A British woman who ditched the UK for Australia claims she now makes double her salary and her quality of life has skyrocketed.
Wynter Yeomans and her partner, Luke Richards, moved to Sydney in February 2025 seeking a better work-life balance.
Ms Yeomans said it wasn’t until she travelled around South-East Asia for five months in 2022 that she realised “how much bigger the world is than your home town”.
She described the first six months back in the UK following her trip as “a dark place” and wanted to make a change.
In February 2025 the duo made the move to Australia, and while it was challenging at first, Ms Yeomans said they now enjoyed a better lifestyle – balancing it with their respective fields of work.
The 26-year-old, who worked in pharmaceutical marketing in the UK, said while it took her three months to land a marketing job in Sydney, it was worth the wait.
“I make so much more money, in the UK I was on £25,000 ($47,000) and here I’m on $90,000 for an entry position,” Ms Yeomans said.
“I used to pay my mum £150 ($280) rent a month. Now I pay $1500 in rent. I used to cry to my mum that I can’t afford her rent and now I don’t bat an eyelid.”
She said other expenses like food and coffee were also lower here than in the UK.
“We loved the idea of living abroad so we decided instead of moving into a place in the UK to move to a place in Australia,” Ms Yeomans said.
“I finish work and I’ve got the whole evening – people go to the beach and have BBQs with friends.
“There’s a lot less focus on the weekend, people are out most of the weekdays. I feel like in the UK you live for the weekends.
“Things are so much cheaper here compared to the UK. You can get coffee for £2. You have your happy hours and people eat out all the time.”
The former Nottingham local said while her life has improved since moving to Australia, it was also challenging.
She warned of the difficulties of moving abroad that might not be visible on social media.
“It’s easy to see people on TikTok living amazing lives, it took me three months to get my job,” she said.
“I have a science background and did pharmaceutical marketing in the UK.
“It can be really scary picking up your whole life and moving, everything is so uncertain. You can try it and if it doesn’t work out you can go back home.
“I came with my partner and I’m very fortunate in that. You just have to trust the process.”
Ms Yeomans’ move comes as recent statistics show UK residents are increasingly looking to move overseas.
According to new research by London-based international shipping company, Cargo Force, the rate at which UK taxpayers are moving abroad has more than doubled in the past three years.
Amsterdam is leading the charge, pulling in an average of 750 monthly “move to” searches, followed by Singapore, New York and Sydney in fourth, with 490 searches and 5,880 yearly searches.
Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne were also on the list, coming fifth, seventh and eight, respectively.
“Search demand around moving abroad gives a really clear picture of where Brits are actively considering relocating, not just where they aspire to travel,” Asad Mirza, Logistics Specialist at Cargo Force, said.
“What we’re seeing is a mix of lifestyle-led and opportunity-led destinations, with cities like Amsterdam and Singapore offering a balance of career prospects, quality of life, and international connectivity.
“There’s also a noticeable spread across continents, from European hubs like Paris and Berlin to long-haul destinations such as Sydney and New York City.”
He said as global mobility continued to evolve, they expected this demand to grow, with more people exploring opportunities abroad not just as a long-term goal, but as a realistic next step.
Read related topics:Sydney