After living in Sydney her entire life, Lilly, 26, finally grew tired of its exorbitant prices and decided to up and move to Brisbane in 2018.
She told Daily Mail Australia that since then, she has never looked back and doesn’t see herself moving back to Sydney anytime soon.
Lilly had been paying $550 a week to live in a unit in Alexandria, in Sydney’s inner south, while working for a PR company in Potts Point.
It took her an hour each day to commute to and from work, where she noticed the environment was becoming increasingly competitive and stressful.
‘The cost of living became unsustainable,’ she recalled.
Lilly knew she wanted to live somewhere warmer and moved to Brisbane, where she knew life would be more affordable.
Upon landing, she noticed an immediate change in her mood. Strangers smiled and said hello on the street – something she had ‘never’ experienced in Sydney.
Lilly decided to split the rent for a $450-a-week two-bedroom apartment in the CBD, in a complex that boasted three pools, a gym and a rec room.
In 2021, Lilly moved to a one-bedroom apartment, where she paid just $320 a week.
When the owners put the unit up for sale, Lilly, who was 25 at the time, realised she could afford the deposit for the property, which was listed for $340,000.
After living in Sydney her whole life, Lilly, 26, decided to move to Brisbane in 2018. She was able to purchase a property after just three years after having ‘no money’ in Sydney
She decided to put an offer in, and it was accepted.
‘Leaving Sydney, I never thought I would own,’ she said.
Living in Brisbane for three years had allowed her to save the funds. In comparison, when she was living in Sydney she never seemed to have ‘any money’.
Lilly believes Brisbane has a lot of perks, including good jobs, warmer weather and a better work-life balance.
She added that people were generally friendlier and more relaxed and that work environments tended to be less stressful and competitive.
However, public transport wasn’t as good as in Sydney, with people usually needing to drive, take Ubers or walk to their destination.
The 27-year-old admitted she could understand why people called Brisbane a ‘big country town’ and joked that ‘everyone knows everyone’.
‘I think Brisbane is a slept-on city,’ she said.
‘We’re becoming more of a key player, especially with the Olympics coming up. My advice for people thinking about moving would be to visit first.
‘You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what it’s actually like.’
Lilly added that Brisbane, like everywhere in Australia, had been impacted by the rising cost of living but that her city was generally more affordable.
‘You actually able to spend the money you’re making here,’ she said.