Are you considering relocating to Brisbane for work? A promotion up for grabs in Brisbane, your partner’s professional relocation, or maybe you’re simply ready for a change.
No matter the reason for the move, Brisbane is a fun, vibrant city. And, especially if you’re relocating from down south, we think you’ll absolutely love the warmth and sunshine.
Of course, there’s so much more to consider than the weather. Where will you live? Should you rent or buy? And where should you send the kids to school?
We’ll take you through all of the key considerations in this article. As a team of Brisbane buyer’s agents, we’re quite familiar with matching personalities and lifestyles with the perfect pockets of Brisbane.
Let’s talk about relocating to Brisbane.
What this article discusses:
- Thinking about relocating to Brisbane? Here’s what to consider.
- Which side of Brisbane do you want to live on?
- Do you have a job relocation lined up? Or will you need to find employment?
- Which schools are the best?
- What is transport like? Bus, train, or drive?
- Where is the entertainment?
- Where’s best for getting outside?
- Tips for moving to a new city
- Consider the cost of moving and living
- Give yourself time for the move
- Consider visiting the city before you move
- Find your local necessities in your new location quickly
- Research the area’s crime rate
- Consider renting first
- How a buyer’s agent can help you with your relocation
- Local expertise
- Personalised property search
- Off-market opportunities
- Take the time and stress out of it
- The paperwork side of things
- Objective advice
So, you’re thinking about relocating. Here’s what you should consider.
Do you have a job relocation lined up? Or will you need to find employment?
There are so many different reasons to move cities. While it’s often a job relocation —whether yours or your partner’s— we know sometimes it can be about moving closer to family, chasing better weather, or better opportunities.
If you are relocating for work, definitely look into relocation support from your employer. In many cases, your employer can provide relocation assistance in the form of wealth packages or support to find a rental property while you settle in. Relocation assistance packages often cover moving costs, temporary accommodation, and sometimes, company benefits like a better salary or a company car.
If you do need to find your own employment, consider your prospects. The Brisbane job market is excellent for those staple professions like nursing, teaching, and other government roles. With a bustling CBD and a growing population, other roles in the professional services, customer service, and trades industries are frequently popping up, too.
Which side of Brisbane do you want to live on?
Once you know where you’ll be working, it’s a good idea to work out exactly where you’d like to live.
If you’re working right in the CBD, this might come down to the schools, culture, or general housing types (and prices). However, if you land a job in one of Inner Brisbane’s suburbs, there can be a real benefit to living on the same side of the river as your job.
Do some research on the areas within Brisbane and decide whether you’re keen to live in the inner suburbs or outer suburbs of Brisbane or in a nearby LGA, like Moreton Bay (north), Redland Bay (east), Ipswich (west), or Logan (south).
Which schools are the best?
If you have children, finding the right school is paramount. There are a variety of private and public schools, both in primary and secondary levels all across the Greater Brisbane region. However, some areas stack up better than others.
Domain partnered with Deloitte to find the Brisbane suburbs with the best access to schools.
Banyo, north of Brisbane’s CBD, was rated the #1 suburb for access to education in Brisbane, scoring 10 out of 10. Chermside West, Clontarf, Ferny Grove and Kelvin Grove each scored a perfect 10, too.
The top 10 best-scoring suburbs are below.
| Rank | Suburb |
| 1 | Banyo |
| 2 | Chermside West |
| 3 | Clontarf |
| 4 | Ferny Grove |
| 5 | Kelvin Grove |
| 6 | Holland Park West |
| 7 | Mitchelton |
| 8 | Chelmer |
| 9 | Kingston |
| 10 | Logan Central |
Source: Domain Liveable Brisbane study, 2019
What is transport like? Bus, train, or drive?
Where you choose to live can depend on your new job’s location and the transport options available to you.
Like most cities, parking is scarce and expensive in the CBD and surrounding areas. This makes taking the bus, train, or CityCat a much better option in some cases.
If your new job is located a couple of suburbs out of the CBD, you may be better off driving.
Where is the entertainment?
There is so much entertainment around the Brisbane area.
If you’re a fan of wining and dining, then you’ll love South Bank, Eagle St Pier, Fortitude Valley, China Town, and Adelaide Street in the city.
