Climate
Palmerston North logs 178 sunny days a year to Wellington's 226 — Wellington wins by 48. Palmerston North also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 2.
Palmerston North
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Wellington
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Palmerston North is $601/mo cheaperPalmerston North runs about $2,065/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Wellington's $2,666/mo — Palmerston North comes in $601 cheaper each month, roughly 29% less.
Palmerston North
$2,065monthly · balanced
Wellington
$2,666monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Palmerston North's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on flight connectivity.
Culture
Wellington's culture score of 2.6 sits well above Palmerston North's 1.2, with the biggest gap on live music venues.
Nature & Outdoors
Wellington's nature & outdoors score of 4.3 sits well above Palmerston North's 3.5, with the biggest gap on sea access. Palmerston North still holds an edge on outdoor running.
Safety
Palmerston North's safety score is ~1.2× Wellington's — near the top of our scale, while Wellington lands in the upper band, with the biggest gap on walking safety.
Career
Wellington's career score of 2.9 sits well above Palmerston North's 2.1, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.
Social & Community
Wellington's social & community score of 3.7 sits well above Palmerston North's 3.1, with the biggest gap on expat-first community. Palmerston North still holds an edge on expat integration experience.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Wellington scores 3.6 vs Palmerston North's 1.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.
Family
On family, Wellington scores 2.9 vs Palmerston North's 2.3 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on wellness/spa. Palmerston North still holds an edge on playgrounds.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Wellington scores 3.0 vs Palmerston North's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Palmerston North averages 6.4 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Wellington's 6.2 µg/m³ (good) — Wellington breathes ~3% cleaner air (0.2 µg/m³ lower).
Palmerston North
Wellington
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Palmerston North (75K) and Wellington (154K) are 2.1x in population — Wellington is the larger metro, Palmerston North the smaller; on land area Wellington spans roughly 1.7x more ground.
Wellington is roughly 1.9x the scale of Palmerston North
Combined population & area comparison
WellingtonPalmerston NorthCity Scale Rankings
Wellington154K2.1xPalmerston North75K1xWellington64 km²1.7xPalmerston North37 km²1xPalmerston North
Wellington
Who Thrives Here
Palmerston North favours the budget-conscious, while Wellington suits the foodie. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Palmerston North vs Wellington
▶Which is cheaper, Palmerston North or Wellington?
▶How does the climate compare between Palmerston North and Wellington?
▶Is Palmerston North or Wellington safer?
▶Should I move to Palmerston North or Wellington?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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