New Zealand
Wellington: how much to budget
In Wellington, plan around €68/day on the ground travelling cheap, or €756 for 7 nights per person mid-range, excluding flights.
- From
- €68/day
- vs Paris
- 80%
- Best month
- Jan
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 216k
- Area
- 444 km²
- Elevation
- 0 m
- Language
- Māori, English, New Zealand Sign Language
- Currency
- NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR
- Time zone
- UTC+12:00
- Founded
- 1839
- Avg. July temp.
- 10°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 17°
- Rainy days / year
- 127
inhabitants
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR
9° - 11°
15° - 18°
About
Wellington in brief
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from Paris, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €187 | €220 | €330 |
| Hotel | €294 | €384 | €600 |
| Food | €231 | €546 | €1218 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €28 | €126 | €385 |
| Misc | €35 | €98 | €315 |
| 7-night total | €831 | €1500 | €3163 |
Flight from Paris (annual median).
Daily detail
Price overview for Wellington
Three tiers to anchor you: what a budget traveler, a comfort traveler, and a premium traveler typically spend.
Budget
€90
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €49
- Meal
- €11
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€160
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €64
- Meal
- €26
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€319
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €100
- Meal
- €58
- Transit / day
- €45
Why visit
Why visit Wellington
Wellington is the world's southernmost capital, and also the windiest city on the planet by average wind speed. Neither title is trivia for a budget: they decide the best month to go. This is the southern hemisphere, so local summer runs December to February, when the daytime high sits around 18°C. That's the window to aim for, and it's also the hotel high season.
Wellington's free cultural lever has a name: Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national museum, with free admission. It's the city's flagship attraction, and you spend half a day there without paying a cent. The Wellington Museum and the City Gallery, also free, round out a top-tier cultural program at no cost.
Second reflex, the currency: New Zealand pays in New Zealand dollars, not euros. The prices shown here are converted, but on the ground every payment goes through an exchange rate, and a card with no foreign transaction fee saves you 2 to 3% each time.
On lodging, the gap between a dorm and a hotel is huge. A well-rated hostel in the center runs around €11 to €15 a night for a dorm bed, while a mid-range hotel sits closer to €64 a night. The center is very compact and walkable, which cuts the transport bill from the start. For two people at mid-range comfort, plan roughly €130 to €180 a day excluding flights.
When to go
Weather & best time to visit
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Wellington.
Best month to visitJanuary
Where to sleep
Where to stay in Wellington
Wellington is one of the few capitals where nearly all lodging fits inside a tiny downtown, hemmed in by hills and the harbour. Price tracks the type of stay, hostel dorm or hotel room, more than the neighborhood: it's a twenty-minute walk end to end across the center. Booking early for the southern summer (December to February) noticeably changes the bill.
Te Aro - Courtenay Place
The nightlife heart, around Courtenay Place and Cuba Street, the densest street in New Zealand at weekends. This is where the backpacker hostels cluster, so the cheapest nights in town.
Lambton Quay - CBD
The business and government district, along Lambton Quay, walkable to Parliament and Te Papa. Plenty of mid and upscale hotels that discount at weekends once the office crowd leaves.
Thorndon
North of the center, around Parliament and the Wellington Botanic Garden, residential and quiet. A few small hotels and guesthouses like the Shepherds Arms, often a notch cheaper than the CBD.
Oriental Bay
The upscale waterfront bay, along Oriental Parade and its beach, ten minutes on foot from Te Papa. Harbour-view hotels like the Copthorne, the priciest in town.
Hand-picked hotels
Where to stay in Wellington
Accommodation picks by price range.
