The cities where Aussies are flocking to cope with the cost-of-living crisis – as high immigration fuels housing hell and the population soars to 27million

Australians are fleeing unaffordable big cities as near-record high immigration adds to the housing stress and pushes the population past 27million.

Perth was Australia’s fastest growing big city in the year to March, having a particularly tight rental market.

But surprisingly, Melbourne was in second place disproving the theory that population growth is directly connected to real estate price rises.

Western Australia’s population grew by 3.1 per cent over the year, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed.

This was well above the national average of 2.3 per cent as 10,039 people relocated to mining-rich WA from interstate on top of another 64,902 moving in from overseas.

But in a surprise, Victoria was the second fastest growing state with an annual growth pace of 2.7 per cent. 

Melbourne receives a large share of overseas migration but unlike Sydney, there isn’t a big exodus to other states because it still has pockets of affordable housing.

Over the year, a near-record 509,800 migrants moved to Australia on a net basis, a level almost five times the net birthrate of 105,500.

Overseas migration from international students was the biggest source of growth as Australia’s population climbed by 615,300 to 27.1million. 

New South Wales received the biggest share of overseas migrants, with 168,148 moving there – making up a third of the foreign intake.

The big influx is also making Sydney increasingly unaffordable with 31,183 leaving NSW over the year.

In Victoria, 151,740 overseas migrants moved in but the state had a small net interstate migration intake of 537.

Despite having strong population growth, Melbourne’s median house price fell by 1 per cent in the year to August, after the Labor government introduced a flat $975 investor tax.

Melbourne’s median house and unit price of $776,044 is now cheaper than the equivalent value in Brisbane ($875,040), Perth ($785,250) and Adelaide ($790,789), CoreLogic data showed.

The Victorian capital still has affordable suburbs with Frankston North having a median house price of $589,361.

But in a surprise, Victoria was the second fastest growing state with an annual growth pace of 2.7 per cent (pictured are houses in Melbourne)

New South Wales received the biggest share of overseas migrants, with 168,148 moving there. The big influx is also making Sydney increasingly unaffordable with 31,183 leaving NSW over the year

Queensland was third in the population growth stakes with a 2.5 per cent increase.

Its interstate influx of 30,930 is making Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine State increasingly unaffordable, and almost mirrored the interstate exodus from NSW.

The Sunshine State received 82,794 overseas migrants. 

In another surprise, Adelaide continues to be one of Australia’s strongest housing markets despite 1,686 leaving South Australia over the year.

SA’s population growth pace of 1.5 per cent was well below the national average, having a smaller overseas influx of 26,048.

Despite that, Adelaide’s median house price grew by 14.5 per cent in the year to August, even outpacing Brisbane’s 14.1 per cent growth level despite south-east Queensland getting much stronger population increase.

South Australia’s population growth was better than Tasmania’s very weak 0.4 per cent growth pace and the Northern Territory’s 0.8 per cent expansion.

But it was behind the Australian Capital Territory’s 1.8 per cent population increase.