A Guide to Cheap Weekly Accommodation in Wellington
Looking to stay around Wellington city for a while? Whether you’re here to work in New Zealand’s “cool little capital”, perhaps as part of a working holiday or for studying at Victoria University, you’re going to need to find cheap long-term accommodation in Wellington city.
Because Wellington is a sprawling city, we have put together a quick list of the inner city suburbs where you are likely to find some cheap weekly accommodation, as well as outlining how far away they are from Wellington’s city centre. (For accommodation in the Wellington region, check out our Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Wellington Region). This cheap weekly accommodation guide to Wellington is also split into accommodation types, so you can find both short-term and long-term stays.
So, find a place to stay in Wellington using our nifty long-term accommodation guide to Wellington city.
Which Wellington Suburb to Find Long-Term Accommodation?
There is cheap long-term and weekly accommodation found all over Wellington city. Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect in each Wellington suburb in relation to Wellington city centre. For the rest of Wellington’s outer suburbs and districts, read our Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Wellington Region.
Note: CBD refers to Central Business District i.e. Wellington’s city centre. For more information on getting around, check out Public Transport in Wellington.
- Wellington City Centre – Location: city centre. Distance from CBD: you’re in it. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
- Thorndon/Pipitea – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 15min walk/9min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
- Northland/Kelburn – Location: west of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 37min walk/13min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$200.
- Te Aro/Aro Valley/Highbury – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 15min walk/7min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
- Oriental Bay/Mt Victoria – Location: southeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 20min walk/10min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
- Hataitai/Roseneath – Location: southeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 50min walk/12min drive.Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$230.
- Newtown/Mt Cook/Vogeltown – Location: southeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 45min walk/13min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$230.
- Brooklyn – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 33min walk/11min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$210.
- Mornington/Kingston/Berhampore – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 55min walk/15min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$240.
- Lyall Bay/Kilbirnie/Melrose – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 1h05min walk/16min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$230.
- Island Bay/Southgate/Houghton Bay – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 20min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$210.
- Rongotai/Strathmore Park/Moa Point/Breaker Bay – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 25min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$210.
- Miramar/Seatoun/Karaks Bay/Maupuia – Location: southeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 25min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
- Owhiro Bay – Location: southwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 25min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$230.
- Karori – Location: west of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 1h05min walk/ 15min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$230.
- Makara/Makara Beach – Location: west of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 25min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$210.
- Wilton/Crofton Downs/Wadestown/Kaiwharewhare – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 16min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$240.
- Ngaio/Khandallah – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 19min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
- Ngauranga/Broadmeadows/Johnsonville/Newlands – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 21min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$220.
- Woodridge/Paparangi/Grenda Village/Grenda North/Glenside/Churton Park – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 20min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$200.
- Horokiwi/Takapu Valley/Tawa – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 21min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
- Ohariu – Location: northwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 23min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.
© NZPocketGuide.comHostels in Wellington City
Hostels are a good place to start when looking for cheap long-term accommodation in Wellington. Not only do they provide an affordable base for rental-hunting but many offer their own weekly rates.
There are 15+ hostels in the city centre and inner suburbs of Wellington, most of which can be found in the CBD, Te Aro and Pipitea – all within walking distance of the CBD.
The cheapest hostel prices in central Wellington range from NZ$25-$50 per bed per night in a dorm room. We always recommend booking your bed a week or two in advance in Wellington, especially in summer (the peak season in New Zealand) and especially for our favourite hostels in Wellington.
You can always keep the cost of living down along with an extended stay by working for accommodation in an Auckland hostel. For tips, have a look at How to Find Work for Accommodation in New Zealand.
© PixabayRent a Room in Wellington City
Renting a room is common practice in Wellington to keep the price to a minimum when staying in Wellington for the long term, usually done if you have landed a job in Wellington as part of a working holiday or are studying.
Expect a room to rent in Wellington City to be around NZ$190-$250 per week. That’s a room to yourself in a flatshare or houseshare. You may find cheaper, around the NZ$170 per week mark, for a shared room.
For advice on how to find a room to rent in Wellington, have a look at our 6 Resources to Find a Room to Rent in New Zealand. Renting a room for cheap long-term accommodation in Wellington involves a more complicated process than staying in short-term accommodation, so get clued up by reading The Paperwork Process of Renting or Flatting in New Zealand.
© pixabayAirbnb in Wellington City
Stay with a local in Wellington! Airbnb, the online network of people’s spare rooms available for accommodation, is super popular in Wellington.
Like hostels, Airbnb stays can provide a cheap room while finding something long term. Alternatively, some Airbnb hosts offer weekly rates for cheap long-term accommodation in Wellington.
Although the average room price is NZ$190 per night, there are plenty of NZ$60-$120 rooms spread out around the city centre and the inner suburbs of Wellington. The CBD, Khandallah, Johnsonville, Northland, Pipitea, Mt Cook and Newtown are particularly good for finding Airbnb rooms. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.
For more information on Airbnb, check out Everything You Need to Know About Airbnb in New Zealand and 10 Tips to Make the Most of Airbnb in New Zealand.
© NZPocketGuide.comCampgrounds and Holiday Parks in Wellington
While there are some options for campervans and self-contained vehicles in Wellington, there are no tent site options in Wellington city. For a full list of campsites and freedom camping spots, check out Where to Camp in Wellington.
Commercial motor camps include:
- Capital Gateway Motor Inn in Johnsonville with powered sites starting at NZ$49 per night for two people
- Cuba Street Motorhome Park in Wellington City Centre with powered sites starting at NZ$35 per night.
Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.
Freedom camping for certified self-contained vehicles is permitted at the southern end of the Evans Bay Marina Carpark in Hataitai and the Te Kopahou Reserve entrance car park in Owhiro Bay. Find out more in the 15 Free Camping Spots in Wellington.
For information about camping, check out Camping in New Zealand and Accommodation Guide to Holiday Parks in New Zealand.
More About Wellington
That’s it for our guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Wellington. Here’s everything else you need to know about staying in Wellington city:
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism New Zealand (General travel advice - Updated [2024])
- Tourism Export Council New Zealand (Tourism trade association - Updated [2024])
- TIA (Independent tourism association - Updated [2024])
- NZ Māori Tourism (Official Māori Tourism platform - Updated [2024])
- Department of Conservation (Tracks, hikes, campsites and more - Updated [2024])
- Council websites and freedom camping maps (Local travel advice region by region - Updated [2024])
- Tiaki Promise (Care for people place and culture - Updated [2024])
Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
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