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Ten reasons why you'll love Adelaide

The city created for students

You will never find another city like Adelaide. With welcoming locals, it is the perfect place for you to study, live and enjoy.

Adelaide is home to over 30,000 international students and has a strong and growing reputation as an education city. In addition to TAFE SA, Adelaide is home to six world-leading universities: The University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, Torrens University Australia and CQ University Australia.

Student Stories

Affordable living

Adelaide is cheaper than most Australian cities. The cost of rent, transport and food is lower, which means a better quality of life for students. Adelaide is 14% more affordable than Melbourne or Sydney, and five percent cheaper than Perth or Brisbane.

Average Student Budget

To help you understand the costs, here is a sample student budget based on a single student living in a shared accommodation in the city. This does not include fees relating to study or tuition.

Try using the Insider Guides’ Cost of Living Calculator to build and view a budget that is relevant to your lifestyle.  


Rent - City (Shared) AUD$185 per week
Utility Bill (Shared) AUD$30 per week
Grocery AUD$60 per week
Phone and internet AUD$25 per week
Public Transport AUD$15 per week
Entertainment AUD$80 per week

Source: Study Adelaide

Safe

Adelaide’s crime rates are the lowest in the country and for that reason, Adelaide has previously been named the safest city in Australia.

Beach Culture

Adelaide’s pristine sandy beaches are just a 20 minute tram ride from the city centre. On hot summer days, you can study in the day and take the tram to have dinner at the beach and watch the sunset with friends.

Live centrally

Accommodation is more affordable in Adelaide than in other cities in Australia making it often possible for students to live in the heart of the city or just outside. This means more time is spent studying and less time travelling.

Delicious!

Adelaide is known for its cafe culture, with more cafes and restaurants by population than any other city in Australia. In recent years, Adelaide has also developed a vibrant and varied bar scene. The city is big enough that you will struggle to visit all of the places you would like to drink and eat in during in your first year of study. Our mix of cultures means there’s likely to be a supermarket that sells food from your home country too.

Easy to get around

Adelaide is a flat city so it is ideal for walking or cycling. Its grid layout makes it almost impossible to get lost! There are free trams and buses around the city centre. International students can show their ID to get cheaper tickets.

Festivals

Adelaide is known for its festivals, which are famous around the world. WOMADelaide, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Fringe Festival and Cabaret Festival are just some of the international arts and music festivals that keep the city buzzing

Everyone agrees – Adelaide is a great place to live and study

Adelaide is recognised as one of the world’s most liveable cities. In 2014, Lonely Planet’s Best of Travel book ranked Adelaide in the global top ten. For the last four years Adelaide has been ranked one of the most liveable cities in the world by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Beautiful weather

Adelaide has four distinct seasons, with moderate winters and warm to hot summers. In winter you will need woolly jumpers and jackets and in summer, shorts and t-shirts. The heat in South Australia is dry, rather than humid.