Is there an Australian "lowyat forum"?

1) Call up MSDA and ask them. None of us here can reply with any authoritativeness on this matter.

2) At the current exchange rate, most computer peripherals are largely cheaper in Malaysia than in Australia. If can bring it over when you come, you might come out better. Most of the time any savings in Malaysia is all negated once you add shipping to this part of the world.

More information on bringing a desktop computer over from Malaysia here: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...post&p=38492398

3) Can you live with A$1200/month in Melbourne, after taking into consideration rent, food, transport, communication?

This post has been edited by haya: Oct 24 2011, 09:05 AM

Hey...
Have a look at your time table...which one requires more of your time.
If you are spending more time at PACE...STAY in annerley.
Keep your search near princess alexandra hospital...u will find yourself near enough to PACE and UQ is just a 20 minutes walk via the eleanor bridge...buses is not the only way to get to UQ from annerley.

good luck in your house hunting! let me know if you need any help...will help you as much as I can.

cheers

Just found out one can only apply for a student VISA 93 days before your date of commencement.

Is anyone aware of that? May I have a link to the source please

JPA allowance?

1200AUD is barely adequate if you choose to rent a fairly decent place (not squeezing 5, 6 mates in one house), but you won't have much left for savings at the end of the month. With that amount don't even think owning and maintaining a vehicle unless your other essential expenses are really low.

For things such as mobile phone/broadband plans, choose wisely as these things are often contract based and will become a huge burden if you are locked with an expensive plan. Usually a $49 cap (or less) would be more than enough for a student, no point going for infinite plans which may charge nearly $100/month. Start off with pre-paid first if you are unsure of your usage needs.

It's better to buy a laptop and bring it over to Australia. Today's exchange rate of 3.3 will hurt you a lot if you choose to buy any electronic stuff here. Having said that, if you know where and when to look you can often find bargains but for a newcomer don't take the risk. A laptop is easier to carry around than a desktop - you'll be on the move much more often during your studies in Australia than in Msia.

Recommendations for 1200AUD:
Rent: Aim for around 700-800/month for a reasonably well-equipped and comfortable place (twin-sharing units should be available unless you're living in CBD, if 3-4 of you are sharing this will be even less)
Food: 200/month (if you cook everyday, 100-150 may even suffice although groceries have skyrocketed for the past few years)
Utilities: 100-150/month (including electricity/gas/water/internet/mobile, again choose everything wisely)

It's better to overestimate your expenses rather than ending up eating dust for at the end of the month.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Nov 3 2011, 09:26 PM

The exchange rate is high, but the nominal price is also very high... don't even think of getting a laptop here if you have the chance to buy it in Malaysia. It already is hundreds (and in the case of high end systems costing over RM4000, thousands) of MYR more than the price in USD... forget AUD.

I'm aware but I don't have the source. Doesn't matter, a month or two is more than enough.

http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/573-1/applying.htm

124 days (4 months) if you're not in Australia, 93 days (3 months) if you're in Australia before your course starts.

hi everyone... I may be either a UQ, UNSW, or ANU student next year... most probably UQ or UNSW. Can anyone give me some info on these two universities? I will be taking mechanical engineering. Which of these is better? Can anyone kindly weigh out the pros and cons for me? Is the cost of living in Sydney much higher compared to Brisbane? Are there many Malaysians in these universities? Many Asians? Mix of culture? Thank you..
=)

Is the cost of living in Sydney much higher compared to Brisbane?
Generally yes. Sydney is so much bigger and way more vibrant than Brisbane.

Are there many Malaysians in these universities? Many Asians?
They are basically everywhere! Most Malaysians choose to go either Go8 universities or ATN universities. Probably more Asians and Malaysians are in ATN universities. Again, most of them probably share the same reason as you studying in Australia.

Mix of culture?
Pretty much. Again it depends who you are very likely to mix with and what university clubs/societies/events you're joining.

Meanwhile have a quick look the comparisons for both universities (especially on cultural diversity and non-english speaking undergraduates). Please do not rely on this source too much. It's only here to give you a rough idea.

http://www.gooduniguide.com.au/ratings/com...onSearch=Search

This post has been edited by immabee: Nov 6 2011, 11:40 PM

I'm not an engineering student so I don't know which is preferred between UNSW or UQ.
Though you'll find a good amount of Malaysians in either university doing engineering especially government etc. sponsored students.

