The Cost of Studying Abroad in Australia for Half a Year
When it comes to studying abroad, the cost is a significant concern.
I, too, had no idea how much I would need and ended up sending too much money or having to gather funds urgently.
In this article, I will discuss the actual costs of studying abroad and how to reduce the financial burden.
Actual Costs
Here, I will break down the costs by category.
Please refer to these costs and adjust them according to your own situation.
Note that I have calculated the costs based on an exchange rate of $1 = 80 yen.
Language School
- Admission fee: $200
- Tuition: $350/week
- Textbook fees, etc.: $250
For 18 weeks, the total cost would be around $6,750 (540,000 yen).
This cost varies greatly depending on the school you choose.
There are affordable options and expensive ones, so it's essential to select a school that fits your goals.
By the way, university tuition can cost around $20,000/year (1,600,000 yen).
Housing
- School-arranged accommodation: $1,430/month
- Airbnb: $302/week
- Homestay (including breakfast and dinner): $300/week
For 18 weeks, plus one week before and after, the total cost would be around $6,000 (480,000 yen).
Usually, school-arranged accommodation is more expensive due to the agent's fee, so I strongly recommend using Airbnb.
You can also save a lot by sharing a room.
Pre-Arrival (One-Way Airfare, Visa)
- One-way airfare (Qantas): 62,000 yen
- Student visa: $560
- OSHC (mandatory insurance): $310
The total cost is around 131,600 yen.
Airfare prices vary depending on the season, but generally, booking early can be cheaper.
By the way, I had booked a Jetstar flight, but it was canceled on the day of departure, so I had to take a Qantas flight instead.
The student visa for Australia is unusually expensive compared to other countries, and the mandatory OSHC insurance adds to the cost.
Food Expenses
Since I stayed with a homestay, I didn't have to worry about breakfast and dinner.
- Lunch: $5-$10
In Brisbane, there are food courts where you can eat various dishes for around $7.
You can also find similar prices at street food stalls.
For 20 weeks (140 days), the total cost would be around $700-$1,400 (56,000-112,000 yen).
You can save a lot by cooking your own meals.
By the way, while Australia is known for being expensive, supermarket food is relatively cheap.
Buying in bulk can also help you save money.
Travel
- Airfare (Sydney round-trip): $191
- Airfare (Brisbane -> Ayers Rock): $200
- Airfare (Ayers Rock -> Cairns -> Narita): $1,357
I'll mention this here, even though it's not directly related to studying abroad.
Sydney is about as far as Tokyo or Osaka.
Please refer to the following articles for my reviews of Sydney, Ayers Rock, and Cairns:
(I'll write about Cairns soon...)
Miscellaneous
- IELTS ($340)
- Gift ($100)
These costs vary from person to person.
Gift cards are commonly used, and you can get bonuses by loading a certain amount, making them a good deal.
Total Cost
In total, I spent around 1,263,600 yen on school, housing, pre-arrival, food, and travel for 20 weeks.
Additional expenses will arise if you take trips or exams.
While there are ways to reduce costs, the basic idea is to save money or work part-time while studying abroad.
Saving Money
Now that we've covered the estimated costs, there are additional fees for overseas transactions.
The main fees are:
- Credit card exchange rates and fees
- Overseas remittance fees
I used Sony Bank WALLET and TransferWise to reduce these fees.
Reducing Credit Card Fees
When making foreign currency payments, Visa and other payment companies use their own exchange rates and add fees, resulting in a higher final bill.
Visa is relatively cheap, but the total fee is still over 1.5%.
To minimize this, use a card that doesn't convert currencies.
Specifically, you can use a card that debits the foreign currency account directly.
Sony Bank WALLET meets these conditions.
It's a debit card that debits the foreign currency account directly, and the exchange rate is close to the actual rate, with a difference of around 0.3%.
Other methods, such as overseas cashing, are also available, but I recommend using a card that allows you to check your balance and transaction history easily.
Reducing Overseas Remittance Fees
When sending money to an overseas bank account, the remittance fee is extremely high.
Even for small amounts, the fee can be over 3,000 yen, and the exchange rate is often unfavorable.
That's where TransferWise comes in.
Using this service can significantly reduce the remittance fee.
For example, if you send 200,000 yen to an Australian bank account, the fee would be around 1,282 yen (0.6%).
There are no other complicated fees.
Why is it so cheap? There's an interesting mechanism behind it, so I encourage you to look into it.
Conclusion
Studying abroad in Australia for half a year can cost around 1.2 million yen.
You can reduce costs by sharing a room, cooking your own meals, and working part-time.
Use convenient cards and apps to minimize overseas transaction fees.
