Nelson logs 225 sunny days a year to Wellington's 226 — Wellington wins by 1. Nelson also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 5.

Nelson runs about $2,187/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Wellington's $2,666/mo — Nelson comes in $479 cheaper each month, roughly 22% less.

On mobility, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Nelson's 1.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility. Nelson still holds an edge on cycling infrastructure.

Wellington's culture score of 2.6 sits well above Nelson's 2.0, with the biggest gap on live music venues.

Nelson's nature & outdoors score of 4.8 sits well above Wellington's 4.3, with the biggest gap on rock climbing. Wellington still holds an edge on surfing & watersports.

Nelson's safety score is ~1.3× Wellington's — near the top of our scale, while Wellington lands in the upper band, with the biggest gap on walking safety. Wellington still holds an edge on wildfire safety.

Wellington's career score of 2.9 sits well above Nelson's 1.6, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

Wellington's social & community score of 3.7 sits well above Nelson's 3.3, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix. Nelson still holds an edge on expat integration experience.

On food & dining, Wellington scores 3.6 vs Nelson's 1.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on food delivery.

On family, Wellington scores 2.9 vs Nelson's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities.

On healthcare, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Nelson's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.

Nelson averages 6.3 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Wellington's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Wellington breathes ~1% cleaner air (0.1 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here