Finding a home to rent can be tough, and expensive. Competition can be fierce and the best homes get snapped up quickly. And if you’re not familiar with a certain area, or if you’re working to a tight budget, the search can be even harder.
To improve your chances of finding a house to call home, it pays to do your homework. There’s no point searching for a rental around $500 per week if properties in the area usually go for hundreds of dollars more.
So to provide a quick breakdown of the prices you can expect to pay to rent a home around the country, we’ve put together the following tables. We’ve broken it down to regions, districts, plus all the main suburbs in our two biggest cities.
Prices are median prices, and we’ve broken Auckland and Wellington’s suburbs into $50 price bands.
Click for rental prices:
Rental prices by region
Listed are the average median rents, plus lower and upper quartile average rents for each region for the first three months of 2026:
| Region | Average rent | Average upper quartile | Average lower quartile |
| Bay of Plenty Region | $655 | $742 | $553 |
| Gisborne Region | $645 | $707 | $542 |
| Auckland Region | $635 | $753 | $513 |
| Otago Region | $620 | $817 | $442 |
| Tasman Region | $600 | $654 | $504 |
| Hawke’s Bay Region | $599 | $683 | $514 |
| Wellington Region | $598 | $736 | $475 |
| Northland Region | $581 | $650 | $480 |
| Taranaki Region | $572 | $635 | $497 |
| Waikato Region | $571 | $657 | $461 |
| Canterbury Region | $558 | $653 | $470 |
| Marlborough Region | $557 | $628 | $473 |
| Nelson Region | $553 | $627 | $426 |
| Manawatu-Wanganui Region | $519 | $597 | $423 |
| Southland Region | $480 | $547 | $407 |
| West Coast Region | $460 | $502 | $415 |
*All prices from rental bond data Jan-March 2026, www.mbie.govt.nz.
Rental prices by district
Top 5 districts by average median rents
These districts had the highest average median rents during the first quarter of 2026:
- Queenstown-Lakes District: Median: $760 | Upper quartile: $970 | Lower quartile: $550
- Tauranga City: Median: $717 | Upper quartile: $786 | Lower quartile: $640
- Porirua City: Median: $660 | Upper quartile: $745 | Lower quartile: $533
- Napier City: Median: $648 | Upper quartile: $697 | Lower quartile: $543
- Gisborne District: Median: $645 | Upper quartile: $707 | Lower quartile: $542
5 districts with the lowest average median rents
These districts had the lowest average median rents during the same period:
- Mackenzie District: Median: $417 | Upper quartile: $497 | Lower quartile: $264
- Ruapehu District: Median: $420 | Upper quartile: $484 | Lower quartile: $363
- Waimate District: Median: $420 | Upper quartile: $460 | Lower quartile: $363
- Clutha District: Median: $432 | Upper quartile: $487 | Lower quartile: $386
- Waitomo District: Median: $448 | Upper quartile: $493 | Lower quartile: $410
Listed are the median rents broken down into NZ districts and $50 price bands. If there is only one suburb within a particular price band, we have listed its median rent:
| District (listed $$$ to $) | Median rents |
| Queenstown-Lakes | $760 |
| Tauranga City | $717 |
| Porirua City | $660 |
| Napier City, Gisborne District, Central Otago District, Taupo District, Western Bay of Plenty District, Auckland, Selwyn District, Wellington City, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, Waikato District, Upper Hutt City, Tasman District | $600-$649 |
| Lower Hutt City, Kaipara District, New Plymouth District, Whakatane District, Dunedin City, Kapiti Coast District, Whangarei District, Waimakariri District, Hastings District, Rotorua District, Thames-Coromandel District, Christchurch City, Hamilton City, South Wairarapa District, Far North District, Marlborough District, Manawatu District, Nelson City, Hauraki District | $550-$599 |
| Central Hawke’s Bay District, Palmerston North City, Kawerau District, Stratford District, South Taranaki District, Masterton District, Hurunui District, Whanganui District, Horowhenua District, Carterton District, Otorohanga District, South Waikato District, Ashburton District | $500-$549 |
| Waitaki District, Grey District, Invercargill City, Kaikoura District, Timaru District, Southland District, Gore District, Wairoa District, Buller District, Opotiki District, Westland District, Rangitikei District, Tararua District | $450-$499 |
| Waitomo District, Clutha District, Ruapehu District, Waimate District, Mackenzie District | $400-$449 |
*All prices from rental bond data Jan-March 2026, www.mbie.govt.nz.
