Living in Hamilton

Hamilton is a city in Waikato, New Zealand, home to 192,100 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are young families (top 1%, #2 of 423), low-income families (top 2%, #3 of 241), single parents (top 2%, #3 of 167).

Residents192,100

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport96 km (Auckland International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km292,300 people

Sea coast27 km

Climate typeOceanic (Cfb)

Terrain around itabout 50 m, height range 80 m

Nearest major riverWaikato, under 1 km

Main railway line2.0 km

Distance to Wellington393 km

Within 10 km228,730 people

LandscapeNew Zealand, Polynesia

Winter daylight14 h 47 min, sunset 8:41

See Hamilton on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Hamilton

The landscape belongs to New Zealand.
The Waikato runs through or right past it.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 14 h 47 min and sets around 8:41; in late June it sets around 7:07.

How Hamilton ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in New Zealand. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Regional overview: population, geography and modelled indicators for costs, schools and safety.

Profile	Score	In New Zealand	In Waikato
Young family	69	#2 of 423	#1 of 19	Map
Low-income household	72	#33 of 295	#1 of 27	Map
Low-income family	71	#3 of 241	#1 of 13	Map
Single parent	73	#3 of 167	#1 of 11	Map
Pensioner couple	79	#45 of 337	#1 of 15	Map
Single pensioner	82	#10 of 337	#1 of 15	Map
Early retiree	72	#20 of 350	#1 of 28	Map
Single professional	68	#24 of 118	#1 of 11	Map
Young professional	71	#24 of 123	#1 of 11	Map
DINKS	68	#25 of 71	#1 of 5	Map
Remote worker	80	#19 of 195	#1 of 16	Map
Commuter	82	#14 of 251	#1 of 15	Map
Car-free household	75	#6 of 136	#1 of 8	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	71	#24 of 241	#1 of 13	Map
Budget-constrained mover	67	#87 of 410	#1 of 29	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	67	#19 of 118	#1 of 9	Map
Expat professional	66	#89 of 195	#1 of 16	Map
Healthcare-first mover	80	#40 of 337	#1 of 15	Map
Nature-focused household	37	#419 of 578	#40 of 46	Map
Cross-border commuter	81	#35 of 546	#1 of 42	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	12	#532 of 546	#35 of 42	Map
Rural value seeker	42	#393 of 578	#40 of 46	Map
High-net-worth mover	79	#5 of 546	#1 of 42	Map
Lottery winner	72	#51 of 630	#1 of 52	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	65	#297 of 410	#20 of 29	Map
Coastal living	61	#367 of 395	#15 of 26	Map
Business owner	71	#167 of 410	#1 of 29	Map
Digital native	70	#9 of 125	#1 of 12	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)100
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)99
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)98
Foundation94
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)93
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)79
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)79
Lifestyle and amenities77
Mobility and connectivity76
Flat land (terrain relief)76
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)75
Sea or lake shore57
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)54
Jobs and economy54
Affordability53
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)38
Green space20
Education and family20
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)11
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.