Living in Queenstown New Zealand- absolutely everything you should know

You want to know what living in Queenstown is really like. In this piece, I’ll give you the lowdown on finding a job, finding an apartment and whether Queenstown really is the best place to live in New Zealand.

Queenstown has been our home for the past three years. Living in Queenstown was one of the best decisions we made. It is known as the ‘adventure capital of the world’ with all sorts of adrenalin-filled sports available. It is stunningly beautiful, I mean all you have to do is google image the place to see why it is so popular with tourists & expats.

P.S. I’ve also lived in Sydney and Whistler in Canada if you fancy reading about what it’s like to live there!

Top Tip: If you’re interested in applying for a Working Holiday Visa to New Zealand, read all my detailed instructions here.

Is Queenstown a good place to live?

Definitely! We loved our two years in Queenstown – there is so much to do & not only expensive/adventurous things like bungee jumping, helicopter trips, boat trips & skiing. There are lots of fabulous FREE things to do, too – the views from the local hikes are stunning, and you can go for a bike ride through wine country or be brave and take an icy-cold swim in the bright blue waters of Lake Wakatipu.

Here’s my detailed list of budget-friendly things to do in Queenstown!

It’s easy to make friends in Queenstown – I think this is because of the large population of overseas backpackers on Working Holiday visas.

Before your move to Queenstown, we recommend joining local Facebook groups to get a ‘feel for the town’ – these groups are also great for finding jobs or rooms to rent. Facebook groups I recommend include –

• Queenstown Trading
• For Rent in Queenstown, New Zealand
• Queenstown Houses to Rent

How Much Does it Cost to Live in Queenstown?

I will pre-warn you: Queenstown is known as one of the most expensive cities in New Zealand. With rent being the most expensive cost for most. Many landlords here (as is the case in most tourist towns) rent their properties to the throng of tourists via Airbnb. Hence, the demand for long-term rental properties is higher than the supply.

For example, you’re looking at paying around $500 NZD per week for a one-bedroom apartment in or close to the CBD and around $900 NZD for a two-bedroom apartment in the CBD. If you go further afield to Shotover Country/ Lake Hayes (a 20-minute drive from town), average rental prices for a one-bedroom decrease to about $400 NZD per week. Or, you can rent a room from about $250 – 300 NZD per week!

A weekly food shop for two can cost between $150 – $200 NZD per week. Add on electricity and other bills like WiFi (both of which are quite reasonable), and my best estimate is that each person would need to earn $700 NZD per week to live comfortably in Queenstown.

The cheapest supermarkets in Queenstown

Food shopping is reasonable, with Pak N Save in Frankton being the best bang-for-your-buck supermarket. It’s kind of like a Costco but without the need for membership. A weekly shop for two (including beer/ wines) costs us approximately $200 NZD, which I imagine is way above the average. It’s definitely possible to do a weekly food shop for two for $150 NZD if you’re thrifty. Keep in mind that fruit & veg is seasonal in Queenstown (& in New Zealand as a whole) so only buy in-season otherwise you will pay a fortune!

Other supermarkets in the Queenstown area include Countdown at 5-mile Shopping Center in Frankton, New World at Remarkables Park, FreshChoice on Gorge Road, and Alpine Market (a small store in Queenstown CBD).

Whats eating out in Queenstown like?

Eating out can be as expensive or as cheap as you want – you can splurge on a fantastic meal at Botswana Butchery or Rata. But, we loved using First Table to get 50% off meals, this app gives you the first table of the night for 50% off – it’s a great way to try out Queenstown’s restaurants cheaply. The best cheap eats in Queenstown include Fat Badgers for pizza, the famous Fergburger, Caribe Latin Kitchen for delicious Mexican food, and Taco Medic.

So, in short, Queenstown can be an expensive place to live (especially with all the temptations), but once you start earning money, you will notice the expense less & less.

How much money do I need to move to Queenstown?

My estimation is that start-up costs to move to Queenstown will cost you approx. $4,000 NZD. This figure takes into account your first month’s rent, your rental deposit (usually one month’s rent), stuff for your apartment like bed sheets, cooking utensils, etc, and one big food shop.

