An Italian expat living in Australia says skyrocketing rental prices and difficulty finding a home isn’t the worst thing about the country.
As negative gearing and CGT changes put the squeeze on Aussie investors searching for property, rental prices in most capital cities continue to rise.
It is an issue affecting a lot of international visitors looking to put down roots in Australia.
As immigration numbers continue to hit record numbers the pressure on the Australian rental market is showing no signs of cooling.
The realestate.com.au Rental Affordability Index in March showed affordability was currently at a record low.
Between the December quarter of 2025 and 2026, median advertised rents nationally increased from $620 to $650, just shy of 5 per cent growth. That was enough to offset income growth and see affordability deteriorate further.
Years of rapid rent growth mean advertised rents nationally have surged since the covid pandemic, from $420 at the start of 2020 to $650 in 2026 – an increase of 55 per cent.
But for Italian expat Matilde, the rental battle in Australia was nothing compared to her struggle to make meaningful friendships.
Italian expat Matilde says making friends in Australia has been incredibly tough. Picture: Supplied
Matilde has also lived in Switzerland, the UK and Canada but said Australia was the “worst place” to make friends and build a fulfilling life.
She said people in Australia were polite and easy to talk to but most Aussies felt they had enough friends and weren’t looking for more.
“Australia has been the hardest country to make friends in,” she said in a video.
“The perception I had of Australians was that they were very extroverted, friendly, and eager to make new friends.
“They want their friends from school. They want their inner circle. They want to be friends with who they know.
“They’re really good at small talk and it’s something I absolutely cannot do. I don’t want to talk about the weather. I don’t want to talk about what I did over the weekend.
“I want to talk about who you are. I want to talk about where you’re from and your experiences.”
While some viewers questioned how Matilde was meant to form meaningful friendships without first having the small talk, others agreed and shared their own experiences.
“I was born here in Australia and completely agree. It’s very cliquey and it doesn’t matter which state. I have zero friends and I’m in my mid-50s,” one woman said.
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