Wellington, New Zealand: Retirement City Guide
- Timezone
- Pacific/Auckland
Best for: English-speaking · Mild climate · Strong healthcare
- High livability
February
Year-round average
110% of US
Compared to US index (100)
15–19°C
Target -10–50°C
7 rainy days
58 mm/mo · target 0–31 days
5AM–2PM
4h overlap with your schedule
English
382K
Very high
91
Very high
87
Very high
89
Very high
Map of Wellington
- JanCool
- FebCool
- MarCold
- AprCold
- MayCold
- JunCold
- JulCold
- AugCold
- SepCold
- OctCold
- NovCold
- DecCold
- Ideal
- Warm
- Cool
- Cold & Wet
- Cold
- Hot & Dry
- Hot
Retirement fit breakdown
Wellington, New Zealand
Strong fit for high livability.
Last updated August 2, 2026
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, has a cost of living at 110% of the US baseline.
English is the main language, and the city is on New Zealand Time. The best month for moderate weather is February, averaging 17°C with about 7 rainy days. The city sits at an elevation of about 31 m.
Livability is very high, with very high safety (91), very high healthcare (87), and very high digital infrastructure (89).
- Cost of living
- 110% of USWorld Bank PPP at country level unless this is a US city with a regional index.
- Healthcare access
- 87/100Country-level access index for New Zealand, not hospital quality in Wellington.
- Safety
- 91/100Global Peace Index component for the country.
- Livability
- Very high87/100 country composite (safety, healthcare, digital).
- Languages
- English
Wellington averages about 14°C–17°C from November through March, with roughly 64 mm of rain in a typical winter month.
The Desk Port is not medical, visa, tax, or financial advice. Healthcare figures are country-level access indexes, not hospital quality or a treatment recommendation.