Cost Of Living In Adelaide For International Students (2026 Guide + Budget Breakdown)

Why Adelaide Is One Of Australia’s Most Budget-Friendly Cities

Adelaide is also unique in its ability to offer safety, affordability and a stable lifestyle – all these are important issues which make the overall cost of living in Adelaide as an international student much lower.

Compared to other large cities where high rent rates are soaring and overpopulated, living conditions are manageable, there are well-structured transport networks and student communities in Australia are friendly towards students in Adelaide.

It also simplifies the settlement and adaptation of new entrants where the newcomer is concerned and prioritizes on studying instead of the start-up costs of unforeseen expenses on a student in Australia.

Lifestyle And Safety

One of the strongest strengths of the city is its peaceful nature. The streets are tidy, neighbourhoods safe, and the life rate is slower than it happens to be in Sydney or Melbourne.

This is a stable environment that enables students to acclimatize fast when they study in Australia, particularly those who are the first to move to foreign countries.

The multiculturalism characteristic of Adelaide also provides that the students can readily locate cultural food shops, community organizations and occasions, all which help immensely towards everyday existence without the cost of living in Australia getting out-of-pocket.

Adelaide’s Growing Popularity

Adelaide has become a hot destination for students even though it was not considered as such before. The rise is mainly because:

• Those choices of student accommodation are getting more and more.
• Universities have become better internationally ranked.
• Transport systems are also stable and inexpensive.
• Local student councils invest in international student support.

These gains enable the Adelaide student living cost to be cheaper compared to most capital cities yet they have modern infrastructures and quality education.

Cost Trend From 2024-2026

Over the last three years:

• The growth of rent was minimal yet as compared to other states in Australia, it was still very low.
• There was a moderate but below national increase in the prices of groceries.
• The cost of living went up because of the inflation in the country, and nonetheless, Adelaide remains relatively low compared to Sydney and Melbourne.

These consistent patterns assist students to plan over the long term, and to prevent massive spikes in Adelaide student expenses.

Comparison With Similar Cities

City	Affordability Level	Lifestyle Quality	Job Market	Transport Reliability
Adelaide	Very affordable	Safe, quiet	Moderate	Very good
Hobart	Affordable	Very quiet	Limited	Average
Canberra	Moderate	Higher cost	Strong	Good

Adelaide is also the most balanced city in terms of cost, lifestyle, efficiency of transport, job access and all are important influencing factors in determining a steady cost of living in Adelaide.

Who Adelaide Suits Best

Adelaide is excellent for:

• Students desire cheap rent and certain costs.
• The quiet and secure neighbourhoods are an area most desired by these people.
• Students who desired to have a moderated study life.
• Everyone who wants to study in Australia without the financial burden of the big cities.

Average Monthly Living Costs In Adelaide

Full Monthly Expense Table

Category	Estimated Monthly Cost	Notes
Accommodation	500 – 500 – 500 – 1,050	Depends on suburb and housing type
Food & Groceries	280 – 280 – 280 – 500	Lower for home cooking
Transport	15 – 15 – 15 – 120	Tram is free in CBD
Utilities	100 – 100 – 100 – 160	Cheaper when shared
Internet & Phone	50 – 50 – 50 – 80	NBN split reduces cost
Personal Expenses	200 – 200 – 200 – 450	Entertainment varies
Total	1,150 – 1,150 – 1,150 – 2,360	Average 2026

Estimated Budget For Students

Annual expenses typically fall between:

Depending on the lifestyle and type of accommodation about 15,000 – 15,000 – 15,000 – 26,000 annually.

Cheapest Suburbs

The affordable suburbs are Mawson Lakes, Salisbury, Parafield Gardens, Plympton and Prospect, which are familiar with low rent and easy accessibility of transportation.

Comparison To Major Cities

Adelaide gives students lower daily expenses:

• 20 – 40% cheaper than Sydney
• 15 – 30% cheaper than Melbourne
• 10 – 20% cheaper than Canberra

Inflation Impact

Even though groceries and utilities went up modestly in 2026, the city of Adelaide still remains one of the best cities to live in on a low cost of living in Australia.

Accommodation Costs In Adelaide

The biggest size of Adelaide student living cost is accommodation, therefore, finding the correct alternative helps to significantly lower the monthly payments.

Related articles :

• Cost of living in Melbourne
• Cost of living in Sydney
• Cost of living in Brisbane
• Cost of living in Hobart
• Cost of living in Darwin

University Managed Housing

These involve student villages and colleges within the campuses. The prices will be between 230 – 230 – 230 – 380/ week, most of them being accompanied by furnished rooms, security and 24/7 support, utilities and Wi-Fi, and social activities.

