Important information about living in Sydney, Australia
Living costs
Annual living costs amounts for students, guardians and accompanying family members – 23/10/2019
On 23 October 2019, the annual living costs amounts for students, guardians and accompanying family members was updated in line with Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases to mitigate the risk of visa holders falling into financial hardship during their stay in Australia.
The following annual living costs and expenses was updated:
- for a primary applicant:
an increase from AUD20,292 to AUD21,041 - for a spouse or de facto partner of the primary applicant:
an increase from AUD7,100 to AUD7,362 - for a dependent child:
an increase from AUD3,040 to AUD3,152 - annual school costs:
an increase from AUD8,000 to AUD8,296 - personal annual income if there is no secondary applicant:
an increase from AUD60,000 to AUD62,222 - personal annual income where there is a secondary applicant:
an increase from AUD 70,000 to AUD72,592
Future financial capacity evidence requirement updates will be made on an annual basis in line with the CPI increases, with implementation at the end of each financial year.
Adjustments in the CPI are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). We expect the next increase will occur after July 2020..
Employment eligibility
An international student are eligible to work 40 hours (maximum limit) per fortnight during the term unlimited hours during your school holidays. Job advertisement can be found is ‘www.seek.com.au/www.career.com.au’’ as well as other major newspapers such‘Sydney Morning Herald’ and ‘Telegraph’. The use of referral by friends is also common and effective way of securing the employment. Before you can start working, you first ensure that you have (i) Tax file number and work permit. Contact our customer service officer if you need assistance regarding these matters.
Accommodation
Cost of accommodation will depend on your choice of location (CBD or suburban), types of accommodation (singe or shared). The shared accommodation in Sydney can range from $150 and $250 per week per person.There are various ways to find an accommodation such as through advertisements in the newspaper and visiting real estate agents.
Transportation
Sydney has excellent wide network of public transport such as busses and trains. Westminster College is only 5 minutes walk from nearest bus station and 8 minutes walk from the nearest train station (Town hall Station). Trains and buses run regularly and timetables are available. International students are eligible for discount of up-to 35% in their public transport cost. Please see the customer service officer at the reception for more information about the discount ticket.