Living Cost for International Students in Australia
If you are an international student who has never been to Australia and consider continuing your further education here, you should read about this article. This article will discuss about the basic living cost in Australia. Generally you are going to expect expenses in accommodation, transportation, bills, food and other living expenses.
Accommodation
Finding a good accommodation within student's budget will be a challenge, but if you have some friends or contacts in town, it will be easier. Most international students stay together sharing a house/ unit and you can easily find a single or shared room in a house rent. The normal rent is $120-$160 per week for shared room. Be sure to check it the bills are included in the rent. If you are staying further away from the city, the rent might be eve cheaper.
Transportation
Public transport fare for each state will differ slightly, but generally you are expecting roughly $8 - $10 a day for a day's return trip. Most of the classes or study are 2-3 days a week, so transportation expense will not be too expensive. And if you travel regularly, you can opt for weekly or monthly pass.
Phone and Utility bills
Another expense that you should be aware of is the mobile phone. You have the option of buying a prepaid SIM card, or use the post paid plan. For general usage, $30 a month is a decent amount to spend for phone bill.
Food and other expenses
For food, you can choose to buy your groceries and cook at home. Most accommodation will faciliate a kitchen and gas. Eating out will cost your anywhere from $5 - $15 on average. A meal at McDonalds or other fast food chain can cost $6-$8, and a regular cup of coffee will cost you $2 to $4.
Working Part-time under Student visa
Now that we have the basic breakdown of living expenses in Australia, the cost can be quite high if you don't work part - time to support some of your expenses. Under Student visa, an international students is allowed to work up to 40 hours per fortnight while studying. The Australian government allows international students to do this to help you meet your living expenses. Considering a wage of 20 dollars an hour, if accumulates to 1600 dollars a month which is a very decent amount assuming you are living a student life.
When you are not enrolled to any semester which ranges from one to three months, you are legally allowed to work full time. This is the most critical time period of your period that let’s you make and save some decent money to aid your living and education when in Australia.
For more information about study and work in Australia, talk to one of our staff, and we will be glad to help you out