The task of getting electricity connected, Wi-Fi connected, or various bills also being sorted out is therefore removed by residing in a housing managed by the university, a significant consideration when new students are looking at how to cover their initial client – Adelaide student expenses.

This is more expensive than the shared rentals, however the convenience and security tends to make it well worth the students who desire to have a trouble free start once they are in Australia.

Shared Rentals

Shared rentals are the cheapest and most popular. Students have an option to rent individual rooms, room share or sub-letting to the available student houses. The price range varies:

• Shared rooms: 130 – 130 – 130 – 200/week
• Private room in a shared house: 180 – 180 – 180 – 300/week
• Full apartment: 300 – 300 – 300 – 450/week

Shared accommodation also means that students can equally split the bills, which considerably saves bills on utility, internet, etc. This has made shared housing as one of the most effective means of Adelaide student living cost reduction and at the same time enjoy independence.

The rental market in Adelaide is typically not very competitive as compared to the big eastern cities so that students have more options on where to stay without being subjected to stiff competition, or bidding wars.

Homestay Options

Homestays cost 260 – 260 – 260 – 330/week, and it comes with meals and basic amenities. Here, homestays offer the benefit that they offer to the students who are new in Australia:

• An ample and conducive family background.
• Better English communication.
• Lower food expenses
• Exposure to the day to day life of Australians.

Student homestays are generally selected by those students who seek more orientation in their first months in Australia, especially during the orientation towards the cost of living in Adelaide.

Cheapest Suburbs For Students

A number of the suburbs offer great value to cost-effective students. The suburbs like Mawson Lakes, the Woodville, the Kilburn, the Para Hills, and the Elizabeth and the others offer some of the most affordable rent in the metro area. 

The above characteristics make Mawson Lakes particularly popular with its robust student population, easy transport systems and closeness to the UniSA Mawson Lakes Campus.

Living Near Vs Far From Campus

The cost of location is an important component of the total Adelaide student expenses. Here is a simple comparison:

Location	Cost Level	Advantage
CBD	High	Walk to classes, strong transport
Inner suburbs	Medium	Good balance of cost and convenience
Outer suburbs	Low	Very affordable rent, more space

Budget-conscious students generally prefer to live in the outer Melbourne and travel and those who consider convenience to pay more rent around the CBD.

Food & Weekly Groceries Cost In Adelaide

One of the most controllable aspects of the cost of living in Australia among the students is food. The grocery shops, multicultural supermarkets, and the cheap restaurants available in Adelaide make it simple to be within the budget limit without compromising on the quality of the food.

Grocery Price Overview

Groceries range from 60 – 60 – 60 – 110 every week, depending on individual eating habits. The highly available supermarkets include Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, the most affordable store in the selection of basic goods. The Asian supermarkets in and around the CBD and in the northern suburbia also supply cheap ingredients to foreign cooking.

Home cooking students also have the opportunity to reduce their cost of living in Adelaide as a student since they can spend less on food than students who eat out constantly.

Eating Out Options

Adelaide boasts of a varied food industry that keeps student pockets afloat:

• Campus food courts: 8 – 8 – 8 – 12 per meal
• Fast-food chains: 7 – 7 – 7 – 14
• Casual restaurants: 15 – 15 – 15 – 25

All four mentioned streets, Gouger Street, Chinatown, Rundle street and Hindley street, offer an extensive mix of low priced Asian, Middle Eastern and western cuisine.

Coffee & Café Spending

The culture of coffee is prevalent in Adelaide. Students often spend:

• Coffee: 4 – 4 – 4 – 5
• Pastries/snacks: 4 – 4 – 4 – 8

Small every day but over time cafe visits can be very costly, and this is where budgeting is a must when computing Adelaide student expenses.

How To Save On Food

Food spending may be minimised by some of the best ways which include:

• At home cooking most of the week.
• Purchasing the produce at the Adelaide Central Market.
• Shopping in hours of discounts.
• Loyalty apps in supermarkets.

The practices make the cost of living in Adelaide per week much lower.

Transport Expenses In Adelaide

One of the key aspects in the combined cost of living of an Adelaide student is transportation. Luckily, Adelaide has one of the cheapest and most transport friendly transport systems in Australia. 

Some of the transport means employed in the city are well networked buses, trains and trams and as a result, students can easily traverse the key suburbs in the city.

