Where to go?

Deciding whether to live in Sydney or Melbourne is a common dilemma for people moving to Australia. There are other popular destinations like Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide; but when browsing forums and surfing the Internet, the question of whether to move to Sydney or Melbourne arises most frequently.

When we planned our move to Aus we thought we’d move to Melbourne. That’s where we have most friends, and people told us we’d prefer Melbourne because it’s like London and has more to offer than Sydney in terms of cultural experiences.

When we visited Australia, and ultimately decided to move to Sydney, much of what they said was true. Architecturally, Melbourne reminded us of London (particularly along the river), and there’s no doubt that Melbourne is great for shopping, dinning, and cultural experiences. But we planned to settle in Australia with a young family, and Mr Mum’s gone 2 Aus in particular wanted a beach lifestyle.

We left Melbourne feeling that it’s a great city but to get the beach lifestyle we craved, we’d have to live far away from the CBD, or travel whenever we had the urge to hit the surf. We wanted surf and sand ‘on tap’ which is why Sydney ticked all the boxes.

For us, being able to live by the beach but access city-life is why Sydney beat Melbourne in our where to live dilemma.

Although we’ve already made our decision, Mum is intrigued to know how the cities compare. We’d love to hear your opinions, if you had the Sydney vs Melbourne dilemma, where did you choose and why?

To help other families who are having the same debate, Mum has put together a list of Sydney vs Melbourne fast facts. By the way, some are just for fun, you probably won’t make such a life changing decision based on the state slogan, or total number of pubs and bars…will you?

Sydney vs Melbourne – fast facts

Sydney Melbourne
State New South Wales (NSW) Victoria (VIC)
State slogan The First State or The Premier State The Garden State or The Place to Be
Population 4.5 million 4 million
Median age of population 37.1 yrs 37 yrs
In a 2007 survey… 51% of residents were happy or delighted with their lives 48% of residents were happy or delighted with their lives
In a 2011 survey… Voted Australia’s least liveable city Voted third most liveable city in Australia (below Adelaide and Canberra)
Average annual salary AU$65,622 AU$59,556
Median property price(house\unit) AU$515,000 AU$483,000
In a 2010 Cost of Living survey by Mercer… Ranked 24th most expensive city in the world Ranked 33rd most expensive city in the world
During the period July to December 2009… 30% of new Australian residents moved to NSW 25% of new Australian residents moved to Victoria
Most famous beaches Manly, Bondi St Kilda
Annual rainfall 1220 mm 661 mm
Average max temperature January (summer) 26 degrees celsius 26 degrees celsius
Average max temperature July (winter) 17 degrees celsius 13 degrees celsius
Tourism Australia’s top five things to do… 1. Explore the historic Rocks
2. Hit the world famous harbour
3. Visit Manly on the ferry
4. Enjoy cafe culture and top shopping in Paddington
5. Walk from Bondi to Coogee		 1. Shop til you drop
2. Bar hop and dance til dawn
3. Get into gourmet goodness
4. Fill up on culture
5. Go sports mad
Total hotel pubs and bars 164 67

Please share your views, tips and opinions about Sydney vs Melbourne in the comments below. Thank you.

Related articles: Where to live in Australia: the best Sydney suburbs for families, Australian suburb profiles – where to go to get the low down, Which is Australia’s most liveable city?.

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