Depends what you are used to and how much you want to spend. What type of house do you imagine living in. Do you want strip-mall type shopping or village? Will you have 2 cars or 1 or none?

I ask all of this because in the west you need a car each. Public transport is crappy there. The west is getting better but you need to pick your area carefully. Some schools can be a bit rough. But in saying this you can get a larger house.

The north shore is lovely, family, nice shopping areas and good schools (I mean around mosman, neutral bay area) Crows nest is close to city and nice as well. But then areas like Gordon are nice as well, lots of bushland and retirees and families. I dont know about schools there. Drummoyne is nice, I lived there for many years. It is on the water (not for swimming) but mostly there are units.

Dont know much about South, I assume you mean sutherland shire?

Eastern suburbs are expensive, but there are beaches. It is a nice place to live and yes there are lots of expats, mostly from the UK. But then again you would be hard pressed to find an area in Sydney that isnt really multicultural.