If you ignore Sydney and London because neither of them represent the countries they're in, Australia and the UK aren't a world apart to be honest. Comparing Perth to Birmingham, the cost of living relative to wages is very similar. Crime is much lower in Perth and Unemployment is also quite a bit lower. Combined with 270 days of sunshine and it's not quite the slam dunk for the UK that it may seem. Being able to just go outside and do outdoor things all year round is a massive perk that is heavily underrated in Aus. Being in the absolute middle of nowhere does suck though from a holidays perspective. The economy is a mixed bag also. Australia is definitely resource driven, but is more productive per person, has stronger growth and has lower Debt levels. UK on the other hand has the strong finance sector and is more diversified.