Since I published the previous article, “Cost of living in Germany,” my mailbox has been abuzz with requests that I should write about the cost of living in Australia for international students from Nigeria. Based on popular demand, here it is.
Since getting the US visa in Nigeria has become a near-impossible task, Germany, Canada and Australia have become the best destination options for Nigerians – especially for studies. While getting an Australian visa in Nigeria is not a walk in the pack, it’s not entirely a wild goose chase.
Australia offers a fair share of a chance to immigrants – prospective students to Australia have even a much bigger opportunity. So, it isn’t entirely surprising that applications for the Australian visa in Nigeria have surged especially recently.
Unfortunately, nearly 45% of these applications are turned down. Why? Well, you can say they do not meet the requirements.
Remarkably, the majority of Nigerians that apply for the Australian visa from Nigeria have limited knowledge of what it requires. Most don’t apply due diligence in research. While a few of them don’t even know some basic facts like the cost of living in Australia.
Why You Need to Know the Cost of Living in Australia
After you have determined your purpose of travel and the destination, the next thing to do is research! This isn’t a sermon – it’s a fact, a law!
You don’t go to another man’s land ignorant of what obtains there – or at least a few facts about the place. Unless you want to learn the hard way.
Important information you must gather before you travel to a country like Australia is the cost of living in Australia. While Australia isn’t as expensive to live in as the United States and the United Kingdom, it has its fair-share of expensiveness.
Agreed, Australia is one of the countries with the best standard of living in the world. But unless you researched, you wouldn’t know that there’s a wide gap between living in Sydney and living in Queensland – both in Australia. The former affords you the luxury of city life but burdens you with the cost that comes with it. Meanwhile, the latter relieves you of the huge cost of living in the city but torments you with the slump life of the suburb.
So, you see? Knowing the cost of living in Australia will guide your choice of which part of the country to settle in. It determines a whole lot. From preparing yourself financially while still in Nigeria to learning the savings culture over there.
That said, living in Australia as an international student from Nigeria is relatively affordable. This is especially if you do or did live in Nigeria’s costly cities – Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Lagos. You can bear the cost of living in most parts of Australia.
But not to get too excited. It’s entirely a different affair in Australia’s biggest cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. These are the cities where you can earn huge and empty your earnings with expenses if you‘re not careful – it’s simply expensive to live in those cities.
Sydney, for instance, ranks on the list of top 10 most expensive cities to live in the world according to UBS. So, it isn’t an all comer’s affair living there. Before you take a step in pursuit of your studies in Australia, note these 5 key points about the cost of living in Australia.
Cost of Rent in Australia
Without being told you can tell rent takes a huge chunk of living expenses in Australia. It is said that in Sydney, indigenes often discuss the hike in accommodation over early morning coffee.
As mentioned above, it is more expensive to live in areas within the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. In contrast, it is much cheaper if you settle in Queensland and its surrounding suburbs.
On the high side, a bedroom apartment within the city of Sydney costs about $2,800 (AUD) per month. Outside the city, it averages about $1,900 (AUD). The cost of some utilities in the house like cooling, heating, electricity, garbage, and water can gulp up to $175 a month.
On average, here’s the cost of accommodation in Australia in a week:
Hostels and Guesthouses – $90 to $150 per week
Shared Rental – $95 to $215
On-campus – $110 to $280
Homestay – $235 to $325
Rental – $185 to $440
For boarding schools, students pay between $11,000 and $22,000 (AUD) in a year.
Aside from the cost of accommodation, furnishing the apartment also costs a little much.
More so, the Australian government assists low-income earners living in remote areas like Queensland to get accommodations. You can read-up details on the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) website.
Cost of Transportation in Australia
You can’t travel to Australia – a country far larger than Nigeria – and not have a deep understanding of its transport system.
The Australian transport system is organized. The railways are working fine and the roads are smooth and free. Also, it doesn’t cost so much to use the public transport system.
