Is Moving to Australia Worth It?
We move people to Australia for a living, so treat our enthusiasm accordingly. This page is written to help you decide, including deciding against it. It sets out what the official migration data actually shows, which trade-offs are real, and the situations where we would tell you to stay put.
Quick answer
For people with an in-demand occupation, dependants young enough to settle easily, and no binding obligations at home, Australia usually delivers on the promise: higher pay in skilled roles, more outdoor living, and a straightforward path to permanent residency. It is a poor decision if your qualification isn't recognised, if your support network is non-negotiable, or if you are moving to escape something rather than towards something. Distance and housing costs are the two things people consistently underestimate.
What the migration data actually says
Australia's net overseas migration was 306,000 in 2024–25, down from 429,000 the year before — the intake is normalising after the post-pandemic surge, not collapsing. The permanent Migration Program offers 185,000 places, of which roughly 71% sit in the skilled stream.
The corridor matters for how competitive you are. India, China, the United Kingdom and New Zealand are the largest sources of net migration, and the skilled stream is heavily weighted toward occupations on the current lists. If your occupation is on a list and you can be assessed, you are in the part of the system that is designed to say yes. If it isn't, no amount of enthusiasm changes the arithmetic.
Our Australian immigration statistics carry the full breakdown by visa category, source country and state, sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Home Affairs. If your occupation is the question, start with the skilled occupation lists.
| Measure | 2024–25 | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Net overseas migration | 306,000 | Down from 429,000 and 45% below the September 2023 peak — normalising, not closing |
| Permanent Migration Program places | 185,000 | One of the largest caps ever set; the door is not narrowing |
| Skilled stream share | 71% (132,200 places) | The system is built around occupation, not aspiration |
| UK net migration to Australia | 25,600 | Highest since 2016, driven largely by working holiday makers |
| Median age of arrivals | 26 years | If you are over 40 you are unusual, and the points test says so |
What genuinely improves
The gains people report are consistent, and they are mostly not about weather.
The honest summary
The gains people report are consistent and mostly not about weather: skilled pay in specific fields, working conditions, outdoor living as an ordinary weekday activity, and a residency pathway that tells you in advance what you need to score.
- Skilled pay, in specific fields. Healthcare, engineering, construction, mining and technology pay well relative to the UK in particular, and the gap widens outside the major capitals.
- Working conditions. Minimum leave entitlements, superannuation contributions and a generally lower-hours culture in many industries.
- Outdoor living as an ordinary weekday activity rather than a holiday. This sounds trivial and is the thing people cite most.
- Space, once you are outside the inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.
- A clear residency pathway. Unlike several comparable destinations, the points system tells you in advance what you need to score.
What gets harder, and stays hard
These are the costs that don't fade after the first year.
- Distance. It is roughly 24 hours' flying to the UK or the US east coast, expensive, and exhausting with children. A parent falling ill is a different kind of event when you are that far away.
- Housing costs in Sydney and Melbourne, which are high by any international standard and are the main reason arrivals move interstate — Perth and Adelaide are materially cheaper and carry a visa advantage.
- Buying a home may not be open to you at first. Australia restricted foreign persons from purchasing established dwellings for a two-year period from 1 April 2025, with new and off-the-plan properties still available subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval. Temporary visa holders are generally treated as foreign persons; permanent residents generally are not. If your plan assumed buying on arrival, check your status against the current FIRB rules before you commit to anything.
- Professional recognition. Some qualifications transfer cleanly, others require assessment, bridging study or re-registration, and a few effectively don't transfer at all.
- Building a support network from zero as an adult, which is slower than most people expect and hardest for a non-working partner.
- Visa conditions. Temporary and regional visas can tie you to an employer or a location in ways that constrain choices you would otherwise make freely.
When we would tell you not to come
There are circumstances in which we think the move is a mistake, and we would rather say so before you spend money on assessments and shipping.
