Most Brits moving to Australia head to major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, drawn by lifestyle, job opportunities, and existing British communities, with Melbourne often cited for its culture and Perth for affordability and lifestyle, while regional areas offer quieter, cheaper alternatives. Melbourne attracts a large share, particularly families, while Sydney offers vibrancy, and Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast) appeals for warmer weather.
What are the most British-feeling cities in Australia? Adelaide is often regarded as the most British-feeling city in Australia due to its architecture, green spaces, and slower pace of life, which many find reminiscent of the UK.
Over 55% of Brits leaving the UK moved to Europe in the last year, which is no surprise, with Spain, France, Italy, Ireland and Germany being in the top 10 countries in which Brits have moved and mainland Europe is the closest destination by distance for emigrating Brits.
Migrating to Aus is hard work and ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't have tried it with an English wife and no support system. Most of the Brits I've known who have stayed have had one Aussie or Kiwi partner and grandparents, aunts, uncles in Aus for family support.
Hobart, Tasmania, is widely recognized as the cheapest major city, but smaller regional towns in Queensland and South Australia can offer even lower living costs.
Adelaide has been ranked Australia's happiest city in the global Happy City Index, scoring highly across 82 measures of liveability and wellbeing.
Yes, Australia is generally 10-25% more expensive than the UK for everyday living expenses. However, before you abandon your Australian dreams, here's the crucial bit – salaries are 20-30% higher, often offsetting the increased costs!
Weighing the Pros & Cons of Living in Australia
In conclusion, Australia boasts a high quality of life, stunning natural landscapes, a friendly and welcoming culture, and a strong economy, it also has its downsides, such as high cost of living, harsh weather conditions, and Immigration policies.
Yes, $70k is a fair salary in Australia, often near the median income, making it a decent living for a single person, especially outside major cities, but it can be tight in expensive areas or for those with high living costs like mortgages, with full-time averages now closer to $90k-$100k.
Retiring to Australia
The Investor Retirement Visa is the most expensive way to ensure you can retire in Australia. You will generally have to show the authorities that you have AUD$500,000 if you plan on settling in a rural area and AUD$750,000 if you are settling anywhere else.
Of the countries polled, Sweden is the non-Anglosphere country seen as friendliest to Britain, with 80% of the public seeing the UK and Sweden as having a positive relationship.
According to a report in the Times, Malta is offering British people a variety of non-dom-style tax breaks that include a 15% rate on income remitted to the country and no capital gains tax.
Where British expats are settling in 2025? In 2025, the most common destinations for people leaving the UK are Spain, Ireland, Australia, Canada, France, and Portugal. Increasingly, movers are also heading to the USA, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UAE, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the wider Gulf region.
The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person. Newspapers in Australia were using the term by 1912, with it appearing first in Western Australia, and was said to be short for pomegranate, with the terms "jimmy" and "jimmigrant" also in use.
The Best Cities to Move to In Australia
The largest immigrant group in Australia has historically been people born in England (United Kingdom), remaining the top country of birth for overseas-born residents for many years, but people born in India have seen the largest growth and are now the second-largest group, with China and New Zealand also having significant populations. While the UK still leads overall as the single largest community, recent trends show a significant shift towards Asian countries, especially India, in terms of new migrants and population growth.
The average Australian full-time worker is now earning more than $2000 a week for the first time in history. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the average ordinary full-time weekly earnings for adults hit $2011.40 before tax in May.
How to avoid paying higher-rate tax
According to ABS data, just 2.61 million Aussies – or about 10 per cent of the population – earn $100,000 or more a year. Many people will never reach a six-figure income in their working lives.
You have a substantial criminal record. Convicted of, had a charge proven for, or found guilty of a sexually based crime involving a child. Convicted of escaping from immigration detention, or convicted for an offence that you committed while you were in immigration detention, during an escape from immigration ...
Australia's cost of living and property crisis is pushing more and more Australians out of the country as they battle housing affordability and cost of living pressures.
The top 10 issues Australians say are the most concerning
The UK and Australian Tax Systems: An Overall Comparison
Although income tax is generally lower in the UK (due to the progressive tax bandings), the Australian system includes a considerably lesser Medicare tax in comparison to the UK's National Insurance rates.
Australia has high demand for workers in Healthcare (nurses, aged/disability carers, allied health), Tech (software engineers, cybersecurity, data analysts), Construction & Trades (managers, electricians, fitters, civil engineers), and Education (teachers, early childhood educators) due to an aging population, infrastructure projects, and digital transformation, with roles like Chefs, Project Managers, and Automotive Technicians also sought after across various industries.
Adelaide is often regarded as the cheapest place to live in Australia, with lower living costs compared to major cities. Regional areas are becoming more popular due to remote work opportunities, making them affordable choices.