Public Transport Costs

Student concessions make travelling in Adelaide quite affordable thereby contributing towards the general cost of living in Adelaide. During rush hours, the fares go between $1.80 and $2.00, whereas during non-peak times the fares are between $1.30 and $1.70. 

Day pass is immediately reduced to 5.70, monthly passes cost within 65 and 85 dollars. Within the CBD, the tram is complimentary, and so students can use it in between significant destinations without any costs, a factor that enables Adelaide student expenses to be lower than those in other Australian significant cities.

Student Concession Benefits

Student concessions are of great benefit in that they have lower fares in all forms of transport, free tram zones, indefinite transfers in the course of two hours and additional cutting edge on weekends and holidays. 

All these advantages ensure that the costs of the students in Adelaide remain affordable and they help to bring down the overall cost of living in Adelaide.

Biking & Walking

Adelaide is among the most bike friendly cities in Australia and it has marked bike lanes, safe bicycle tracks in suburban areas, and free bicycle parks.

Second hand bikes sold in the local markets are also cheap enough to allow the students to transport them cheaply and ensure that their Adelaide student expenses remain low. It is also convenient to walk because the city in Adelaide has a limited and easily accessible structure.

Cheapest Ways To Commute

The best way to cope up with the cost of living in Adelaide implies that most of the students will always commute during low traffic hours, close to train or tram routes and will always walk and cycle through such short routes. 

Monthly concession passes also contribute to reducing the costs of Adelaide students so that they do not have to spend too much on transportation at any point during their studies.

Utilities, Phone, Internet & Essentials

Electricity, Gas, Water Costs

The utility expenses also add a small part of the cost of living in Australia. The standard utility expenses incurred per month range between:

• Electricity: 40 – 40 – 40 – 80
• Gas: 20 – 20 – 20 – 45
• Water: 20 – 20 – 20 – 35

In shared rentals the students tend to share the bills and this makes the utilities very cheap.

Phone Plan Options

Australian phone plans are cheap. The Optus, Vodafone or Amaysim prepaid plan range includes 25 – 25 – 25 – 40/month plans with large data and unlimited national calls.

Internet Providers

NBN internet in shared houses is 65 – 65 – 65 – 90/month, which could be shared among 3-5 students. This contributes to it being a minor portion of Adelaide student expenses

Personal & Leisure Spending

Students typically spend:

• Gym membership: 15 – 15 – 15 – 25/week
• Entertainment: 50 – 50 – 50 – 120/month
• Haircuts: 10 – 10 – 10 – 30

The leisure in Adelaide with its numerous free parks, festivals, art galleries and beaches is all easy on the wallet.

Job Opportunities For Students In Adelaide

The issue of cost of living in Adelaide would only help manage the part-time jobs. The employment opportunities in Adelaide are mainly accommodating to the students and located in a diversity of positions with decent pay rate and work hours.

Common Part-Time Jobs

Typical job sectors include:

• Retail (supermarkets, boutiques)
• Hospitality (cafés, restaurants, bars)
• Delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash)
• Administrative work
• Tutoring and academic support

Average Hourly Rates

Wages for most jobs range between:

• Hospitality: 24 – 24 – 24 – 30/hour
• Retail: 25 – 25 – 25 – 32/hour
• Tutoring: 35 – 35 – 35 – 45/hour
• Delivery: 22 – 22 – 22 – 28/hour

The rates enable students to comfortably meet a big percentage of their costs of living in Adelaide as students.

Best Job Search Locations

Popular areas for job hunting:

• Rundle Mall (retail)
• CBD cafés and restaurants
• Glenelg beachfront shops
• Mawson Lakes commercial areas

Job Market Competitiveness

The employment of Adelaide is not as competitive as Melbourne or Sydney. The majority of students get employed part-time in 2 – 6 weeks of arrival.

Adelaide Vs Other Major Cities

Accommodation Comparison

City	Weekly Rent
Sydney	350 – 350 – 350 – 480
Melbourne	300 – 300 – 300 – 420
Brisbane	280 – 280 – 280 – 380
Adelaide	230 – 230 – 230 – 350
Perth	280 – 280 – 280 – 380
Hobart	260 – 260 – 260 – 350

Food & Groceries Costs

• Adelaide: 70 – 70 – 70 – 110/week
• Sydney: 90 – 90 – 90 – 150
• Melbourne: 80 – 80 – 80 – 130

Transport Comparison

Adelaide is still among the lowest cost cities in the country with references concessions and free promotion areas.

