I'm relocating to Australia, is Melbourne, Perth, or Sydney a better city to live in for someone who likes to go out, try new things, and eat at different restaurants?

If you’re not Australian, then definitely Sydney. Melbourne is rather provincial (old school ties still count) and Sydney is more international.

Melbourne. Melbourne. Always Melbourne.

People from Melbourne will say Melbourne.
People from Sydney will say Sydney.
Both are good but have a very different vibe.

Anyone who says any other city is just deluded. They're all asleep. Brisbane is pretty quiet at night and the others I'm not even sure count as cities.

Melbourne 100%

Melbourne has great small bars, live music and is easy to get around. About 10% of all conversations there are about AFL (a more violent but comparatively naked version of NFL) and there are two public holidays for sporting events. Weather more extreme than Sydney (painfully hot in summer, frosty in winter which doesn’t happen in Sydney)

Sydney is prettier with much better beaches but breathtakingly expensive, it was mismanaged for decades and so is hard to get around. Food is good in both but Melbourne definitely has the edge on bars. It has a bit more big businesses.

Perth is a very, very long way away from everywhere else. It’s smaller, decent quality of life, dominated by mining, good climate, nowhere near the dining, drinking or cultural options of Sydney or Melbourne.

They’re all pretty good - we’re a generally happy country.

Melbourne

Sydney to visit, Melbourne to live.

In addition to being one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, Sydney is also a major financial services hub (about 50% bigger than Singapore, 2/3s of Hong Kong), has a GDP per capita 20% higher than Melbourne (as of 2018), substantially more opportunities in Finance and Professional Services (firms typically have 1.5x - 2x as many people in Sydney vs Melbourne) and a more meritocratic business culture.

Food / dining / cultural options are good in both.

Sydney is more expensive but wages are higher.

Also, rugby league is much better than AFL.

Melbourne is a great city - probably a contender for second best city in the southern hemisphere - but it’s not Sydney.

Sydney rocks.

Sydney has things to see, Melbourne has things to do

Sydney 100%. Melbourne is inferior in every way, except coffee.

Definitely Melbourne or Sydney. I have lived in both, Melbourne has a European feel with a lot of good Restaurants and bars and so many events such as the F1, Melb Fashion festival, international comedy festival, etc. Sydney also has a lot of good restaurants, not as many good bars but it does have better weather and beaches. Perth is a good city but you're isolated way out west and there isn't anywhere near the number of events, restaurants & bars that you have in our major cities, it does have great weather & beaches though.

Sydney or Melbourne

Melbourne is streets ahead of the other cities. The only truly global city in Australia. If you move to either of the other 2 you'll end up either moving back home or moving on to Melbourne. I moved to Sydney when I first came to Australia from France, but a few years later moved to Melbourne and can honestly say Sydney is not in the same league.

Melbourne. Has everything, cuisine, good people, and happens to be the sporting capital of the world.

I do like Melbourne,have visited there many times. I used to live in Sydney but have moved south and I am over big cities. Weather is warmer in Sydney and as loads of amazing beaches. If you don't want the beaches and warmer weather then I would say Melbourne has more benefits, the main being cheaper cost of living.

Melbourne 100%. Sydney has no "life" after 7pm.

If you like long walks and acai bowls sydney is your place.

If you like amazing food, bars, resturants, fashion and a functioning transport system melbourne is your place

Expat living in Melbourne (where my spouse is from)

Sydney is probably the best option for what you want to do in a city. However, it’s the highest cost-of-living in the country, so while those activities might be available, you might not be able to afford them. Sydney public transport isn’t great, especially if you want to access the eastern suburbs (e.g. Bondi Beach) frequently. The stadiums while accessible by public transport, are not the easiest places to get to either. If you plan on driving, parking is impossible/expensive and there is an insane amount of tolls.

Melbourne is probably the best option in terms of what you want to do while still being “affordable”. It has the best coffee in the country, great food, and all the stadiums are easily accessible by public transport. Melbourne is on a bay with “beaches”, so you’ll have to drive for better beaches (not as good as Sydney) and surfing (Torquay is home to a major surfing tournament and the birthplace of many major surfing brands).

Perth is a much smaller city. It’s the equivalent of Manchester compared to London or Portland compared to New York City — it’ll have everything that you want but less options. Cost-of-living isn’t great there right now, but it’s because mining is booming so Perth is booming. Settling there now might mean that you can take advantage of a future mining downturn. Also, Perth’s beaches are incredible and they come with sunsets.

A BCG report as ranked Sydney 10th best in the world for expats and Melbourne 14th. As a country, Australia ranked 1st.