Expats say Australia is the ‘best country to live in’ over America and the UK – but some have noticed a ‘worrying trend’ they can’t get past

A friendly debate over whether America or Australia is a better place to live has produced several compelling reasons why people are better off Down Under.

Australians and expats alike applauded the country’s stability, healthcare, labor protections, annual leave benefits and natural beauty.

The debate started after a young American man revealed that his Australian girlfriend wanted him to move to Australia after graduating.

The computer science major admitted that although he was tempted, he did not want to leave the US because of the high-paying jobs in his industry.

“I have a STEM background and am looking for a good work-life balance, a good salary, and also to live with my girlfriend,” he wrote on Reddit.

A record 500,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Australia in just a year amid a cost-of-living and housing crisis – mainly from Ireland and the US.

A near-record 413,530 overseas migrants moved to Australia in the year 2023 to August, with levels doubling compared to the same period in mid-2022.

A man who emigrated from the US said Australia won ‘hands down’.

“Better work-life balance and worker protections, free healthcare, no gun violence in schools. Australia also has the best beaches and so much beautiful nature: forests, mountains, snow, we have it all.’

He also pointed out that a Computer Science major can have both: “You can easily find a job at an American tech company while living here and enjoy the benefits of high wages and stock while living in the most beautiful country in the world.”

A few pointed out that raising families Down Under was safer because of gun control laws.

“I miss America, but the quality of life is fantastic in Australia,” said one woman. “I’ve also been in contact with active shooters too many times to feel comfortable raising children in the U.S.”

And while many claimed that life in America was “cheaper,” several Americans revealed that this was not the case.

“In my experience, America actually has a lot of hidden costs of living that make life deceptively expensive,” one person said.

The US has additional goods and service taxes, the expectation of leaving tips, and expensive healthcare.

One doctor said the state of the health care system alone is reason enough to leave America.

“US private health insurance will drop you as soon as you get expensive, assuming they don’t deny you tests you need to first diagnose a problem,” they said.

“Good school districts also have school shootings, and regardless of whether a shooting actually occurs, your children will be put through very traumatic shooting drills.

‘I’m an Australian doctor. If, based on my trained and experienced medically qualified judgment, I think a patient needs a test, procedure or medication, I write an order for it and it happens.

“If I were to practice in the US, I’d have to convince a call center drone with no medical training that they needed it, and no, a cheaper, completely ineffective thing wouldn’t do.

‘Sometimes people die because their cancer progresses too far to treat before the tests are approved. I wouldn’t work in the US for twenty times the salary.’

Despite this, one young Irish resident claimed that Aussies were making far less money than she expected when she moved to Sydney.

‘Where are the people in Australia making money? Where are you? Because I’m in Sydney and there’s no money to be made,” Keely McGrath said in a now-viral TikTok video.

“You’re paycheck to paycheck here and I don’t care what anyone says because everyone I know is paycheck to paycheck. Very minimal savings. What’s the story?’

Keely said she is aware that FIFO workers in rural areas and traffic control officers earn a decent income compared to most corporate workers.

“I know a lot of my friends do traffic control and they make money because they go to the mines and have two weeks and a week off, and they get their food and lodging paid for,” she said.

‘But normal people? People who don’t do that, when people just work from 9 to 5. Is there money to be made here? Because I don’t see it.

‘I don’t see it, I don’t hear about it, I don’t collect any money. I’m probably more broke and stressed than I’ve ever been in my entire life.’

According to population and migration figures of Central Bureau of Statistics (CSO), Ireland’s current housing crisis is often cited as a major reason why thousands of people are moving abroad, including to Australia.

The CSO also estimated that 4,700 people left Ireland for Australia between April 2022 and April 2023.

Meanwhile, Australian households have come under enormous pressure this year as the cost of living has soared.

The Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the thirteenth time in eighteen months in November, contributing to the steepest pace of monetary policy tightening since 1989.

The Commonwealth Bank now predicts six rate cuts in 2024 and 2025 – starting in September next year, as Australian inflation falls faster than forecast.

Stephen Halmarick, the chief economist at Australia’s largest home lender, expects a 0.75 percentage point rate cut in 2024, followed by another 0.75 percentage point easing by the end of 2025.