Living Costs
International students in Australia can expect to spend around $400 per week on accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, transport, travel, telephone calls and other costs. The amount an individual will spend will, of course, vary according to factors such as lifestyle, the type of accommodation they choose and the type and location of the course they study.
Typically the capital cities have the highest living costs, with the biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne usually being at the upper end of the spectrum and the smaller cities of Adelaide, Tasmania and Darwin being the cheapest. The Mercer 2011 cost of living survey ranked the cities in this order from most expensive to least expensive:
1) Sydney
2) Melbourne
3) Perth
4) Brisbane
5) Canberra
6) Adelaide.
Housing costs
The cost of housing is generally more expensive in the capital cities than it is in regional areas. Between capital cities housing costs vary depending on housing availability and demand in each state, meaning that the biggest and most populated cities do not always have the highest average weekly rental costs. According to RPData Review, the average rental costs in March 2011 were as follows:
- Australian Capital Territory: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Canberra is $460 and the average price for a one-bedroom unit is $395.
- New South Wales: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Sydney is $440 and $400 for a one-bedroom unit. In regional NSW median rental prices for a three-bedroom house range from $310 on the mid-north coast to $340 in the Illawarra region and the rental price for a one-bedroom unit varies between $260 and $330.
- Northern Territory: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Darwin is $480 and $310 for a one-bedroom unit.
- Queensland: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Brisbane is $360, while the rental price for a one-bedroom unit is $300. The cost of housing varies in the regional hubs and ranges from $235 per week for a unit in Far North Queensland to $350 per week on the Gold Coast.
- South Australia: The average weekly rent for a three-bedroom house in the inner suburbs is $325 and $280 in the outer suburbs.
- Tasmania: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Hobart is $340 and $205 for a one-bedroom unit.
- Victoria: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Melbourne is $350 and $300 for a one-bedroom unit. The weekly median rental price for a three-bedroom house in regional Victoria can range anywhere between $250 and $315. For a unit, you can expect to be looking at weekly rental costs of $188 to $265.
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Western Australia: The median weekly rental price for a three-bedroom house in Perth is $360, with the average rental price for a one-bedroom unit sitting at $300.