Surprisingly, homeware is cheap in New Zealand – K-Mart, Warehouse & Spotlight, all located in Frankton, are your best bet for cheap stuff to furnish your house. There’s also a Facebook group Queenstown Buy/Sell/Trade where you can grab a great second-hand bargain! But, thankfully, most places are fully furnished. 

How much is rent in Queenstown?

Rent prices in Queenstown vary massively. Our two-bedroom apartment in Frankton costs us $590 NZD per week. This is really reasonable, considering it is spread over three levels & has two balconies. But we nabbed this apartment back in 2019. I know prices for similar apartments have risen significantly over the years. Now, you’re looking at $800 NZD per week for a similar two-bedroom apartment.

For units closer to the CBD, you are likely going to pay around $500 NZD per week for a one-bedroom apartment and close to $1,000 NZD for a two-bed! If you go further afield to Shotover Country/ Lake Hayes (a 20-minute drive from town), average rental prices for a one-bedroom decrease to about $400 NZD per week.

If you really want to save money on rent, you can rent a room from about $250 – 300 NZD per week, again this price massively depends on where the house is located and the condition of it. Some share houses are truly awful.

My top tip is to arrive in Queenstown before the peak seasons begin – if you’re planning to stay for the Summer season, arrive in October, and for the Winter season, arrive in April. This way you will have more choice of rental options available to you.

If you plan to buy a house in Queenstown – note it can be hard to choose the perfect house abroad. So, make sure you  do a lot of research to figure out what you want and set out a reasonable budget.

Where do people live in Queenstown

There are a couple of neighborhoods in Queenstown, and I will list the best/most popular here. We lived in Fernhill for one year and Frankton for the second. We loved both areas for different reasons.

• Fernhill – one of the closest neighborhoods to the town but it’s located up a very steep hill so you will need to be fit if you want to walk to/from town. There is a regular bus service however. Fernhill is popular with backpacker’s and the quality of the houses tend to be focused towards these backpackers, but it is one of the ‘cheaper’ areas to live. There’s a small convenience store and a fantastic fish & chip shop here.

• Goldfield Heights – located off the main Frankton Road into town and just a 5-10 minute drive away. The houses here are typically larger, so a lot of ‘rooms only’ come up for rent here. Again, there is a regular bus service into town.

• Frankton Road – Frankton Road is the main road that connects Queenstown to Frankton. Frankton is the commercial hub in Queenstown – this is where the large supermarkets are located. As well as K-Mart, Warehouse and so much more. Most of the properties on Frankton Road are newer apartment complexes or townhouses. There’s a popular lakeside walking track in Frankton too.

• Shotover Country/ Lake Hayes – I’ve put both these areas under the same section as they are both large housing estates next to one another. Shotover Country being slightly closer to Queenstown. This is a popular area for young families, and the houses here are pretty much all new buildings. It’s a longer drive into Queenstown from these neighborhoods at about 20 minutes. There’s a bar/restaurant in Lake Hayes.

• Arrowtown – a cute, picture-perfect town about a 20 minute drive from Queenstown. This area is popular with long-term locals. Arrowtown is a town in itself with restaurants, mini-marts, bars etc so no need to venture into Queenstown regularly. Arrowtown is especially stunning in the fall.

• Kelvin Heights – or the ‘sunny side of the lake’ as locals call it. Seriously it always seems to be sunny in Kelvin Heights. Long term locals tend to live here and the houses are typically nice & large. A semi-regular bus service operates here. The Hilton hotel is located over here and theres a nice walking track along the lake.

• Jacks Point – an upmarket housing development at the base of the Remarkables mountains. The houses here are seriously gorgeous but they tend to be on the large side so it’s ‘rooms to rent’ that come up over here often. The Jacks Point Golf Club is located here, which has a bar/restaurant with great food. There’s also a nice lakeside beach and walking track a 15 minute walk from the houses.

Top Tip: Check out Harcourts or QAC for a large selection of rental properties that are currently available. We used both these letting agents during our time here. You will also come across apartments to let and rooms to rent on the following local Facebook groups – Queenstown Trading, For Rent in Queenstown, New Zealand, and Queenstown Houses to Rent

Best short-term apartments for rent in Queenstown

My best advice is to rent a short-term apartment in Queenstown while you search for a long-term apartment. That way, you’re not under any pressure to find a place quickly, and you can get a feel for the neighborhoods and find out which area is best for you.

