Living in Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital of the State of Victoria and the second-largest city in Australia. With a mild climate, clean air quality and low crime rate, Melbourne is commonly named one of the world’s most liveable cities. Students from all over the world come here to take advantage of our world-class education and enjoy our hospitality and cultural diversity.
Melbourne is home to residents from more than 200 countries and territories, who speak over 233 languages and dialects. In 2020, the metro area population of Melbourne was 4,968,000, up by 2.01% from 2019. Until 2020, when COVID-19 swept across the globe, Melbourne had attracted the largest proportion of international overseas immigrants (48,000) in Australia as well as the largest interstate migration from other parts of Australia.
Australia is traditionally a Christian country, but most of the world’s religions are represented here and we respect the freedom of people to practise their choice of religion. Melbourne’s residents follow 116 religious faiths and churches, mosques, temples and synagogues are located throughout the city.
Festivals and events
As Australia’s “Sporting Capital”, Melbourne is the home of Australian Rules Football, Cricket, the Australian Tennis Open, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Melbourne Cup, which features horses from all over the world.
As well as its world class art galleries, public libraries and museums, most of which offer free admission, Melbourne hosts entertainment to suit everyone’s tastes, including a long list of festivals and events throughout the year. These include the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the Fringe Festival, the Moomba Festival, the Royal Melbourne Show, White Night, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and far too many multicultural festivals to list here.
For further information go to the Visit Victoria website.
Food
Melbourne has a fabulous variety of food. Our quality meat, fish, fruits and vegetables are exported to markets all around the globe. You should have no difficulty in finding the foods that you are used to at home as well. If you like takeaway, we also have most of the major global fast-food chains in Melbourne.
Cost of living
The Australian Government has calculated some average living costs to guide international students. According to their latest estimates, you will need a budget of at least $20,000 a year to live comfortably here. The precise cost will depend on your choice of accommodation and your lifestyle.
For more information visit the Australian government’s Study Australia website.
Accommodation
There are numerous commercial accommodations for students scattered across Melbourne’s CBD. You can check a website like UniAcco for the best and most affordable options.
Apart from commercial accommodation, moving into a share house is likely to be the cheapest accommodation option in Melbourne. The rent depends on several factors such as where the house is located, how old it is, how many people live there, etc. Your individual preference for such factors will affect the price but on average you can expect to pay between $175 – $400 per week, not including utilities like electricity and gas.
When signing a lease for a share house in Melbourne you are expected to pay an upfront security bond payment to the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority. The standard amount is 4 times your weekly rent payment but could be more depending on the individual home. Once you have decided to move out of your share house, you will receive your money back provided that you have not damaged the premises.
The Student Handbook has more information or go to https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/discover/melbourne-victoria/about-melbourne.