Best places to live in Australia for British expats in 2026
By Total Moving SolutionsPublished Updated
Written by Dan Cozma · Reviewed by James Mallett, Director at Total Moving Solutions · Updated October 2026
Ask most people in Britain where the Brits in Australia live and they will say Sydney or Melbourne. The census says Perth, where nearly one resident in ten was born in Britain.
Reputation and reality have drifted apart on cost too. Brisbane is no longer the cheap option. Melbourne is now the cheapest of the five big cities to buy a home in. And the best-paid place in the country is one most British families never look at.
So what are the best places to live in Australia for British expats? No city wins on everything, but each kind of move has a clear best fit. Perth has the biggest British community and high pay. Melbourne offers value and culture. Sydney leads for finance and tech careers. Brisbane and the Gold Coast have the warm winters, Adelaide the slower pace, Canberra the salaries and Hobart the lowest prices.
Eight of the best cities to live in Australia follow, compared on the numbers that decide where you can afford to live. Every figure is dated and sourced, with pounds shown at £1 to A$1.90.
The best places to live in Australia at a glance
Home values and rents separate these cities far more than pay does. Sydney’s median home costs A$457,000 more than Hobart’s, yet average full-time pay differs by only A$263 a week between the two.
| Place | Median home value | House rent per week | Unit rent per week | Average full-time pay per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | A$975,000 (£513,000) | A$750 (£395) | A$700 (£370) | A$2,227 (£1,170) |
| Sydney | A$1,199,000 (£631,000) | A$850 (£445) | A$780 (£410) | A$2,109 (£1,110) |
| Melbourne | A$781,000 (£411,000) | A$600 (£315) | A$600 (£315) | A$2,041 (£1,075) |
| Brisbane | A$1,049,000 (£552,000) | A$700 (£370) | A$660 (£345) | A$2,040 (£1,075) |
| Adelaide | A$929,000 (£489,000) | A$650 (£340) | A$550 (£290) | A$1,970 (£1,035) |
| Gold Coast* | A$1,221,000 (£643,000) | A$900 (£475) | A$800 (£420) | A$2,040 (£1,075) |
| Canberra | A$862,000 (£454,000) | A$710 (£375) | A$580 (£305) | A$2,290 (£1,205) |
| Hobart | A$741,000 (£390,000) | A$625 (£330) | A$520 (£275) | A$1,846 (£970) |
Home values: Cotality Home Value Index, 30 September 2026. Rents: Domain Rental Report, June quarter 2026. Pay: ABS average weekly earnings for full-time adults, May 2026, by state or territory. *Gold Coast figures come from different series: home value from Cotality’s regional report (April 2026), rents from the Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority for a three-bedroom house and two-bedroom unit (June quarter 2026).
The second table covers who lives there and what the weather does.
| Place | Population | British-born residents | Share of city | Average high, January | Average high, July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth | 2.45 million | 199,097 | 9.4% | 31°C | 19°C |
| Sydney | 5.64 million | 175,147 | 3.3% | 26°C | 16°C |
| Melbourne | 5.44 million | 156,074 | 3.2% | 27°C | 15°C |
| Brisbane | 2.83 million | 110,305 | 4.4% | 30°C | 22°C |
| Adelaide | 1.49 million | 90,207 | 6.5% | 29°C | 15°C |
| Gold Coast | 691,000 | 35,400 | 5.7% | 29°C | 21°C |
| Canberra | 485,000 | 15,498 | 3.4% | 30°C | 13°C |
| Hobart | 255,000 | 9,416 | 3.8% | 22°C | 12°C |
Population: ABS, 30 June 2025. British-born: people born in England, Scotland or Wales, ABS 2021 Census (results from the August 2026 Census are due in June 2027). Temperatures: Bureau of Meteorology long-term averages.
Which Australian city is best for you?
Start with what matters most to you and work back to the city.
| If you want | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The biggest British community | Perth | 9.4% of residents are British-born, the highest share of any city here |
| The highest pay | Canberra, then Perth | The ACT and Western Australia have the highest average full-time earnings |
| The lowest price to buy | Hobart, then Melbourne | Median home values of A$741,000 and A$781,000 |
| The lowest house rent in a big city | Melbourne | A$600 a week, A$50 less than Adelaide and A$250 less than Sydney |
| A finance or tech career | Sydney | The only city where banking and computer system design are among the three largest industries |
| Mining and engineering work | Perth | Mining employs 6.6% of Perth workers, against 0.2% in Sydney and Melbourne |
| Warm winters | Brisbane or the Gold Coast | Average July highs of 21°C to 22°C |
| Cooler summers | Hobart | An average January high of 22°C |
| The quickest flight from the UK | Perth | The only non-stop flight from London, about 17 hours |
| Cheap commuting | Brisbane, Gold Coast or Hobart | 50 cent fares in south-east Queensland; free buses in Hobart until June 2027 |
Moving with children? Schools, childcare and family suburbs get their own guide: best places to live in Australia for families.
