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Facing a move from Sydney to Melbourne because of her husband's job, Wendy Lacy imagined flats costs would be much cheaper. Instead, she was surprised to discover there wasn't much difference.
Wendy and Paul Lacy found the only option that was going to provide them with real savings was if they built their own house on a block of land.
"That was cheaper for us," says Wendy, 35, who moved with Paul, 39, and their three children, aged 10, seven and four, from Sydney's Castle Hill to Cranbourne South in Melbourne's east just after Christmas.
In the process they swapped an area with a median house price of $649,000 for one with a median price of $789,950, according to RP Data. "The advantage is that you end up with a house that suits you and that you like," she says.
The disadvantage was that the couple, both missionaries, began their new life in Melbourne living in a caravan for three weeks to wait for the house to be finished until they could finally move in at the beginning of February.
When asked how Melbourne compares with life in Sydney, Wendy doesn't like to commit. "We haven't been in Melbourne long enough yet to know what it's really like," she says.
"But we've been told Melbourne is a good place to live. We miss our friends in Sydney but Melbourne feels a little more relaxed."