Education and living expenses in Australia
Australia is one of the most popular destinations for studying and spending vacations. It hosts around half a million international students per year, and the numbers keep rising every year by an average rate of 10%. Students are generally attracted to Australia because of its higher education system and lucrative destinations. On top of that, there are thousands of job opportunities that students can benefit from greatly. The standard of living in Australia is high, meaning that it isn’t easy for anyone with limited funds to survive in Australia. However, if you are a student, you shouldn’t get discouraged because of the expenses as we have compiled resourceful charts for your information, so that you can get a brief overview of the living expenses that you might have to bear, in case you want to study in Australia.
Living expenses for students in Australia
If you are an international student and are making plans on moving to Australia anytime soon, here are the fortnightly costs of rent in some of the major cities of Australia.
Rent
City | Average Rent (Fortnightly) |
Rent Expense in Sydney | $800 – $1100 |
Rent Expense in Melbourne | $700 – $1000 |
Rent Expense in Canberra | $600 – $850 |
Rent Expense in Perth | $500 – $750 |
Rent Expense in Brisbane | $700 – $1000 |
The prices mentioned above are the average rentals for 2-bed room apartments. However, if you are looking forward to calculating the living expenses on your own, you can visit Living Expenses Calculator | Most Banks Use HEM Living Expenses. Although the calculator mentioned before is for everyone in Australia, but it is ultimately beneficial for international students as they can get know-how and imagine the overall living costs from this calculator.
Additionally, we are currently working on creating a special calculator meant only for students and is currently in the final phase. With the help of this advanced calculator, students will be able to easily manage their everyday expenses and overall costs.
Here is an additional resource that might help you: Sydney City 2000, NSW | Flatshare & Houseshare | Gumtree Australia Free Local Classifieds
Due to the exchange rate, new comers from Asian countries like to live in shared apartments with other house mates, thereby reducing their cost of living.
Public transportation
Although public transportation isn’t as costly as it is assumed by most people, still, it is always a good thing if the student gets a discount on public transports. The good news is, Canberra and Brisbane offer massive discounts to the students when they use public transportation. However, Sydney doesn’t offer any discounts on using public transportation to reach places. Here’s a brief overview of average transportation costs in different cities of Australia.
City | Average Cost of Transportation – Per Month |
Transportation Expense in Sydney | $200 |
Transportation Expense in Melbourne | $150 |
Transportation Expense in Canberra | $100 |
Transportation Expense in Perth | $140 |
Transportation Expense in Brisbane | $100 |
Groceries
On average, groceries are not as expensive as one can expect, but here is an oversimplified chart that will help international students to get an idea about how much does groceries cost per head in Australia.
City | Average Cost – Per Week |
Grocery Expense in Sydney | $80 – $250 |
Grocery Expense in Melbourne | $80 – $200 |
Grocery Expense in Canberra | $100 – $175 |
Grocery Expense in Perth | $80 – $150 |
Grocery Expense in Brisbane | $90 – $150 |
Electricity and other bills
When it comes to paying electricity and other utility bills, students normally pay $300 on average for three months in summers and a whopping $500 during winters.
City | Electricity Cost – Per 3 Months |
Electricity Bill in Sydney | $100 – $300 |
Electricity Bill in Melbourne | $250 – $450 |
Electricity Bill in Canberra | $300 – $600 |
Electricity Bill in Perth | $300 – $500 |
Electricity Bill in Brisbane | $300 – $550 |
Keep in mind that these amounts are average, and the data might differ from place to place and is dependent on overall electricity usage.
Other Expenses
Although other expenses such as going out and shopping or emergency expenses might differ from person to person, still according to some of the online resources, the average cost of other expenses might be from $50 to $200. Living expenses for students in Australia are dependent on their lifestyle choices and how they manage to save the costs, that is why data might be different from person to person. The amount mentioned before is just an assumption, and it doesn’t entirely mean that the expenses will surely fall between these brackets.
University Fees and Health Coverage
As an international student, you might be interested in the overall university fees and the health coverage that the Australian authorities are offering. Keep in mind that the overall costs of university fees are dependent upon the course that you are taking, the level of education, university ranking, city, and the number of subjects you take per year.
Here are the average university costs for international students who are planning on studying in Australia.
Course | Fee (Per Year) |
$32,000 | |
$43,500 | |
$30,000 | |
$34,000 | |
$31,500 | |
$28,800 |
Conclusion
Studying in Australia is the dream of every international student, as the country has the world’s best educational institutes, and the land is full of hope and opportunities. The quality of education that the country provides is second to none. But as all great things come at a cost, that is why you should be wise in your spending habits and try to save money until you are done with your studies. The above-mentioned costs are just a glimpse of what living in Australia costs on average, but these costs alone shouldn’t play a decisive factor in changing your mind about studying in Australia. Rather you should think about creating a budget and plan well so that you can enjoy living there and live a healthy lifestyle. Best of Luck!