Cost of Living in Australia, questions etc.

[aVocado]

To address the accommodation concern, I'll just say that it's pretty much impossible to live on your own with a student's budget here in Melbourne. I don't know what it's like in other cities, though, but I doubt they're any better. A friend told me he knew a guy who lived alone while at university, but he was working like a dog and had next to no money for luxuries or savings. Maybe if you get a relatively generous scholarship and a nice part-time job, you'll be able to live alone comfortably.

I've mentioned it in the op but you might have missed it, if I get accepted for a scholarship in Australia by the government here, I'll be payed 3k AUD/month.. assuming rent is 350-400 (the numbers everyone's been giving me, also found the same when i searched online) per week, that's 1400-1600 at most. I don't know how much utility bills would cost, but by doing some google searching, the water/electricity/garbage/heating would cost $188 (in melbourne) for a pretty big apartment.. and I'll be going to (ideally) live in a small modest-decent apartment by myself, so that'll probably be lower. I have no idea how much transportation would cost, but I'll take a rough guess and say around $150 a month. Cable/Internet/phone might be a problem though, as they might be expensive. Groceries could be $200.. but I'll count it as $250. All of that added up is 2038, which leaves me with around $920 for luxuries/saving, including eating out I guess.

I probably pulled the numbers out of my ass though. I'm not the one living there, so idk. I just did the math/searching when I was bored. So far Melbourne seems to be the city everyone's directing me into, but I'll have to see if its universities provide what I want to study and if they're good enough.

I don't mind working part-time though, as a waiter or some shit, if I have the time.

 

[s0nido]

$400/month for rent is what I've seen advertised for shared accommodation (and this value usually includes paying for all bills). So living in an apartment alone would probably cost more than that. But if you're getting paid $3k/month, I reckon you should be fine.
As for Melbourne's universities being good enough, I can assure you that they are. Melbourne is the fourth best university city in the world, after London, Boston and Tokyo, so you shouldn't find any problems with the universities here. Plus, it's one of the most livable cities (if not THE most livable) in the world. So if you're going to study in Australia, you should study in Melbourne. Of course, just take into account all the cons about living in Melbourne/Australia because living here is NOT paradise. But yeah, it's good that you're doing your research and asking advice.

 

[MrIndigo]

$400/month for rent is what I've seen advertised for shared accommodation (and this value usually includes paying for all bills). So living in an apartment alone would probably cost more than that. But if you're getting paid $3k/month, I reckon you should be fine.
As for Melbourne's universities being good enough, I can assure you that they are. Melbourne is the fourth best university city in the world, after London, Boston and Tokyo, so you shouldn't find any problems with the universities here. Plus, it's one of the most livable cities (if not THE most livable) in the world. So if you're going to study in Australia, you should study in Melbourne. Of course, just take into account all the cons about living in Melbourne/Australia because living here is NOT paradise. But yeah, it's good that you're doing your research and asking advice.

Haha, I love how Sydney and Melbourne constantly fight about which is the better university city, when ANU is the top-ranked university in the country. For the wrong reasons, but still.


As a Sydney-sider, I would say either Sydney or Melbourne will be fine. They have the amenities and nightlife you want, plus the major universities there are all top notch. The only difference between Melbourne and Sydney, IMO, would be whether or not the particular subject you're studying/researching is good for the university you're going to. Either would be fine.


My current rent for a 2-bed apartment is $570 in a suburb about 15 minutes by train from the city centre; previously I've paid $550 and $650 pw (both in Kirribilli, a fairly expensive suburb). If you're looking for a 1-bed apartment, you'll be looking for $400-$500 depending on how close you are to the city. A studio apartment will be around $300-$400.

My commute costs are about $35 pw. Utilities are about $200 per quarter (electricity and gas); internet probably about $50-$100 per month if you're not living on campus. Groceries, when I lived by myself, were under $200 per week.

 

[skylight]

Perth is also a good option compared to the other choices, because other than cost of living concerns (it's kinda cheap ish around here idk people get by fine?) it's not got the problem of a super busy city which the big two have, it's generally pretty good weather, we get literally zero natural disasters and bushfires (like no flooding etc that other states would get) are usually pretty far ish from where most people live, good beaches and the unis here have tons of people in the industry teaching so while they don't have the high qualifications the big ones have but they have people that know what they're on about.

Oh and Melbourne is really cold you don't want to live there Perth is nice and neutral and not freezing.

Just throwin in two cents or w/e

 

[The_Chaser]

3k a month is plenty, don't even worry about it. Most expensive accommodation is living on campus and that is 18k/year with food, utilities included. If its for all the year you have 18k left over ( if you are paying for school fees it may be different though).

You should also consider what you want to study and how good the Australian Universities are in that area.

