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Suburb profile · West Coast · NZ

Charleston (Buller District) NZ

Charleston (Buller District) is in West Coast, New Zealand, with population 669.

Limited data

Thin-context

This page still helps with local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean suburb-level call. Use nearby alternatives or compare mode before turning it into a shortlist decision.

$490/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$518
$210
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting. Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

See what's missing → Compare suburb Open matching ranking
Median rent
$495/wk
Income-stretched rent market
D2 vs NZ
Population
669
669 local footprint
D1 vs NZ
Income
$30K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 8
Higher deprivation
D8 vs NZ
Schools
—
No matched schools

Area prices & affordability

Buller District territorial authority · HUD Local Housing Statistics
Median sale price
$351K
+46.9% over 5yr
↑9.0%YoY
Lower quartile
$289K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
4,315
QV-based HPI
↑41.5%5yr
Income to buy
6.8x
Years of median income
Annual sales
183
Transactions, TA

Mortgage serviceability

at the 5.69% 2-year fixed rate
Monthly repayment
$1,628/mo
20% deposit, 30-year P&I
Repayment burden
38%
of gross household income
Stress level
Stretched
<30% comfortable · >45% severe
Years to deposit
9.0 yrs
20% deposit at 15% savings

Monthly repayment by fixed term

Floating · 6.15%
$1,711
1-year fixed · 5.26%
$1,552
2-year fixed · 5.69%
$1,628
3-year fixed · 5.86%
$1,658

A territorial-authority estimate: the Buller District median sale price on a 20% deposit and 30-year loan, against the TA median household income implied by HUD's income-to-buy ratio, at RBNZ new-mortgage rates. A market-wide guide, not a Charleston (Buller District)-specific or borrower-specific figure.

Price trend

1yr -3.5%5yr +25.8%
QV House Price Index (Jan 2007 = 1000)

QV House Price Index for the Buller District territorial authority (monthly, Jan 2007 = 1000). A valuation-based index of price movement over time — distinct from the actual median sale price above.

Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Buller District territorial authority (as at 2026-03). 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 Charleston (Buller District), not a Charleston (Buller District)-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Derived from this suburb's own tenancy-bond rent history
Rent cycle positionRents rising
Low · 2021Peak · 2025

2.0% below peak rent · 40.0% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr +0.0%/yr · 5-yr +7.0%/yr

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

Personal income

Stats NZ Census · median individual · annual
$30K personal · yr-6.2% vs West Coast suburb median
Personal income distribution (Census 2023 · annual)
$10,000 or less
69
$10,001-$20,000
90
$20,001-$30,000
126
$30,001-$50,000
108
$50,001-$70,000
84
$70,001-$100,000
57
$100,001 or more
39

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. Distribution covers people aged 15+ with stated income; counts are randomly rounded to base 3.

Housing stock and tenure

Stats NZ Census 2013-2023
Home ownership over three censuses+15.2pp since 2013
2013
64% owned
2018
79% owned
2023
79% owned

28.9% of private dwellings were unoccupied on 2023 census night (holiday homes, empty rentals, and vacant stock).

Dwelling condition (occupied dwellings, self-reported)

17% damp (-1pp vs 2018) and 11% with visible mould larger than A4 (+2pp vs 2018).

Investor-specific data (gearing, investor concentration) is not published for NZ suburbs — the tenure trend above is the available investor signal.

Population outlook

Stats NZ projections · Buller District · medium series
10,550 people · 202310,700 by 2033 (+1.4%)

Stats NZ subnational projection (2023 base, medium series) for Buller District — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Crime

Buller District · Territorial Authority
Rate · per 100k3,464
Total incidents362· 2026-05
  • Assault5415%
  • Burglary10831%
  • Sexual Assault175%
  • Theft17349%

Natural hazards

Earthquake & flood exposure estimates
Earthquake exposure
High
Proximity to active faults
Nearest active fault
3.2 km
Lower Buller Fault

Earthquake exposure is the distance from Charleston (Buller District)'s centre to the nearest mapped active fault (GNS Science NZ Active Faults Database) — an area estimate, not a site-specific seismic assessment. NZ's full ground-shaking model (NSHM) is not available as a queryable map layer.

Short-term rentals

Inside Airbnb
80
active listings · ~119.6 per 1,000 residents
91%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
50%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$245
median nightly (entire home)
31%
estimated occupancy
$30,715
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
3/ 100 livability index

Top 97% most liveable of 1,902New Zealand suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 3% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access55
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals0

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

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.

