7 reasons to abandon the city and move to a regional town

In recent years, the number of people moving to regional parts of Australia has increased significantly. Here’s why you should consider it too.

When people are ready to settle down, they generally look for an area with good schools, an easy commute to work, a safe neighbourhood, and a friendly community. For most people, that would mean somewhere in the suburbs, close to the city where schools and work are easily accessible. Most of us assume that people rarely think about moving into regional areas instead of major cities.

However, recent evidence suggests otherwise.

Last year, a report that analysed the 2011 and 2016 Australian census data revealed that regionally based people, between 20 and 35 years old, preferred to move to other regional areas rather than major cities.

Here’s why:​

People can live luxurious lifestyles at a lower cost

For the same price as an average home in the major cities, you could purchase land and build a brand-new home in a regional town. Or, you could buy a sizeable pre-existing home with a substantial amount of land.

The median house price in Gawler, a country town just outside of Adelaide, is $316,000. Meanwhile, the median house price in Brisbane is $585,000; in Melbourne, it is $918,000; and in Sydney, it is approximately $1,168,000.

In Gawler, renters can expect to pay around $240 per week for a unit or $320 for a house. In Brisbane, rents are $395 per week for units and $415 per week for a house.

How nice would it be to have a bit of extra cash to save or spend elsewhere?

It’s not just property prices that are lower

If you’ve ever purchased food in the city, you’ll know that you paid much more than you would have at a local food joint. You’ll also see in the main shopping areas of rural towns that parking is cheaper than in major cities because there are fewer cars.​

Fewer cars, less traffic, fresher air and shorter commute times

The average weekly commute time  in Australia is currently 4.5 hours, increasing from 3.7 hours in 2002.

According to the same source, the daily average commute time in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane is 70 minutes, 65 minutes, and 67 minutes.

In contrast, regional areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland had an average daily work commute time of 42 minutes, 36 minutes and 38 minutes, respectively. South Australia boasts one of the shortest regional work commute times of 29 minutes.

Depending on where you move to, you could save hours every week to spend on family time, hobbies, or running some more errands instead.​

Commute no more to explore

When you live in the major cities, it can be hard to plan a hike without making a day trip out of it. By living in a rural town, you’ll have the advantage of being close to national parks, walking trails and natural formations.

People are escaping the city’s hustle and bustle

People are opting to live more relaxed lifestyles. Rural towns offer less traffic, fewer people and smaller communities where everyone is connected. Smaller towns often have groups of people who run events and activities to strengthen community bonds and attract tourists – local residents love it!

More people are making the most of evolving technology

The coronavirus pandemic forced us to evolve and embrace technology, which has been a blessing in disguise. We are now in the new normal.

Remote and flexible working, once a luxury, is now open to almost everyone.

Online shopping has made every product you could think of easily accessible to even the most remote areas of the world. Previously, people had to travel to major cities to find a large shopping centre. Now, you can place an order online and receive it the following day.

Remote learning has become increasingly popular as universities have adapted many of their courses to be accessible online.

Even starting a business remotely has become an option.

Opportunities are endless

Due to economic growth, manufacturers, health services, utility services and agriculture are always looking to grow their teams.

We’re currently recruiting manufacturing professionals to join one of the largest packaging manufacturers in the world. If you are based in Adelaide or Gawler and have experience as a mechanical fitter, printing technician, electrical fitter, maintenance fitter, forklift driver, production operator, or any other manufacturing role, we’d love to speak with you!

You can learn more about the roles we have on offer here. Or, if you know someone who may be interested, refer them to us, and we’ll give you up to $500 per friend we place in a role.