Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Wellington
This article is regularly updated to reflect the latest Wellington townhouse market data, so what you read here is current as of 2026.
Wellington townhouse prices vary significantly across suburbs, with the most expensive neighborhoods costing nearly double the most affordable ones.
Whether you are a first-time buyer or looking to upsize, understanding how prices differ by suburb and bedroom count can save you a lot of time and guesswork.
And if you're planning to buy a property in Wellington, you may want to download https://bambooroutes.com/pages/new-zealand-real-estate.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Most expensive Wellington suburb for townhouses | Kelburn |
| Most affordable Wellington suburb for townhouses | Johnsonville |
| Average price per square meter across Wellington suburbs | NZ$8,900 |
| Median townhouse price across Wellington | NZ$980,000 |
| Lowest realistic starting budget in Wellington | NZ$520,000 |
| Most expensive townhouse type in Wellington | Four-bedroom |
| Most affordable townhouse type in Wellington | Two-bedroom |
| Average price for a two-bedroom Wellington townhouse | NZ$780,000 |
| Average price for a three-bedroom Wellington townhouse | NZ$990,000 |
| Average price for a four-bedroom Wellington townhouse | NZ$1,320,000 |
| Price gap between most and least expensive Wellington suburb | ~NZ$430,000 at starting budget level |
| Price range across Wellington townhouse suburbs | NZ$520,000 to NZ$950,000 starting budget |
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Wellington suburbs ranked by townhouse purchase price in 2026
This table ranks the main Wellington suburbs by townhouse purchase price, from the most expensive to the most affordable.
For each suburb, the table shows the average price per square meter, the median property price, the starting budget, the average price for a two-bedroom, three-bedroom, and four-bedroom townhouse, the typical buyer profile, the key advantages, the key drawbacks, and the market segment.
Finally, please note you'll find much more detailed data in https://bambooroutes.com/pages/new-zealand-real-estate.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Average Price per Square Meter | Median Property Price | Starting Budget | Average Price for a Two-Bedroom Townhouse | Average Price for a Three-Bedroom Townhouse | Average Price for a Four-Bedroom Townhouse | Typical Buyers | Key Pros | Key Cons | Market Segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelburn | NZ$10,800 | NZ$1,300,000 | NZ$950,000 | NZ$980,000 | NZ$1,330,000 | NZ$1,820,000 | Affluent professional families | Walking distance to the CBD, top-performing schools, cable car access, and strong long-term prestige appeal | Very limited townhouse supply, steep terrain, and high entry pricing mean buyers have few options to choose from | Luxury |
| 2 | Mount Victoria | NZ$10,500 | NZ$1,230,000 | NZ$900,000 | NZ$930,000 | NZ$1,260,000 | NZ$1,720,000 | High-income city buyers | Walkable to the city and waterfront, strong character, and genuine lifestyle appeal for central Wellington buyers | Tight streets, limited parking, and scarce townhouse supply keep prices elevated throughout the suburb | Luxury |
| 3 | Khandallah | NZ$9,600 | NZ$1,120,000 | NZ$820,000 | NZ$860,000 | NZ$1,120,000 | NZ$1,520,000 | Upsizing family households | Leafy and established, strong school reputation, and solid owner-occupier demand with larger townhouse formats | Less walkable commute and strong family demand pushes prices above most other Wellington suburbs outside the inner city | Premium |
| 4 | Island Bay | NZ$9,200 | NZ$1,020,000 | NZ$760,000 | NZ$810,000 | NZ$1,030,000 | NZ$1,360,000 | Lifestyle-focused families | Coastal village atmosphere, strong local amenity, and broad appeal for buyers wanting space near the south coast | Weather exposure and a thinner townhouse supply make price comparisons less straightforward than in busier suburbs | Premium |
| 5 | Hataitai | NZ$9,100 | NZ$1,000,000 | NZ$760,000 | NZ$800,000 | NZ$1,020,000 | NZ$1,340,000 | Professional family buyers | Fast access to the CBD and airport, strong everyday convenience, and steady demand from Wellington families | Hilly streets and constrained townhouse supply mean competition for listings stays firm | Premium |
| 6 | Wadestown | NZ$8,900 | NZ$980,000 | NZ$730,000 | NZ$780,000 | NZ$990,000 | NZ$1,300,000 | Established upgrader families | Quiet, green, and close to the CBD, attracting buyers who want space without sacrificing commute time | Townhouses are uncommon here, so buyers often face low choice and inconsistent pricing from one listing to the next | Premium |
