Outline
- Introduction
- Australian Cities by Population
- Quality of Life in Australia by Cities
- Cost of Living in the Largest Australian Cities
- The Cost of Living Index for Australian Cities
- The Safest Large Cities in Australia
- The Best Cities to Visit and Live in Australia
- Recap
- Conclusion

Introduction
Australia is by far the largest and most developed country in the Pacific Region (Oceania). And Australia is not just a huge country, this dynamic country also has several amazing cities that are worth at least a visit if not complete relocation to. If you are in doubt, a visit will convince you! Hence, I present in this post an in-depth review and analysis of the best cities to visit and live in Australia.
As of March 2023, the population of Australia stands at 26.2 million occupying about 7.7 million square kilometres (or 2.9 million square miles) of land area. The population density of Australia is 3.1 persons per square kilometre.
For the past decade, the number of people moving to Australia has been steadily increasing. Australia has a wide range of migrant demographics including, Europeans (especially from the UK), Asians, Oceanians (Pacific Islanders) and Africans.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, migration to Australia increased by 171% between 2021 and 2022 from 146,000 to 395,000. This proves that many people around the world are awakening to the plethora of opportunities and quality of life available in this amazing southern country.
Australia has seven (7) states which are; New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia and then the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Australian major cities are located in these states (and ACT) with many of the cities serving as the capital of their respective states.
In this post, I will be presenting some of the best cities to visit and live in Australia using indices such as population, quality of life, cost of living (affordability) and safety.

Australian Cities by Population
As one of the most urbanized countries in the world, more than 90% of Australia’s population lives in just 0.22% of the country’s total land area.
The majority of Australians live in the cities (urban areas) with over 80% urban population and 20 – 15% rural population. Also, 85% of the people in Australia live within 50 kilometres of the coast and over two-thirds of Aussies live in a capital city with 40% living in either Sydney or Melbourne.
Australia has only five (5) cities with a population of over one million, fourteen (14) cities with a population between a hundred thousand (100,000) and one million and the country has about 375 cities with a population that ranges between ten thousand (10,000) and a hundred thousand (100,000).

The table presented below shows the fifteen (15) largest cities in Australia by population.
No. | City | State | Population (2023) |
1. | Sydney | New South Wales (NSW) | 5,230,330 |
2. | Melbourne | Victoria | 4,963,349 |
3. | Brisbane | Queensland | 2,462,637 |
4. | Perth | Western Australia | 2,059,484 |
5. | Adelaide | South Australia | 1,345,777 |
6. | Gold Coast | Queensland | 679,127 |
7. | Newcastle | New South Wales | 481,183 |
8. | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | 457,563 |
9. | Sunshine Coast | Queensland | 333,436 |
10. | Wollongong | New South Wales | 299,203 |
11. | Geelong | Victoria | 268,277 |
12. | Hobart | Tasmania | 232,606 |
13. | Townsville | Queensland | 180,820 |
14. | Cairns | Queensland | 152,729 |
15. | Darwin | Northern Territory | 148,564 |
Source: www.australian-population.com
Sydney is the largest city in Australia followed by Melbourne with a population of about 5.2 million and 4.9 million respectively. The Capital of Australia, Canberra, has a population of about 450,000 and ranks as the 8th most populous city in the country.
Among all Australian capital cities, Darwin is the least populous with just over 145,000 people. The city, which serves as the capital of the Northern Territory is also the city with the lowest population among the fifteen (15) cities reviewed.
As a tourist, visitor or migrant to Australia, if you are looking for a large bustling Oz city high in energy and activity then Sydney is the number one city to consider followed by Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
However, if your interest is a laid-back “town-like” city in Australia then Darwin, Cairns and Townsville might suit your interest. Note that Australia has several other beautiful cities and towns, those presented above are the largest by population.