I DO NOT recommend committing to a long-term apartment without having seen it in person -as, unfortunately, there are a lot of rental scams in Queenstown. One such example is when the pretend “landlord” says he’s out of the country and to transfer the rental deposit to his bank account and he will leave the keys in a specific place for you to collect. As you can probably guess, the keys are never there to be collected, and the “landlord” has done a runner with your money.

Here are the best apartments I found for short-term rent –

Glebe Apartments – centrally located (next to Queenstown Gardens in the CBD) these stylish apartments are a great option. You can choose from Studio, One; Two or Three bedroom apartments.

Cranbury Court Apartments – are again centrally located on Glebe Road, just a 5-minute walk from the CBD. FreshChoice supermarket is also close by. You can chose from One, Two or Three bedroom apartments.

Apartments at Spinnaker Bay – luxurious apartments with great lake views, these apartments are located on Frankton Road. You can walk the Frankton Track into the CBD – taking about 25 minutes. The apartments here are very stylish – choose from One, Two or Three bedroom apartments.

The Whistler Apartments – also located on Gorge Road, these apartments are a very popular choice in Queenstown. Just a 5-minute walk from the center of Queenstown. There are two supermarkets very close by – Raeward Fresh and Freshchoice. Choose from One or Two bedroom apartments.

Best Things to Do in Queenstown for New-comers

• Paragliding at Bob’s Peak – If you’re an adventure nut, you may just have the time today to indulge in some paragliding. Yep, you can go paragliding from the top of Bob’s Peak – how cool! This tandem paragliding experience takes 1.5 hours all in, and costs from $339 NZD. It’s very well-rated and so safe!

• Go Kayaking at Moke Lake – It’s so peaceful at this scenic lake, which is around a 20-minute drive from Queenstown. And the water is usually super calm, so it’s an easy task if you’ve never kayaked before. If you don’t have a kayak with you (I mean, they’re a bit bulky for hand luggage) – you can book this 3-hour kayaking tour, which includes pick-up and drop-off from Queenstown! It includes all your equipment (kayak, helmet, life jacket) and costs $173 NZD.

• Go jetboating on the Shotover River – The world-famous Shotover Jet is a must-do thing in Queenstown! Sure, it’s very fast-paced, and you’ll get wet, but you’ll also get to see some awesome scenery (when you’re going slow, that is). Your experienced driver will do everything he can to get your heart pounding – think 360-degree spins and driving at speeds of 90 km/ph! The Shotover Jet costs from $163 NZD per person.

• Go on a helicopter ride – Imagine seeing the beauty of the town you’re going to be living in from high above. A scenic helicopter tour with an alpine landing is top of most people’s Queenstown bucket list and for good reason! On this 50 minute flight, you’ll soar over Queenstown, Mt Aspiring National Park and, Skippers Canyon. It’s spenny at $785 NZD per person but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

• Visit Milford Sound –  Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful & dramatic places in the world. In fact, Rudyard Kipling re-named it the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. Would you believe it is New Zealand’s number one tourist attraction, attracting over 800,000 visitors a year? The best way to see this magical place is on a boat cruise, like this small boutique cruise experience which costs from $149 NZD per person.

Is Queenstown the best place to live in New Zealand?

Okay, okay, Queenstown is stunningly beautiful – I mean, have you SEEN the photos? But there is so much more to Queenstown than its good looks. It’s a great place to live as an expat, and it is very easy to have a good, comfortable life here. Wages are typically high, and rent is too, but they kind of balance each other out! It’s easy to make friends, thanks to the large backpacker community. And the bar scene (if you’re into that sort of thing) is excellent.

It’s obviously a great place to tick things off your bucket list. From plane rides over Milford Sound, to jet-boating on a world-famous boat or trying out the first bungee jump in the world.

Have you ever considered living in Queenstown? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you plan on visiting Queenstown for a vacation only then you HAVE to check out my guide to 24 hours in Queenstown

Some of my other most popular blog posts that you may enjoy reading include –

How to find the Milford Sound Swing

11 of the best photography spots in Queenstown

12 Things You Must Know Before Renting a Car in New Zealand For a Road Trip

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