Living expenses
If you live in homestay accommodation, most of your meal costs are included in your weekly homestay fee. If you live in shared accommodation you are likely to pay between A$100-$150 a week for rent, and food cooked at home will be at least an extra A$60 a week. You will also need about A$10 a day to buy lunch and snacks during the week.
Tipping in Australia is generally confined to restaurants, taxis and expensive hotels, and 10% is usually appropriate. International credit cards are widely accepted and it is easy to open a bank account for the duration of your stay.
Average prices in Sydney
| Entertainment |
| Cheap restaurant meal |
$15-20 |
| Glass of beer |
$3.21 |
| Bottle of wine (average) |
$12.00 - $20.00 |
| Cup of coffee (take-away) |
$2.50 |
| Ticket to the cinema |
$12-16.00 |
| Transport |
| Petrol - 1 litre |
$1.30 |
| Single train ticket |
$3.60 - $6.80 |
| Weekly train ticket |
$25.00 - $36.00 |
| Housing |
| Rent - 1 bedroom flat |
$280 - $400 per week |
| Room in share accommodation |
$150 - $200 per week |
| Hostel |
$210 per week |
| Food* |
| Milk - 2 litre |
$3.61 |
| Bread - 600g loaf |
$3.86 |
| Rice - 1kg |
$2.60 |
| Cheese - 500gm |
$5.47 |
| Chicken - 1kg |
$5.66 |
*Prices are in Australian dollars and are taken from Average Retail Prices of Selected Items, Eight Capital Cities (Cat. no. 6403.0)— May 2010