Gen Z expat's brutally honest savings revelation after moving to Australia: 'I'm being honest'

Yahoo

22-05-2025

A German expat living in Sydney has candidly revealed just how little she has in savings. Australia is in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis, making it harder for many people to save any money right now.
The 24-year-old was stopped in the street by Coposit, an app that helps people buy their first homes. The app has gone viral on social media for asking people if they'll share how much they have in their savings.
The woman said she was originally from Berlin Germany and was brutally honest with her response, revealing she had no savings.
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'I'm 24 and I've got 37 cents in my savings. I'm being honest,' she admitted.
When asked what she was spending the most money on at the moment, she said it was the cost of rent in the pricey city.
'Rent is very expensive. I also like going out here,' she said.
'I think the nightlife here is very expensive as well and just the cost of living, to be honest.'
House and unit rents are at record highs across the capital cities, with Sydney leading the charge.
Domain's latest rental report found house asking rents are currently $775, while unit rents are sitting at $725 as a median.
According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Berlin is actually 7.4 per cent lower than Sydney. Rent prices are also 35.7 per cent lower than Sydney, while grocery prices are 20.3 per cent lower.
One thing that is more expensive in Berlin is restaurant prices, which are 8.4 per cent higher than in Sydney.
The expat said she would 'love to' save up in the future and was hoping to buy a car as well as go home to Germany for a visit.
'It's always good to be prepared for anything,' she said.
The high cost of living and lagging wages are making it harder for many Aussies to save money right now.
A Compare the Market survey in February found that one in five Aussies had less than $100 in savings.
Four in five Aussies said the cost of living had impacted their ability to save money over the last 12 months, with high grocery prices, housing, insurance premiums and household bills pushing savings down.
'It's quite a shock to see that so many Australians aren't able to save or have so little in their savings account, but this is unfortunately a sign of the times,' Compare the Market's Chris Ford said.
'Inflation may be returning to the RBA's target range, but the reality is it's going to take some time before our savings accounts catch up.
'Prices don't necessarily go backwards when inflation slows down, and boosting your savings can feel like an uphill battle – particularly if you're living paycheque to paycheque.'
Westpac's latest data found that customers aged between 18 and 24 had a median of $2,200 in their savings accounts and a mean of $13,069.
Financial advisers typically recommend people aim to have three months worth of living expenses as emergency savings.