How we compared the cities
“Best” means little without a yardstick, so here is ours. We compared each place on home values, rents, pay, jobs, climate, transport and the size of its British community, using official statistics wherever they exist.
The eight are listed by the number of British-born people who already live there, not by our opinion. Home values fell in every capital in the three months to September 2026, so treat each price as a snapshot of the month shown.
Perth: where most British expats live
Perth has more British-born residents than any other Australian city: 199,097 at the last census. In the northern City of Joondalup, 17% of residents were born in the UK. The flow continues. Western Australia took 28% of skilled migrants from the UK in 2024-25, more than any other state, according to Home Affairs.
Pay and weather explain the pull. Full-time workers in Western Australia average A$2,227 (£1,170) a week, the highest of any state, and summers are hot and dry.
Distance is the trade-off. The east coast is a four to five hour flight away, so moving on to a job in Sydney or Melbourne is a big step. Our guide on whether Perth is a good place to live covers the suburbs in detail, and our removals to Perth page explains how your belongings get there.
Sydney: the biggest job market, at the highest price
Sydney is Australia’s largest city and its largest job market. Banking and computer system design both rank among its three largest industries, which is true of no other city here. New South Wales also had the lowest unemployment of the six states in August 2026, at 4.3%.
You pay for that. The median home is worth A$1.2 million (£631,000) and a house rents for A$850 a week, both the highest of the capitals. Prices are at least moving in buyers’ favour, with values down 7.0% in the year to September 2026.
Sydney’s 175,147 British-born residents make up just 3.3% of the city, so the community is large but spread thin. If your career points here, our removals to Sydney page explains how the move works.
Melbourne: the best value of the big cities
Melbourne is the surprise of 2026. After a 6.2% fall in the past year, it is the cheapest of the five big cities to buy in, with a median home value of A$781,000 (£411,000). It is also the cheapest for renting a house. Against Sydney, a buyer saves about A$418,000.
Quality of life is the other draw. The EIU ranks Melbourne the third most liveable city in the world for 2026, with full marks for healthcare and education, and Time Out named it the world’s best city this year.
Suburb choice matters more here than in most cities. Our guide to the cool places to live in Melbourne compares them, and you can read about removals to Melbourne when you are ready to ship.
Brisbane: warm winters, but no longer cheap
Brisbane’s weather lives up to the brochure. The average high in July, the middle of winter, is 22°C.
Its reputation for low prices has not kept up. The median home is now worth A$1.05 million (£552,000), second only to Sydney among the capitals, and rental vacancy was 0.6% in June 2026. People keep coming regardless. Greater Brisbane added 58,200 residents in 2024-25, a rise of 2.1%.
Investment is following the growth. Brisbane Metro is running, Cross River Rail is due in 2029 and the city hosts the Olympic Games in 2032. Our removals to Brisbane page covers shipping to Queensland.
Adelaide: liveable and familiar, with lower pay
Adelaide ranks eighth in the world for liveability in 2026 and has the second-highest share of British-born residents, at 6.5%. It is also the driest of the eight, with warm summers and about 525 mm of rain a year.
The “cheap capital” label needs updating. Homes now cost more than in Melbourne, rental vacancy is the lowest of the big five at 0.4%, and full-time pay is the lowest on the mainland at A$1,970 (£1,035) a week. Units are the exception, at A$550 a week.
The appeal is scale. Adelaide has 1.5 million people, about a quarter of Sydney’s population. See removals to Adelaide for shipping details.
Gold Coast: beach life with a big-city price tag
The Gold Coast is not a capital, but with 691,000 people it is bigger than Canberra and Hobart. British-born residents make up 5.7% of the city, the third-highest share here. Winters are mild, and it is the wettest of the eight places.
It is not a budget choice. The median home value was A$1.22 million (£643,000) in April 2026, above Sydney’s. New tenants paid a median of A$900 a week for a three-bedroom house in the June quarter, well above the A$720 paid in Brisbane.
Brisbane is about an hour north, which widens the job market for commuters. Our removals to Gold Coast page has the practical detail.
Canberra: the highest pay in Australia
Canberra pays best. Full-time workers in the ACT average A$2,290 (£1,205) a week, the highest in the country, and unemployment is the lowest at 4.0%.
Government is the reason. Almost three in ten workers are in public administration and safety. There is a catch for new arrivals: federal public service jobs generally require Australian citizenship. Most migrants start in health, education or professional services instead.
Canberra suits people who want a planned, quiet city and can live without the sea. Details on shipping inland are on our removals to Canberra page.
Hobart: the lowest prices and the mildest summers
Hobart is the cheapest of the eight to buy in, with a median home value of A$741,000 (£390,000). It is also the coolest. The average January high is 22°C, close to a good English summer, and winters are cold enough to feel familiar.
Lower prices come with lower pay. Tasmania’s full-time average of A$1,846 (£970) a week is the lowest in Australia, unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, and living costs are rising faster here than in any other capital.
England is the most common overseas birthplace in Greater Hobart, so you will not be the only new arrival with a British accent. See removals to Hobart for how shipping to Tasmania works.
What is the cheapest place to live in Australia?
