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More Australians are in saving mode compared to last year despite the high cost of living and a string of interest rate hikes.

Roughly 70 per cent of adults are saving for big ticket items such as a home, holiday or major renovation, up from 66 per cent last year, Canstar data shows.

Canstar's financial services group executive Steve Mickenbecker said mortgage holders, who have been enduring a sharp uptick in their monthly repayments as interest rates track higher, fell into two camps.

One was clearly in survival mode and funnelling any extra money into their emergency fund, while a second was taking the tighter financial conditions in stride and saving for a holiday or other major purchase.

"For some borrowers, interest rate increases have been water off a duck's back, while others are in severe stress," Mr Mickenbecker said

Sixty per cent of mortgage holders were saving up for a holiday, with 38 per cent putting money towards their emergency funds.

While Australians are clearly determined to take a holiday now that the pandemic has fallen into the rear-view mirror, separate data from NAB found two in three had cancelled or postponed holidays in the past three months

When it comes to buying a home, the Canstar survey revealed a low appetite among borrowers to take on more housing-related debt.

But those without a mortgage were still hoping to work towards a deposit.

"With the potential for the cash rate to remain on hold, that day may be one step closer," Mr Mickenbecker said

The central bank board is due to meet on Tuesday ahead of its August cash rate meeting.

The RBA has fired off 12 interest rate hikes since May last year but opted to keep the cash rate on hold at 4.1 per cent at the last meeting.

The central bank is clearly approaching the end of its hiking cycle but another increase has not been ruled out in August.

Weaker-than-expected consumer prices and retail trade data will fuel the case for a second month on hold, whereas intense strength in the jobs market and services inflation could push the board towards another increase.

Interest rate markets see just a 10 per cent chance of a hike on Tuesday and economists from both NAB and ANZ expect the RBA to stay on hold.

But Commonwealth Bank and Westpac economist still foresee the bank moving 25 basis points higher.

© AAP 2023

HOW AUSTRALIA'S POPULATION IS MOVING:

* Moves to regional areas are up more than 16 per cent compared to 2018 and 2019

* Regional migration made up 11.1 per cent of all domestic movements, compared to 9.6 per cent moving from the regions to the capitals

* Overall movements are at their fourth highest level since March 2018, still up on pre-COVID-19 levels

WHY WE'RE MOVING:

* The Regional Australia Institute says there were 87,000 job vacancies in country areas in June, a major pull factor for people making the move

* Dissatisfaction with city living has increased from 10 per cent in 2020 to 14 per cent in 2023, according to the institute's survey of 1004 city-dwellers

* The top attractions to regional living are space, improved wellbeing, affordability and having more time

* Greater workplace flexibility increased interest in country living for 73 per cent of respondents

WHERE WE'RE MOVING:

* The most attractive areas for people moving from the capitals in the year to June were Queensland's Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, Greater Geelong and Moorabool in Victoria and Lake Macquarie, NSW

* The areas with the greatest growth were Waroona, WA, Livingstone and Mackay in Queensland, Moorabool, Victoria, and Alexandrina in South Australia

* Sydney is losing the most residents to the regions out of all the capital cities

* Both regional and city movers found Brisbane and Perth the most appealing capitals

Source: The June quarter Regional Movers Index, a collaboration between the Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute

© AAP 2023

The Gold Coast have upset North Queensland with a deserved 22-13 win to throw the race for the NRL top eight wide open.

The eighth-placed Cowboys, on 26 competition points, missed a golden chance to go to fifth position on Sunday and will be sweating on the NRL's match review committee charge sheet after centre Valentine Holmes was put on report for a high tackle.

With five rounds remaining, two competition points separate sixth-placed South Sydney, on 26 points, and Parramatta in 11th on 24.

The Titans deserved their victory at Cbus Super Stadium in front of 16,516 fans on an afternoon when winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira notched his 18th try of 2023 to become the highest try-scorer in a season for the club.

"It is a really great achievement. I'm sure it is something he will look back on and be very proud of," Titans coach Jim Lenihan said.

"I think the try-scoring part for him is the easy part. He has got better defensively and in all the little efforts off the ball."

The win broke a four-game losing streak for the hosts and ended a six-match winning sequence for the Cowboys.

The Titans started the scoring with a sensational 70-metre try, when Khan-Pereira broke clear and kicked ahead for fullback AJ Brimson to score.

Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater found winger Semi Valemei with a perfectly timed cutout pass to level it up.

Prop Coen Hess leapt like a gazelle to snaffle a Chad Townsend bomb and score to give the visitors a 12-6 lead but it started to unravel for the Cowboys from there.

Brimson left the field in the 17th minute with an abdominal tear and super sub Campbell came on for the Titans.

Holmes was sin-binned and put on report for a high shot on fullback Jayden Campbell in the 21st minute.

It was the second time in consecutive weeks he had been binned for such an offence.

"I disagreed with his send-off last week but it is hard to disagree with tonight's call," Cowboys coach Todd Payten said.

Titans outside backs Brian Kelly and Phil Sami, who signed contract extensions until the end of 2026 during the week, combined for a 23rd-minute try to Sami as the Titans made the most of having an extra man.

The Cowboys led 13-10 at halftime but Khan-Pereira broke clear immediately after the break to put Campbell over in another 70m raid.

Khan-Pereira scored minutes later to notch his 18th try for the year.

Titans second-rower David Fifita, who set him up for the try, held the club record previously with 17.

The Titans, on 22 points, still have a mathematical chance of making the finals.

Veteran No.6 Kieran Foran was magnificent for the hosts against a Cowboys outfit that failed to fire.

"We didn't have enough field position. We didn't make enough tough decisions in key moments," Payten said.

"They just ran harder and tackled harder."

Cowboys forward Luciano Leilua was also put on report for a shoulder charge on Moeaki Fotuaika.

© AAP 2023