The happiest people in the land of kangaroos in Brisbane🌸

The happiest people in the land of kangaroos in Brisbane🌸

If you want my opinion I've lived in both cities and live in Brisbane by choice though I really love Melbourne and will probably move back there before long. You say though that you've been to Brisbane yet you don't seem to know that we don't have beaches here! The city is well inland on the Brisbane River and while there are 'beaches' on Moreton Bay (none of which are in Brisbane), they're incredibly crappy and the best is not a patch on the worst Melbourne beach. The only decent beaches near here are on the Gold and Sunshine coasts which are at least an hour away by car but you can get to fabulous beaches(past Geelong and on the Mornington Peninsula) if you travel that far from Melbourne though of course the water is colder. 

South Bank in Brisbane

If you decide to come north, I suggest you don't consider moving until you've found a good job up here and live in the outer northern suburbs. Accommodation there will be affordable and it won't be too far to travel to beautiful, uncrowded beaches on Bribie Island, Caloundra and points north on the Sunshine Coast (e.g. Noosa). If the Gold Coast is more attractive to you, don't even consider living anywhere in the City of Logan or Beenleigh. They're cheap and between Brisbane and the GC but are dreadful places! 

You'll probably find it harder to find work in Brisbane than Melbourne. Our population is less than half that of Melbourne and there are far fewer job opportunities. Queensland has many huge mines that are part of the mining boom but that's all a long way north and Brisbane gets very little direct benefit. Our economy here isn't really doing all that well and we have the added problem of hordes of immigrants from overseas and people like yourself who want to follow the sun so there is always a big demand for whatever work is on offer!😊

A recent study has ranked the happiest - and most miserable - regions in the country, based on what's really affecting today's young Australians. Data collected by Real Insurance measured concerns over family, finances, health, climate change, technology, work and education matters, among people under 55. Residents of Sydney's Blacktown area were reported to be among the most concerned in all these areas, followed by Wide Bay in regional Queensland. 

Meanwhile, inner-city Brisbane residents were ranked Australia's happiest due to the low level of worry on these matters. 

Rebecca Maine 25, a consultant at KPMG, said she was forced to increase her credit card line after moving to Sydney six months ago. 

Ryan Armstrong 31, who works as an analyst at an investment fund in Sydney's CBD, said his main concern was saving to buy a home.

AUSTRALIA'S HAPPIEST RESIDENTS: 

• Inner-city Brisbane, Queensland
• South-west Perth, West Australia
• Inner-Perth, West Australia
• Ipswich, Queensland 
• Inner South and Sydney  

AUSTRALIA'S UNHAPPIEST: 

• Blacktown, Sydney, NSW
• Wide Bay, Queensland
• Adelaide, South Australia
• Parramatta, Sydney, NSW
• Inner-east Melbourne, Victoria  

Unsurprisingly, money-related issues, particularly, the rising cost of living and slow wage growth, was found to be the thing this demographic stressed about most. More than 50 per cent of the 5,000 who participated indicated financial constraints were their biggest concern. Climate change and environmental issues are also a large source of worry for young Aussies - coming in second on the list. Perth residents were revealed to be the 'least-financially concerned', while Wide Bay residents were the most. 

Inner Sydneysiders were also less likely to worry about money than those in the Blacktown area.  

Sydneysider Rebecca Maine, 25, from Erskineville, revealed she is constantly trying to keep up with the cost of living after moving out of her parents' Roseville, NSW home six months ago. 

Ms Maine, a consultant at an auditing firm has a steady annual income but said she is still struggling to stay afloat. 

'I just upped my credit card limit because I'm basically going backward in my week-to-week spending', Ms Maine told Daily Mail Australia.  

'Fifty per cent of my paycheck goes to rent and I just turned 25 so I've been having a debate with my parents about private health insurance because I don't want to pay for it.

'I'm lucky to have savings from living at home for so long'. 

Ms Maine currently pays $650 a fortnight for rent and now has to shell out $25 a week for a health plan of the least coverage.

Among her other expenses are transport, groceries - on which she spends $100 to $150 a week - her mobile phone bill, and home utilities.  

'Sydney is really expensive to live in,' she added. 'I've definitely been living paycheck-to-paycheck. 

'My roommate is in uni still and she is constantly tossing up if it's worth working because it brings down her Centrelink payments.

'I don't know how to save money for my future because I'm going backward. Going on holiday and having a child - I can't imagine doing that at the moment'. 

For Ryan Armstrong, an analyst at an investment fund in Sydney's CBD, finances, particularly money to buy a home, ranks first in his list of concerns, followed by health and climate change. 

'I'm 31 and it's [housing affordability] one of those things that come up as a top concern and it's spiraling out of control because of the interest rates', he said.  

Mr Armstrong, who earns $120,000 a year and lives in Double Bay with his girlfriend, said his current living situation is not as much of a worry as is his future.

'In terms of my day-to-day it's not too bad, but it's a matter of what you want to do in the future. In terms of savings, it's a struggle.  

'I'm pretty savvy with superannuation, but it's everything between now and retirement that is my main concern. 

'I think that's probably because I live in Sydney and it's egregiously expensive. So it's a matter of whether you want to own or rent, and I don't want to rent for the rest of my life, but in Sydney that seems impossible.'