More Australians are trading city life for regional areas. In this article, we look at where people are moving, what’s driving the shift, the real advantages and drawbacks of regional living, and how to work out whether making the move makes sense for your situation.
Brisbane was one of the only capital cities to record net internal migration gains in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. This means Australians from elsewhere in the country, like Sydney and Melbourne, are actively choosing to move there. Outside the city, Caloundra West and Baringa on the Sunshine Coast had the largest growth of any regional area in Queensland two years in a row. The pattern isn’t a one-off.
South-east Queensland keeps coming out on top, and it’s not hard to see why. It sits in a sweet spot that’s close enough to Brisbane city, but far enough out to feel like a different life entirely. But why are so many people moving to regional Brisbane in the first place?
Cost is the obvious driver. A three-bedroom house in regional Queensland costs a fraction of what you’d pay in Sydney or Melbourne. Even with slightly lower wages, the numbers work out better for most families. You can own a home before 40, have a backyard, and not spend the next two decades paying off a mortgage that felt like the only option available to you.
When saving a deposit in Sydney takes fifteen years and the same deposit somewhere like Toowoomba takes three, the decision gets a lot easier.
Parents talk about their kids riding bikes to school instead of sitting in the back of a car for an hour. Workers who went remote during lockdowns realised the commute was optional. And once it became optional, the case for staying in the city got weaker.
Queensland’s climate helps too. More time outside, less time stuck indoors. Regional towns run at a slower pace, which suits families tired of paying city prices for city stress. There’s something about actually knowing your neighbours, having space in your home, and not spending Sunday afternoon in traffic that changes how everyday life feels.
Regional Queensland isn’t what it was ten years ago. Decent internet has made remote work possible in places that once felt isolated. New estates on the Sunshine Coast and on the edges of Brisbane have cafes, gyms, and services that didn’t exist a decade ago. The gap between city and country has narrowed quite a lot. And it reinforces itself. More people means more demand, more demand means more services, and suddenly a town that felt like a compromise starts feeling like a genuine choice.
Relocating to a regional area isn’t as complicated as it used to be. Removalists in Brisbane handle these city to rural moves regularly. They know the routes, they know the towns. A move that might have felt daunting a generation ago is pretty routine now. The bigger challenge is usually the decision itself, not the execution.
Jobs remain a real issue for anyone not working remotely. Access to healthcare drops outside major centres, and specialists can be hard to find. Childcare waitlists in some growing regional towns are as bad as the cities, sometimes worse because supply hasn’t kept up with demand.
It can also be difficult to adjust to a smaller town. There might be just one grocery store, restaurants that close early, and the same people you run into constantly. For some families that’s exactly what they wanted. For others it takes longer to settle than expected.
That depends on your situation more than anything else.
If you’re working remotely and have flexibility on location, the financial case is hard to argue with. Moving to regional areas means lower housing costs, more space, and a slower pace of life. You feel the difference immediately.
If your job is office-based and tied to a capital city, it’s a harder choice. A regional move only works if the career side of it works, and that’s worth being honest about before you start looking at listings.
Families with school-age kids often find the transition easier than they expect. Smaller class sizes, shorter commutes to school, more outdoor space are great advantages for many. Retirees and empty nesters tend to adapt fastest of all, because the things that make the city attractive — career proximity, nightlife, pace — matter less to them than before.
The ABS data shows Australians are already making this call in growing numbers, and south-east Queensland keeps coming out near the top. It comes with lower costs, more space, a better climate, and a pace of life that actually leaves room to breathe. For the right person, regional living delivers on all of it.
Whether it’s the right move for you comes down to what you need from where you live. If the city is still serving you well, that’s a fair reason to stay. But if the numbers aren’t adding up and the lifestyle isn’t what you came for, regional Queensland is worth a serious look.
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