More than 36 per cent lived in the central city, and nearly nine in 10, or 88.1 per cent, rented rather than owned their place of residence, according to the report.
Only 17 of them were owner-occupiers and temporary migrants were "not directly involved in house price appreciation".
Dr Collins said most people on temporary visas financed their migration through savings, and there appeared to be correlations between levels of debt and plans to remain in New Zealand long-term through permanent residence.
Respondents from India and the Philippines represented a majority of those who identified as being in debt as a result of migration, but were also much more likely than other nationalities to be intending to apply for residency.
"These debt patterns are important because they can generate vulnerability amongst migrants and influence their pathways to incorporation in Auckland and New Zealand," Dr Collins said.
There was a mismatch between expectations for permanent residence, created in part by current policy settings, and the actual rates of transition, the study found.
One in five temporary migrants reported as being paid below the minimum wage or to working more hours than they were paid for.
More than half of all students in the research were employed, and about half reported working the maximum 20 hours allowed under their visa conditions.
Four in 10 were employed in accommodation and food service, or retail trade.
"[This] points to the reality that students also rely on employment to get by, a characteristic supported by evidence of debt levels among some students," the report said.
The study concluded that New Zealand needed a "more humane and less revenue-centred approach" to migration to address these emerging issues.
Immigration New Zealand issues more than 250,000 temporary work and study visas a year.
"A greater emphasis on the well-being of migrants in immigration policy is needed," it said.
"This would appear to be particularly the case in relation to international students where policy seems to be focused primarily on maximising student numbers and revenue and less on the situations or expectation of students themselves."