Expat dishes ‘hard truths’ about Australia amid cost of living crisis

A Canadian expat has boasted about how “amazing” Australia is – but she’s also warned fellow foreigners about “hard truths” living in the country.

A Canadian expat has shared the “truths” about living in Australia.

Kirsty Feely, who moved Down Under earlier this year on a 417 working-holiday visa, has shared a TikTok boasting about how “amazing” Australia is.

However, she has warned fellow foreigners wanting to make the move of the difficulties amid the cost of living crisis.

Kirsty, who currently resides in Byron Bay, is on the hunt for a new job and place to live.

She explained that while living abroad has been once of the best experiences of her life, the dire state of the housing and job market has been challenging.

As such, she advised expats adopt a cheap backpacker lifestyle, something she also did to help kickstart her new lifestyle.

Kirsty Feely moved to Australia from Canada earlier this year. Picture: TikTok/kirstyfeely

“I want to hit you guys up with a couple truths about moving to Australia. Yes it is so amazing and yes, all these videos showing all the amazing content in Australia is true,” she began.

“But there are some harder aspects as well.”

Kirsty dived into the housing and the job search market, describing it as “difficult”. And she’s not wrong, with more than a third of renters in the Sydney, for example, paying more than 30 per cent of their monthly income on housing costs.

She boasted about how ‘amazing’ Australia is – while also sharing some hard truths about living Down Under. Picture: TikTok/kirstyfeely

She described the housing and job market as challenging, as she hunts for new work and a place to live. Picture: TikTok/kirstyfeely

Across Australia, rents paid increased by 2.5 per cent in the June quarter of 2023 and 6.7 per cent annually, making it the largest annual rise since 2009, according to a Housing Affordability report published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW),

Among the capital cities, Brisbane (8.9 per cent), Perth (8.2 per cent) and Sydney (7.3 per cent) had the largest annual increases, while Hobart (2.9 per cent) had the smallest increase, the report noted.

Kirsty pointed out that if you’re moving to Australia for about a year “to have some fun and meet some friends”, the housing situation “is a mild crisis for sure”.

“And that’s applicable to all the hot spots – Byron Bay, Bondi, Gold Coast, you name it, it’s probably got that situation.

Kirsty is currently living in Byron Bay. Picture: TikTok/kirstyfeely

“The job hunt can be very difficult too, especially if you’re living in a smaller beach town. If you’re looking in a bigger city, you’re going to have a lot better luck.

“[But] if you’re going for more of a corporate job you’re probably going to need to get your permanent residency or find someone to sponsor you.”

She explained that while some people move abroad for a fresh start, it’s not always the case as “your problems” follow you.

“So many people expect that their life will just suddenly change once they’re in a new place, but it’s still you. You’re still living the same life, you’re just in a new place,” she said.

In the clip, shared on Monday, she explained she’s spent the last few hours on her laptop searching for a new job and house and admitted “it hasn’t been going great”.

“So yeah, there’s going to be some bad days, like today for example, I didn’t have a great day,” she added.

She then explained the backpacker life might be the best way to help expats get on their feet — something she did when she first moved to Australia.

“I’m still stuck in that [backpacker] scene a bit, which isn’t a bad thing at all, I’ve had some of my best moments and met some amazing people,” she said.

“But ultimately it’s not the life I’m trying to be living here.”

Kirsty also warned farm work is “not easy” but for some, might be a requirement.

“If you’re Canadian, you’re going to have to do three months on a farm in order to extend your visa another two years. There’s no way around it unless you get sponsored by a company,” she said.

“It means you can only work for that one company while you’re in Australia. It restricts you a bit, but then again they’re granting you a longer visa, so there’s pros and cons.”