I paid off $90,000 in student debt by living with my parents. I moved to Australia, have my own place, and a higher salary.

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.Filer moved to Sydney in April 2024.Courtesy of Gabriel FilerGabriel Filer had his heart set on moving to Australia, but felt weighed down by student debt.He lived with his parents and saved aggressively to clear over $90,000 worth of debt in four years.Now, Filer has his own place in Australia and earns more than he did in the US.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gabriel Filer, 34, who's based in Sydney. The following has been edited for length and clarity.Do you have a story to share about leaving the US? Contact this reporter at [email protected] I was a kid, I'd look up at the sky and think about what life was like outside my hometown, Middletown, Connecticut.As I grew older, I became interested in exploring other countries. In 2019, at the age of 28, I visited Australia and fell in love with it. During the pandemic, I thought about applying to move there once the borders reopened. Civil unrest in the US also drove me to seriously consider leaving the country.Before moving to Australia, I wanted to pay off my student debt of over $90,000, build a six-month emergency fund, and cover my relocation expenses, such as the cost of my visa application.I was disciplined about setting money aside, and paid off my debt in August 2023, less than four years after I started seriously saving, and almost a year before I moved.It felt like a sacrifice, but living with my parents for 7.5 years is what made it possible.I set aside money each month to pay off my debt balanceI graduated in 2013 with a degree in community, environment, and planning, then got my Master's in city and regional planning in 2016. After grad school, at age 25, I moved back home.I was very frugal growing up, and once I started working at age 26 in 2017, I paid money into a brokerage account. By the end of 2019, I had saved roughly $47,000, but it wasn't enough to cover my loans of roughly $90,000. Between 2019 and 2024, my annual salary as an urban planner increased from around $40,000 to $65,000.Filer worked as an urban planner in the US.Courtesy of Gabriel Filer.In January 2020, I began paying $1,000 a month from my paycheck toward my student debt, and from May, I put between $1,000 and $2,000 into my brokerage account.Using that money, the interest it accrued, and some existing savings, I paid off $65,600 of my student loan in October 2021. The three-year student loan payment pause during the pandemic, when my loans didn't accrue interest, felt like a golden window to pay off my debt. I also wasn't really going out and spending money on petrol, and my parents didn't charge me for rent or groceries.This allowed me to save a lot from my monthly salary, which was roughly $3,400 between 2021 and 2023.Each month, I used my Apple Notes app to write down and track all my expenses. When I paid a bill, I'd strike through that expense on the note.In August 2023, I made a second payment to clear my balance before the student loan payment pause ended that September.After paying off my debt, I saved over $38,000 to relocate and for emergenciesOnce I got my debt under control, I focused on setting aside money for my visa fees and relocation. By April 2024, I had accumulated over $38,000 in short-term reserves to contribute to my emergency fund and relocation costs.Filer hired an immigration lawyer to help with his relocation.Courtesy of Gabriel FilerI hired an immigration lawyer to help me navigate applying for permanent residency in Australia. I'm don't have great reading comprehension, so it was helpful to have a professional assist me with the complicated immigration process. I also joined a Facebook immigration support group, which provided me with a network of people who were also moving to Australia, and was helpful for information sharing about the process.I volunteered virtually so I'd have professional references when I got to AustraliaIn April 2024, I moved to Sydney. I'd made contacts by volunteering virtually for an Australian nonprofit while I was in the US. That helped me gather professional references for my job search.Filer earns more in Australia than he did in the US.Courtesy of Gabriel FilerWithin two months of being in the country, I got a job as a grants officer in the education sector. My salary is 113,575 AUD, roughly $73,700, which is more than I was earning in the US.Initially, I rented an apartment for the equivalent of $1,645 per month, which felt much better value than what I could rent in a big American city.In June 2025, I finalized the down payment on a unit. It's nice to have my own place and be able to invite people over after years of living with my parents.I prefer living in Australia compared to the US. People are very nice here, and going to the pharmacy doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The work-life balance here is unparalleled. When I finish work, I don't feel guilty about leaving, whereas I always felt stressed in the US.Moving to Australia was a dream come true. I had a feeling life would be better outside the US, I just needed the courage to step out of my comfort zone and go for it.Do you have a story to share about leaving the US? Contact this reporter at [email protected] the original article on Business Insider

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