I moved to Australia at 85 to escape the cost-of-living crisis: I was so nervous, even with family by my side. Here’s what every pensioner needs to know about relocating Down Under

Moving to the other side of the world is a huge undertaking at any age, but when you make the move in your eighties, it’s doubly impressive.

Pensioner Jill Churchyard, from Bromley did exactly that 18 months ago when she relocated to Perth in Western Australia with her family, aged 85.  

Emigrating was certainly not what Jill expected in her ninth decade. But the family, tired of being squeezed more and more in the cost of living crisis, decided to leave their lives in the UK behind for better weather, an improved standard of living and a greater work-life balance. 

Jill flew more than 10,000 miles to Australia in December 2023 – with daughter Lesley Reed, 56, son-in-law Pete, 54, a senior software test engineer and grandchildren Lara, 13 and Annabelle 11. 

They swapped their five bedroom house in Bromley for a four-bedroom house in Perth, which has a swimming pool and is close to the beach.

Jill, now 86, said: ‘I could never have imagined emigrating in my 80s. If you’d told me I would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you. Ideally, I would have preferred to have moved to Australia in my 60s.

‘Obviously moving to the other side of the world at my age is a huge deal. It’s a big move to make and I was worried about it. 

‘But I lived with my daughter and grandchildren in Bromley and I wanted to continue living with them and I knew making the move would be good for my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.’

The family decided to emigrate to Perth, after finding it harder and harder to live in the UK due to the cost-of-living crisis.

‘The economic crisis didn’t impact me as much because I am retired, but I was very aware of how much it was impacting my daughter and her husband as a family with two young children,’ Jill said. ‘Bills were going up and they were working more and more hours.’

Jill is still in receipt of her state pension, but because she’s left the country it is not index linked. This means she is not entitled to a yearly increase because Australia does not have a social security agreement with the UK. 

It will remain at the same rate as when she left, unless she were to move back home.  

Jill also has passive income from renting out her flat back home, and the lower cost of living means her money stretches further.

However, the emotional toll of the move has been somewhat harder to navigate than the financial side, with Jilly admitting that she was ‘very nervous about it’.

‘It’s a difficult move to make at my age. My biggest worry was leaving family and friends behind in the UK and whether I would be able to make new friends in Australia. 

‘It was hard at first, but I’ve joined the Senior Citizens Centre and some over 50s social groups, which has really helped. I’ve been able to go on day trips to pretty nearby villages and enjoy activities such as art and craft sessions and quiz nights and special interest clubs like computing. I am starting to feel much more settled now. 

‘There are lots of things I like about living in Australia. The weather is much nicer, there are not so many people, everyone is very friendly and talks to you. 

‘The hardest thing is being away from friends in the UK – although due to my age the number has been dwindling due to people passing away.’

Jill’s daughter Lesley, a speech and language therapist, was putting in a 60-hour week in the UK – but now works fewer hours, often finishing by lunchtime. 

Despite reduved hours, her salary is now 50 per cent higher than it was in the UK – and her job is much less stressful. 

While groceries largely cost the same, accommodation is nearly £700 cheaper per month. Instead of monthly mortgage payments of £2,500 the family now pay the equivalent of £1,800.

‘The cost of living in the UK was so high,’ Lesley said. ‘I was working six days out of seven and doing a 60-hour week. Our mortgage was £350,000 and we were paying £2,500 monthly. 

‘We haven’t bought a house in Australia yet – we are renting at the moment – but we are paying £1,800 a month which is a lot less. 

‘We are in a four-bedroom house with a pool, just 15 minutes drive from the beach and 20 minutes drive from the city centre. 

‘Instead of working six days a week I am working two full day and four half days, and I finish by 1.30pm.’

Despite working fewer hours, Lesley is earning more money than she did in the UK.

‘My salary is 50 per cent higher than it was in the UK. I was earning £50,000 a year before we moved, now I’m on the equivalent of £75,000.’

An added bonus is that her salary stretches further due to cheaper utility bills.  

‘Gas and electricity is half what it costs in the UK,’ she said. ‘Cars are more expensive to buy but petrol is 50 per cent cheaper. Groceries cost about the same. Bread and pasta are more expensive, but meat is significantly cheaper.’

However, there are some additional costs they didn’t have in the UK. It costs £20 for a GP visit (free for children) and the family are paying for private health insurance.

Lesley, who lived in Australia previously in the 90s, also cautioned that the cost does vary depending on which part of Australia you live in, with Sydney and Melbourne being more expensive than Perth.

Both children have settled easily into their new schools and the family were impressed to see new subjects on the curriculum – stressing that budgeting is so important but not usually taught in the UK.

‘Our eldest child is at a school that is in the top five in the state. She is learning Japanese and astronomy,’ Lesley explained. 

‘She is learning about budgeting at school – mortgages, interest rates and how to read bank statements. There is a better variety of subjects on the curriculum and it’s more interesting and fun. 

‘A major impetus for us moving when we did was Lara starting secondary school. In Perth the school academic year runs from January to December and we timed the move so that she started on the first day of secondary school.’

Lesley says the family are much happier since making the move.

‘It’s a better work/life balance. We are happier, it’s better for the kids. It’s always sunny and hot so everyone is in a better mood. We are all less stressed and more relaxed. 

‘It’s an easier, slower-paced way of living. Life is less manic and much calmer,’ she said.

‘Because it’s always sunny we are always out and about. In the UK we were cooped up indoors but in the summer here we sit out in the garden every evening. We spend our weekends at bbqs, at the beach or visiting waterfalls. We’ve even seen wild kangaroos at the rubbish tip.’

Lesley admits she was concerned about how her mother would manage, and is relieved to see her settling in so well.  

‘She’s made friends with lots of British ex pats her age. She goes four days week to the senior citizens club, she goes to art club and coffee mornings and now goes out with friends she’s met at the coffee mornings,’ Lesley said. 

Lesley previously lived in Australia for 10 years from 1993-2003. She has an Australian passport and both children have had dual UK and Australia passports since they were three months old. Pete is on a spousal visa and Jill is on a self-supporting retiree visa.

She said that the only downside is missing family and friends in the UK, especially on occasions like Christmas.  

‘It felt very strange to spend Christmas Day on the beach and to see people putting up decorations when it was so hot,’ she said. ‘We tried to cook a traditional Christmas dinner but because it was so hot the chicken went off.

‘I also really miss Amazon deliveries. You have to order two to three weeks in advance because things take so long to get here.

‘But we have no regrets about leaving the UK – only that we didn’t do it sooner.’