Of the eight places here, Hobart is the cheapest to buy in and Melbourne is the cheapest big city. For renters, Hobart and Adelaide have the lowest unit rents (A$520 and A$550 a week), while Melbourne has the lowest house rent of the big five (A$600).
Everyday costs are harder to pin down. No official source compares household budgets city by city. What the ABS does publish is how fast prices are rising: 4.8% in Hobart and 4.7% in Adelaide in the year to August 2026, against 3.5% in Melbourne.
Two more numbers help. The regulated reference price for a year’s electricity is A$1,899 in most of Sydney, A$1,988 in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and A$2,334 in Adelaide. And Numbeo’s crowd-sourced data, a rough guide only, puts a single person’s monthly costs before rent between A$1,450 and A$1,810 across the eight, all below London.
Cheap housing rarely comes alone. Hobart’s homes cost the least, but average pay there is A$444 a week below Canberra’s.
Sydney or Melbourne?
Melbourne wins on cost and Sydney on jobs and pay. That is the short answer, and the detail is below.
On liveability the two are almost level, with Melbourne third and Sydney fourth in the world. If your industry is strong in both, Melbourne’s housing gap is hard to ignore. Finance and tech careers still tilt towards Sydney.
What to check before you choose a city
A few practical points can decide the city for you.
For visa routes, costs and the step-by-step process, read our guide to moving to Australia from the UK. If you are still weighing Australia against other countries, our cost of living comparison of Canada, the USA and Australia sets the three side by side.
Moving your home to your chosen city
Once the city is settled, the question becomes what to take and how to ship it. Total Moving Solutions manages removals to Australia from the UK to all eight places in this guide.
- Part load or dedicated: single items and small moves travel on our regular part load service, sharing space with other customers’ belongings to keep costs down. Whole households get a dedicated service
- Packing and inventory: we pack and inventory everything ourselves, which helps keep out items that could cause problems at customs
- Storage: available in Australia if your new home is not ready
- Cover: MoveReady, our enhanced liability cover, is available for your shipment
Your city affects the plan. Perth is on the opposite coast from Sydney and Brisbane, and Canberra is inland, so routes and timings differ. A video survey shows us what you are taking, and your quote follows from that.
Moving to or from Australia? REQUEST A FREE QUOTE here!
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to live in Australia for British expats?
It depends on what you need. Perth has the largest British community and the highest pay of any state. Melbourne is the best value of the big cities. Sydney has the most jobs in finance and tech, and Brisbane has the warmest winters of the big cities.
Where do most Brits live in Australia?
Perth. It had 199,097 British-born residents at the 2021 Census, 9.4% of its population. Sydney is second with 175,147 and Melbourne third with 156,074. Across Australia, more than 1.1 million residents were born in the UK.
Which Australian city is best for jobs?
Sydney has the largest job market, and New South Wales had the lowest unemployment of the states in August 2026. Perth leads for mining and engineering, and Western Australia has the highest average pay of any state. Canberra pays more still, but federal public service roles generally need citizenship.
Which Australian city has the best weather?
Perth has the most sunshine of the six cities with Bureau of Meteorology records: 8.8 hours a day, ahead of Brisbane (8.2), Adelaide (7.0), Sydney (6.8), Melbourne (6.0) and Hobart (5.9). Brisbane and the Gold Coast have the warmest winters. Hobart and Melbourne are closest to the British climate.
Is Perth cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne?
Perth is cheaper than Sydney for buying and renting. It is now more expensive than Melbourne on both counts. Perth’s median home value is A$975,000, against A$1.2 million in Sydney and A$781,000 in Melbourne.
Can you fly direct from the UK to Australia?
Yes, to Perth. Qantas flies non-stop from London in about 17 hours. The return flight stops in Singapore until the end of January 2027. Every other city needs at least one stop, usually in Asia or the Middle East. Non-stop flights between Sydney and London are due to begin in October 2027.
Choosing where to live in Australia
The best places to live in Australia are the ones that match your work, your budget and how far you are willing to be from home. Shortlist two or three cities from the tables, check job adverts in your field for each, and price a real rental before you decide.
When you know where you are going, we can get your home there. Tell us the city and what you plan to take, and we will give you a clear quote for the move.
Moving to or from Australia? REQUEST A FREE QUOTE here!
Reviewed by
James Mallett
Director, Total Moving Solutions
I’ve spent around 20 years in the removals industry, helping individuals and families move home and begin new chapters, both across the UK and overseas.
Today, I run Total Moving Solutions, a small, family-run business helping around 80 to 100 customers relocate each month. We arrange UK, European and international removals.
Over the years, I’ve learned that every move is different. Behind every shipment is a person or family with their own plans, priorities and concerns. For me, understanding those needs and offering a personal, supportive service is just as important as the practical arrangements.
I’m proud that Total Moving Solutions is accredited by Move Assured and has received many five-star reviews on Google, Trustpilot and Removal Reviews. That feedback means a great deal to us as a family business, and we work hard to give every customer the care and attention we would want for our own move.
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October 7th, 2026|