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Suburb profile · Manawatu-Whanganui · NZ

Levin Central NZ

Levin Central is in Manawatu-Whanganui, New Zealand, with population 1,161.

The read

Verify-first

There are enough weaker signals here that you should expect trade-offs, not a clean local story. Compare it directly with stronger nearby suburbs before treating it as a preferred option.

$480/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$485
$363
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$530/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D3 vs NZ
Population
1,161
1K local footprint
D2 vs NZ
Income
$27K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 10
Higher deprivation
D10 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$504K
+7.5% over 5yr
2.5%YoY
Lower quartile
$424K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,521
QV-based HPI
3.2%5yr
Income to buy
8.1x
Years of median income
Annual sales
714
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Horowhenua District territorial authority (as at 2026-02). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Levin Central, not a Levin Central-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents rising
Low · 2020Peak · 2024

1.0% below peak rent · 29.7% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +4.6%/yr · 5-yr +3.7%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$27K personal · yr-25.9% vs Manawatu-Whanganui suburb median

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure.

Schools

Total1
Students187
State : Integrated1
  • St Joseph's School (Levin)Full Primary · State : Integrated

Livability

89/ 100 livability index

Top 11% most liveable of 1,714New Zealand suburbs.

Everyday access96
Public transport44
Schools & hospitals68

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within New Zealand suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Building activity

Latest consents
0
0 houses · 0 units
100.0%YoY

Employment

Employed residents
423
Was 390 in 2018
8.5%vs 2018 D1 vs NZ

Full data detail

Levin Central Manawatu-Whanganui — Property Data and Demographics

Levin Central is a small community in Manawatu-Whanganui with a population of 1,161 and a median age of 47. Median personal income is $27K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Pacific Peoples. Manawatu-Whanganui population estimates moved +1.4% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.0% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 390 in 2018 to 423 in 2023 (+8.5%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in Levin Central is $530 (530 houses, 350 units). This represents approximately 101% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Levin Central: NZDep decile 10 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 462; 1 transport stop (1 bus); 1 hospital nearby.

In 2026, Levin Central recorded 0 building approvals (0 houses, 0 units), down 100% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability101% Stretched
School QualityEQI 462· Average
DeprivationDecile 10 High
Transport Access1 stops· Some Access
Development-100% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$530
House · wk$530
Unit · wk$350
Rent / income101.3%
Lodgements30
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)0
YoY change-100%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population1,161
Median age47
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$27,200
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived10/10
NZDep score1175

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European798
Māori342
Pacific Peoples135
Asian78
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Health Care and Social Assistance75
Retail Trade60
Manufacturing45
Construction33
Accommodation and Food33
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets3
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics1
Fuel stations4
Cafes & dining29
countdown1
new world1
paknsave1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops1
Hospitals · 1MoH
Horowhenua HospitalPublic Hospital
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Levin Central for a first-pass decision.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 1 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Available
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · 1 hospitals in coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · 1 matched stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Available
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.

Levin Central FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Levin Central?

    The median weekly rent in Levin Central is $530/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Levin Central?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 101% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Levin Central?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Levin Central show: Stretched, Average, High. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Levin Central?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the Levin Central data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.