The most popular regional areas sought by capital city dwellers looking for improved lifestyles have been revealed.

The regional movers index (RMI) disclosed today ranks the Geelong local government area in Victoria as the leading choice for city dwellers seeking a shift to countryside or coastal surroundings over the past year up to March.

Geelong accounted for a 9.3 per cent share of the total net internal migration, surpassing the Sunshine Coast in Queensland’s 8.9 per cent share, which had maintained the top position over the previous two years.

The index, drawn up by the the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) and the Commonwealth Bank, shows more people are moving from metropolitan areas.

During the previous quarter, migration to regional areas recorded an 11 per cent hike compared with the previous quarter.

The figure represents a 20 per cent increase on the pre-pandemic average.

RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the results in the report confirmed shifting migration patterns in Australia.

“Australia’s attraction to regional lifestyles remains strong, with a 25 per cent higher migration from capital cities to regional areas compared to the reverse direction,” she stated.

“Further, net migration to regional Australia is now sitting 40 per cent higher than the prevailing level in the pre-pandemic era.”

Greater Geelong’s top spot reflected the rising popularity in regional Victoria as a whole.

The state captured 34 per cent of the total net inflows into all of regional Australia during the March 2025 quarter, larger than the 28 per cent share in the March 2024 quarter.