For arts and culture, South Bank, South Brisbane, and West End form Brisbane’s cultural hub.
New Farm and Newstead offer plenty of artisanal craft beer breweries, cafes, and Inner City charm.
Woolloongabba is home to ‘The Gabba’ if you’re a fan of cricket or AFL. For NRL and A-League fans, Suncorp Stadium over in Milton will be your spot.
Where’s best for getting outside?
For the outdoorsy types, you’ll want to consider where you can catch some fresh air and soak in some greenery.
Luckily, that’s most of Brisbane. There are beautiful green spaces, national parks, and patches of nature all over Brisbane.
Here are some popular outdoor spots:
- South Bank Parklands
- Roma Street Parkland
- Botanic Gardens Mt Cootha
- Mt Glorious
- Kangaroo Point Cliffs
- Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
- New Farm Park
- Shorncliffe Pier
- Wivenhoe Dam
What you need to know about moving to a new city: Our top relocation tips
Consider the cost of moving and living
Before you put everything into gear and make the big move, consider the relocation costs. The cost of living in Brisbane is similar to Melbourne, more affordable than Sydney, slightly more expensive than Canberra, Perth, and Darwin, and significantly more expensive than Adelaide.
Take a look at the average costs via Finder, where they’ve collated all the data.
Give yourself time for the move
If you’re set on making the big move, make sure you give yourself a good amount of time. Moving interstate on the Friday and starting work on the Monday is bound to be a nightmare.
Allow adequate time to move, unpack, and settle into your new home.
Consider visiting the city before you move
This is a big one. Relocating for work is such an exciting step in your career path that you might be tempted to jump and say yes before you’ve stepped foot on the new city’s soil.
It’s always worth paying a visit first.
Find your local necessities in your new location quickly
Especially if you’re bringing a family in tow with you, it’s a great idea to work out where all the necessities are quickly. Your local supermarket and chemist are great, but we’d go even further and make sure you’ve worked out your family GP, dentist, and vet if you have furry friends, too.
Research the area’s crime rate
Brisbane is a fairly safe city, but it is still a city. With a growing population of 2.2 million people, there is still crime.
The Queensland Police Service offers online tools that allow you to view the statistics and crime rates in different areas. Take a look at your potential suburbs to see how they stack up.
Consider renting first
When you’re moving the whole family to a brand new city, it can be tempting to hit fast forward on your journey of settling in.
However, it might pay to consider renting for a few months before you make the big purchase. If you’re moving as part of a job relocation, you may get temporary accommodation as part of your relocation package.
How a buyer’s agent can help you with your relocation for your new job
Moving to a new location comes with so many unknowns. We absolutely recommend partnering with a buyer’s agent for your relocation journey. Here’s why.
Local expertise
A buyer’s agent is going to have all the local expertise that you can lean on to not only find the perfect property for you, but the perfect suburb and area, too.
They’ll be able to balance your requirements — like proximity to work and schools with lifestyle factors like green spaces for walking the dog.
Personalised property search
Your buyer’s agent will offer the ultimate relocation assistance for your move. We’ll help you find the perfect property for your personal requirements, whether it’s yard space, a study, or the perfect baker’s kitchen.
Off-market opportunities
Buyer’s agents can help you access off-market opportunities, taking some of the stress and competition out of your house purchase.
Take the time and stress out of it
When you’re relocating for a job offer, you already have a lot on your plate. Buying a house is just another thing to do, and it’s a time-consuming and stressful process. A buyer’s agent takes this stress out of your life and handles it all for you.
You just have to say yes to a property you love.
The paperwork side of things
Along with the stress of buying and selling property is the paperwork. Your buyer’s agent will take on all of the paperwork for your new home.
Objective advice
This is so important. Often, with the stress of relocating and buying a new home, you can get wrapped up in emotion. If you have friends or family in your new location, they can be guided by emotion, too.
As buyer’s agents, we really just want to get you the best property for the brief you provide to us. So, that means we only offer you objective advice that’s based on facts, figures, and our vast experience purchasing property here in Brisbane.
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Ready to relocate? We’d love to help. Reach out to the Templeton Property team or book a discovery call with one of our buyer’s agents.