I'm from Brisbane, I personally think its a good city to live it's pretty laid back but there is the Gold Coast nearby if you want to catch some thrills (has best theme parks in Aus and best beaches). There is also some beautiful rainforests in the Gold Coast hinterland. We also have better weather. UQ also generally ranks third in World Uni rankings after ANU and Melbourne.

Melbourne has a better ranking university, supposedly better food and art if that is your thing. Also has a lot of sports teams so is known as the sporting capital of Australia. Melbourne weather is pretty ordinary though.

Sydney probably has the most to offer in a city overall but is very expensive and I've heard the transport is pretty bad.

Overall, I don't think there is a bad option. I would personally base it on what I want to study and the opportunities at each university. Also you should consider if you only want to study subjects for you degree or want broader education. For Example, if you study at UQ you don't get many general electives and pretty much all your subjects are related to your field of study. Meanwhile at Melbourne, they require you to take general electives in different fields in your first year of study. You should really check out each program at each university.

 

[aVocado]

Thanks everyone for your input and help answering my questions, it's all been very helpful! Now I just have one more thing though. Is looking at sites like realestate.com.au a good source to get familiar with apartment prices, and actually look for apartments later on, or is it filled with false marketing and shit real estate agents usually do to sell you what they're offering? From what I'm seeing, some studio apartments there are excellent, cheap, furnished, and the rent includes gas and water as well, but it all sounds a bit too good to be true, to be honest..

I'll start checking out the universities in Australia and see which of them has the best education or specialize in what I want to study, and then make direct comparisons and see which is better.

 

[MikeAU]

Thanks everyone for your input and help answering my questions, it's all been very helpful! Now I just have one more thing though. Is looking at sites like realestate.com.au a good source to get familiar with apartment prices, and actually look for apartments later on, or is it filled with false marketing and shit real estate agents usually do to sell you what they're offering? From what I'm seeing, some studio apartments there are excellent, cheap, furnished, and the rent includes gas and water as well, but it all sounds a bit too good to be true, to be honest..

I'll start checking out the universities in Australia and see which of them has the best education or specialize in what I want to study, and then make direct comparisons and see which is better.

A lot of what you're after has been covered above -- Australia is a great place to live. I will be surprised if you don't feel welcome and have a fantastic time.

Prices are kind of hard to explain, Capital cities (for the most part) and the country in general can be considered quite expensive -- however, wages tend to be quite higher than other places around the world.

You can't go wrong with Melbourne/Sydney (residing in Syd, I will say go to Sydney! :P) Just yeah see which uni's offer your course and go from there. If you have any other specific questions shoot me a PM! I would strongly encourage to try and find some part time work here to earn a little $ as you go, create some social networks etc and yeah. Expect to have a great time!

 

[Trax]

Written by rich white people?

Not sure where white comes into it, given Sydney (and Melbourne to a lesser extent) have pretty high Asian populations next to the rest of Australia.

 

[baddjordan]

Not sure where white comes into it, given Sydney (and Melbourne to a lesser extent) have pretty high Asian populations next to the rest of Australia.

There is a huge Asain population in Adelaide, you can't look left or right in the city without seeing an Asain.

 

[Cresselia~~]

There is a huge Asain population in Adelaide, you can't look left or right in the city without seeing an Asain.

*puts Adelaide onto my possible immigration destination list*

 

[junior]

wtf is with this misconception that sydney is just filled with white people? that's the most untrue thing I've read in this thread. it really depends on where you are but it is very multicultural. lots of caucasians, asians, arabs and islanders.

about australia being racist, i suppose if we're talking about the fundamentals of racism then it is pretty racist to people who can't "speak proper english". and by racist i mean people will probably bitch about them to their friends or tweet about them, but you won't see people getting verbally or physically attacked for it so it's not as bad as people are making it out to be. overall, i think we are a friendly bunch. in fact, i think caucasians are some of the nicest and most approachable people here, especially the older ones.

as for transport, its shit here in sydney. public transport is ridiculously expensive and unreliable at times, and driving can be scary apparently. i have friends from the central coast (urban center 1.5 hrs north of sydney) and from the south coast and they all say driving in sydney gives them anxiety haha. even i get nervous on certain roads (parramatta road is an absolute cunt). you do get used to it though.

anyway, latest data suggests the cost of living in australia is slipping down the ranks. currently, sydney stands at 5th and melbourne at 6th which is lower than it was a few years ago. brisbane is no longer in the top 10. however, we're only so high up because our minimum wage is probably one of the highest in the world.

what do you want to study btw? and what kind of environment are you looking for? i've had first hand experience studying at the university of sydney and macquarie university, and i've also visited the university of new south wales quite often. those are the top 3 unis in new south wales imo (a lot of people say unsw's environment is shit though and i agree tbh, although they do have the best food on campus)

 

[MrIndigo]

Thanks everyone for your input and help answering my questions, it's all been very helpful! Now I just have one more thing though. Is looking at sites like realestate.com.au a good source to get familiar with apartment prices, and actually look for apartments later on, or is it filled with false marketing and shit real estate agents usually do to sell you what they're offering? From what I'm seeing, some studio apartments there are excellent, cheap, furnished, and the rent includes gas and water as well, but it all sounds a bit too good to be true, to be honest..

