Accommodation

Where to live when you first arrive

Rent is the biggest cost of living in Australia. Here is the plan Studyaway suggests, what each option costs, and how to rent a place safely.

The plan

A new country can be scary, stay close to people you know

Settle in with friends and family around you, then once you start class and find work, find other options with other students.

Step 1Land safelyBook where you will sleep for the first weeks before you fly.
Step 2Stay with family or friendsOr in a homestay, while you settle in and start classes.
Step 3Meet other studentsAt your college, in your first weeks of classes.
Step 4Find a place togetherShare a house with students you know, and inspect it before you pay.

Living costs

After course fees, rent is the biggest cost

Rent in Australia is high, so many students share a house, or share a room, and split the rent and the bills.

What a week costs, by city

City	Room in a shared house	Homestay	Student accommodation	One-bedroom unit
Sydney	$403	$445	$670	$724
Melbourne	$300	$440	$480	$514
Brisbane	$297	$410	$489	$568
Perth	$294	$410	$375	$626
Adelaide	$261	$400	$460	$524

Per week, in Australian dollars, bills included. Source: Study Australia Cost of Living Calculator (Australian Government), data as of November 2025, read 20 October 2026.

AUD $29,710for 12 months of living costs

The Department of Home Affairs asks every student visa applicant to show $29,710 for 12 months of living costs. Rent, food, transport and bills all come out of that amount. Accommodation is part of it, not a separate amount. Spread over a year, it is about $571 a week for everything.

Options for accommodation

We have ranked the most cost effective and safe way to come study in Australia.

1 · First choiceStay with family or friendsA place to land, and someone to show you around.

If you have family or friends who already live in Australia, Studyaway suggests starting with them.

A place to land. You know where you will sleep on your first night.
Someone to show you around: buses and trains, the shops, a phone SIM and a bank account.
Time to find a longer-term place, and to inspect it in person before you pay.
A lower cost while you settle in.

A course near them

Courses on the Studyaway list run in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. Tell Studyaway where your family or friends live, and Studyaway looks for a course close to them.

Agree on the cost and how long you will stay before you fly.

See the courses →

2 · Second choiceHomestayA room in a local host’s home, with meals and bills in one weekly fee.

A homestay is a room in a local host’s home, booked through a homestay company. The company checks and trains the hosts, visits each home, matches you with a host, and manages the payments. The Australian Homestay Network (AHN) is one of these companies. The fees on this page are AHN’s. The weekly fee includes your room, meals, bills and internet.

A host who helps you settle: how things work in the house, in the suburb and on public transport.
One weekly fee for room, meals and bills, so you know the cost before you arrive.
A furnished room from the day you land. An airport pickup can be booked for $170 to $195.

The weekly price looks higher than a room in a shared house, because meals and bills are included.

Homestay fees, 2026

City	Traditional, a week	Complete, a week	Matching fee, once	Paid upfront
Sydney	$410	$445	$350	$1,990
Melbourne	$410	$440	$350	$1,990
Brisbane	$380	$410	$350	$1,870
Perth	$380	$410	$350	$1,870
Adelaide	$370	$400	$350	$1,830

Aged 18 or over, private room. Traditional: 2 meals a day Monday to Friday, 3 on weekends. Complete: 3 meals every day. Paid upfront: the matching fee and 4 weeks of the Traditional fee. Prices can change. Source: Australian Homestay Network, 2026 fees for each city and the AHN Student FAQ, read 20 October 2026.

Pay before you fly

AHN asks for the matching fee and the first 4 weeks of homestay fees before it starts looking for a host, so book and pay before you travel. A placement starts at 28 nights, and most last about three months. Leaving needs at least 14 days’ notice.

Under 18? Your education provider must approve your accommodation and welfare arrangements before you book.

3 · Short stays onlyHostelA bed for a few nights. Not suggested for a first trip.

A hostel rents a bed, often in a shared room, by the night or the week. It suits a few nights while you look for somewhere else.

Studyaway does not suggest a hostel for a student who has not travelled alone before:

The room is often shared with people who come and go.
No one is there to help you settle.
Hostels can set a maximum stay, so you move again soon.
Your bags, passport and documents need a locker.

If a hostel is the only choice

Book a private room if you can. Check the cancellation terms and the maximum stay. Start looking for a longer-term place on your first day.

Renting in Australia

Before you pay

Renting a place safely

Step 4 of the plan is renting a place, often with other students. Rental scams target new arrivals. These steps come from the Australian Government and the state tenancy offices.

Do this

Inspect the place in person, or ask someone you trust to. Photos or a drive past are not enough.
Check the person has the right to rent it out. Search their name and email online.
Pay the bond only through the official state form, never to a housemate, and put your name on the lease.
Read the condition report before you move in, add any damage, and take dated photos.

Warning signs

The rent is far below other places nearby.
The owner is overseas and cannot show you the place.
You are asked to pay by money transfer to hold the place.
You are pushed to pay quickly.
A fee for a background check or an inspection. The upfront costs are the bond and rent in advance.

The bond, by state

State	The bond is at most	Who holds it
New South Wales	4 weeks of rent	NSW Fair Trading
Victoria	one month of rent, in most cases	the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA)
Queensland	4 weeks of rent	the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA)

The bond is returned when you leave, less any unpaid rent or damage. Sources: NSW Fair Trading, Rental Bonds Online and the standard residential tenancy agreement; Consumer Affairs Victoria, Bond amounts and payments (updated 28 September 2026); Residential Tenancies Authority, Rental bond. Read 20 October 2026.

Plan where you live before you fly

Know where you sleep on night one

Start now →See the courses

Sources

Living costs: Department of Home Affairs, evidence of financial capacity for the student visa (LIN 19/198, section 6), the figure the Studyaway Eligibility Checker uses.
Weekly costs by city: Study Australia Cost of Living Calculator, data as of November 2025.
Homestay fees: Australian Homestay Network, 2026 fees for each city.
Renting, homestay for under 18s and short stays: Study Australia, Accommodation, and Study Australia, Accommodation: know your rights.
Scam warning signs: Scamwatch (ACCC), Fake rental properties and shared accommodation listings.
Bonds: NSW Fair Trading; Consumer Affairs Victoria; Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland).

All read 20 October 2026. General information only, not migration advice.