Generally the living cost in Sydney is higher than Brisbane but of course it depends on how you manage yourself as well.

There's a lot of Malaysians in UQ though well I'd imagine there's more in UNSW and I do know a good number of Malaysians there and numbers from the EMAS do show there's more Malaysians studying in NSW than QLD.

Asians like people from China,Malaysia,Indonesia,Singapore,Vietnam, HK, Taiwan, Korea etc. would be the majority in terms of the international student community in UQ. Though there's a good mix of people from other countries as well. There seem to be a huge amount of exchange students from the USA etc. that comes and go often lol.

I'm thinking of building my own desktop here in Australia, would it be wiser to get the parts from M'sia and bring it in with my luggage or just get the parts here? If I get it from M'sia, would I need to remove them from the original boxes?

At the current exchange rate vis-a-vis the MYR/AUD, yeah, if you can bring the parts over, its much cheaper purchasing them in Malaysia than in Australia. Just be quick with HDD's: the Thai floods are pushing up prices for mechanical hard drives.

I don't understand the rationale for removing the parts from the original boxes.

You'll soon realise the cost of living is high everywhere. Over the course of 3 to 5 years, of course, the savings can be substantial, but only if things like rent are significantly cheaper. Try to compare rent.

AUD1200 is sufficiently enough for a month. I stay in Melbourne, and I spend less than $800 per month. =)
Rent a room (not house or studio apartment) and usually cook at home.

Housing/Apartment rents in Melbourne (Within CBD) - $400-600/week
If share rooms for 3BDR, is around $800-1200 per month.

Transports: Zone 1 - for 1 month Metcard ticket is approximately $60, Zone 1+2= $120 (Not sure!)
Groceries: $30 per 2 weeks (In my case!)
If you wanna go out and eat, try McD Lunch Promo and Subway, also Japanese food at QV ($6.50)
Utilities/Bills/Rents: $100 per month.
Phones: $53/month

Hope this helps.

How do you total up to $800 a month including rent!
my rent alone is $800+ a month.

Well if you're hoping to live a fun and exciting life here, i doubt your $1200 will be sufficient.
Im in sydney and i basically spend about $200+- a week on food(barely cook at home), transportation(train) and entertainment.
Not including my expenses on gym, phone bill and the occasional drunk nights.

See that... it might be expensive for most, but some people spend differently...

Everyone I know here spends well over AUD 1200 on rent and food alone... your entertainment and phone and other use for the year won't be much at all next to that.

I don't drink, I don't go to clubs. =="
I only pay my phone bills and the utilities bills, all sharing with friends.
I share a room with friends. 1 room has 2 peeps staying. So say you share rents with a girl, the rent is about $780 per month* edited, split it, its about $390, classes only from Monday - Wednesday, sometimes 2 hr a day = $60/month for transportation.
Like I said, I cook at home, spend few dollars on groceries. 1 meal I can keep for 3-4 days haha!

This post has been edited by xcullen: Nov 8 2011, 01:37 PM

So aferall this can we summarise?

Assuming Sydney, Melbourne

Weekly average

Rent =
Food =
Transport =
Communications =
Clothing =
Social =
Any other exepense = pls specify

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Added on November 8, 2011, 11:27 amJust saw this January 2010. Is this still applicable?

Budgeting
In addition to your tuition fees, you will be responsible for planning and budgeting your living costs. Below is an estimated cost of living guide per month for a single student living in homestay accommodation in Melbourne and Sydney.


Item Melbourne Sydney
Cost per month ($AUD)
Single homestay room (breakfast & dinner included) $900 $1060
Food (lunches & snacks) $252 ($9 per day) $295 ($10 per day)
Telephone $50 $50
Transport $100 $140
Laundry $40 $40
Stationery $40 $40
Clothing, entertainment, personals $200 $200

The estimated cost for a single student studying in Australia (including accommodation, meals, textbooks, personal incidentals, transportation and entertainment) is approximately AU$1,200 to A$1,500 per month (A$14,400 to A$18,000 per year).



This post has been edited by prophetjul: Nov 8 2011, 11:27 AM

just on rent alone then, it is more than $1560 a month....

Hello fellow forummers,

just a quick question. If i want to work at lets say Melbourne for one month plus to do a brief externship or something, do i need to apply any special documents or something? How long can I stay at Aussie with just a normal passport?

Thanks