I'll start checking out the universities in Australia and see which of them has the best education or specialize in what I want to study, and then make direct comparisons and see which is better.

Realestate.com.au and domain.com.au are the two biggest real estate sites. They will give you a reasonably good idea (though, like all property websites, you don't get quite as good a picture as checking the place out yourself).

Furnished places aren't that common because they're not a great option for people who already own furniture, but that might actually work out well for you. The only thing to be wary of is term - lots of furnished apartments are set up for short term stays of a few weeks or months, generally not for a year or more (because they are often owner-occupied for some months of the year and vacant otherwise, so the owner is trying to monetize the gap).

 

[Kangaaroo]

Just don't come to Sydney and you'll be fine.

 

[aVocado]

So, the Government raised the salary that students would get each month to $3900 (AUD) from $3000.. which makes all my worrying about expenses etc pointless lol. I think I'll be able to live fairly comfortable with that.

That being said, since a couple of people asked before, I want to major in Genetics. Any idea what universities are the best for that?

 

[The_Chaser]

Not too sure too be honest, you can check out these rankings though.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co....2013-14/subject-ranking/subject/life-sciences
http://www.topuniversities.com/univ...region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=
http://www.shanghairanking.com/FieldLIFE2013.html

 

[Bilby]

I'd recommend trying to get an apartment near your university, as walking is probably the best transport in Melbourne (unless you want to go to the other side of town)

 

[Thorns]

what do you want to study btw? and what kind of environment are you looking for? i've had first hand experience studying at the university of sydney and macquarie university, and i've also visited the university of new south wales quite often. those are the top 3 unis in new south wales imo (a lot of people say unsw's environment is shit though and i agree tbh, although they do have the best food on campus)

uts has the best food on campus considering how the campus is basically haymarket

 

[Crux]

Also, UTS > Macq anyday

 

[Ausgirl]

Everything is expensive in Australia.

Melbourne is generally considered to be the most affordable city though. However you will most likely need to find room mates to share living costs with since you will have to pay through the roof for on-campus living. Not to mention on-campus living sucks anyway, the rooms are small and internet access is poor (also you don't get to chose what sort of internet access you have either). So if you like playing games with online features then you will have to hunt high and low for an internet cafe that is actually accessible with the 3ds. On the other hand there are plenty of options food-wise in Melbourne. There's Macca's, KFC, Subway and the likes as well as Chinese and Indian among others, the prices vary but food is generally cheap.

 

[Cresselia~~]

Actually, what's the degree of racism towards East Asians like, in different Australian cities?

I ask because I am choosing a country (and state/ province/ city) to immigrate.
(Hong Kong is dying from China's poison, you know.)

 

[Asek]

Actually, what's the degree of racism towards East Asians like, in different Australian cities?

I ask because I am choosing a country (and state/ province/ city) to immigrate.
(Hong Kong is dying from China's poison, you know.)

Inside any of the inner cities I've visited (melbourne, Sydney , Brisbane) theres next to no racism towards asians

If you go into a rural area you may find the people there a little less welcoming but the inner suburbs / city are plenty welcoming towards any ethnicity

 

[Trax]

Actually, what's the degree of racism towards East Asians like, in different Australian cities?

It definitely exists, but isn't especially common and isn't overt when it does for the most part. That said, if you regularly converse in a language other than English while on public transport, someone will probably abuse you for it eventually.

 

[Cresselia~~]

It definitely exists, but isn't especially common and isn't overt when it does for the most part. That said, if you regularly converse in a language other than English while on public transport, someone will probably abuse you for it eventually.

So it's more of a language problem then.
I see.

 

[Millky95]

So it's more of a language problem then.
I see.

Yeah, you're more likely gonna get abused for "not speaking fucking English" (direct quote I've heard) than having a non-traditional white appearance. Most Australians I have spoken to (outer and inner city suburbs) think if you want to live in a new country even for a few years you should have a basic level of understanding of the main language.

 

[Cresselia~~]

Yeah, you're more likely gonna get abused for "not speaking fucking English" (direct quote I've heard) than having a non-traditional white appearance. Most Australians I have spoken to (outer and inner city suburbs) think if you want to live in a new country even for a few years you should have a basic level of understanding of the main language.

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