Perth records highest interstate migration in 15 years as lifestyle draws eastern staters

Perth recorded its highest net interstate migration figure in 15 years in the past year, with 21,200 people relocating from New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland to Western Australia — a 34 per cent increase on the previous year and the largest net movement of population from east to west since the last mining construction boom.

ABS data shows the primary source states were NSW (8,400 net arrivals), Victoria (7,100), and Queensland (3,800), with the balance from other jurisdictions. Surveys of recent arrivals conducted by Committee for Perth showed the three most cited reasons for relocation were housing affordability (72 per cent), employment opportunities (54 per cent), and quality of life including proximity to beaches and outdoor recreation (48 per cent).

Perth's median house price of $720,000, while having risen substantially in recent years, remains approximately $400,000 below Sydney's median and $180,000 below Melbourne's, creating a compelling financial case for buyers willing to relocate. The Perth labour market — with unemployment at 3.4 per cent and significant demand in engineering, trades, and technology sectors — has also made the decision financially straightforward for skilled workers.

REIWA president Suzanne Brown said the interstate influx was the primary driver of Perth's tight residential vacancy rate of 0.8 per cent — among the lowest in Australia — and was putting upward pressure on both rents and sale prices. "We need to be building more homes faster, or the affordability advantage that's attracting people will erode," she said.

The state government has responded by fast-tracking several residential land releases in the northern and eastern corridors and establishing a streamlined development assessment pathway for projects of 50 or more dwellings.

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