Auckland rental prices
Listed are the median rents broken down into suburbs and $50 price bands. If there is only one suburb within a particular price band, we have listed its median rent*.
| Suburbs (listed $$$ to $) | Median rents |
| Westmere | $950-$999 |
| Orakei, Campbells Bay, Stanley Point, Castor Bay, Chatswood, Shamrock Park, Remuera, Kohimarama, Glendowie | $900-$949 |
| Ponsonby, Stonefields, Pinehill, Narrow Neck, Murrays Bay, Mairangi Bay, Long Bay, Fairview Heights, East Tamaki Heights, Bayswater | $850-$899 |
| Dannemora, Golflands, Greenhithe, St Heliers, Northcote Point, Windsor Park, Somerville, Greenlane, Belmont | $800-$849 |
| Northcross, Waiake, Mission Bay, Rothesay Bay, Northpark, Herald Island, Mellons Bay, Browns Bay, Shelly Park, Saint Marys Bay, Herne Bay, Hauraki, Forrest Hill, East Tamaki | $750-$799 |
| Milford, Hillsborough, Burswood, Botany Downs, Takapuna, Redvale, West Harbour, Totara Heights, Point Chevalier, Oteha, Huntington Park, Bucklands Beach, Albany Heights, Freemans Bay, Eastern Beach, Torbay, The Gardens, Sunnynook, Sunnyhills, Maraetai, Grey Lynn, Flat Bush, Beachlands, Devonport, Parnell, Mount Roskill, Laingholm, Hillcrest, Half Moon Bay, Epsom | $700-$749 |
| Titirangi, Westgate, Henderson Valley, One Tree Hill, Wattle Downs, Wai O Taiki Bay, Totara Vale, Totara Park, Schnapper Rock, Pakuranga, Meadowbank, Blockhouse Bay, Birkenhead, Albany, Hillpark, Whenuapai, Mangere Bridge, Kingsland, Ellerslie, Birkdale, Bayview, Waterview, Penrose, Highland Park, Weymouth, Pakuranga Heights, Manurewa East, Hobsonville, Goodwood Heights, Wesley, Unsworth Heights, Royal Oak, Randwick Park, Otara, Oratia, Northcote, New Windsor, Massey, Lynfield, Lucas Heights, Howick, Glenfield, Glendene, Glen Innes, Cockle Bay, Clover Park, Clendon Park, Beach Haven | $650-$699 |
| Mangere, Swanson, Manurewa, Green Bay, Three Kings, Favona, Farm Cove, Mount Albert, Kelston, Te Atatu Peninsula, Papatoetoe, Mount Wellington, Avondale, Onehunga, Sunnyvale, New Lynn, Sandringham, Ranui, Panmure, Newmarket, Mount Eden, Mangere East, Henderson, Glen Eden | $600-$649 |
| Te Atatu South, Morningside, Point England, Saint Johns, Rosedale, Waitakere, Eden Terrace | $550-$599 |
| Paremoremo, Manukau, Wiri | $500-$549 |
| Auckland Central, Otahuhu, Grafton | $450-$499 |
*Prices Jan-March 2026.
Wellington rental prices
Listed are the median rents broken down into suburbs and $50 price bands. If there is only one suburb within a particular price band, we have listed its median rent*.
| Suburbs (listed $$$ to $) | Median rents |
| Seatoun, Karaka Bays, Oriental Bay | $800-$849 |
| Churton Park | $750-$799 |
| Kelburn, Vogeltown, Aro Valley, Melrose, Miramar, Roseneath | $700-$749 |
| Khandallah, Woodridge, Owhiro Bay, Karori, Strathmore Park, Island Bay, Grenada Village, Houghton Bay, Southgate, Mornington, Newtown, Newlands, Mount Cook, Broadmeadows, Lyall Bay, Kingston, Hataitai, Brooklyn, Paparangi | $650-$699 |
| Berhampore, Wadestown, Johnsonville, Ngaio, Grenada North, Kilbirnie, Tawa, Te Aro, Thorndon, Maupuia | $600-$649 |
| Wilton, Mount Victoria, Northland, Glenside, Rongotai | $550-$599 |
| Crofton Downs, Pipitea | $500-$549 |
| Highbury | $460 |
| Wellington Central | $420 |
*Prices Jan-March 2026.
About the author of this page
Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.
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