| 7 | Ngaio | NZ$8,500 | NZ$950,000 | NZ$700,000 | NZ$740,000 | NZ$950,000 | NZ$1,250,000 | Family rail commuters | Good rail access into the city, a genuine suburban feel, and solid family demand that supports steady townhouse values | A smaller townhouse pool and hillside streets reduce supply depth for buyers wanting multiple options | Mid-Market |
| 8 | Karori | NZ$8,200 | NZ$910,000 | NZ$650,000 | NZ$700,000 | NZ$900,000 | NZ$1,180,000 | Space-seeking families | One of Wellington's larger suburbs with strong schools and better townhouse choice than many inner-city areas | A longer CBD commute and more price-sensitive buyers limit upside compared to inner Wellington suburbs | Mid-Market |
| 9 | Thorndon | NZ$8,100 | NZ$880,000 | NZ$640,000 | NZ$690,000 | NZ$880,000 | NZ$1,150,000 | Central professional households | Close to Parliament and the CBD, with heritage streets and genuine demand for compact central Wellington living | Mixed stock types make townhouse-only pricing harder to read, and parking can be a real challenge day to day | Mid-Market |
| 10 | Brooklyn | NZ$7,900 | NZ$860,000 | NZ$620,000 | NZ$670,000 | NZ$850,000 | NZ$1,110,000 | Young family upgraders | Strong community feel, easy city access, and growing acceptance of modern townhouse living among Wellington buyers | Steep terrain and patchy sunlight can affect value noticeably from one street to the next | Mid-Market |
| 11 | Newtown | NZ$7,600 | NZ$830,000 | NZ$590,000 | NZ$640,000 | NZ$820,000 | NZ$1,060,000 | Urban convenience buyers | Hospital-adjacent, lively, and practical, popular with Wellington buyers who prioritize access over prestige | Busy roads, mixed streetscapes, and uneven stock quality mean prices can differ widely between listings | Affordable |
| 12 | Johnsonville | NZ$7,100 | NZ$760,000 | NZ$520,000 | NZ$590,000 | NZ$750,000 | NZ$970,000 | Value-focused family buyers | Wellington's most accessible townhouse entry point, with shopping convenience and useful transport links for everyday life | Less prestige and a longer commute than inner Wellington suburbs limit how high prices can go in this market | Affordable |
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Key insights about townhouse purchase prices in Wellington
Insights
- Kelburn townhouses start at around NZ$950,000, making it Wellington's most expensive suburb for townhouse buyers by a clear margin, roughly NZ$430,000 above Johnsonville's entry point of NZ$520,000.
- The jump from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom Wellington townhouse costs more, on average, than the jump from a three-bedroom to a four-bedroom, which suggests buyers pay a steep premium the moment a home becomes genuinely usable for a family.
- Most mainstream Wellington suburbs cluster between NZ$830,000 and NZ$1,020,000 for median townhouse prices, which means buyers do not actually save that much by moving from one mid-market suburb to another.
- Island Bay commands a clear lifestyle premium despite being farther from the Wellington CBD than Hataitai, showing that a coastal setting alone can push prices well above what location alone would justify.
- Thorndon looks cheaper than its central location might suggest because mixed property types pull the suburb median down, not because genuine townhouse demand is weaker there.
- Karori offers better townhouse choice than almost any inner Wellington suburb, but buyers trade prestige for that selection, and the CBD commute is noticeably longer.
- Wellington's price-per-square-meter tends to peak in land-constrained inner suburbs like Kelburn and Mount Victoria, not in the outer family suburbs where land is easier to come by.
- Kelburn and Mount Victoria together form a distinct Wellington luxury tier, where entry pricing sits near or above NZ$900,000 and supply is thin enough that competition for listings is sharper than elsewhere.
- Newtown and Johnsonville are the two Wellington suburbs where buyers can realistically target entry pricing below NZ$650,000, making them the clearest options for buyers on tighter budgets.
- Khandallah and Ngaio, both rail-served northern suburbs, command a meaningful Wellington family premium that places them solidly above mid-market pricing despite sitting well outside the inner city.
- Brooklyn townhouse pricing sits surprisingly close to Thorndon, reflecting the suburb's strong city access and growing acceptance of medium-density living among Wellington buyers.
- Across Wellington, townhouse supply in prestige suburbs like Kelburn and Wadestown is thin enough that buyers should expect fewer listings and more competitive auction conditions than elsewhere in the city.
