Living the Costly Life
It is still hard to believe that I have already lived in Sydney for almost 7 months now. Although to be honest I never previously thought that I (well, my whole family) would survive living here, I just surprisingly do! Sydney has oftenly ranked one of the most expensive cities in the world, usually second most (according to this page), especially due to its housing prices. So a lot of people might wonder how a student family could survive with a 2000 AUD a month, well the answer is.. you just have to manage it carefully 😅
1. Housing
Finding a place to live in Sydney can be a little bit tricky. Some people want to live near the city center, but it would definitely cost them more than to live in the suburbs. For example, some of Sydney uni students prefer living at the student accomodation provided by the university. It usually costs around 350-550$/ week, sometimes it already includes all the bills (electricity, gas and internet), the food catering and laundry sometimes it does not. But perks are it is closer to uni (usually just 5-10mins walking distance), and it is also closer to the city.
However, for a student coming to Sydney with a family like me, of course I prefer to live in an area that is kid-friendly, affordable, and familiar (living in an area with a lot of Indonesians would be best for me knowing that I would need a lot of help from them). So I decided to live in Campsie, as I previously have mentioned, because this suburb is known for its Asian atmosphere and the housing price is quite affordable and it is also only 30mins far from the city by train.
I currently live in a 2-bedroom apartment with my family and our housemate (Dea). The rent costs us 550$/week for the whole unit, it surely sounds costly but the unit is very comfortable and it has the perfect amount of lights and it is also quite spacious. As my housemate and I split the bill evenly, it basically only costs each of us 275$/week for the unit.
Some of the unit prices do not include the electricity/internet bills, just like our unit. So we have to pay an extra 100$/month for the electricity and 60$/month for the gas (we use Dodo Power and Gas, very affordable), and an extra 60$/month for the home internet (we use Optus as our provider). Overall, it costs us around 770$/week for all the housing bills, so it is basically around 385$/week for each of us (my family and my housemate).
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| Kinza, chillin in our living room :) |
So how do I manage to arrange everything by myself for the rent and utilities? Great thing about living in Sydney is that they make it easy for everyone, we can always order and apply for the housing and the utilities by phone/internet, no need to go see an agent/the shop. Of course sometimes it takes time, but they always send us the updates on our application progress so it always makes it easier for us! 😊
Oh, and for single students, I think it is way easier to live a little bit cheaper because if you are willing to share a room with 2-4 roommates, it can only cost you something around 165-200$/week, but of course you will get less privacy and it is also possible that you will get a roommate who has a totally different character and habit to you.. and I guess for some people (especially private ones) it can be a little bit uncomfortable.
Oh, and for single students, I think it is way easier to live a little bit cheaper because if you are willing to share a room with 2-4 roommates, it can only cost you something around 165-200$/week, but of course you will get less privacy and it is also possible that you will get a roommate who has a totally different character and habit to you.. and I guess for some people (especially private ones) it can be a little bit uncomfortable.
2. Public Transportation
So the public transportation cost in Sydney is also one of the significant factors of its infamous living cost. Public transportation cost in Sydney is the most expensive among other cities in Australia. For example, it usually costs me around 7$ for a round-trip journey from my house to Sydney uni everyday. As I usually only have 2 days classes every week, it would cost me around 14$/week. Sometimes my husband and I spend at least once a week to go out with our son, and it costs 10-15$/day for each of us. So we spend around 30$/week + my weekly 14$ transportation cost to uni = 34$ for transportation only! 💸
However, one trick to travel the city cheaper is by travelling on Sundays. Because during Sundays in Sydney, it will only cost us 2,5$ for the whole day to travel within the city using any mode of transportation (bus, trains, trams, ferries). Isn't it a great deal for students? 😀
Moreover, actually for students, there is a concession card (discounted public transportation card) in Sydney which will help a lot as it gives 50% discount from the normal fare, but unfortunately the concession card is only given to those who are Australians or the international students who are funded by an Australian government scholarship. So, as I am here with the Indonesian government scholarship I am not eligible for this concession card. Too bad, eh?
Anyway, a lot of people have asked me about owning a car in Sydney. My housemate and I decided to buy a car because we believed that it would make it easier for us to travel - due to the expensive fare of public transportation! *sigh* It's a good thing that we Indonesians can use our driver's license here in Australia (we just have to translate it at the Consulate General office for 30$). Apparently cars in Australia is extremely cheap compare to the cars in Indonesia, especially for the used ones. Used cars prices range from 1500$-4500$ (for the average cars), but we also have to be careful because in order to have a legit car we need 3 kinds of slips: the green slip - the third party insurance, the pink slip - the paper given by the mechanic stating that our car is quite decent to be used on the road, and the rego/the registration paper. The former owner of the car is supposed to have those three slips (papers), because if they don't have it, the car can be considered as illegal.
