Wellington is the capital and the third-largest city of New Zealand (215,400 people), located at the south-western tip of the North Island. It’s the most remote and the southernmost capital city in the world.
Despite being the world’s windiest city by average wind speed, it’s one of the most liveable cities on Earth. Wellington is also emerging as New Zealand’s tech capital, having a significant concentration of the country’s technology companies.
IT salaries
Wellington’s median income is the highest of all New Zealand cities. The capital city boasts the highest salary for IT professionals at NZ$95,000 per year and a generous contractor median rate of NZ$100 per hour.
Among in-demand IT occupations in Wellington are Agile project managers, scrum masters, various developers and engineers.
Here are the average IT salaries in Wellington depending on the specialization and the type of employment according to Recruit IT (NZ$ per year before taxes):
Automation test engineer:
- Permanent (per year): 100,000 – 130,000
- Contract (per hour): 90–120
Business analyst:
- Permanent (per year): 80,000 – 120,000
- Contract (per hour): 90–110
Database administrator:
- Permanent (per year): 80,000 – 110,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–100
Database developer:
- Permanent (per year): 80,000 – 110,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–90
Data scientist:
- Permanent (per year): 80,000 – 150,000
- Contract (per hour): 95–125
DevOps engineer:
- Permanent (per year): 90,000 – 140,000
- Contract (per hour): 90–120
IT project manager:
- Permanent (per year): 100,000 – 140,000
- Contract (per hour): 100–130
Mobile developer:
- Permanent (per year): 80,000 – 120,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–100
Scrum master:
- Permanent (per year): 110,000 – 140,000
- Contract (per hour): 100–120
Security consultant:
- Permanent (per year): 90,000 – 150,000
- Contract (per hour): 90–120
Software developer:
- Permanent (per year): 70,000 – 120,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–100
Solutions architect:
- Permanent (per year): 110,000 – 150,000
- Contract (per hour): 100–140
Systems engineer:
- Permanent (per year): 75,000 – 120,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–110
Technical writer:
- Permanent (per year): 70,000 – 95,000
- Contract (per hour): 80–100
There’s a difference between permanent and contract jobs. A permanent job means that you’re an employee hired under a contract of services (an employment agreement). You’re eligible for sick leaves, vacations, and other rights. A contract job means you’re a self-employed person hired under a contract for services (an independent contractor agreement). You receive your salary as per hour rate, pay your own tax, and don’t get things like sick leaves.
Economy
Wellington is an important center for business services, filmmaking, and IT services in New Zealand and Oceania.
The unemployment rate in Wellington is 3.6% — lower compared to the national average of 4.1% (as of March 2020).
Important economic sectors in Wellington include:
- Business services
- Construction
- Engineering
- Filmmaking
- Finance
- Health care
- ICT (information and communications technology)
- Logistics
- Tourism
Popular industries within Wellington’s IT sector include automation testing, data engineering, DevOps, digital transformation, and software development.
The largest technology companies present in Wellington include the following:
- Amazon
- Apple
- Chorus Networks
- Datacom Group
- Google
- Hewlett Packard
- IBM
- Microsoft
- Oracle
- Trade Me
- Weta Digital
- Xero
Cost of living
The average monthly costs in Wellington are about NZ$1,285 for a single person or NZ$6,120 for a four-person family (excluding rent).
Here are examples of the average prices in Wellington (NZ$):
- Meal at McDonald’s: 10–15
- Meal at another inexpensive restaurant: 12–25
- Average food basket (milk, bread, eggs, cheese, chicken, apples, potatoes, water, beer): 49
- Monthly fee at a fitness club: 15–80
- Monthly pass: 110–200
- Monthly rent (1 bedroom): 1,100 – 2,400
- Monthly rent (3 bedrooms): 2,000 – 4,000
- Property prices per square meter: 3,000 – 10,000
- Utilities: 100–300 per month
- Internet: 70–100 per month
Travel
Wellington is located within about 8.5 hours from Auckland by road and approximately an hour by air.
The city is served by Wellington International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country. It’s serviced by flights from across New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Singapore.
Entertainment
Wellington is known for its coffeehouse and restaurant culture. It’s believed to have more cafes per head than New York. Popular tourist attractions include Wellington Cable Car, Wellington Museum, Wellington Zoo, and Zealandia.
Wellington is home to many festivals and events, including the Capital E National Arts Festival for Children, New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington Jazz Festival, and more.
You won’t be tired of city life in Wellington as nature is quite close by. The Wellington region has 500 square kilometers of parks and forests, with the Tararuas and the Rimutakas mountain ranges looming beyond the harbor. You can walk or bike in the bush or chill on a beach or kayak around the coastline within just 10–15 minutes from the city. There are also diving or fishing options in Wellington’s surrounding areas.