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About our methodology
Wellington does not publish a single official source that combines suburb-level townhouse medians, townhouse-only price per square meter, and bedroom-count breakdowns all in one place. So we built this estimate by triangulating data from multiple authoritative sources covering the Wellington property market.
We also believe it is important to show our reasoning. It is one of the ways we make our work solid, transparent, and rigorous, just as you will see in https://bambooroutes.com/pages/new-zealand-real-estate.
First, please note that this data is updated regularly, so what you see here reflects the current values as of today.
In order to get reliable data, we applied a strict source filter. We only used authoritative, verifiable sources covering the Wellington market, not random listings or unsupported figures. More on that point below.
For each Wellington suburb, we aggregated the freshest townhouse purchase price data available. When possible, we cross-checked multiple sources to confirm the same price range.
This allowed us to estimate the average price per square meter and the median property price for each Wellington suburb.
We also calculated the starting budget, which represents the lowest realistic entry point to buy a townhouse in that Wellington suburb. This is not the cheapest possible listing, but a real, achievable floor for a standard townhouse purchase.
For each bedroom category, we estimated an average purchase price based on local Wellington market conventions. A two-bedroom townhouse in Wellington typically runs between 90 and 105 square meters, a three-bedroom between 120 and 140 square meters, and a four-bedroom between 155 and 180 square meters. We kept these size conventions consistent across suburbs.
These estimates were not applied as one flat number across all of Wellington. They were adjusted by suburb and property type to better reflect local ownership conditions and price levels, particularly in suburbs where townhouse supply is thin, such as Kelburn or Wadestown.
This table should therefore be read as a structured Wellington market estimate, not as an exact guarantee of transaction prices. Honesty, quality, and rigor are at the core of our work, and they are also what you will find in https://bambooroutes.com/pages/new-zealand-real-estate.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in https://bambooroutes.com/pages/new-zealand-real-estate, we rely on verifiable sources and a transparent methodology.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why it is authoritative | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| REINZ Property Reports | REINZ is New Zealand's main real estate industry body, and it publishes the most widely cited residential sales data in the country. | We used REINZ to anchor the overall Wellington market level and check the direction of sale prices by suburb. We also used it as a base reference for suburb median sale positioning across the Wellington market. |
| REINZ January 2026 Market Update | This is an official REINZ publication covering early 2026 market conditions across New Zealand, including Wellington. | We used it to confirm that the Wellington market in early 2026 was steady rather than overheated. We also used it to keep our townhouse estimates consistent with the current national timing. |
| Cotality NZ Home Value Index | Cotality is a major New Zealand property analytics provider with a transparent and well-documented index methodology. | We used it to cross-check Wellington townhouse pricing against current value trends rather than outdated boom-period figures. We also used it to sense-check townhouse pricing versus the wider Wellington dwelling market. |
| Cotality Mapping the Market | Cotality publishes suburb-level residential value tools across New Zealand, including Wellington suburbs. | We used it to support the relative positioning of Wellington suburbs against each other, from premium inner areas to more affordable outer ones. We also used it as a cross-check when townhouse evidence in a specific Wellington suburb was thin. |
| Wellington City Council Property Search | Wellington City Council holds the official property and rating valuation records for the Wellington urban area. | We used council valuation evidence to reality-check suburb entry prices and street-level townhouse affordability across Wellington. We also used it to avoid over-relying on asking prices alone when supply was low. |
| realestate.co.nz Market Insights | realestate.co.nz is one of New Zealand's two main property portals and publishes suburb-level sale and asking price indicators regularly. | We used suburb pages to compare the last 12 months of median sale prices, median asking prices, and local supply across Wellington. We also used live suburb listings to infer townhouse bedroom pricing by Wellington area. |
| QV House Price Index | QV is a long-established New Zealand valuation and property data provider used by banks, councils, and private buyers. | We used QV as a third valuation check alongside REINZ and Cotality to keep Wellington suburb estimates within realistic value bands. We also used it to cross-reference where our townhouse price estimates sat relative to broader Wellington property values. |
| Stats NZ Building Data | Stats NZ is New Zealand's national statistics agency and the primary source for building consent and new dwelling supply data. | We used Stats NZ to understand the role of townhouses and medium-density housing in Wellington's recent supply mix. We also used that context to decide which Wellington suburbs matter most for townhouse buyers looking at new stock. |
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