So, does owning a car really help us reduce our travel cost? It does indeed! As I have mentioned before, it costs me 14$ every week only to go to uni, and after we bought the car, we only spend 20$ on the gas weekly (again, as my housemate and I split the bills, it's only 10$ for each of us every week!😊), it's a good deal isn't it? Because with that amount of money for the gas, we can use the car not only to go to uni, but also to go grocery shopping or simply to go out. So it basically saves us a lot of money.
3. Foods and Groceries
The spending on foods and groceries usually depends on the individuals. Some people think that cooking wastes time and it is better to buy some take-aways or to eat out because it will cost the same after all. Some others think that it is better to cook because it is healthier and cheaper. For me, I like to combine the two things.
I usually eat out once or twice a week with my family, because some foods.. I just can't cook them 😁 One dish in the city in an average restaurant would cost around 12-17$, but do not worry! The portion is waaaayyyyy bigger than what we have in Indonesia, like 2-3 times bigger! So usually we can take the leftovers home with us if we don't finish it all. And yes, doggy-bagging is common is Sydney. The restaurant can give us plastic containers for an extra 40-60 cent 😊 But the restaurant will not put the leftovers in the container, we will have to do it our own because actually taking leftovers is not recommended by the NSW government as of course the quality of the food will not be the same, so the restaurant will not take the risk.
People rarely order drinks in restaurants because the restaurants usually offer us free mineral water (tap water of course), but if you feel like drinking flavored water, most of the restaurants provide iced tea, juices and beers for the food's companion for the price of around 5-10$.
For groceries, it is interesting that the price of milk, cheese, olives, pasta, and meat are generally cheap in Sydney compare to the price in Indonesia. 2 liter of fresh and creamy milk costs 2$, a loaf of bread and a bag of cheese costs 3$ each, rice (oh yes Australians eat rice too!) costs 15-25$/20 Kg, and meat: beef prices vary, from 7-25$ a kg (20-25$ for tenderloin) and chicken is 3-4$/kg. A dozen of eggs cost around 3-6$, 3 for the caged eggs and 5-6$ for the free-range eggs.
So overall, my family usually spend around 60-80$ a week for basic groceries, that is including toiletries such as tissues and other stuff, and an extra 20$ for fruits (because my son LOOOOOVES fruits).
If you are a cafe person, you can always get a nice cup of coffee for around 5-8$ and 10-15$ for a gourmet sandwich as a companion. But of course if you buy it on campus cafes, it will be way cheaper. The ones we have in the University of Sydney costs only around 3-5$ a cup.
4. Mobile Plans and Internet
I believe that this is one of the most important things in our lives right now (who doesn't live with internet these days?). So there are two kinds of mobile plans in Sydney (I guess generally in Australia), the pre-paid one (usually used by people who already have phones and only want to buy the sim card with no contract), and the monthly plan.
I choose to use the pre-paid one because I believe that it is easier to use and we can always change our plans whenever we want. I use Vodavone (one of the largest providers in Australia) and it costs me 40$ a month for a 9GB internet data + unlimited calls and texts within Australia.
Some of my friends came to Australia and decided to take the monthly plan one because not only that they can get the internet plan, they can also get the new phone with a low monthly installment. For example, you can get 20GB/month with a 256GB iPhone X for only 153$/month for 12 months plan, or it will only cost you around 77$ for the 24 months plan. So it all depends on your preference 😊
Basically for a family living in Sydney, the scholarship I receive from LPDP is quite enough to cover our daily expenses. We spend around 2500$/month, and we even manage to save some of our money for our future savings. Moreover, with the regulation of the Australian government allowing the dependents (spouse) of the international students to work in Australia, it even makes it easier for us because my husband can also help me support our family financially in Sydney.
About the working opportunities for spouses, there are a lot of casual jobs in Sydney, some of the jobs require us to have certain certifications (jobs such as construction worker, baby sitter, educator, even barista), but you can apply for some of the certification and take the test online. Average salary in Sydney for casual work is around 15-25$/hour (15$ for cleaning to 25$ for construction work), so if your spouse work for 40 hours a week (the maximum limit), you can get around 2400$-4000$ a month which is a really good deal considering that you already get the allowance from the scholarship😊
I guess living in this expensive city is not that expensive after all (IF you can manage your money well and if you are sponsored by a scholarship, I can never imagine funding myself --let alone my family-- to live in this city, I am definitely gonna be drowned in debt😅)
Aaanyway, that's all for today's post about the living cost in Sydney, hope it helps those who are planning to study and live in Sydney!
Anyway, a lot of people have asked me about owning a car in Sydney. My housemate and I decided to buy a car because we believed that it would make it easier for us to travel - due to the expensive fare of public transportation! *sigh* It's a good thing that we Indonesians can use our driver's license here in Australia (we just have to translate it at the Consulate General office for 30$). Apparently cars in Australia is extremely cheap compare to the cars in Indonesia, especially for the used ones. Used cars prices range from 1500$-4500$ (for the average cars), but we also have to be careful because in order to have a legit car we need 3 kinds of slips: the green slip - the third party insurance, the pink slip - the paper given by the mechanic stating that our car is quite decent to be used on the road, and the rego/the registration paper. The former owner of the car is supposed to have those three slips (papers), because if they don't have it, the car can be considered as illegal.
