Over the past three years, I’ve called three cities home. But one, above all, was responsible for my housing affordability awakening.

I had no say on my starting square: Perth. Born and raised on the west coast, I was lucky to stay in my parents’ nest – and to continue to clear out their fridge – long after their caring obligations had expired.

Running repairs to the hot water system in Millie Muroi’s former Sydney apartment.Credit: Millie Muroi

Starting my first job as an economist, I lived rent (and care) free. My parents had paid off their mortgage in the 1990s, so while Mum mulled the idea of rent, it never came into serious consideration.

The median house price in Perth during the early 1990s was a touch over $100,000 (about $240,000 in today’s terms) compared to about $800,000 in 2024. It’s a pattern reflected more drastically in major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, while our wages have failed to keep up.

In the 1990s, the average dwelling across Australia was worth about 9.5 times average household income. By 2023, they were fetching 16.4 times the average household income.

There’s no doubt my parents’........

© The Sydney Morning Herald