Quality of Life in Australia by Cities
The following is a table presenting the quality of life in the largest Australian cities based on the Quality of Life Index sourced from and available on Numbeo as of 7th March 2023.
The Quality of Life Index is derived from eight (8) other sub-indices which include; the Purchasing Power Index, Safety Index, Health Care Index, Climate Index, Cost of Living Index, Property to Income Ratio, Traffic Commute Time Index and Pollution Index.
This table shows which Aussie city ranks best in terms of an aggregated value derived from the combination of all these indices which I will simplify as;
- What is the purchasing value of money in the city? For example, what can how much buy?
- How safe is the city from crimes, violence, robbery, attacks, corruption, etc.?
- How good is the health care system of the city – infrastructure, workers, quality of health services and pricing?
- What is the quality of the climatic condition or characteristics of the city considering its temperature and humidity?
- What is the average cost of goods, services and other related costs in the city?
- How affordable is the cost of renting or owning a property in the city in relation to the average monthly income or salary obtainable within the city? Salaries and prices of properties vary from city to city.
- What is the traffic situation in the city in relation to the time it takes to move (commute) from one place to another within the city?
- How polluted is the city – the air, water and land?
It is based on these variables (indices) that the Quality of Life Index for the fifteen (15) largest Australian cities are derived as presented in the table below.
No. | City | Quality of Life Index (2023) | Remark |
1. | Sunshine Coast | 229.44 | Very High |
2. | Hobart | 203.21 | Very High |
3. | Townsville | 192.94 | Very High |
4. | Newcastle | 190.01 | Very High |
5. | Gold Coast | 179.92 | Very High |
6. | Darwin | 175.54 | Very High |
7. | Brisbane | 171.57 | Very High |
8. | Perth | 171.55 | Very High |
9. | Canberra | 170.89 | Very High |
10. | Adelaide | 170.39 | Very High |
11. | Melbourne | 169.92 | Very High |
12. | Sydney | 168.89 | Very High |
13. | Geelong | 167.08 | Very High |
14. | Wollongong | ?? | ?? |
15. | Cairns | ?? | ?? |
According to the data above, the Sunshine Coast has the highest quality of life in Australia considering indices such as affordability (cost of living), health care, safety, and pollution among others. This is followed by cities such as Hobart, Townsville, Newcastle and Gold Coast.
Geelong is classified as having the worst quality of life among the fifteen (15) cities reviewed.
Generally, all Australian cities presented have a “Very High” quality of life irrespective of their population size except for Wollongong and Cairns which have no available data.
Also, factors such as high traffic commute time, safety, property costs, pollution and cost of living might have contributed to popular Australian cities such as Melbourne and Sydney ranking low on the Quality of Life Index table presented above with both at the number 11 and 12 respectively.
Australia as a whole is categorized as having a “Very High” Quality of Life ranking 9th globally ahead of countries such as the United States (17th), the United Kingdom (21st), Canada (25th) and France (30th).
Therefore, if your major consideration in visiting or moving to Australia is the quality of life obtainable, then, according to this data, Sunshine Coast and Hobart might be two very good cities for you to consider. Both are affordable, have lower crime rates, have a population that is above 200,000, there is little to no traffic congestion, have very good health care systems and are pollution-free.
Next, let’s take a look at how affordable is life in the largest Australian cities.


Cost of Living in the Largest Australian Cities
To have a glance at the average cost of living in the Aussie cities reviewed, the table presented in this section uses estimated monthly costs in relation to the Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) obtainable in each of these cities.
The table is ordered by the best cities to live in Australia (for a long-term stay or relocation) using the Monthly Net Balance for a single person.
The Monthly Net Balance is the amount of money left after all the monthly costs have been deducted from the Net Salary for the same Month.
No. | City | Monthly Costs (Family of Four) | Monthly Costs (Single Person) | Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | Monthly Net Balance (Single Person) |
1. | Sunshine Coast | 3,204.5 | 884.9 | 4,869.09 | 3984.19 |
2. | Sydney | 4,115.7 | 1,146.1 | 4,193.36 | 3047.26 |
3. | Darwin | 3,438.8 | 975.3 | 3,992.46 | 3017.16 |
4. | Gold Coast | 3,295.7 | 919.6 | 3,745.02 | 2825.42 |
5. | Newcastle | 3,533.3 | 1,004 | 3,631.31 | 2627.31 |
6. | Townsville | 3,043.5 | 845.8 | 3,467.27 | 2621.47 |
7. | Hobart | 3,285.5 | 947.1 | 3,519.42 | 2572.32 |
8. | Melbourne | 3,857.9 | 1,079.6 | 3,562.02 | 2482.42 |
9. | Perth | 3,772.8 | 1.073.7 | 3,543.91 | 2470.21 |
10. | Brisbane | 4,107.6 | 1,158.5 | 3,568.12 | 2409.62 |
11. | Geelong | 2,908.1 | 820.6 | 3,017.23 | 2196.63 |
12. | Canberra | 4,485.8 | 1,268.1 | 3,144.63 | 1876.53 |
13. | Adelaide | 4,379.1 | 1,257.2 | 2,876.13 | 1618.93 |
14. | Wollongong | 2,988.0 | 841.1 | 2,147.47 | 1306.37 |
15. | Cairns | ?? | ?? | 3,138.06 | ?? |
Source: www.numbeo.com Accessed: March 2023
From the table, Sunshine Coast is the best city to live in for a relatively long term in Australia followed by Sydney, Darwin, and Gold Coast considering the net value of monthly income after all necessary costs have been deducted.
These data are not exact figures and they do not represent official Australian Government statistics, they are estimates derived from multiple submissions (on Numbeo).
Therefore, before travelling to Australia, you should do your own research and verifications to avoid unpleasant experiences relating to costs when you arrive in the country.


