Housing / Rents
What does it cost to rent?
$593a week: the median rent for new tenancies, Jun–Aug 2026
+0.2%compared with Jun–Aug 2025 ($592)
34.0%of average full-time weekly pay ($1,743, Sep 2026 quarter)
$491–700the middle half of new rents
From bonds lodged with Tenancy Services. 175,809 new bonds in the last 12 months; 522,942 rentals had a bond held in Aug 2026.
Rent and pay
Median weekly rent for new tenancies
As a share of average full-time weekly pay
By region
Median weekly rent, Jun–Aug 2026
By district
Grey figures are based on fewer than 300 new bonds a year, so they can jump around.
About these numbers
Median rent is the middle weekly rent of new bonds lodged with Tenancy Services (MBIE). It covers new tenancies only, not what existing tenants pay. Figures here combine three months of monthly medians, weighted by the number of bonds, to smooth out noise.
Average full-time weekly pay is Stats NZ's average total weekly earnings for full-time-equivalent employees (Quarterly Employment Survey). It's an average, so it's higher than what a typical worker earns.
Sources: MBIE rental bond data (Aug 2026); Stats NZ Quarterly Employment Survey.