Student Guide to Melbourne
Melbourne is easier to live in than it is to arrive in. Here is what to sort out before you fly, and what to do in the week after you land.
11 min read · Updated August 2026
Before you fly
Have your accommodation confirmed in writing before booking flights. Melbourne fills up hard in late February, and the cheap options go first.
Print your offer letter, Confirmation of Enrolment, visa grant and OSHC certificate. Keep photos of all of them offline on your phone as well.
Melbourne has no airport train. Plan for the SkyBus to Southern Cross, which runs every ten minutes and takes about half an hour.
Your first 48 hours
Buy a Myki card — this is not optional in Melbourne. Unlike Sydney you cannot simply tap a bank card on most services. Myki is sold at stations, 7-Elevens and the airport.
The CBD has a Free Tram Zone. Inside it you travel without touching on at all; the moment you cross the boundary you need a valid Myki, and inspectors do check.
Get a prepaid SIM and open a bank account in your first week. Both are needed before rent, work or enrolment admin will go smoothly.
Where students actually live
Carlton sits next to the University of Melbourne and is full of cheap Italian food. It is the classic student suburb and it earns the reputation.
Clayton is the Monash belt — quieter, cheaper, and a real community of students already living there. Further out, but the trade is a lot more space for the money.
Footscray and Brunswick give you the best value inside the tram network, with excellent Vietnamese and Middle Eastern food on the doorstep.
If you cook, Footscray market will cut your weekly food bill more than any other decision on this list.
Money, and what things really cost
Melbourne rents are generally softer than Sydney for the same quality, which is the main financial reason students choose it.
International students in Victoria can apply for a travel concession through the iUSEpass — check it early, because it saves a meaningful amount over a year.
Coffee is a real budget line here. Two flat whites a day is around forty dollars a week, and Melbourne makes that very easy to do.
The weather is the thing
Four seasons in one day is not a joke. Carry a layer every day of the year, including summer, because evenings drop sharply.
Winter is grey rather than freezing. It is the season that catches out students from warm countries — a proper coat and waterproof shoes make a large difference to how you feel.
Emergencies are 000. Find a bulk-billing GP near home before you need one, and keep your OSHC number in your phone.
Making it feel like home
Melbourne rewards curiosity. The good things are down laneways and behind unmarked doors, so walking without a destination is the fastest way to like it here.
Join something in the first fortnight. Clubs, sport, music, volunteering — the students who struggle are usually the ones who waited to be invited.
Melbourne takes about three weeks to click. Almost everyone who gives it that long ends up not wanting to leave.
“Melbourne takes about three weeks to click. Almost everyone who gives it that long ends up not wanting to leave.”
Before you fly — the short list.
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