Can you afford a home in Whanganui?
What a median Whanganui home costs against what the median Whanganui household earns: the deposit, the repayment on today’s rates and the share of income it takes, by bedrooms and suburb by suburb.
Whanganui by bedrooms
| Home | Median sale | 20% deposit | Weekly repayment | Share of income | Income needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 bedrooms | $407,500 (114) | $81,500 | $451 | 34.6% | $78,000 |
| 3 bedrooms | $500,000 (379) | $100,000 | $553 | 42.4% | $96,000 |
| 4 bedrooms | $698,000 (125) | $139,600 | $772 | 59.2% | $134,000 |
| All homes | $500,000 (721) | $100,000 | $553 | 42.4% | $96,000 |
Sales in the last twelve months in brackets. Share of income is against the median Whanganui household, whatever the home; income needed is what would keep the repayments to 30% of income.
Whanganui suburbs, most affordable first
Against each suburb’s own median household income, Castlecliff is the most affordable of 14 Whanganui suburbs, at 35% of income, and Kai Iwi the least, at 67%. A suburb where incomes are high can be more affordable to the people who live there than its prices suggest.
| Castlecliff | $390,000 | $431 | $63,565 | 35.3% | 8.2 |
| Aramoho | $468,500 | $518 | $63,455 | 42.5% | 9.8 |
| Durie Hill | $568,500 | $629 | $76,952 | 42.5% | 9.9 |
| Okoia | $760,000 | $841 | $101,182 | 43.2% | 10.0 |
| Gonville | $447,000 | $494 | $57,734 | 44.5% | 10.3 |
| Westmere | $847,500 | $937 | $106,307 | 45.9% | 10.6 |
| Saint Johns Hill | $690,000 | $763 | $85,714 | 46.3% | 10.7 |
| Springvale | $555,000 | $614 | $67,497 | 47.3% | 11.0 |
| Wanganui East | $479,930 | $531 | $57,938 | 47.6% | 11.0 |
| Tawhero | $555,000 | $614 | $65,423 | 48.8% | 11.3 |
| Whanganui | $415,000 | $459 | $48,291 | 49.4% | 11.5 |
| Otamatea | $831,000 | $919 | $92,033 | 51.9% | 12.0 |
| College Estate | $745,000 | $824 | $64,911 | 66.0% | 15.3 |
| Kai Iwi | $900,000 | $995 | $76,987 | 67.2% | 15.6 |
| Whanganui | $500,000 | $553 | $67,813 | 42.4% | 9.8 |
20% deposit, 6% over 30 years, saving 15% of income. Share of income is a year’s repayments over the median household income before tax; above 30% is marked. Loans over 6 times income fall under the Reserve Bank’s debt-to-income limit.
Next steps
Look up homes in Whanganui: every property page shows an estimate of its value and what it last sold for. Work through your own figures with how much you could borrow, or compare Whanganui with other towns.
Sales from council and LINZ records, as at 18 September 2026. Household incomes from the 2023 census, before tax. A guide, not a lender’s assessment.
Questions
How much do I need to earn to buy a home in Whanganui?
For repayments on a median Whanganui home ($500,000) to stay within 30% of income, with a 20% deposit at 6% over 30 years, a household would need about $96,000 a year before tax. The median Whanganui household earned $67,813 in the 2023 census.
Where do these figures come from?
The median of every Whanganui sale recorded in council and LINZ records over the last twelve months, and the median household income in the 2023 census, before tax. Suburbs need at least 10 sales in the year to be listed.
What interest rate is used?
Today’s average advertised 1-year rate across lenders, held for the whole term. Type your own to see the difference.
More home loan tools
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Pay off your mortgage faster
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Break fee calculator
A rough cost of breaking a fixed rate early.
Switching banks
Whether moving your mortgage pays, after every cost.
Buying your first home
The steps from saving a deposit to settlement day.
What could your KiwiSaver buy?
Your balance as a price, and homes at it in the suburb you pick.
KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal
What your KiwiSaver could put toward a deposit.
First Home Loan and low deposits
Buying with 5–20% deposit, and what it costs.
Mortgage pre-approval
What it is, what to bring, and how long it lasts.
Today’s mortgage rates
Every lender’s advertised rates, side by side.
Home loan affordability by town
What a median home costs against local incomes, town by town.
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Advisers and firms near you.