Coming to a new place can be a daunting experience for a lot of us, especially when we do not know anyone in the area and unsure of what to expect.

First-time international students or those who are new to Adelaide would often ask the questions – “how to find accommodations in Adelaide?” or “where to live in Adelaide?”.

But you don’t have to worry! There are a ton of options when it comes to accommodations for international students in Adelaide, South Australia. Your choice will generally depend on your preferences, situation, needs, and most importantly your budget.

To make it easier for you to decide, we present to you the top 8 accommodations for international students in Adelaide:

1. Student Apartments
2. Student Hostels
3. Homestays
4. Managed Houses
5. University-managed
6. Residential college
7. Private Rentals
8. Others

Check out some handy tips and learn how the team at Australia Study can help you in looking for a place to live in Adelaide.  

1 – Student apartments

Great for new students or those coming to Adelaide for the first time.

As the name suggests, these are apartments specifically built for students and are off-campus and mostly located in close proximity to universities and key city areas.

Unit types vary from studio, twin sharing, 2-bedroom up to a 6-bedroom apartment. Each unit is fully furnished, with a private bathroom, broadband internet, a fully equipped kitchen, a study desk and chair, and air-conditioning.

Amenities in these apartments may include group study rooms, laundry (pay per use), TV room, wireless internet, 24-hour reception, and some may have a swimming pool, gym, basketball court, games room, etc.

Prices start from $150 and could cost as much as $399 per week per person, depending on the room arrangement or unit type. Bills (e.g. water, gas and electricity) are mostly included in this type of accommodation.

Student apartments are a great way to start building friendships amongst fellow international students. Here, you can learn and enhance your English-speaking skills as well as socializing with international students like you from around the world.

Popular providers: UniLodge and Urbanest.

2 – Student Hostels

Student hostels are located in the suburbs surrounding the city of Adelaide and offer a cheaper alternative to that student apartments.

Room types can be a 1-bedroom up to a 4-bedroom apartment. Each apartment is equipped with basic features such as a single bed, wardrobe, internet access, air-conditioning/heating, fridge, study desk and chair. Some properties have units with their own bathrooms, and some have shared bathroom facilities.

This property type mostly features a large shared kitchen facility, dining hall, group study rooms, laundry facility (pay per use), and large common areas.

Prices start from $145 up to $427 per week per person with bills included.

3 – Homestay

This option is great for students under 18 or who is studying at the secondary school level. In this type of accommodation, you get to live with a local Australian family in their home where you can experience the Australian culture and lifestyle as well as improve your English language skills.

You can get more information on homestay arrangements with your school.

4 – Managed Houses

These are shared houses for students and are fully maintained and managed. These are mostly located outside the city area or in the surrounding suburbs and is close to public transport. It features a fully furnished room and house with fortnightly cleaning and gardening to keep the house and surroundings tidy. You will not only meet

international students in these properties but also Australian students, making it a great way to meet new friends from different places, nationalities and backgrounds.

Rent ranges from $159 to $189 per week per person with most bills included.

If you prefer to stay in a home-like environment, this could be the option for you. Find out more at Studentrooms.com.au

5 – University-managed

The University of Adelaide and Flinders University have a purpose-built student accommodation facility for its students. Flinders University (Bedford Park Campus), in particular, is the only South Australian university with on-campus accommodation. Features of this type of accommodation are similar to that of student apartments.

Rent starts at $271 and could reach up to $272 per week per person, with bills included.

6 – Residential college

Residential colleges do not only offer complete and comfortable accommodation for students but also an environment that supports academic and professional development for its residents. It is a dynamic living and learning community where you have the opportunity to engage in different activities and programs that are valuable for holistic personal learning and development. It may include pastoral care and exercise programs, academic, social and sporting events.

Rent starts at $231 per person per week and could reach as much as $507 per week per person. Bills are included in the rent. Depending on what you pay for, meals can also be included.

7 –Private Rentals

This accommodation type is great if you want independence and are ready to take responsibility for renting an entire apartment unit, house or townhouse. You will basically need to show a bit more documents such as identifications and payslips to prove that you are capable of paying the rent.

At most times you will be competing with other applicants in applying for a particular property. When successful, you will be signing a contract for a period of 12 months (some 6 months) and have the option to renew should you wish to stay longer.

Most of these properties does not come fully furnished so you will still need to consider the cost of buying your own furniture. You will also be responsible for paying the bills (e.g. electricity, water, gas, internet) as these usually are not included in the rental price.

However, there are other rental properties as well that offer a fully furnished unit in a shared apartment. That means you get to pay your portion of the rental price with one or two other persons (and you also get to split the bills!). Again, there is a wide variety of private rental properties to choose from.

A studio apartment could cost you at least $230 per week (rental price only) within the city area (with no parking space allocation). Meanwhile, if you are willing to spend at least $30-$40 more per week, you can already get a modest 2-bedroom apartment outside the city area where you can have more flexibility (i.e. bigger space and parking allocation).

Check these popular sites:

§ realestate.com.au

§ domain.com.au

8 – Others

Other option could be renting your own private room in a house/apartment with another person who either owns the property or renting the property under his/her name.

You don’t have to sign a lease or contract to secure a room. Most of the time the owner will be asking for some basic information about you in order get to know the person they will be possibly sharing their house/apartment with.

Rent can start at $130 per week and could reach up to $180 per week. Bills payment may or may not be included in the rental price.

You can find ads of room vacancies in a shared house in Facebook Marketplace and gumtree.com.au, or a local newspaper.

You may also try Flatmates.com.au (https://flatmates.com.au) where you can either search for a room vacancy or find people you can team-up with to rent a property together. This website allows you to connect with people (who have the same interests as you), send messages for enquiries and set up a meeting to view the room/apartment.

TIPS:

• Consider the location of your campus. Check google map so you can see an aerial perspective of its location. Look at its surrounding areas – will there be some shops nearby, restaurants and grocery stores? It will help you decide whether or not to live near the campus where everything is within your reach or prefer to stay a bit further.
• Think about your budget. Living within the city can be pricier given that everything you need is at your fingertips. You wouldn’t even need to pay for public transport at some point because of the free tram service and the free bus in key areas. Meanwhile, living further from the city centre can be a cheaper option for you, but will be compensated by the amount of time for your commute to school or uni as well as the costs for transportation.
• Visit the Adelaide Student Housing website, created by StudyAdelaide Australia. You can find and compare accommodations and directly apply. Applicable for student apartments, student hostels, and university-managed and residential colleges accommodation types.

How we can help you

Our friendly team of expert education consultants at Australia Study will not only assist you in achieving your dream of studying in Australia through free consultations, visa assistance, but also extend our help should you need assistance in finding an accommodation for you upon coming to Adelaide for the first time. All you need to do is let us know ahead of time so we can arrange this for you.

Need help?

Australia Study has more than 15 years of experience in providing student visa assistance to international students just like you! We are more than happy to answer any enquiries regarding studying and living in Adelaide