So, does owning a car really help us reduce our travel cost? It does indeed! As I have mentioned before, it costs me 14$ every week only to go to uni, and after we bought the car, we only spend 20$ on the gas weekly (again, as my housemate and I split the bills, it's only 10$ for each of us every week!😊), it's a good deal isn't it? Because with that amount of money for the gas, we can use the car not only to go to uni, but also to go grocery shopping or simply to go out. So it basically saves us a lot of money.
3. Foods and Groceries
The spending on foods and groceries usually depends on the individuals. Some people think that cooking wastes time and it is better to buy some take-aways or to eat out because it will cost the same after all. Some others think that it is better to cook because it is healthier and cheaper. For me, I like to combine the two things.
I usually eat out once or twice a week with my family, because some foods.. I just can't cook them 😁 One dish in the city in an average restaurant would cost around 12-17$, but do not worry! The portion is waaaayyyyy bigger than what we have in Indonesia, like 2-3 times bigger! So usually we can take the leftovers home with us if we don't finish it all. And yes, doggy-bagging is common is Sydney. The restaurant can give us plastic containers for an extra 40-60 cent 😊 But the restaurant will not put the leftovers in the container, we will have to do it our own because actually taking leftovers is not recommended by the NSW government as of course the quality of the food will not be the same, so the restaurant will not take the risk.
People rarely order drinks in restaurants because the restaurants usually offer us free mineral water (tap water of course), but if you feel like drinking flavored water, most of the restaurants provide iced tea, juices and beers for the food's companion for the price of around 5-10$.
For groceries, it is interesting that the price of milk, cheese, olives, pasta, and meat are generally cheap in Sydney compare to the price in Indonesia. 2 liter of fresh and creamy milk costs 2$, a loaf of bread and a bag of cheese costs 3$ each, rice (oh yes Australians eat rice too!) costs 15-25$/20 Kg, and meat: beef prices vary, from 7-25$ a kg (20-25$ for tenderloin) and chicken is 3-4$/kg. A dozen of eggs cost around 3-6$, 3 for the caged eggs and 5-6$ for the free-range eggs.
So overall, my family usually spend around 60-80$ a week for basic groceries, that is including toiletries such as tissues and other stuff, and an extra 20$ for fruits (because my son LOOOOOVES fruits).
If you are a cafe person, you can always get a nice cup of coffee for around 5-8$ and 10-15$ for a gourmet sandwich as a companion. But of course if you buy it on campus cafes, it will be way cheaper. The ones we have in the University of Sydney costs only around 3-5$ a cup.
4. Mobile Plans and Internet
I believe that this is one of the most important things in our lives right now (who doesn't live with internet these days?). So there are two kinds of mobile plans in Sydney (I guess generally in Australia), the pre-paid one (usually used by people who already have phones and only want to buy the sim card with no contract), and the monthly plan.
I choose to use the pre-paid one because I believe that it is easier to use and we can always change our plans whenever we want. I use Vodavone (one of the largest providers in Australia) and it costs me 40$ a month for a 9GB internet data + unlimited calls and texts within Australia.
Some of my friends came to Australia and decided to take the monthly plan one because not only that they can get the internet plan, they can also get the new phone with a low monthly installment. For example, you can get 20GB/month with a 256GB iPhone X for only 153$/month for 12 months plan, or it will only cost you around 77$ for the 24 months plan. So it all depends on your preference 😊
Basically for a family living in Sydney, the scholarship I receive from LPDP is quite enough to cover our daily expenses. We spend around 2500$/month, and we even manage to save some of our money for our future savings. Moreover, with the regulation of the Australian government allowing the dependents (spouse) of the international students to work in Australia, it even makes it easier for us because my husband can also help me support our family financially in Sydney.
About the working opportunities for spouses, there are a lot of casual jobs in Sydney, some of the jobs require us to have certain certifications (jobs such as construction worker, baby sitter, educator, even barista), but you can apply for some of the certification and take the test online. Average salary in Sydney for casual work is around 15-25$/hour (15$ for cleaning to 25$ for construction work), so if your spouse work for 40 hours a week (the maximum limit), you can get around 2400$-4000$ a month which is a really good deal considering that you already get the allowance from the scholarship😊
I guess living in this expensive city is not that expensive after all (IF you can manage your money well and if you are sponsored by a scholarship, I can never imagine funding myself --let alone my family-- to live in this city, I am definitely gonna be drowned in debt😅)
Aaanyway, that's all for today's post about the living cost in Sydney, hope it helps those who are planning to study and live in Sydney!
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| Left-Right: Kasey, Sofia, Therese, Me and Cecilia. Some of my close friends in uni who came visit us in our unit :) |
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