Moving to Canada from New Zealand
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Zealand to Canada — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Zealand to Canada, you would find that Canada is 8.7% more expensive than New Zealand overall. A NZ$130,000 salary in New Zealand would need to be roughly CA$113,000 in Canada to maintain the same lifestyle. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ottawa averages 52°F vs 62°F in Wellington, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Zealand to Canada.
What does your salary buy?
NZ$130,000 → CA$113,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Canada
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 15.8% more
Groceries
pay 14.5% more
Transportation
pay 14.8% less
Housing
pay 23.7% more
Childcare
pay 9.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Canada cost about 16% more than cities in New Zealand.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from New Zealand to Canada, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Canada?
Top countries of origin for Canada's foreign-born residents.
- 720,083
- 699,190
- 633,547
- 537,504
- 273,226
- 254,831
- · · ·
-
99.10,638
New Zealand
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Zealand and Canada stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
New Zealand generally does better on safety, though Canada leads in road traffic deaths.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Canada generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Zealand leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
New Zealand generally does better on environment, though Canada leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Canada performs significantly better than New Zealand across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
New Zealand generally does better on employment & economy, though Canada leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
New Zealand generally does better on family life, though Canada leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (2016), Canada Revenue Agency (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Wellington | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/58°F (21°/14°C) | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 59°/49°F (15°/10°C) | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 56°/46°F (13°/8°C) | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 64°/53°F (18°/12°C) | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Wellington | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70°/58°F (21.2°/14.7°C) | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) |
| Feb | 70°/59°F (21.3°/14.8°C) | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) |
| Mar | 68°/56°F (19.8°/13.5°C) | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) |
| Apr | 63°/53°F (17.4°/11.5°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) |
| May | 59°/49°F (15.2°/9.7°C) | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) |
| Jun | 56°/46°F (13.1°/7.9°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 54°/44°F (12.3°/6.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 55°/45°F (12.9°/7.4°C) | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) |
| Sep | 58°/48°F (14.5°/8.8°C) | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 60°/50°F (15.8°/10.0°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) |
| Nov | 64°/53°F (17.5°/11.4°C) | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) |
| Dec | 67°/56°F (19.6°/13.5°C) | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) |
Data:
New Zealand National Meteorological Service,
Meteorological Service of Canada
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between New Zealand and Canada. To live, work, or study long-term in Canada, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Canada's immigration authority.
New Zealand passport holder visiting Canada
Electronic Travel Authorisation
Canada passport holder visiting New Zealand
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Canada than New Zealand?
Day-to-day costs in Canada run about 9% higher than New Zealand on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Canada?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a NZ$130,000 comparable salary, that's around CA$28,250 in Canada for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Canada?
With 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Canada can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in New Zealand and Canada.
Is Canada safe for expats?
New Zealand generally does better on safety, though Canada leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Canada is 2.0 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.5 in New Zealand.
How is healthcare in Canada compared to New Zealand?
Canada generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Zealand leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Canada, compared to 36.1 in New Zealand. Canada scores 91 on the WHO universal health coverage index (New Zealand: 85).
What's the weather like in Canada compared to New Zealand?
The average high temperature in Ottawa is 52°F, compared to 62°F in Wellington. Ottawa receives around 37.1 in of rainfall per year, while Wellington gets 37.7 in.
What language do they speak in Canada?
The official languages in Canada are English and French. In New Zealand, the official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
