Woohoo.... I got my VISA granted already. It is so effective when apply online...It just take me 1 day...Yesterday applied today granted =P... Australia...Here I come =P

guys, im thinking to opt for Malaysian Hall Melbourne for a while, until i find a house to rent with my friends over there. need your help in choosing which form to go..

http://www.msda.org.au/index.php?p=1_5

there is Permohonan Residen Tetap DM and Permohonan Penginapan Untuk Pelajar -DMP1.. if i want to stay like a month at least, which form should i choose?

and 1 more thing, what can you do with an allowance of 1200AUD/month ? i know its more than enough but how many will i have left after paying for rent, utilities, food and transportation? more on an estimate...

last question, is it worth it for me to buy a desktop in malaysia and ship it over there? well i've been informed that IT stuff can be expensive in australia.

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.

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

So aferall this can we summarise?

Assuming Sydney, Melbourne

Weekly average

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


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).

Is that just a bedroom? wow..... 

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Added on November 8, 2011, 1:41 pm

How much more on those figures? Those are Jan 2010 figures.......

i staying in Melbourne CBD and the rental for 1 bedroom cost me $1470. i'm sharing with my partner so the rental will be divided by 2.

i can survived with $1.2k per month when i was student but when i start working now, i spent more than $1.5k every month mainly because of lazy to cook and no need to think twice about money when buying stuff.

You must be staying away from meat and snacks to survive on 15$ per week!

Believe me, she says that every time she calls and ask what I had for dinner ahaha.
I do buy them but in desperate times with little money I don't buy them ahaha XP

Anyone with experience can pls fill in the blanks for budgeting
per week

a) Accomodation
b) Food
c) Transport
d) Communications- H/p
e) Utilities- Electricty, Internet
f)  Others  eg entertainment, clothing,etc