The floods that killed two in NSW and Queensland and triggered up to $2 billion damage in NSW alone are unlikely to halt moves by Sydneysiders and other city-dwellers to regional areas, as rising unaffordability of cities and growing ability to work remotely will still trump risks of natural disasters, housing experts say.

Dubbo, Tamworth, Kempsey, Moree and Port Macquarie were all flood-affected regions of NSW that suffered due to torrential rains last month and all were housing markets that enjoyed faster growth than the regional NSW average over the past 12 months due to the pandemic-driven rush to the regions.