Chanel Buckland has been loving her new life in Australia. Picture: Supplied
A UK woman’s experience of moving to Australia has highlighted just how good Aussies really have it despite spiralling rental prices and the persisting cost of living crisis.
Chanel Buckland made the leap to Australia in 2022 where she established herself in Melbourne as a special needs teacher.
The 28-year-old UK native is paying $310 a week for a room with an ensuite in a Richmond share house, an expense less than half the cost of renting in central London for an average of £1600 (AUD $3000) a month.
“People worked to survive in London and I like holidays – I wouldn’t be able to afford to travel if I wanted to in London,” Chanel told BBC.
Chanel Buckland’s rent in Australia is half what she’d be paying if she was renting in London. Picture: Supplied
“It’s so easy to live here. My workload here is a lot better, employers don’t want you to burn out.
“I never called in sick at home. I tried to go into work with tonsillitis here and they sent me home. It’s not frowned upon to take time off for appointments.”
Ms Buckland said Australian’s work-life balance, attractive salaries, better weather and almost-double public holidays compared to the UK made the move a no-brainer for many Brits.
And her story isn’t unique, with Australian Bureau of Statistics data for 2024 revealing more than 40,000 UK and Irish migrants arrived Down Under that year – the highest 12-month intake in more than a decade.
Australia’s population by country of birth is led the English. Data: ABS
Ms Buckland said she was happy with the life she had built in Australia and returning home would be difficult, although the separation from family and friends back in the UK had been challenging.
It’s a challenge another UK citizen, Rosie Scott, couldn’t meet despite the positives of life in Australia.
The 34-year-old ended up moving back to Kent in the UK despite her job as a dental nurse in Australia paying double what she could earn back home.
Her Australian salary covered her rent in Perth as well as her mortgage in Kent all while delivering the improved work-life balance shared by Ms Buckland.
English (US) · 