Sydney Or Brisbane

[SAman4Aus]

I currently live in Sydney and have an opportunity to work and live in Brisbane. (I am an IT manager). We don’t have kids and also rather enjoy living in Sydney. It’s vibrant and there’s always something going on. The job in Brisbane is a position I would like to pursue and hence the uncertainty of making the move.

I would like to get some opinions on the benefits and downside to living in Brisbane as opposed to living in Sydney.

My 'issue' with Sydney is the cost of housing and we are now looking at buying a property and also the mostly poor public transport.

We are in our 40’s and enjoy the coffee shop, restaurant and after work pub life.

[Nilo]

I lived in Brisbane and in Sydney..... I prefer Brisbane. The winters aren't as harsh and the summers aren't as warm, seriously Sydney was hotter than Brissy.

I loved Sydney let me make this clear. We met some fantastic people, saw the beautiful City and surrounds, to be honest I think NSW is more beautiful nature wise than Queensland, but allas I'm a Queenslander at heart and now live in the Whitsundays!! Lucky me.

[MrsMupersan]

As with Nilo, I have lived in both Sydney and Brisbane. But I would choose Sydney hands down any day of the year!

It really does depend on where you live in Sydney and what you're into. Hubby and I were on the Northern Beaches where we absolutely loved our lifestyle and lived it the absolute fullest. We often went into the city for days/nights out. Sydney has a vibe and is exciting. The Bridge, Opera House, the Rocks markets, Darling Harbour - the whole city is iconic! We also don't have kids and are in our late 30's. We also enjoy a similar lifestyle - cafe's, restaurants, Friday arvo drinks, live music, theatre. And you think Sydney's public transport is bad? Now that really does depend on where you live.

We lived in Moggill in Brisbane - 20 minutes west of the City - on the good side of the river. It was still the 'burbs, so really not the same without the cafe lifestyle we were used to. It was heaps cheaper - we had a 4 bedroom house with a pool for nearly half the price of our stunning 3 bedroom apartment with panoramic sea views & 100m walk to the beach in Sydney. I would gladly pay double to have been back in our beachside apartment!!!

We found Brisbane very dull. Nothing illustrated this better than the winding brown, muddy Brisbane river as apposed to the blue waters of the Sydney harbour which sparkled in the sunlight. Brisbane doesn't sparkle for me at all. Sure, there are plenty of things to do there, but there's no vibe to the city. I think maybe if you can afford to find a place in the trendy Bulimba area, you'll enjoy it - loads of cafes & restaurants.

Climate-wise, we absolutely hated Brisbane. From the end of September to around April, I was constantly hot, sticky and sweating. I just could not aclimatise to the humidity. I hated getting into the shower (cold water only) and by the time I'd dried myself afterwards, I was sweating already because the cold water was so warm. I hated that in the height of summer, we didn't even bother swimming in the pool because the water was nearly 30 degrees and not in the least bit refreshing. I love having my windows and doors open with loads of fresh air - closing windows, doors and curtains & keeping the aircon on just drove me batty.

In Sydney we had some days that went above 40 degrees, but without the energy-sapping humidity of Brisbane. And the cold tap water remained cold. And there was the sea to jump into when we got home from work. To be fair to Nilo here, we were near the beach. Nilo was out west which is a helluva lot hotter than the areas around the water.

Good luck with your decision!

[Nilo]

I have to agree with Mandy about the Brisbane river being brown and muddy and the Sydney waterways lovely and blue (except when there was lots of rain up country) And the west was HOT.....and COLD

We prefer humidity which is exactly what Mandy didn't enjoy...... even more humid here in The Whitsundays Must be the time we spent living on an Island in the Indian Ocean for 4 1/2 years.

Shows you there's a place for everyone in Australia, find your spot and be happy.

[Ingrid/ Hairdresser]

I've been in Brisbane since July 2008.After struggling with my hair salon for the past twelve months I could not understand why my salon was not buzzing.So after some demographic research,this is what I found. In March 2010 Brisbanes population 1,000,067, Sydney 4,677,000. Brisbane 397 people per square kilometre, Sydney 2000 people per square kilometre. In the two ad half years that I've been here,I have had two jobs with a very low salary. I've just lost twenty thousand dollars on the purchase of a salon that no matter what I tried, could not get off the ground. http://renew-salon.com Which is what caused me to start the research, looking for answers. I did not realize the vast difference in people. If I had known , as a hairdresser,I would not have come to Brisbane. But this certainly plays a part in lifestyle. There isn't one. I've seen a number of businesses (from clothing to coffee shops) open and close down in eighteen months. Few restaurants,but even those close at 10pm. Maybe I'm biased since I am relocating to Sydney to 'get a life'. But man,there is nothing going on in Brisbane.