The Cost of Living Index for Australian Cities
The Cost of Living in Australian cities ranges from High to Moderate. While the aggregate Cost of Living in Australia is High, it is not as high as many that of other nations such as the US, the UK, France and Canada.
To have an understanding of which Australian cities might be too expensive or cheap to visit or live in, I extracted and tabulated the data presented below.
No. | City | State | Cost of Living Index (2023) | Remark |
1. | Adelaide | South Australia | 89.52 | High |
2. | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | 89.31 | High |
3. | Sydney | New South Wales (NSW) | 83.77 | High |
4. | Brisbane | Queensland | 83.66 | High |
5. | Perth | Western Australia | 80.38 | High |
6. | Melbourne | Victoria | 79.50 | High |
7. | Darwin | Northern Territory | 74.10 | High |
8. | Gold Coast | Queensland | 69.82 | Moderate |
9. | Newcastle | New South Wales | 68.78 | Moderate |
10. | Wollongong | New South Wales | 67.78 | Moderate |
11. | Hobart | Tasmania | 66.92 | Moderate |
12. | Townsville | Queensland | 65.40 | Moderate |
13. | Sunshine Coast | Queensland | 65.04 | Moderate |
14. | Geelong | Victoria | 60.30 | Moderate |
15. | Cairns | Queensland | ?? | ?? |
Source: www.numbeo.com Accessed: March 2023
From the cost of living index table for the fifteen largest Oz cities, Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia is the most expensive city in Australia followed by Canberra (the Australian Capital Territory) and then Sydney and Brisbane.
It is not a coincidence that all of the State Capitals in Australia have a High Cost of Living including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) except for Hobart (Capital of Tasmania) which is classified as Moderately expensive.
Starting from Gold Coast in the Oz State of Queensland down to Geelong in Victoria, these cities are classified as being Moderately expensive with Geelong being the cheapest city in this list. There was no data for Cairns.
Therefore, if you are considering an affordable and relatively big Australian city to visit or live in, Sunshine Coast, Hobart and Gold Coast top the list.


The Safest Large Cities in Australia
The Index for deriving the safest cities in Australia was developed considering factors such as level and prevalence of crimes; rates of crime; attacks because of race, gender or religion; drugs; property crimes – theft and abuses; violence; armed robbery; and corruption and bribery. Other petty factors such as safety walking alone at night or during the day are also considered.
The table below will give you an insight into which of the Australian large cities are safe and which are not considered that safe in relation to other Oz cities.
No. | City | State | Safety Index (2023) | Remark |
1. | Sunshine Coast | Queensland | 74.76 | High |
2. | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | 73.89 | High |
3. | Adelaide | South Australia | 68.04 | High |
4. | Hobart | Tasmania | 67.65 | High |
5. | Sydney | New South Wales (NSW) | 65.87 | High |
6. | Brisbane | Queensland | 64.22 | High |
7. | Perth | Western Australia | 58.12 | Moderate |
8. | Melbourne | Victoria | 56.04 | Moderate |
9. | Gold Coast | Queensland | 53.49 | Moderate |
10. | Newcastle | New South Wales | 51.68 | Moderate |
11. | Wollongong | New South Wales | 48.58 | Moderate |
12. | Geelong | Victoria | 44.06 | Moderate |
13. | Townsville | Queensland | 41.79 | Moderate |
14. | Darwin | Northern Territory | 39.00 | Low |
15. | Cairns | Queensland | 38.22 | Low |
Source: www.numbeo.com Accessed: March 2023
Sunshine Coast is the safest city in Australia followed by Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart and Sydney.
From this table, you might observe that most of the smaller cities have a “Moderate” Safety rating with only Darwin and Cairns classified as the most unsafe cities in Australia. Perth, Melbourne and Gold Coast are also considered moderately safe.
Safety in the whole of Australia is generally classified as “Moderate”.
Therefore, if you are going to visit or live in Australia and your primary concern is safety, there you have it, Sunshine Coast is considered the safest city in the country and it might be a very good choice for you to start with.


