Palmerston North City

Palmy is a student town with a chip on its shoulder, and a good sense of humour about it. When a certain English comedian was rude about the place, the city named a rubbish tip after him, which tells you most of what you need to know about how it handles criticism.

Massey University keeps it young, flat and well caffeinated, and the army and air force bases nearby keep it ticking. It’s central, easy to get around, and properly affordable, which is why so many students stay on after they graduate. Behind the jokes it’s a genuinely liveable city.

There are 19 suburbs across the city. This page lays them out so you can compare without guessing: who lives where, what you’ll pay, how the schools rate, and which streets sit close to the uni, the centre or the river.

Cheap, central and quietly likeable. Have a browse and see where you’d settle.