Investment grade

Composite · growth · yield · stability
Agrade · 97/100 · top 3% of 65New Zealand districts
Peer distributionstronger than 97% of New Zealand districts
WeakerTypicalStronger
Capital growth97
Rental yield98
Stability19

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

District-level grade across New Zealand territorial authorities, combining 5-year price growth, rental yield (district median rent vs district median price), and stability (price-to-income level + affordability trajectory) via the same three-pillar method with an imbalance penalty. New Zealand has no free suburb-level prices, so this reflects your area's territorial authority. Within-New-Zealand relative, indicative only — not financial advice.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Similar-rent suburbs in other territorial authorities that rate higher on a metric.

Cheaper to rent

lower weekly rent · cross-TA

Higher income

personal median · cross-TA

Less deprived

lower NZDep decile · cross-TA

Alternatives are similar-rent suburbs (0.6–1.6x this suburb's median rent) in other territorial authorities that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Building activity

Stats NZ building consents

No recent building consent data for this suburb.

Employment

Stats NZ Census 2023 vs 2018 (employed residents 15+)
Employed residents
1,290
Was 1,167 in 2018
↑10.5%vs 2018 D7 vs NZ

Full data detail

Stats NZ Census 2023 · MBIE · MoE · NZDep2023
Charleston (Buller District) West Coast — Property Data and Demographics

Charleston (Buller District) is a small community in West Coast with a population of 669 and a median age of 53. Median personal income is $30K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Māori, Asian. West Coast population estimates moved +0.6% in the year ended June 2025, after moving +1.5% in 2024, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,167 in 2018 to 1,290 in 2023 (+10.5%), 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 Charleston (Buller District) is $495 (495 houses, 433 units). This represents approximately 85% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Charleston (Buller District): NZDep decile 8 (high deprivation).

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability85%↓ Stretched
DeprivationDecile 8↓ High
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$495
House · wk$495
Unit · wk$433
Rent / income85.2%
Lodgements63
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population669
Median age53
Household size—
HH income · yr—
Personal income · yr$30,200
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived8/10
NZDep score1059

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European612
Māori84
Asian21
MELAA6
Top industriesCensus 23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing57
Accommodation and Food45
Construction33
Health Care and Social Assistance30
Professional, Scientific and Technical27
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining5
Nearby in West Coast7
Reefton1,026Westport South2,610Westport Rural1,446Karamea909Inangahua906Buller Coalfields963Westport North1,920
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Thin evidence

Treat Charleston (Buller District) as a thin local read, not a complete suburb verdict.

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 · No linked local school matches
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Missing
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · mixed acquisition · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · No linked building consents series
Missing
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.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Charleston (Buller District) still carries enough real local context to help with NZ suburb discovery. It should still be read as a lighter locality brief, not as a fully covered suburb profile.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is useful, but thinner than the strongest NZ suburb profiles.

Use it as a quick locality brief first, especially if you are comparing it against larger or more fully covered suburbs.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, and building approvals.

The lighter areas here are school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, and building approvals, so one sparse reading should not stand in for the whole suburb story.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to frame the locality, then compare or zoom back out.

If the area still looks interesting, open compare, the region hub, or a nearby larger suburb to test whether the story holds up with denser coverage.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

The page still has enough real suburb context to remain searchable, but some market and service layers are too light for a full-confidence read.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

Let this page frame the locality, then check the story against compare, the region hub, or a nearby better-covered suburb before treating it as final.

Next step path
COMPARE OR CHECK NEARBY Open region hub Browse rankings
Stronger nearby reads

If Charleston (Buller District) feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before treating it as a full shortlist call.

Reefton most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar suburb scale

pop +400 · rent -$100/wk · income -$1K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Detail Compare
Westport South most similar
similar rent profile similar deprivation profile similar income profile

pop +1900 · rent -$45/wk · income -$2K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Detail Compare
Westport Rural most similar
similar rent profile similar income profile

pop +800 · rent -$35/wk · income +$2K

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Detail Compare

Charleston (Buller District) FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Charleston (Buller District)?

    The median weekly rent in Charleston (Buller District) is $495/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 Charleston (Buller District)?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 85% 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 Charleston (Buller District)?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Charleston (Buller District) show: Stretched, High. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Charleston (Buller District)?

    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 Charleston (Buller District) 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.

West Coast

Charleston (Buller District) sits in West Coast — explore the region.