- Your occupation isn't on a skilled list and you have no employer sponsor. The pathway is genuinely difficult and the honest answer is to change the plan, not to push harder.
- You have caring responsibilities you would be unable to fulfil from the other side of the world.
- One partner is enthusiastic and the other is being carried along. This is the single most reliable predictor of a return move.
- You are moving primarily to escape a job, a relationship or a country. The problems that travel with you are the ones that matter.
- Your finances only work if everything goes to plan. Budget for a job search longer than you expect, a rental market that asks for references you don't yet have, and a shipment that arrives weeks later than hoped.
A way to decide
Rather than weighing vibes, answer four questions in order. Each is a gate: if the answer is no, the ones after it don't matter yet.
- Eligibility — is your occupation assessable, and can you plausibly reach a competitive points score or secure sponsorship? Check the occupation list and run the points calculator before anything else.
- Economics — at realistic Australian salary and housing costs for your target city, are you better off? Compare like with like: total package including superannuation, against total cost including rent. Our cost of living comparison converts the salaries properly, which most published comparisons do not.
- People — is everyone moving actually committed, and are the obligations you leave behind ones you can meet from a distance?
- Reversibility — if it doesn't work in two years, what does going back cost, financially and professionally? A move you can undo is a much smaller decision than one you can't.
The trial-run question
People often ask whether to visit first. If you can afford it, yes — but visit in the season you'd find hardest, not the best one, and spend the time in ordinary suburbs rather than on the harbour. A February visit to a Sydney rental inspection tells you more than a week in Bondi in October.
For those under 31 (or 35 for some nationalities), a Working Holiday visa is the cheapest possible trial run, and time worked can sometimes support a later skilled application. It is a genuinely different proposition from arriving permanently with a container of furniture.
Sources & further reading
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Overseas Migration
- Department of Home Affairs — Migration Program planning levels
Figures are indicative and were last reviewed on 27 July 2026. Always confirm current fees and requirements with the relevant official authority before acting.
Frequently asked questions
Do most people who move to Australia stay?
Most permanent skilled migrants do settle, but a meaningful minority return, and the common reasons are family circumstances at home, a partner who never wanted to come, and housing costs in the largest cities. We would rather you plan for the possibility than treat return as failure — knowing what going back would cost makes the initial decision easier, not harder.
Can I buy a house in Australia on a temporary visa?
Not an established one, at least during the restriction that took effect on 1 April 2025 and runs for two years. Foreign persons — which generally includes temporary visa holders — were barred from buying existing dwellings, though new builds and off-the-plan purchases remain possible with Foreign Investment Review Board approval. Permanent residents are generally not treated as foreign persons. This is the kind of rule that changes, so confirm your own position with the FIRB before making plans that depend on it.
Is Australia more expensive than the UK?
Groceries, alcohol, utilities and childcare generally cost more; petrol and eating out are broadly comparable; housing is the swing factor and depends entirely on the city. Skilled salaries are typically higher, which is why the comparison must be done on your specific occupation and target city rather than on national averages.
How long does it take to feel settled?
Most people describe three to six months to feel functional — housing, school, bank, licence — and one to two years to feel genuinely at home. The second timeline is about friendships, and it moves faster for people who join something: a sports club, a school community, a professional network.
Should I get permanent residency before moving?
If you can, yes. Permanent residency removes the employer and location conditions that make temporary visas stressful, gives access to Medicare, and means a job that doesn't work out is an inconvenience rather than a visa problem. The trade-off is time: a points-tested application takes considerably longer than an employer-sponsored temporary visa.
Is it worth moving to Australia with young children?
Young children generally adapt fastest, and the school system is well regarded. The practical constraint is timing rather than age: the Australian school year starts in late January, so arriving in December or early January avoids a disruptive mid-year entry. Teenagers approaching public examinations are the harder case.
Related guides
Chosen because they cover the next decision after this one. For everything else, see all moving to Australia guides.
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