However, for convenience’s sake, plan to get a car within your first few months of arriving in the country. If you live in remote areas and wish to get a job in the big cities like the Eastern region you must get a car. It makes you move faster and more convenient to use. And remember, employers in Australia take no excuses for late-coming. They can sack after two warnings. Needless to inform you that in Australia cars don’t cost as much as in Nigeria.
If you did your driving licence in Nigeria, you may be needing a new one when you travel to some parts of Australia like Sydney. But in Melbourne, immigrants get permission to use the driving license they obtained from their respective countries for 6 months.
On the other hand, if you stick to public transport you will have to budget about $100 (AUD) per month.
School Fees and other Academic Expenses in Australia
You probably have heard that the cost of study in Australia could drain your account. Well, that could be true but a bit exaggerated.
For the avoidance of doubt, tuition fees are way too expensive in Australia compared to Nigeria. You will have to part with a few millions for a start. Even private universities in Nigeria don’t come quite close.
Tuition fees in Australia depend on a few factors. A more obvious factor is the type of school – whether private or public. Private universities pay much higher than public ones.
Another determinant of the tuition fees you will pay in Australia is your country of origin. Domestic students (including students born in Australia by non-Australia citizens) don’t pay full tuition fees. They share the fees with the Australian government. However, international student from Nigeria, you'll pay full tuition. The fees vary according to the institutions.
Undergraduate fees range between $15,000 and $33,000. If you are going for a master’s degree, you can pay as much as $20,000 to $37,000. Meanwhile, a doctoral degree racks up to $14,000 and $37,000.
These fees are estimations based on current realities. But then, they do not include vocational courses like Certificates I-IV, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. Depending on the level you enroll for, you can pay between $4,000 and $22,000. Also, top-grade courses like medicine and veterinary science require special fees. Each school has its specific fees. You may need to visit their site to get details.
Scholarships for International Students in Australia
Good a thing, the government of Australia, individual schools and independent bodies have a handful of financial aids and scholarships they offer international students. The aim is to lessen the financial burden of the students schooling in the country.
As a Nigerian, you stand a chance of benefiting from these many scholarships and fellowship aids. The scholarships and aids cover student exchanges, vocational programs, undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and research. While the government doesn’t fund English language training for international students in Australia, individual schools do. Find out from your school in Australia.
More so, there’s the International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) scheme. The scheme covers postgraduate research qualification in Australia for international students. So, you can work with top Australian researchers for free and earn huge experience while the body pays you. The fees cover your tuition fees and health costs.
They cover vocational education and training, student exchanges, and undergraduate and postgraduate study and research. Australian Government scholarships are not available for international students who are undertaking English language training specifically in Australia, but several Australian institutions offer English language training scholarships.
Working in Australia as an International Student
You can work in Australia and earn huge even as a student.
As an undergraduate international student in Australia, you have permission to work up to 40 hours every two weeks. If you are studying for a Master’s course, you can work for unlimited hours. When you get an Australian student visa from Nigeria, you earn the right to work alongside your studies in the country.
There are many jobs you can take up when you arrive newly. At first, you can start with menial, administrative, retail, hospitality, and customer service jobs. You can progress from there to bigger jobs. But if you’re lucky, you may find a high-paying job. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other industrial cities in the country offer the best employment opportunities. So, while you may want to live in remote areas where living cost is minimal, consider finding jobs in these cities. Seek.com, indeed.com, Careerone, Careerjet, LinkedIn, Gumtree, etc. are all good job hunting sites you can use.
You will need to obtain the Australian Tax File Number (TFN) before you can work in Australia. You can inquire from the Australian Tax Office for details of what you will need to submit.
Bonus
If you desire to travel to Australia from Nigeria, one of the key factors that must drive your decision is the cost of living in Australia. Knowing what obtains in the country in terms of costs is as important as knowing how to apply for an Australian visa in Nigeria.
Source: Travelwahala