A globetrotting expat who’s lived in 11 countries in 10 years has declared Australia the best place in the world to live – despite admitting the cost can be brutal.

Lance Essihos, a mindset coach who spent five years living between Sydney, the Gold Coast and Port Douglas, said no other country came close when it came to lifestyle, beaches, food and overall quality of life.

“I’ve lived in 11 countries in 10 years and this is the best place to live on earth,” he said in a video on Instagram.

He knows plenty of Australians will push back immediately over one thing: the price.

“I’ve thought about what my favourite country is out of all of them. Now, it’s not the most affordable one, so when I say this, people will go, ‘Ah! It’s so expensive, why would you do that?’”

MORE NEWS

‘Holy cow’: Couple ditches home for $66-a-day life at sea

‘Pigs’: Landlord reveals shock rental damage

‘Real shame’: $1m home listed for $2 after backyard disaster

Lance Essihos, who’s lived in 11 countries in 10 years, says Australia is still the best place on earth to call home — and admits he sometimes regrets leaving. Source: Instagram

But after weighing up nightlife, health, fitness, outdoor living and safety, Lance said Australia still came out on top.

“I’ve got to say, I have to give a shout-out to my Aussies because I had the pleasure of living there for five years and it was really hard for me to leave,” he said.

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t because it was awesome.”

After years of living across the globe, he said Australia offered a combination that was hard to find anywhere else.

“Mexico is amazing, but you know, obviously it’s a little bit less safe than Australia,” he said.

“Southeast Asia is amazing cost-wise, but there are certain things that just aren’t as good.

“And if you put money and cost of living aside, Australia is pretty hard to beat.”

Essihos spent five years living in Australia, splitting his time between Sydney, the Gold Coast and Port Douglas. Source: Instagram

His take quickly hit a nerve, with many Australians agreeing the country’s lifestyle is often taken for granted.

While locals regularly vent about surging rents, expensive groceries and the impossibility of buying a home, others said Australia still delivers a standard of living that’s hard to match.

One Australian said many people simply didn’t realise how good they had it.

“It’s a shame a lot of Aussies don’t understand how good it is, because they’ve never travelled,” they wrote.

Another argued the high cost was part of the reason Australia remained so desirable.

“It’s so weird when people talk about how expensive it is,” they said.

“Whilst it’s true, don’t they realise that living in quality comes with a price? If it was a cheap place to live then it wouldn’t be a quality place anymore.”

But plenty weren’t convinced.

For some, Australia’s famous lifestyle has become harder to enjoy as housing and essentials chew through more of the weekly budget.

“Too expensive, too many taxes, too regulated and too far from the rest of the world,” one person said.

After years of travel, including time in Mexico and Southeast Asia, Lance said Australia still offered something hard to replicate elsewhere.

Others argued the problem with life in Australia wasn’t just the cost – it was the culture.

One Australian who recently moved to Italy said they had found a more spontaneous, social and affordable way of living overseas.

“As an Australian, I left in June to live in Italy. My dollars go way further here than in Oz,” they said.

“There’s a lifestyle here I couldn’t find back home. Oz is extremely programmed.

“To catch up with people, you need to plan two weeks in advance. Here, my married mate calls me at 11pm to go get a coffee.”

Another person said one of the toughest parts of Australian life was breaking into established friendship groups.

“It’s so hard to make friends because social circles are so tight-knit,” they wrote.

The debate lands at a time when cost-of-living pain is reshaping how many Australians feel about the country.

For younger people in particular, buying a home, saving money and still having a social life can feel almost impossible.

The very things that make Australia so attractive – beach living, eating out, access to nature – can also be the first things priced out of reach.