Anna Sherchand left Australia 11 years ago with plans to visit every country in the world. Picture: Instagram/@annasherchand
An Aussie woman who quit Australia to travel the world has revealed just how big the rental gap is between Sydney and other parts of the globe.
Anna Sherchand left Australia 11 years ago after a combination of personal crises pushed her to make big life changes that ultimately resulted in her packing her bags.
The Nepali-born Australian, now in her 30s, has solo travelled to 111 countries so far. Her “ultimate life mission”, she says, is to visit all 197 UN-recognised nations in the world.
Along the way, Sherchand has turned her jetsetting life into a popular travel blog and book – A solo female traveller’s story – that documents her movements, experiences and the stark differences between life in Sydney and the rest of the world.
Sherchand said her decision to pack up her life 11 years ago was something that built over time until it could no longer be ignored.
Anna made the call to leave her home behind after a series of personal shocks sparked her to make a change. Picture: Instagram/@annasherchand
“The soaring cost of living and the feeling of renting ‘a box’ while stuck in the corporate rat race definitely triggered it,” Sherchand said.
“But it was also deeply personal — experiencing a major relationship breakdown, losing a family member, and my own health scare made me realise life is too short to spend just surviving.”
Sherchand’s rental expenses in Sydney came to about $2000 per month for a cramped one-bedroom apartment.
Her experiences overseas paint a bleak picture of how much further that same money can get you at various Asian destinations.
For $500 a month in Bangkok, Thailand, Sherchand says travellers can bag a condo with a pool and gym. And that’s on the expensive end of the scale.
Anna’s travels showed her just how far Sydney money could be stretched in other parts of the world. Picture: Instagram/@annasherchand
Kathmandu, Nepal, will set you back $400 a month while $350 per month will set someone up comfortably in places like Laos, Hanoi in Vietnam and Bagan in Myanmar.
“It really highlights the staggering divide between the Sydney market and the rest of the world (and) when you look at the raw numbers, the contrast is wild,” she said.
“In Sydney, I was paying $2000 a month to essentially live in a box, just surviving the rat race.
“Fleeing overseas allowed me to slash my base accommodation costs by 75 per cent to 80 per cent in places like Southeast Asia and Nepal.
“In Bangkok, an expat budget of around $500 a month doesn’t just get you a roof — it gets you a modern lifestyle with amenities that would cost a fortune in Australia.
“If you leverage local guesthouses and eat locally, your entire cost of existence can sit well under $900 a month. It completely changes your relationship with money – suddenly you’re living instead of just working to pay a landlord.”
The solo traveller still has 86 countries to tick off her list. Picture: Instagram/@annasherchand
Eating and shopping locally in these regions is the key to keeping costs low, Sherchand says, and travellers willing to immerse themselves fully in the regions they are visiting leave with cash to spare.
“People think moving to Southeast Asia automatically saves you money, but if you want western luxury comforts in a hub like Bangkok, it can easily match or exceed Sydney prices,” she said.
“You can live a very full, beautiful life on a fraction of an Australian budget, but you have to be willing to drop the Western expectations.”
Despite leaving her home 11 years ago, Sherchand says she has no regrets about quitting Australia.
Anna has no regrets about leaving Australia but periodically returns home. Picture: Instagram/@annasherchand
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t certain perks she misses from time to time
“When I’m off grid or in remote developing nations, I miss Australia’s basic infrastructure — even simple things like being able to drink crisp water straight from the tap,” she said.
“What I don’t miss is the constant commercial pressure; the incredibly pricey daily coffee habits, extortionate dining out costs, and the general financial stress that hangs over social life in major Aussie cities.”
Sherchand has recently returned to Australia where she has been spending time Melbourne to establish some structure and routine in her life.
It has been a difficult transition for the solo traveller but one that hasn’t changed her ultimate mission: 197 countries to see, 86 to go.
English (US) · 