The Best Cities to Visit and Live in Australia
To fully ascertain which of the Aussie cities is the best to visit or live in, there are a few interesting things to note about Australian cities.
The bigger cities have more people, more modern amenities as well as (financial/economic) opportunities while the smaller ones bring you closer to a relatively pristine natural environment but with fewer economic activities.
The younger and mid-aged or working-class people prefer the big and bustling Australian cities while older people may choose the smaller towns over the big cities most especially, to retire.
Therefore, choosing the right city or cities to visit in Australia will largely depend on your visiting or living objectives. For instance, and beyond the statistics presented above, if you are looking for a very multicultural city in Australia then Melbourne is generally accepted as the cultural capital of Australia. And if you are visiting for business or job opportunities, Sydney and Perth might be considered.
However, if your visiting goal is strictly recreational (e.g. on a vacation), not one of the Australian cities can be singled out but cities such as Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Sydney and Hobart may be good choices.
Based on the results of the data presented above and some other criteria, I have compiled the following lists of the best cities to visit and live in Australia. These criteria include size, quality of life, cost of living, safety, job or economic opportunity and access to modern social and recreational facilities.
- Sunshine Coast
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Perth
- Brisbane
- Canberra
- Adelaide
- Gold Coast
- Darwin
- Hobart
- Newcastle
- Townsville
- Geelong
- Wollongong, and
- Cairns
For more detailed and insightful information about all these fifteen Australian cities, you can check my other post developed as a continuation of this particular post here: The Top 15 Cities to Visit and Live in Australia.

Recap
Australia is a great country to visit and live in. It is often regarded as one of the most developed nations in the world. However, despite Australia having a highly developed economy, it is much more affordable than most of the other developed nations such as the US, UK, Canada and France.
As a recap, here is a summarized list of the characteristics of Australia and potential things to note when deciding to visit or relocate to the country:
- Australia is the largest and most developed country in the Pacific Region (Oceania)
- The population of Australia is 26.2 million as of March 2023
- More than 80% of Aussies live in a city (urban area)
- Sydney is the largest city in Australia by population followed by Melbourne
- Between 2021 and 2022, migration to Australia increased by 171%
- The Quality of Life in Australia is “Very High”
- Sunshine Coast in Queensland is the best City to live in Australia considering the average monthly salary and total monthly costs
- Adelaide is the most expensive city in Australia closely followed by Canberra (the Australian Capital Territory)
- Some of the most affordable relatively big cities in Australia are Sunshine Coast, Hobart and Gold Coast
- The Safest city in Australia is Sunshine Coast
Overall: The Best City to Visit and Live in Australia is the Sunshine Coast in the Oz State of Queensland.

Conclusion
Australia is a developed country with an open economy and well-established health, hospitality, education and financial service sectors among others. There are endless reasons to want to visit or live in Australia. The country is great for education, employment, recreation (has some of the best beaches in the world), sports, entertainment, health, exploration, and so on.
The first step in determining which Australian city is best for you to visit or live in is probably to decide exactly what your visiting goals and objectives are. No two cities (or towns) have the same characteristics.
Though Aussies are very friendly and accommodating people, the country has stringent regulations guiding tourism and immigration to the country.
In this post and among the fifteen Australian cities with the largest population reviewed, Sunshine Coast is the overall best city to visit and live in Australia based on its cost of living, health care, safety, and quality of life among other criteria. Though this city performs well in the indices used for assessment, in reality, it may lack in several areas not covered by the review.
For instance, if you are visiting Australia for study or job opportunities, cities such as Melbourne and Sydney are the best cities to go respectively. Melbourne is the best for education and Sydney is the best for economic opportunities. The central business district of Sydney is the largest financial and business centre in Australia.
Perth, the capital of Western Australia, has the best weather in the country. The city is also recognized as having a significantly high number of expats in the country.
And, if luxury living is your thing, Sydney is the best Aussie city for a luxury lifestyle followed by Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane. These are the places you will find world-class accommodations and recreation/hospitality facilities like luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, shopping malls and international-standard beaches. These cities have a higher cost of living and the lifestyle is relatively fast-paced and upbeat.
So, there you have it, a review of the best cities to visit and live in Australia.
Based on the result of the review and data presented in this post, Sunshine Coast is the overall best city to live in Australia for anyone who is cost-conscious (among other factors) and is staying permanently or for a relatively long time in the country.
Disclaimer: The data used to develop this post are sourced from public data repositories most especially from Numbeo. Other public sources were also used and these were appropriately cited. These data do not represent the official Australian Government statistics and should not be used wholly for any purpose without verifications. The author (and website) does not guarantee the accuracy, validity or completeness of these data and hence is not liable for any unpleasant consequence that may arise from the use of the statistics or inferences produced in this post without check or verification. For more information check out our Terms of Use page.
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