The West Coast region hits nearest the mark , with a weekly income gap of just $ 117 between the median income ($ 1,050 ) and what ’ s needed for affordable rent ($ 1,167 ).
At the other end of the spectrum , Bay of Plenty and Northland show the most severe affordability challenges . Despite a median weekly income of $ 960 in Bay of Plenty , a single person would need to earn $ 1,790 to rent affordably – leaving a substantial gap of $ 830 . Northland faces a similar challenge with an $ 833 weekly income shortfall .
Auckland - New Zealand ’ s largest city - requires the highest weekly income for affordable renting at $ 2,061 , while the median single-person income is only $ 1,343 – leaving a $ 718 disparity . The country ’ s capital , Wellington , shows a similar pattern with a $ 453 weekly shortfall .
The national picture shows that a typical single New Zealander earns $ 1,186 per week , while they would need $ 1,722 to rent affordably – leaving a gulf of $ 536 per week . This suggests that the challenge of single-person rental affordability isn ’ t just limited to major urban centres but is a nationwide issue .
While regional analysis shows widespread affordability challenges , the suburb-by-suburb breakdown presents a more nuanced picture .
Source : Ray White Economics
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