bensyd is spot on. Most lists of "10 best cities to live in the world" includes Sydney and Melbourne in the top 10 (usually with Melbourne on top). Sydney ranks as one of the world's major cultural centers, having the Opera House as an icon is a hint There is a bit of friendly rivalry between MEL/SYD, each can claim vicotry. Ultimately cost of housing and school availability drives the choice of where to live, if job location is not a factor. For that Australia varies tremendously (fair to say by an order of magnitude). Most other costs of living are surprisingly similar from what I've seen (but housing can easily be 50% of income in Sydney/Melbourne and Perth during the boom). Also locations that are fun for a year or two often don't work out long term. Another complication is that climate in past 10 years has been markedly different from historical norms (e.g. multiple "once in 100 years" floods in some areas, unusual temperatures in others), but that is probably a global phenomenon.