New Zealand
Wellington · Australia and New Zealand
A small, geographically isolated country with a simplified points-based residence system and, since early 2025, visitor rules that expressly allow remote work for an overseas employer — one of the few countries to say so directly rather than leaving it unaddressed.
- Commonwealth
- OECD
- CPTPP
- Capital
- Wellington
- Currency
- NZD $
- Language
- English
- Population
- 5.3M
- Long-stay routes
- 3
- Route to permanent residence
- Yes
- Unemployment
- 5.1%
- Drives on the
- Left
New Zealand dollar
2 recognised
2024 estimate
Soonest, 2 years
2025, indicative
+64
Entry and short stays
What your passport allows before any long-stay permission is involved.
Reading your passport selection…
Can I live here?
Every long-stay route this country publishes, checked against what you tell us. The checking happens in your browser.
About you
Stored in this browser only. Never sent anywhere.
Before tax, in the currency you earn.
Reading your answers…
Nothing here is an approval, and nothing here is advice. Only the authority deciding your application can tell you the answer, and it will weigh things this tool does not model.
Long-stay routes
Stored as structured records, so the same data drives the checks above, the comparison view and the checklists.
Accredited Employer Work Visa
EmploymentThe main work route. The employer must be accredited, the job must pass a market test unless the occupation is on a green list, and pay must meet the applicable threshold.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- After 2 years
Skilled Migrant Category resident visa
Permanent residenceA simplified six-point system introduced in 2023. Points come from qualifications, professional registration or income, and six points with a skilled job offer secures residence.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- No
Visitor visa with remote work
Remote workNot a separate visa. Since January 2025 the standard visitor conditions expressly allow working remotely for an overseas employer, which makes an ordinary visitor stay a lawful option for remote workers — up to nine months in an 18-month period.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- No
Cost of living
An estimate you can shape. It is not survey data and it is not a quote.
| Category | Monthly range |
|---|---|
| Housing | NZ$1,600 – NZ$2,700 |
| Food | NZ$600 – NZ$950 |
| Utilities | NZ$200 – NZ$380 |
| Internet | NZ$70 – NZ$110 |
| Transport | NZ$140 – NZ$400 |
| Healthcare | NZ$0 – NZ$250 |
| Everything else | NZ$350 – NZ$700 |
| Total | NZ$2,960 – NZ$5,490 |
| Suggested monthly buffer | NZ$6,588 |
Modelled from a baseline for one adult and scaled, not sampled from households. Figures are shown as ranges because that is the honest shape of the data.
Worth knowing. Modelled estimate. Groceries and imported goods are expensive relative to income because of the distance from other markets, and many older houses are poorly insulated, which raises winter heating costs.
Housing
Overseas buyers are generally prohibited from purchasing existing residential property. Australian and Singaporean citizens are exempt under trade agreements, as are residence-class visa holders who meet a presence test.
What landlords usually ask for
- Rental application with references
- Proof of income
- Bond of up to four weeks rent, lodged with Tenancy Services
Trade Me Property (opens in a new tab)realestate.co.nz (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing. The overseas investment rules on residential land are statutory — check current exemptions.
Healthcare
A publicly funded system covering residents, with charges for GP visits and prescriptions. The ACC scheme covers accident-related injury for everyone in the country, including visitors, regardless of fault.
- If you live there
- Residents and most work visa holders on visas of two years or more are eligible for publicly funded care.
- If you are visiting
- Visitors are not eligible for publicly funded care except ACC accident cover. Travel insurance is essential.
Tax
- Tax residency threshold
- 183 days
- Taxes worldwide income
- Yes, for residents
- Income tax range
- 10.5% – 39%
- VAT or sales tax
- 15%
Resident if present more than 183 days in any twelve-month period, or if you have a permanent place of abode in New Zealand.
Remote workers. Visitor conditions expressly permit remote work for an overseas employer since January 2025. A new four-year transitional resident exemption relieves most foreign income from New Zealand tax for qualifying new migrants.
Social insurance. There is no separate social security contribution. An ACC earners levy is deducted from income, and KiwiSaver retirement contributions are opt-out for employees.
Capital gains. New Zealand has no general capital gains tax, though the bright-line test taxes gains on residential property sold within a set period, and traders are taxed on their gains as income.
Special regimes
Transitional resident exemption
New migrants and returning New Zealanders who have been non-resident for ten years are exempt from New Zealand tax on most foreign income for up to four years.
Worth knowing. Orientation only. The absence of a general capital gains tax is a genuine structural difference worth advice.
Work and the labour market
Conditions in the labour market, which is a different claim from how many jobs are open right now. This product does not pretend to know the second from static data.
- Unemployment
- 5.1%
- Youth unemployment
- 13%
- Average earnings
- NZ$6,400 / mo
- Minimum wage
- NZ$3,900 / mo
Worth knowing. Labour force participation is unusually high by OECD standards.
Sectors
- HealthcaregrowingSeveral roles sit on the Green List with straight-to-residence pathways.
- Construction and engineeringgrowingSustained demand, also represented on the Green List.
- Agriculture and food productionstableDairy, horticulture and wine are central export industries.
Cities
A country-wide average hides a lot. Where we have city data, use it instead.
Auckland
A third of the country’s population and the great majority of its corporate employment, with the highest housing costs in New Zealand.
One adult, monthly: NZ$3,400 – NZ$4,800
Wellington
The capital, compact and walkable, with public sector, film and technology employment, and a windy maritime climate.
One adult, monthly: NZ$3,000 – NZ$4,200
Sources
Every claim on this page traces to one of these. If something here matters to a decision you are making, read it there.
Authorities for New Zealand
- Immigration New Zealand — visa options and requirements (opens in a new tab)Immigration New Zealand · National immigration authority