How rising numbers of Aussies are fleeing overseas amid the cost of living crisis – as one ex-pat launches his new business on the back of it
Australian expat Jay Houston is encouraging others to relocate to Thailand, saying he enjoys a luxury lifestyle for about $1,800 a month as living costs rise at home. The 50-year-old has launched an online business helping Australians navigate Thai visas, insurance and housing, drawing on his own experience of moving overseas.
Houston says he pays $630 monthly rent, alongside relatively low utility and internet bills, and lives in a condominium with two pools. His move comes as more Australians seek additional income or work abroad: over one million now hold multiple jobs, while full-time employment fell by 6,000 in August and part-time work rose by 39,000. KPMG economist Brendan Rynne said the figures indicated households were struggling with inflation and higher future mortgage costs.
- Expat says Thailand offers Australians a cheaper, more comfortable lifestyle.
- He launched a relocation business after an insurance mistake nearly killed him.
- Rising costs are pushing more Australians towards extra work or overseas opportunities.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
People have the legitimate right to pursue better lives, and Australia's cost-of-living pressures have made relocation economically rational for many households. Global mobility allows individuals to optimise their financial security and quality of life, and Houston's experience demonstrates that this need not mean reduced circumstances but rather improved purchasing power and lifestyle quality. In an interconnected world, supporting informed relocation decisions—through businesses like Houston's—respects individual agency and recognises that some Australians may be better served by opportunities abroad than by remaining in an increasingly unaffordable domestic market.
The case against
Whilst individual relocation decisions are understandable, the broader pattern of emigration driven by housing unaffordability and employment precarity represents a genuine policy failure that deserves redress, not accommodation. Brain drain and labour market exodus weaken Australia's economic foundation and competitiveness at a time when investment in local solutions is most needed. Rather than normalising escape through relocation services, policymakers should address the underlying causes—inflation, housing supply constraints, and stagnant wage growth—that render departure seem necessary. Large-scale emigration is a treatable symptom, not an inevitable condition.