Australia
New ZealandSydney makes sense if
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
Sydney vs Wellington
Sydney brings a deep English-speaking job market and warmer seasons, with humid summers and wildfire risk part of the climate picture. Wellington is compact and walkable, with clean air and mild summers, but a smaller work market and frequent damp, grey days.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Wellington makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Sydney73
Leads on nature & outdoors and work & family; stands out for flight connections and beach & sea.
- 2Wellington71
Leads on money; stands out for childcare and life without a car.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Wellington68Sydney58
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $2,113/mo
- $1,109/mo, leads
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~49%
- ~32%, leads
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 99
- 88, leads
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 24–47%
- 21–39%, leads
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 199 days
- 203 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 116 days
- 17 days, leads
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 5.6 µg/m³
- 6.4 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Sydney80Wellington69
Beach & sea
110
- 10/10, leads
- 7/10
Mountains
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
City parks
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Sydney80Wellington78
Walkability
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Restaurants
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Sydney78Wellington78
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 0.9
- 1.3
Feels safe day to day
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 9/10, leads
- 8/10
English-speaking care
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Sydney74Wellington70
Job market
110
- 9/10, leads
- 7/10
Jobs in English
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work–life balance
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Schools
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Sydney65Wellington64
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 6/10
- 6/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 1/10
- 1/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Flight connections
110
- 8/10, leads
- 5/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 8/10
- 10/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 9/10
- 10/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 9/10
- 8/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 8/10
- 9/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Sydney
A sprawling, low-density metropolis that leans on cars and stretches far from the centre. Walkability is patchy and the urban fabric is more suburban than tightly woven, though many individual neighbourhoods are genuinely pleasant to live in.
Wellington
Wellington is a small, low-density city with a core that is easy to walk. The wider layout is quieter and less connected, with middling car dependence and mixed-use neighbourhoods that do not cover every daily need.
Safety
Sydney
A reassuringly safe city by any measure. Violent crime is very low, the streets feel secure after dark, and traffic safety is strong.
Wellington
Violent crime is rare, the streets feel calm day and night, and the country's political stability is rock solid. Petty theft exists as it does anywhere, but the overall sense of personal security is one of Wellington's quiet strengths.
Work and healthcare
Sydney
Sydney offers a deep, English-language job market and low unemployment. Solid public and private healthcare with good hospitals and reliable emergency care.
Wellington
Local jobs are a reasonable option, with strong English-language access and a modest technology base. Care is solid and reliable, with dependable emergency services and no language barrier in any clinic or hospital.
Culture and public life
Sydney
A confident, internationally minded food and culture scene, with a particularly strong cafe culture and a wide, multicultural restaurant spread. The beaches cost nothing.
Wellington
The cafe and coffee scene is excellent, restaurants and arts venues are strong, and the national museum anchors a lively events calendar. Wellington is clean and compact, its walkable waterfront and cafe-dense centre a pleasure to wander, with the free Te Papa museum anchoring the harbour edge.
Summary
Sydney is better suited to someone building a career in a large, connected city. Wellington offers a smaller-scale routine and easier movement through its center, if its weather and limited job depth fit your plans. Weigh work prospects against the pace you want.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.