Australia’s west coast city of Perth is friendly, welcoming and offers students an enviable lifestyle and one of the world's top-ranked universities: The University of Western Australia (UWA) (QS World University Rankings 2027).
With its unspoiled natural beauty and vibrant city life, sunny Perth will exceed your expectations as the perfect destination to study, live and launch your future career.
Rising as a top foodie destination in Australia, Perth offers countless eating options from local to international cuisines. Close to the Indian Ocean, you'll find a wealth of restaurants serving fresh seafood. Perth is also a top producer of wheat, which means you’ll see pastas, breads and pies everywhere!
Perth has a lower cost of living than Sydney and Melbourne (Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2023, Economist Intelligence Unit), so you can enjoy a good quality of life for less.
Here’s an estimate of some weekly expenses to help you budget (for illustrative purposes only, actual costs may vary):
Public transport (based on a prepaid Tertiary SmartRider card with 40% international student discount) | AUD $30–$60 |
Food (groceries and eating out) | AUD $140–$280 |
Entertainment | AUD $80–$150 |
University accommodation | AUD $200–$690 |
Figures from Cost of Living Calculator, studyaustralia.gov.au
Tip: Don't forget, students can get discounts on many things from streaming services to travel.
It’s easy to get around Perth via public transport – and affordable, with 40% discount on journeys for international students or free with the Purple CAT, linking the UWA campus to Perth City. Thanks to the city’s great weather, walking and biking are options all year round too: Students can also enjoy free public transport every Sunday if they have a SmartRider.
If you're planning to travel beyond the city, Perth Airport is easily reachable with regular bus services from Elizabeth Quay. You can fly directly to several Australian cities such as:
Adelaide (2 hours 45 mins)
Brisbane (4 hours 20 mins)
Cairns (4 hours 10)
Melbourne (3 hours 30 mins)
Sydney (4 hours).
Perth is also the closest Australian major capital city to Asia, sharing a time zone with 60% of the world’s population (+/- 2.5 hours). You can get direct flights to places such as:
Bangkok (7 hours)
Hong Kong (7 hours 30 mins)
Jakarta (4 hours 50 mins)
Singapore (5 hours 20 mins)
Tokyo (9 hours 30 mins).
Provider: The University of Western Australia (UWA) UWA College in Partnership with INTO Perth CRICOS 00126G, PRV12169, Australian University
