Wellington salaries sit ~30% below the New Zealand average
Wellington, NZ lists 75 careers with observed metro percentiles in NZD. Pay index 0.70 (30% below national); COL 100 vs a US baseline of 100.
Radiologist leads this Wellington table at $396,000 a year, with Surgeon at $390,000 and Psychiatrist at $366,000. The midpoint of the listed set is Psychologist at $140,000 — a better “typical covered career here” than row #1 alone. Top-of-list mix: 5 healthcare, 3 technology, and 1 legal.
Population in the dataset is about 381,900. Larger labour markets usually support wider industry mix; smaller ones can look “high paying” on one clinical or tech title and thin everywhere else. Licensing and immigration rules are independent of this cash sort.
New Zealand shows about 2.8% CPI in 2025. Open a role’s Wellington salary page for p10–p90, take-home, and rent models — this hub is the directory. Missing careers may still have a national New Zealand page even when this metro lacks observed percentiles.
Reading pay and COL together in Wellington
Use pay index (0.70) for wage level vs New Zealand, and COL (100) for prices. High on both is not the same as high real leftover.
Figures are observed metro medians where listed, in NZD, gross. They are market estimates — not a promise from any one employer.
What tops the Wellington cash list
Radiologist: Radiologists interpret medical images to diagnose and guide treatment of disease. Observed median here: $396,000. That lead reflects how this metro prices the occupation, not a recommendation to retrain tomorrow.