Continued cost of living pressures are forcing Australians to make drastic changes, like abandoning the country altogether if they want to be able to buy a house or raise a family.
Young Aussie couple Lloyd and Mandy did all the "right things," they saved a decent chunk of money for a deposit and were both working full-time jobs.
Despite that, they got a rude shock when they met with a mortgage broker.
"The mortgage broker told us if she stretched it we could just get this mortgage but apartments aren't good investments," Lloyd told NewsCorp Australia earlier this year.
"We saw the writing on the wall, if we want to raise a family and live comfortably, we are going to have to try something different," Lloyd said.
The couple had saved enough money to purchase a two-bedroom apartment on the Gold Coast but realised it would put them in financial hardship if they wanted to have children.
"We crunched the numbers and realised if we wanted to start a family, it would be very difficult for Mandy to stay at home and if anything happened we'd be screwed."
They decided against taking on the mortgage and switched their energy into starting their own business and building wealth that way.
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Lloyd and Mandy moved to Byron Bay and were renting there, but it wasn't long before they decided to get ahead, they needed to make a bigger change.
The couple made the move overseas in 2021, creating content on social media documenting their travel experiences through Bali and Mexico, as well as living in a van through the US and Canada.
"We were making a stable enough income so we decided to settle down, get a villa and live in Thailand," Lloyd said.
The couple then decided to settle in Thailand.
Now they were able to afford a three-bedroom villa with a pool for less than what they were paying in Australia.
"We have a gardener, pool maintenance guy and a house keeper. Our rent here is cheaper than what it cost when we were living in Byron Bay on top of a garage in a studio suite," Lloyd said.
"Groceries are also half the price in Thailand compared to Australia. We can afford to go out to dinner and taxi fares are very affordable."
The couple were also able to live out their dream and become parents and take their daughter travelling with them.
Lloyd and Mandy are part of a growing trend of Australians fleeing to afford a better lifestyle.
Amanda and Tom Nowland moved to Bali with their 14 year-old son in 2024.
The couple were able to purchase a diving business as well as buy villas to lease out to others to build wealth.
They said they were spending more family time together instead of the hustle lifestyle they lived in Sydney.
"It's a more relaxed way of life, and this gives us the ability to have more family time as well. We really noticed here that we all go so fast all the time, I don't think we take time to stop and smell the roses," Ms Nowland told NewsCorp Australia.
Another Aussie family, Kate and Leigh, moved from Sydney to Bali and said they were able to cut down on a lot of costs.
"We've simplified everything. It's healthier, cheaper, and we spend more time together," Leigh said.
"We live in gym clothes."
Villas ranged from $25,000 to $140,000 per year, and often included household staff, cleaners, gardeners, and pool maintenance.
The $25,000 price tag equates to $480 a week, a substantial difference to the average weekly cost of renting a home in Australia at $800 a week, according to PropTrack data.
They said the cost of a local meal for a family of four is just $15, while transport via Gojek scooters was rarely more than $1.20.
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