The Best Tips to Help You Find Accommodation While Studying in Australia

What to look for, accommodation options, and how to find the best deals.

Studying away from home is an exciting new adventure!

However when it comes to looking for a place to stay, things can get pretty overwhelming. Not only are you looking the best deal to help you save $$, but you want to make sure your home-away-from-home is close enough to campus and is around the best places to kick back and have fun.

But where do you even start?

We’ve compiled some of the best tips and tricks to help you track down the best stay while you’re in Australia.

Finding the best location.

Once you know which uni you’re heading to, you want to make sure that wherever you’re staying is going to make it easy for you to get there.

Try to find somewhere that’s a reasonable distance from campus. By no means do you need to live next door, but you don’t want to be dragging yourself out of bed for an 8am lecture when you live two hours away (ew).

Don’t be forking out for daily Uber rides - use Google Maps to get an idea of how long it may take you by bus and/or train. Many cities around Australia have incredibly well-connected public transport systems, so find a route you’re happy with that makes sense for you.

Accommodation options.

If you haven’t had a chance to start looking for accommodation yet, it might surprise you to find there’s a great variety of options for you to choose from. Depending on your budget and whether you’d be keen to live solo or share with other people, there’ll be something out there for you.

If you’re looking for a temp spot to stay, some hotels might offer student rates you can take advantage of. Even check out some hostels and AirBnBs that might tide you over before settling into your new place.

Renting can get a lil pricey, so consider potentially renting a room using a website like student.com or flatmates.com.au to get you started. You can save more by sharing a rental with someone of course – it just depends on what’s comfortable for you.

Some uni campuses do provide on-campus housing which, of course, can be super practical when your classes are pretty much next door. If you want to live that uni campus life but at a distance, check out student accommodation like Campus Perth and Campus Melbourne. They have a variety of facilities not just great for studying, but perfect for socialising too.

If you’re eager to be amongst what life is like in Australia, maybe consider a homestay. You’ll get to live with an approved host that’s situated near where you’re studying. Your host family will provide you with a private bedroom, a meal plan, and support to help you get settled in. To save you some extra cash, we’ve got a deal for 66.6% off the booking deposit fee of your homestay.

What’s the trick to finding a good deal?

Firstly, set your budget and stick to it. While it may be tempting to spend a little more when you find the ‘perfect’ spot, be honest – is this going to work for you long-term?

Make a note of all the things you would consider ‘necessary’ when it comes to finding accommodation. How important is it that it’s located close to your campus? What features are you specifically looking for? Will you be willing to live with roommates and/or with shared facilities? Are utilities like water and internet are included in the rates?

We know – it’s a lot of questions to think about, but for good reason!

It’s important to consider all your options so you know that you’re spending your hard-earned money on a place you can comfortably afford that will work for best for you.

Be sure to shop around across multiple websites to figure out if you’re getting the best deal for your dollar! CHOICE recommends searching for bookings in incognito mode so that ‘sites don’t recognise you when you move around and change the price accordingly’. Websites like trivago.com.au will compare multiple sites for places like hotels, houses, and apartments all at once to make that process easier.

Take any photos that are advertised with a grain of salt - we all know the internet has a reputation for making things seem more glamorous than it actually is. Check out as many reviews as you can too to make sure you’ll be getting the real deal.

The biggest takeaways from living away from home while you're studying is to definitely explore all your options, plan a responsible budget, and to take the time to compare prices and read reviews.

The earlier you organise and plan your stay, the easier it will be to jump into your new adventure!