The Great Sydney Exodus: Is the Harbour City Worth the Hustle?
The migration away from Sydney has become more than just a trickle - it’s turning into a steady stream. Reading through various online discussions recently, I’ve noticed a growing chorus of voices expressing their exhaustion with the relentless financial pressure cooker that Sydney has become.
Living in Melbourne, I often hear similar sentiments echoed through the corridors of my office building. The numbers tell a stark story: $9 sandwiches, $8 pies, and townhouses with seven-figure price tags that would make your eyes water. But it’s not just Sydney - these astronomical prices are creeping into every major Australian city.
Working in tech, I’ve watched colleagues pack up their lives and head to places like Perth, Adelaide, or even overseas. One of my former team members moved to Perth two years ago, and their Instagram feed now shows a remarkably different lifestyle - beachside coffee runs without the crushing weight of a massive mortgage hanging over their head.
The real eye-opener comes when you look at the alternatives. Regional Victoria, for instance, offers a completely different pace of life. While my daughter was completing Year 10 last year, we seriously contemplated a tree-change ourselves. The housing prices in places like Bendigo or Ballarat seem almost too good to be true compared to metropolitan madness.
But it’s not just about housing costs. The entire equation of life in our major cities seems increasingly skewed. When a basic lunch in the CBD costs more than an hour’s minimum wage, something feels fundamentally broken. The system appears designed to keep the middle class running on an ever-accelerating treadmill.
Some suggest moving overseas, particularly to Southeast Asia, where the cost of living can be significantly lower. However, the trade-offs aren’t always straightforward. Our healthcare system, despite its flaws, remains one of the world’s best. The quality of our education system, clean air, and safe drinking water are privileges we often take for granted.
The solution might lie somewhere between the extremes. Regional centres offer a compelling middle ground - maintaining the Australian lifestyle without the metropolitan markup. Looking at property listings in places like Geelong or Ballarat often feels like glimpsing into an alternate reality where housing hasn’t completely disconnected from average incomes.
Let’s be honest - this isn’t just about economics. It’s about the kind of life we want to live. Do we want to spend our days chasing ever-increasing living costs, or do we want to build communities where people can thrive without requiring multiple income streams just to keep their heads above water?
The pandemic proved that remote work is viable for many professions. Perhaps this is our opportunity to reimagine how we live and work. Whether it’s a move to a regional centre or a complete sea change to another state, the options are there for those willing to take the leap.
The current situation might seem bleak, but it’s forcing us to have important conversations about what we value and what we’re willing to sacrifice for it. Maybe the real question isn’t whether Sydney (or Melbourne, for that matter) is worth it anymore, but rather, what kind of life we could build somewhere else.