Is New Zealand a good place to live for remote workers?

New Zealand scores 93/100 on our equal-weighted livability composite (internet 222.5 Mbps, safety 91, healthcare 89, air quality 98, english 100) — rank 4 of 167. Cleanest air in the set and fibre done right; distance from everywhere is the cost.

How fast is the internet in New Zealand?

Median fixed broadband is around 222.5 Mbps. Cleanest air in the set and fibre done right; distance from everywhere is the cost.

What does $3,000/month get you in New Zealand?

Single-person essentials run about $2,008/month at local prices, so $3,000 lives "comfortable" (1.5× essentials).

Livability · rank 4/167

Is 🇳🇿 New Zealand (Auckland) a good place to live?

Quality score 93/100 against essentials of $2,008/month. Cleanest air in the set and fibre done right; distance from everywhere is the cost.

The five metrics

Internet 89 222.5 Mbps median broadband, 93.5% online

Safety 91 1.5 homicides/100k (2022)

Healthcare 89 UHC service coverage 89/100 (2023)

Air quality 98 PM2.5 5.9 µg/m³ (2023)

English 100 day-to-day usability

Beside the score, not inside it

Neither of these is part of the composite above, deliberately. Folding governance into a quality-of-life number would bury a political judgement where you could not see it or argue with it, and connection price is a different question from connection speed — somewhere fast and expensive and somewhere slow and cheap are different trade-offs, not one average.

Rule of law: very strong; World Bank WGI estimate 1.67 · corruption control 1.93 · stability 1.15 (2024). Scale −2.5 to +2.5, higher is better.
What connectivity costs: $36.91 /mo broadband; Mobile 10GB $28.96/month. ITU price basket. The speed above is scored; this price is not.

What your budget buys

Monthly budget	vs essentials ($2,008)	Verdict
$2,000	1.0×	out of budget
$3,000	1.5×	comfortable
$5,000	2.5×	very comfortable

Essentials from the Pint & Property basket. Rank countries by your own priorities in the interactive matrix.

🪤 Tax residency triggers at 183 days. Tax residency details →

Similar value-for-money

🇳🇱 Netherlands — quality 88.9, essentials $1,905/mo
🇸🇨 Seychelles — quality 60.7, essentials $1,316/mo
🇭🇳 Honduras — quality 43.2, essentials $920/mo
🇸🇪 Sweden — quality 91.4, essentials $1,945/mo

Frequently asked questions

Is New Zealand a good place to live for remote workers?: New Zealand scores 93/100 on our equal-weighted livability composite (internet 222.5 Mbps, safety 91, healthcare 89, air quality 98, english 100) — rank 4 of 167. Cleanest air in the set and fibre done right; distance from everywhere is the cost.
How fast is the internet in New Zealand?: Median fixed broadband is around 222.5 Mbps. Cleanest air in the set and fibre done right; distance from everywhere is the cost.
What does $3,000/month get you in New Zealand?: Single-person essentials run about $2,008/month at local prices, so $3,000 lives "comfortable" (1.5× essentials).