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Looking for student accommodation as an international student in Sydney can be a challenge, especially if you have just arrived. You need to consider what type of accommodation is best for you - share, rent or a homestay; what suburb to choose and how much money will you spend..
Things to consider when choosing a student accommodation:
Share - if you decide to share a room with other students or tenants, you will very likely save some money, get to know other people and practice your English (if you share with someone not from your country :) The disadvantages to consider include not being able to get along with other person in the room and a lack of privacy.
Rent a room - renting your own room has many advantages, including privacy, having own place to relax and arrange it the way you want. This option will certainly cost you more. Renting a room will still give you options to meet other students, if the rented room is in a house or 2+ bedroom apartment.
Homestay - live with Australian family - this option is usually more expensive, but it gives you a great chance to get to know local people, practice your English, travel around Sydney (if the family is nice, they may take you for a few trips around Sydney :) The food is usually included in the fees. By choosing this option, you may need to give up a bit of freedom, meaning you need to 'obey the rules', such as the dinner time or not staying up too late. But it all depends on the choice of the family.
Location - being a full time student means that you have to go to school :) One thing to consider is the distance of your accommodation from your school. How far is it by bus, train or walking? Consider travel expenses - you may get cheaper accommodation further from your school (most schools are located around Sydney CBD), but your weekly travel expenses increase - remember, as an international student, you do NOT have any student discounts when using public transport.
Second thing to consider is your lifestyle. Do you like going to beach every day? Do you like parties in Sydney night clubs? Do you like quiet places? Do you excercise? Research the places you are considering, ask other students who live in the area. Sydney offers a variety of accommodation options, no matter what lifestyle you like.
Other thing to consider is what nationalities predominantly live in the area. The importance of this really depends on you - do you prefer location where many people from your country live or do you want to experience other cultures. Sydney is a multicultural city with over 200 nationalities living here. While it may be comforting living in an area where other people from your country live, consider the advantages of meeting new people from all around the world, trying new types of food, experiencing customs of other nationalities.
Another factor to consider is job opportunities in your area. Again, you don't want to spend hours every day travelling to and from your work. The truth is that you are likely to change your job a few times during your stay, but think (and research) what are employment opportunities in your area of choice.
Furnished / Unfurnished - consider this when choosing a place. Furnished place will be more expensive, but you won't have to buy your own furniture and moving out (if you decide to change your accommodation) will be much easier.
Bills Included / Excluded - make sure you ask if the electricity, gas, water and internet bills are included in your rent, so you won't be surprised if you will be asked to pay an additional amount later on. Sometimes the bills are split evenly among the tenants, which you may find unfair if you are using much less appliances than others.
How much - the amount you will spend will (certainly) depend on the above mentioned factors. The prices around Sydney start as low as $60/week if sharing a room further from Sydney CBD, up to $400/week renting your own studio or 1 bedroom in the Sydney CBD. The average price to rent a room in the CBD area is around $200/week. This is usually for a place that is a walking distance to most schools in CBD, has the internet access and may include bills.
If you decide to live further form CBD - the prices are lower, however, consider your weekly travel expenses that are on average $35/week if you live approximately 15-20 minutes travel time from CBD.
Do your calculations:
Weekly Rent + Bills + Internet Access + Furniture + Travel Expenses and weight it against other factors mentioned above: your lifestyle, job opportunities in the area, etc.
Good luck.
Share your experience with looking for accommodation or living in Sydney!
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Articles - Accommodation 