does Wellington feel much bigger than Dunedin?

i moved from a big city in europe to dunedin for my partner's studies; i knew i was moving to a way smaller city and thought i was prepared but i guess i wasn't prepared enough: i'm really struggling with how small it feels and we're in our 30s (partner is changing careers, he is from nz but lived overseas for many years) and it feels like everyone here is 18-23, i haven't made any friends in 2 years.

the idea is to move to wellington (where he's from) once he graduates (in 2 years). does wellington feel bigger / less insular than dunedin? i know it IS bigger and it's the capital, but i'm wondering if the vibe is tangibly less small town-like or if this is a nz thing i need to get used to, since all cities except auckland are way smaller than the european cities i'm used to.

this is in no way a critique to dunedin or nz, i'm just trying to adjust my expectations in terms of social life.