Student accommodation:

Australia has many different accommodation options for international students. With choices ranging from university accommodation or home stay, to self-catered apartments or share houses, there’s an option to suit every personality and budget.

Help with finding accommodation:

Universities, TAFE colleges and other large education providers in Australia have services to provide information and advice about the different accommodation options and costs, and to help international students find appropriate accommodation to suit their needs.

This service may also be able to arrange temporary accommodation for students when they first arrive in Australia. Students have the option of contacting their Australian education provider’s accommodation service before their arrival in Australia to organize this.

Cost and availability:

The cost and availability of accommodation obviously varies depending on the type of accommodation you choose. Some types of accommodation are more expensive and need to be arranged earlier than others due to their popularity. For instance, university halls of residence are generally very popular so students need to apply for a room well in advance, whereas rental accommodation is generally available and can be organized when you arrive in Australia.

Estimated Living costs:

International students in Australia can expect to spend around $400 to $500 per week on accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, transport, travel, telephone calls and other costs. The amount an individual will spend will, of course, vary according to factors such as lifestyle, the type of accommodation they choose, and the type and location of the course they study.

Australia offers not only world-class education, and a relaxed and easy lifestyle but also affordability. Both living and university costs are typically lower than in the USA and UK. A study conducted on the cost of Big Macs around the world highlights the lower prices in Australia.

The cost of a Big Mac (in US dollars) in July 2007 was:

• $2.95 in Australia
• $4.01 in Britain
• $3.41 in the US.

Figures were taken from the Finfacts Ireland website, last viewed 31 July 2007.

In addition, the Mercer Human Resource Consulting 2007 Cost of living survey found that only one Australian city, Sydney, appeared on the list of the top 50 most expensive cities to live in, whereas three UK cities (London – second most expensive city in the world, Glasgow, and Birmingham) and two US cities (New York and Los Angeles) appeared on the list.

How To Differentiate Between Halaal And Haraam Food:

In Australia, there is a vast majority of Muslims from various parts of the world including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Sudan. With increase in Muslims population, availability of Halaal food has also progressed. Numerous shops have started in various suburbs selling Halaal meat, Halaal chicken and other Halaal items, even though price is a little bit higher then Haraam meat but doesn’t matter that much. You can find Lebanese Khubz (Roti) from Halaal shops and many other Indian groceries shops.

Halal And Haram Food Additive:

The Islamic Jamaat of Western Australia has complied a list of food products, which are Halaal, Doubtful (?) and Haraam(x). This was done in conjunction with the department of Chemistry Centre (W.A), Australian government analytical laboratories and the Jewish Rabbi of Eastern states. The new additive code breaker was also used for guidance. This was done for the benefit of the Muslim Community so that they may become aware of the food products that they consume, as this is our religious obligation.

It’s not easy for me to post the full list including additives that are Halaal and also is not easy for you to memorize all of them. So, I will only post Haram and Doubtful additives and the rest which I leave are all Halaal.

Haraam Additive:

Doubtful/Not Sure (I suggest you not to buy):

Where To Get A Printed List Of Additives:

You can easily find a printed copy of this list in Australia. Just go to any Mosque and request them for a copy of Halaal and Haram food Additives and hopefully they will provide you.

How To Check For Additives:

When ever you buy a product, you will find ingredients on the wrapper. Certain codes will be printed their instead of full names and search for the codes/numbers which I have posted in above list. If there is no match then it means this food is Halaal. If you find a single match then do not buy it.

What Food Can Be Haraam?

You can find Halaal and Haraam additive in almost all kinds of food products except vegetables. Haraam additives are most likely present in majority of biscuits, chocolates, oils, ice creams, burgers, breads. Always make sure that you screen a particular product before consuming it. Once you have enough experience then you will know what you should eat.

Price Estimation Of Halaal Food:

Well Australian manufacturers do not care for Halaal and Haraam food. A single product won’t be available in Halaal form, if existing one is Haram. Or in other words if you buy a biscuit ABC from a company XYZ and it is Haraam then don’t expect that that company will also make Halaal version of that biscuit.

But you will never find any company selling Halaal meat or chicken. In this case, you must go to any Halaal meat shop or don’t eat meat. Halaal meat will be available at a little higher price like $1-2 difference per kilo as compare to Haraam meat in other shops.

Estimated costs Of Meat/Chicken/Beef:

1Kg Beef Curry - $ 6.0

1Kg Beef Diced - $ 8.0

1Kg Beef Minced - $ 6.50

1Kg Beef Rump streak - $ 10.0

1Kg Chicken Drumstick - $ 4.0

1Kg Chicken mixed - $ 5.0

1Kg Lamp Curry - $ 7.50

1Kg Goat Curry - $8.0

Estimated costs Of Spices:

100 gram spices around $ 2.0

100 gram black pepper for $2.0

1kg Red chili for $ 8.0

Monthly Food Expense:

In shared accommodation, students use two approaches for managing their eating related stuff.

i. Individual eating approach

ii. Shared eating approach

Individual Approach:

I have seen some houses where students are from same country, same language, same religion but still they do cooking and other things individually. May be it is convineant for them, but still they suffer. Because when they just come from university or job, even they are tired but still they have to cook something. Mostly they go for fast cooking stuff like eating eggs, buying already made food etc., which greatly effect their diet.

Shared Approach:

It is always easy to follow the first approach because by nature people are dependent on others. Every student in the house contribute, so there is not much burden on a single person and it comes handy during exams, when you have got a paper tomorrow and your colleague cook food and bring all necessary stuff, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Mostly students have made a roster for cooking and cleaning and they use to do swapping if are busy.

Rosters for work may vary according to students/community; like three people in house will do cooking and bringing necessary stuff and 2 people will be responsible for cleaning or it may be every person has to do cooking according to roster and then cleaning after 2-3 days or once a week but the approach remain the same.

I have seldom seen students sharing a single house and some of them doing individual cooking and some share this responsibility. For better understanding and more unity; I suggest the shared approach.

The estimated monthly food expense is $65 - $80 a month per person which includes buying Oil for cooking, spices, salt, sugar, tea bags, milk, meat, bread, eggs, vegetables, fishes, onion, potatoes, rice, beans and other things that includes normal eating habits and it should not exceed $80.

The cost may increase if you also share Juices, Cold drinks, pizza, buying food from outside and other such things.