GC suburbs top migrant enquiries
RESEARCH from a leading removalist firm shows more people are on the move on the Gold Coast than anywhere else in Queensland, suggesting a massive demographic shift is underway.
Muval, an online platform that helps people find local and interstate removalists, said it received more inquires from the Coast than even Brisbane between July and September as cost of living pressures bite.
Muval Chief Executive Officer James Morrell said research by the firm indicated the financial squeeze had become so extreme that a rent increase of $50 a week would prompt 40 per cent of people to consider moving house.
On the Gold Coast, rent increases as high as $200 a week have been reported in many suburbs.
“Our data is telling us that moving is one way Australians’ plan to combat cost of living pressures with many households that are feeling the pinch willing to pack up their lives to find a new home with the right price tag,” Mr Morrell said.
“With inflation and interest rates rising rapidly, the cost-of-living crunch is set to disrupt millions of Australians and we expect there will be another wave of people looking to move house in the coming months.”
High levels of migration into the Gold Coast from interstate are also reflected in the Muval data, which is based on online searches for removalists.
According to the firm’s statistics, the overwhelming majority of new arrivals are coming from Sydney and Melbourne, with Canberra a distant third.
Southport and Surfers Paradise are the top destinations for interstate migrants, however northern commuter suburbs are also popular with Coomera third on the list of areas experiencing the biggest intakes.
According to Muval, Palm Beach, Pimpama, Nerang and Labrador were also registering significantly higher interest among users of the platform in the past six months.
However the Muval data also suggests there has been a decline in net positive migration to the Gold Coast, which is down from an average of +100 per cent over the last 24 months to +61 per cent in the last quarter.
The numbers appear to indicate the change has been caused by an outflow of people from the city, slowing overall population growth despite continued high numbers moving here from interstate.