Christchurch logs 217 sunny days a year to Wellington's 226 — Wellington wins by 9. Christchurch also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

Christchurch runs about $2,398/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Wellington's $2,666/mo — Christchurch comes in $268 cheaper each month, roughly 11% less.

On mobility, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Christchurch's 2.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability. Christchurch still holds an edge on cycling infrastructure.

Christchurch's culture score of 3.1 sits well above Wellington's 2.6. Wellington still holds an edge on live music venues.

Christchurch's nature & outdoors score of 4.7 sits well above Wellington's 4.3, with the biggest gap on rock climbing. Wellington still holds an edge on sea access.

Christchurch's safety score of 4.3 sits well above Wellington's 3.9, with the biggest gap on walking safety. Wellington still holds an edge on earthquake safety.

Christchurch and Wellington score neck-and-neck on career (2.9 vs 2.9, 0–5 scale).

Wellington's social & community score of 3.7 sits well above Christchurch's 3.1, with the biggest gap on expat-first community.

On food & dining, Wellington scores 3.6 vs Christchurch's 2.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

On family, Wellington scores 2.9 vs Christchurch's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on yoga studios. Christchurch still holds an edge on playgrounds.

On healthcare, Christchurch scores 3.4 vs Wellington's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public healthcare quality. Wellington still holds an edge on private healthcare quality.

Christchurch averages 7.1 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Wellington's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Wellington breathes ~12% cleaner air (0.9 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here