A woman preparing to leave the UK for Australia after 13 years transforming a property has issued a warning to Brits about abandoning one particular expectation. Melanie McKinnon has dedicated more than a decade to renovating a Grade II-listed countryresidencein Nottinghamshire, but is now planning to relocateDown Underto reunite with her family.
Melanie reports that she and her BritishhusbandDavid, with whom she has threechildren, find themselves in a "good financial position". Indeed, they expect their 6,500 sq. ft, seven-bedroom property in the village of Carlton-on-Trent - complete with Venetian fireplaces and "luxury leisure facilities" - to command an impressive £1.2 million. However, upon researching property values in South Australia's previously "bargain" city, she was "stunned" to discover the family would be compromising on a four-bedroom property offering merely a quarter of the space and a third of the land.
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She toldThe Times: "I would tell any Brits thinking of moving to Australia to let go of the idea that it's going to be cheaper. Australia isn't really cheaper for anything anymore. We'll definitely be downsizing. I've already made more than £5,000 by selling our furniture on Vinted."
"But there are still huge upsides. Sunshine is fantastic. Life is lived outdoors. And in terms of politics, I always think of England as a massive ocean liner and Australia as a tugboat - it changes direction much more easily."
Melanie said that costs have now surpassed even notoriously expensive cities likeLondonand New York, highlighting that Adelaide is projected to experiencepropertyprice growth of up to 14% in 2026.
In October 2025, reports surfaced revealing thatAustralianhouse prices were climbing at their swiftest rate in nearly four years, with Brisbane overtaking Canberra as the nation's second-mostexpensivemarket, according to Domain data.
Sydney remained the priciest, with a median house price of $1,751,728 (roughly £918k), followed by Brisbane ($1,101,114/£577k), Canberra ($1,100,392/£576k), Melbourne (£1,083,043/£567k), and Adelaide ($1,048,773/£550k).
It comes after a woman who used to live in London and relocated to Sydney shared a warning to other Brits considering a similar move.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