Utilities & Personal Expenses

Adelaide is relatively cheap making it generally cheaper in comparison with Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

Overall City Ranking

The mix of the aspects of safety, affordability, transport efficiency, and employment opportunities makes Adelaide one of the two cheapest cities among students.

Money Saving Tips For Students In Adelaide

Housing Tips

They can make savings by opting to have shared rentals and save by living close to the different public transportation to reduce expenses of traveling to schools. It helps to compare rent in suburbs ahead of moving in and find better values and stay within the budget.

Food Savings

One of the simplest methods of saving and eating well is cooking at home. Shopping in Central Market and getting the necessary products in Aldi are good ideas to get cheap groceries.

Transport Strategies

Discount fares are offered on concession tickets and walking or biking could be used when feasible. Then there are free tram areas in Adelaide and using them can make urban moves free of charge.

Student Services & Discounts

Universities also provide free activities, inexpensive meals, reduced athletic centers, and free scholastic and psychological medical care as a complication in assisting students to control costs and stay healthy.

How PTE Magic Supports Adelaide Students

PTE MAGIC has been critical in the process of ensuring that international students settle in well in Australian life. PTE MAGIC was founded in 2016; it is Pearson-authorised and offers a full set of PTE Academic and PTE Core training aimed at enhancing practicable communication skills that will be of use in post credit life and study in Australia.

Affordable Pte Academic/Core Training

PTE MAGIC has reasonably priced online courses aimed to enhance the overall Adelaide  student living cost without requiring further contribution. Students receive:

• Real life English practice
• The lessons are structured based on the standards of the PTE examination.
• The machine scoring and commentary.
• The improvement of speaking, writing, listening, and reading.

Pre‑arrival Guidance & Communication Training

PTE MAGIC will also assist the students in preparing life-like communications in English required:

• Deal with rental agents
• Turn up in case of property inspection.
• Know tenancy form papers.
• Negotiate lease terms

Such is a practical assistance that the process of settling in Adelaide and making the shift to the desired cost of living is less problematic.

Community Groups On Facebook, TikTok & Youtube

Budgeting, housing and PTE learning ideas are exchanged on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube (Moni PTE MAGIC), which is a non-discriminatory social media platform where potential Australian students can organize and educate about studying in the country.

Due to the community support, PTE MAGIC will impart financial awareness and academic discipline in their foreign students hence will ensure that they will succeed even outside the classroom.

Student Success Network

PTE MAGIC Austrian alumni provide tips on how to study in thousands of forums.

• PBSA pros and cons
• Bond refunds
• Break lease procedures

This will assist new students to avoid the usual rental pitfalls and save on Adelaide student expenses.

Accommodation Checklists & Webinars

Students also get:

• Customized rental checklists.
• Bond and condition report manuals.
• Webinars on avoiding scams
• Procedural inspection instructions.

These utility tools will make living in Adelaide very simple and secure.

FAQs – Adelaide Cost Of Living

1. How Much Does A Student Spend Per Month In Adelaide?

The average person spends 1,150 – 1,150 – 1,150 – 2,360/month, which is based on living and home.

2. Is Adelaide Cheaper Than Sydney Or Melbourne?

Yes – Adelaide is much cheaper in terms of accommodation, food and transportation.

3. What Are The Cheapest Suburbs For Students?

Mawson Lakes, Parafield Gardens, Elizabeth, Kilburn and Plympton.

4. How Much Should I Budget Weekly For Food?

The majority of students spend 60 – 60 – 60 – 110/week on groceries.

5. How Affordable Is Transport In Adelaide?

Adelaide has one of the least transport prices with student concessions.

6. Can Students Work Part-Time?

Yes – retail, hospitality and delivery jobs are also common as part-time workers.

7. Is Adelaide Safe For International Students?

Yes – The city of Adelaide has a low crime rate with a multicultural Society.

Adelaide Is The Ideal Budget Friendly City For Students

Key Affordability Points

• Low rent
• Likewise, cheap and efficient transport.
• Manageable food prices
• Available part-time jobs.

Ideal Lifestyle For Students

Adelaide has a tranquil and multi-cultural atmosphere that is academic-friendly and can help in financial and social assistance to the students.

Final Budgeting Summary

Adelaide is one of the most affordable places in Australia to study, and with a well-developed support system of international students, this city will still stay a top destination of international learners eager to have an affordable and rewarding study experience in 2026.

Last updated on 26/12/2025