples	3,033	5.6%
Other Ethnicity	537	1.0%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African	405	0.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Ancestry or ethnicity

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

Published group	People	Share
New Zealand European	33,960	63.1%
Māori	20,097	37.3%
Other European	3,642	6.8%
Indian	1,887	3.5%
Southeast Asian	1,584	2.9%
Samoan	999	1.9%
Cook Islands Maori	834	1.5%
Chinese	708	1.3%
Other Asian	564	1.0%
Other Ethnicity	537	1.0%

Show 11 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Tongan	390	0.7%
Niuean	384	0.7%
Fijian	342	0.6%
Other Pacific Peoples	306	0.6%
European nfd	237	0.4%
African	150	0.3%
Latin American	144	0.3%
Middle Eastern	111	0.2%
Asian nfd	81	0.2%
Tokelauan	42	0.1%
Pacific Peoples nfd	9	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Alternatives for people set on Whangārei

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Nelson as a Whangārei alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 627 km, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Unemployment: 3.4% Nelson vs 4.6% Whangārei−26%
Foreign residents: 26.4% Nelson vs 18.4% Whangārei+43%
Median gross pay, region: €3,247 Nelson vs €3,245 Whangāreisame level

Full comparison More about Nelson

Cities near Whangārei

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

Onerahi 6.7 km away

Rent: 1,293 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2026-07-31

Alternative cities in New Zealand

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

All New Zealand cities

Nelson54,300 residents Gisborne52,700 residents Rotorua55,326 residents Porirua58,080 residents Invercargill48,987 residents Hastings47,682 residents

How does Whangārei compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Whangārei in rankings

#14 of 22 in Cheapest cities to rent in New Zealand #14 of 29 in Largest cities in New Zealand #14 of 23 in Most international cities in New Zealand #21 of 27 in Cities with lowest unemployment in New Zealand

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Whangārei 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 Whangārei?

The median gross salary is 3,245 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 Whangārei?

The unemployment rate is 4.6 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Whangārei?

The published population is 53,841 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Whangārei?

17,778 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Whangārei a good place to live?

Whangārei 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 Whangārei?

Onerahi is near Whangārei. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Asia live in Whangārei?

The official country of birth distribution records 3,306 people (6.2%) 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). Whangārei, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 72d62e756a783adaa1859c6f84bde5ed]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/whangarei/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_whangarei-new-zealand-population-rent-salary-jobs_b2f33af02630,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Whangārei, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {72d62e756a783adaa1859c6f84bde5ed},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/whangarei/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Whangārei, New Zealand: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/whangarei/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 72d62e756a783adaa1859c6f84bde5ed; 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 2026-08-03
Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-01-01
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, February 1993 to July 2026 — by territorial authority Rental bond data, February 1993 to July 2026 · tenancy.govt.nz · checked 2026-10-04
Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-03-07
Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03

Show 3 more sources

Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-13
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.