Sydney is a very interesting city, but not cheap one. However, students working 20 hrs per week are able to survive. The best situation is when college, job and house are located close to each other. It saves time and money on commuting.

Standard share room to rent costs around 150 - 2000 AUD (prices per week), depending on comfort, equipment and location. Of course you can always find something more expensive. Prices are dropping with distance from the City, and far away we might even find own room for just over 100 AUD. In that case expect extra travel costs – the weekly ticket for buses, metro and ferries starts from 44 AUD. You can also rent the entire one-bedroom apartment for 250 AUD in suburbs or about 700 AUD in the city. There are also extra charges for electricity (sometimes water and gas), approximately 30 AUD and the bond, but you decide on who will be your housemate. Unfortunately it is difficult to rent a house from the real estate agency for the first time - we need a rental history, as well as bank statement, job contract, etc. There is simply more renting people then offers.

Where to find it? Internet - gumtree and flatmates. The good thing is also to read notice boards in colleges. At the beginning you can live in backpacker, these are the cheapest in King's Cross. There, for about 180 AUD we can stay the first week in the dormitory. There are a lot of ads too, and meeting people at the hostel can provide interesting information, what, where, how, etc.

About the city transport I wrote in page about Sydney

Food expenses are very difficult to determine. Certainly there is no reason to save money on that. The most economical thing is to supply in the supermarkets (the cheapest is ALDI, Coles and Woolworth) and prepare meals by yourself. Fruit and vegetables we can buy at the market, especially on Sunday afternoon at PADDY'S MARKET in Chinatown. Without much trouble, you can be under 80 AUD per week, but this is a very individual thing. In many Asian food courts we can eat cheap and well, and in the City I recommend many food courts with price starting from 9 AUD, and after 2 pm the meals often get discounted. Generally, it takes some time to find out the places you like.

Examples of my cost living in different periods:

- I lived in the share house (10 persons), 2-3 people in a room, mostly backpackers from UK. Not very clean, actually crap, but the friendly atmosphere and cheap - 85 AUD. To school and work I could walk. I worked in the restaurant where I had free meals, so food expenses didn’t exceed 30 AUD. A total of 115 AUD per week. In 2018 it would be around $150.

- I shared a room in a modern building for 100 AUD, 20-minute bus ride to workshop cost me 20 AUD, and the meals about 100 AUD. A total of 220 AUD per week. In 2018 it would be around $290.

- In 2010 I live 8 km away from the city centre, 12 minutes walk to the train station. The one bedroom apartment sharing with my wife costs us 340 AUD per week (including electricity and water). I run and ride a bike to work, but otherwise I would have to pay for commuting around 44 AUD per week. Food, including sweets and drinks, cost about 140 AUD. A total of 355 AUD per week.

So accommodation, food and transport depending on the conditions cost me between 150 to 355 AUD per week. Working 20 hours per week your account will be credited more than 400 AUD.

When we open the bank account, chose that one with interest (need to have a minimum amount at start). Often banks offer free accounts for students, but there is no interest on it.

If your employer, real estate, car rental etc. will try to cheat you – go to “fair trade".