NZ flag
Invercargill

New Zealand

vs
NZ flag
Wellington

New Zealand

Climate

Invercargill logs 139 sunny days a year to Wellington's 226 — Wellington wins by 87. Invercargill and Wellington match on outdoor-dinner months (0 vs 0).

InvercargillWellington
Sunny days
139226
Hot days
00
Frost days
20
Rainy days
194121
Outdoor dinner months
0/120/12
Avg wind
4.9 m/s7.6 m/s
Sunshine hours
1,9362,496
Darkest month sun
93 hrs/mo122 hrs/mo
UV peak month
6.59.6

Invercargill

Feels-like °C

15
16
11
6
2
2
-1
1
2
7
12
13

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Wellington

Feels-like °C

17
15
12
10
6
3
1
1
3
7
11
13

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Wellington averages $2,666/mo for balanced living; Invercargill has no cost baseline yet.

Invercargill

monthly · balanced

Wellington

$2,666

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,083Comfort $4,125
Top 65%in Among 23 Oceania cities

Mobility

Wellington scores 3.0 on mobility (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no mobility baseline.

/5
vs
3.0/5
InvercargillWellington
WalkabilityTransitCar EfficiencyFlightsAirport

Culture

Wellington's culture score of 2.6 sits well above Invercargill's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
2.6/5
InvercargillWellington
TheatreVenues
Wellington leads

Nature & Outdoors

Wellington scores 4.3 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
4.3/5
InvercargillWellington
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingSkiing

Safety

Wellington scores 3.9 on safety (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no safety baseline.

/5
vs
3.9/5
InvercargillWellington
Earthquake

Career

Wellington scores 2.9 on career (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no career baseline.

/5
vs
2.9/5
InvercargillWellington
JobsCoworking

Social & Community

Wellington scores 3.7 on social & community (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
3.7/5
InvercargillWellington
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Wellington scores 3.6 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
3.6/5
InvercargillWellington
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Wellington scores 2.9 on family (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no family baseline.

/5
vs
2.9/5
InvercargillWellington
UniversitiesAmenitiesPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpa

Healthcare

Wellington scores 3.0 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Invercargill has no healthcare baseline.

/5
vs
3.0/5
InvercargillWellington
Public HealthcarePrivate Healthcare

Air Quality

Invercargill averages 5.4 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Wellington's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Invercargill breathes ~13% cleaner air (0.8 µg/m³ lower).

Invercargill

Wellington

5.4µg/m³
6.2µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Invercargill (57K) and Wellington (154K) are 2.7x in population — Wellington is the larger metro, Invercargill the smaller.

2.7x

Wellington is roughly 2.7x the scale of Invercargill

Based on population (area data unavailable for some cities)

NZ flagWellington
2.7x
NZ flagInvercargill
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.NZ flagWellington154K2.7x
2.NZ flagInvercargill57K1x

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Invercargill vs Wellington

Which is cheaper, Invercargill or Wellington?
Wellington has an estimated monthly cost of $2,666.
How does the climate compare between Invercargill and Wellington?
Sunny days: 139 vs 226 d — Wellington higher Annual sunshine: 1,936 vs 2,496 hrs — Wellington higher Winter sunshine: 93 vs 122 hrs/day — Wellington higher Hot days (>30°C): 0 vs 0 d — Similar Frost days: 2 vs 0 d — Similar Rainy days: 194 vs 121 d — Wellington lower
Is Invercargill or Wellington safer?
Wellington has a safety score of 3.9/5.
Should I move to Invercargill or Wellington?
Invercargill and Wellington are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Invercargill and Wellington stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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