Hotel Waterloo & Backpackers
Hostel, decent (7/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Trek Global Backpackers
Hostel, decent (7.9/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
The Cambridge Hotel & Backpackers
Hostel, well rated (8.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
The Cambridge Hotel & Backpackers
Hostel, well rated (8.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Aura Hotel
Hotel, standard (5.7/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Shepherds Arms Hotel
Hotel, standard (6.7/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Ramada by Wyndham Wellington Taranaki Street
Hotel, well rated (8.4/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Quest on Johnston Serviced Apartments
Hotel, well rated (8.2/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Rydges Wellington
Hotel, decent (7.9/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
All observed hotels in Wellington
24 properties, nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Waterloo & Backpackers | Budget | ★ 7 | €11 |
| Trek Global Backpackers | Budget | ★ 7.9 | €12 |
| The Cambridge Hotel & Backpackers | Budget | ★ 8.1 | €13 |
| The Cambridge Hotel & Backpackers | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €13 |
| Haka House Wellington | Budget | ★ 8.2 | €15 |
| Worldwide Backpackers | Budget | ★ 8.2 | €18 |
| Aura Hotel | Budget | ★ 5.7 | €27 |
| Aura Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 5.7 | €27 |
| The Marion Hostel | Budget | ★ 9.2 | €28 |
| Shepherds Arms Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 6.7 | €30 |
| Shepherds Arms Hotel | Budget | ★ 6.7 | €33 |
| Halswell Lodge | Mid-range | ★ 5.2 | €39 |
| Willis Wellington Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 7 | €52 |
| U Boutique Hotel, SureStay Collection by BW | Mid-range | ★ 7.5 | €53 |
| Mercure Wellington Abel Tasman | Mid-range | ★ 7.3 | €57 |
| Richmond Guest House | Mid-range | ★ 7.9 | €57 |
| Ramada by Wyndham Wellington Taranaki Street | Luxury | ★ 8.4 | €73 |
| Quest on Johnston Serviced Apartments | Luxury | ★ 8.2 | €74 |
| Rydges Wellington | Luxury | ★ 7.9 | €79 |
| Sojourn Apartment Hotel - Ghuznee | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €79 |
| West Plaza Hotel | Luxury | ★ 7.9 | €79 |
| Copthorne Hotel Wellington Oriental Bay | Luxury | ★ 7.9 | €87 |
| Oaks Wellington Hotel | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €89 |
| James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €93 |
Eating
Eating in Wellington
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Wellington claims more cafés, bars and restaurants per head than New York, and that density pulls prices down at the low end. The best value stays fish and chips, often better in the suburbs than downtown, around €8 to €12 a portion. The city is also a surprising capital of Malaysian food and Turkish kebabs, found everywhere for a handful of euros. For a late fallback at any hour, 24-hour chains like Night 'n Day serve pies and noodles at rock-bottom prices. On the going-out side, the craft beer scene is well known, with pints around 11 to 14 NZD (about €6 to €8), and bar entry is usually free.
Getting around
Moving around Wellington
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
The center is walkable, which is the real saving here given how compact the city is. Beyond that, the Metlink network (buses, trains, ferries) runs on zones with the Snapper card or contactless, both cheaper than a cash ticket. A single 1-to-3-zone ticket costs 3 to 6 NZD depending on distance (about €1.70 to €3.40). If you move around a lot, the Metlink Explorer day pass for Wellington City (zones 1 to 3) is 13 NZD (about €7) and pays off from the third ride. From the airport, the Airport Express is 8.95 NZD with a Snapper card; the real budget trick is to walk 700 meters to Hobart Street for the Metlink Route 2 bus at about 4 NZD, roughly half the price.
To see, to do
Things to do in Wellington
Recommended activities and tours.
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
National museum
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Church
St Mary of the Angels
Church
Futuna Chapel
Church
Wellington Museum
Notable place
Zealandia
Museum
New Zealand Parliament Buildings
Architectural ensemble
Te Ngākau Civic Square
Square
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery
Art museum
City Gallery Wellington
Museum
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Travel tips
6 ways to save
- Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum, is free: the biggest cultural lever of the trip, half a day at no cost. The Wellington Museum and the City Gallery are free too.
- A well-rated hostel in the center runs around €11 to €15 a night for a dorm, against roughly €64 for a mid-range hotel: one of the widest gaps among capitals.
- The Metlink Explorer day pass for zones 1 to 3 is 13 NZD (about €7) and pays off from the third ride of the day.
- From the airport, walking 700 meters to Hobart Street for the Metlink Route 2 bus (about 4 NZD) costs half the price of the Airport Express at 8.95 NZD.
- Fish and chips, often better in the suburbs than downtown, stays the cheapest meal at €8 to €12 a portion.
- A card with no foreign transaction fee avoids 2 to 3% lost on exchange with every New Zealand dollar payment.
FAQ
FAQ - Wellington
- How much does a week in Wellington cost?
- For seven nights, plan roughly €500 to €750 per person on a budget (dorm hostel, free museums, fish and chips, day-pass transport), and around €1,100 to €1,500 at mid-range comfort with a mid-range hotel near €64 a night, excluding flights.
- What's the best month to visit Wellington?
- December to February, the southern summer: highs cap around 18°C, mild for walking, with the longest days. Wellington is the windiest city in the world, so expect wind in any season. Winter (June to August) drops toward 11°C highs and stays rainy, but prices are lower then.
- Is Wellington an expensive destination?
- Moderately, but with real saving levers. Mid-range lodging runs around €64 a night, but a dorm drops to €11 to €15, the national Te Papa museum is free, the center is walkable and fish and chips feeds you for under €12. The heavy line item is the flight from Europe, not the stay itself.
- Cash or card in Wellington?
- Card works everywhere, including Metlink transport via contactless or the Snapper card, both cheaper than cash. Bring a card with no foreign transaction fee: paying in New Zealand dollars with a standard card often costs 2 to 3% more on exchange.
Similar budget
Destinations at a similar price
Cost index close to Wellington.
Also in New Zealand
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