$200k shock: Why the ‘cheap Queensland’ migration dream is over

The great Queensland property bargain is disappearing, with new data revealing interstate movers are now paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more for a home in some of the state’s most sought-after lifestyle markets than the property they left behind. For years the state’s migration story was simple: sell up in Sydney or Melbourne, head north and buy more house for less — often with money left in the bank. Interstate arrivals to the Gold Coast are moving into homes worth an average $201,000 more than the homes they left, new data shows. Picture: Nigel Hallett. But exclusive analysis of thousands of moves by removalist comparison platform, Find a Mover, suggests that equation has been turned on its head on the Gold and Sunshine coasts. Interstate arrivals to the Gold Coast are moving into homes worth an average $201,000 more than the homes they left, while those relocating to the Sunshine Coast are moving into properties worth $182,000 more. Just 31 per cent of interstate movers to the Gold Coast landed in a cheaper property, while only a third of Sunshine Coast arrivals did so. The Gold Coast has become very expensive for interstate migrants. Picture: Ray White Real Estate. Vic...