The ability to work from home is helping more Australians swap big cities for coastal and regional towns that offer better lifestyles and a lower cost of living, new research suggests.
A report into lifestyle locations released on Sunday shows towns outside of metropolitan areas are growing as people opt for "lifestyle towns" that are near, but not within, capital cities.
There are now 3.7 million people living in more than 600 towns that are between 75km and 175km from a capital city.
"We are witnessing a quiet lifestyle revolution in suburban Australia," KPMG demographer Bernard Salt said.
The ability to work remotely from home using the internet is changing the work-life balance, he said.
"Super connectivity gives the Australian people even greater scope ... or more precisely, greater control over where they live and how they work," Mr Salt said.
Given the growth in the number of Australians working from home between the 2006 and 2011 census, Mr Salt estimates this trend will double to one million - or eight per cent of the population - a decade from now.
Examples of towns that offer better lifestyles and affordable properties include Byron Bay and Kiama on the NSW coast; Victoria's Surf Coast; Launceston; and Mandurah in Western Australia.
People are also moving inland - in Bannockburn, outside of Geelong, the population jumped 41 per cent to 3500 people between the 2006 and 2011 census, while Kilmore's head count increased by 30 per cent to 6100.
The report's survey of 1000 people also shows 40 per cent of respondents have considered a sea change.
Of those who had made the move, 31 per cent cited cost of living as the main reason, while 72 per cent said it was about lifestyle.
The Super Connected Lifestyle Locations Report was commissioned by the National Broadband Network.
