Australians are happier in the city than the country — but overall satisfaction with where they live is falling, new data shows.
The 2025 Living in Australia report by .id (informed decisions) ranks the ACT and Greater Sydney as the country’s most liveable areas, followed by Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and South East Queensland.
The national Liveability Index has dropped to 59.5 out of 100, down from 63.4 last year. City dwellers scored 61.2, while regional and rural residents averaged 58.3.
Housing in the outer southern suburbs of Canberra.
Safety topped the list of priorities for 65 per cent of Australians, followed by affordable housing — which also scored lowest in satisfaction, highlighting a major gap between expectation and reality. Access to nature and high-quality healthcare were other top concerns, particularly for those outside major cities.
| MOST LIVEABLE PLACES IN AUSTRALIA 2025 | |||
| 1. ACT | |||
| 2. Greater Sydney | |||
| 3. Perth | |||
| 4. Adelaide | |||
| 5. South East Queensland | |||
| 6. Central NSW | |||
| 7. Regional WA | |||
| 8. Darwin | |||
| 9. Hobart | |||
| 10. Central Queensland | |||
| Source: informed decisions | |||
“Regional Australians are telling us loud and clear — they value healthcare and jobs, but they’re not getting the same access or quality as those in the cities,” said .id social researcher Jacquie Norton.
Dan Evans, lead of .id’s community views service, said the data shows exactly where governments and organisations need to focus.
Homes under construction in Kellyville, in Sydney’s outer suburbs.
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“With targeted investment, there’s strong potential to lift liveability and build more connected, resilient communities,” he said.
It comes as data from Muval shows how many Aussies are actively relocating in search of better lifestyles, greater affordability or increased job opportunities.
Aside from Greater Melbourne, regional areas are outperforming all capital cities in terms of net migration.
Perth is considered a liveable city in 2025, according to new research. Photo: Sharon Smith.
The most common areas people are leaving include Darwin, Brisbane’s inner city and Sydney’s inner city, and the most populr regions they are relocating to are South Australia’s southeast, Bunbury in WA, and the NSW mid-north coast.
Muval CEO James Morrell said the 2025 Muval Index gave real-time insights into how Australians were responding to the increasing cost of living and stress pressures.
“We’re seeing clear signs that affordability, flexibility and quality of life are reshaping how people choose where to live, and that trend isn’t slowing down,” Mr Morrell said.
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