Australia guide · Cost · 5 min read
Cost to study in Australia from Nepal, in rupees, for 2026.
Year 1 in Australia costs about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh on the shortlists we wrote last year. That's tuition of AUD 30,000 to AUD 46,000, AUD 29,710 in living money and the AUD 2,500 visa fee, at the Nepal Rastra Bank rate of 18 Oct 2026. Health cover, the flight and one-off costs add about Rs 3 to 4 lakh. Rent decides most of the rest: Adelaide costs about a quarter less to live in than Sydney.
The short version
- Year 1, all in: about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh for one student before any part-time income.
- Tuition on our shortlists: AUD 30,000 to AUD 46,000 a year. Nursing and IT sit in the middle; medicine is far higher.
- Living in a shared room: about Rs 1.6 to 2.1 lakh a month in Adelaide, Rs 2.2 to 2.8 lakh in Sydney.
- One-off costs people forget: OSHC (AUD 600 to 800 a year), the medical and biometrics, the bond on a room (often 4 weeks' rent), and the first month before any pay arrives.
- Cheapest legal savings: a regional campus, a scholarship of 10% to 30%, and a shared room. Part-time work helps with living costs, never with tuition.
The year 1 total
At Rs 105.97 per AUD (18 Oct 2026). Tuition is the range on our shortlists last year.
| Item | AUD | Rupees | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition, year 1 | 30,000 to 46,000 | about Rs 31.8 to 48.7 lakh | University | Deposit before the CoE, rest by semester |
| Living costs (the visa figure) | 29,710 | about Rs 31.5 lakh | You spend it | Over 12 months |
| Student visa | 2,500 | about Rs 2.65 lakh | Home Affairs | At lodgement |
| OSHC health cover, 1 year single | about 600 to 800 | about Rs 64,000 to 85,000 | Insurer | Before lodgement, for the whole stay |
| Flight, one way | about Rs 1 to 1.6 lakh | Airline | After the visa | |
| Total, year 1 | about Rs 65.9 to Rs 82.9 lakh plus OSHC and flight |
The visa’s AUD 29,710 is a minimum, not an estimate. In Sydney, many students spend more; in Adelaide or a regional city, careful students live close to it.
The costs nobody mentions
Families plan for tuition and the visa. These come up later, and they add up.
| Cost | Typical amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS or PTE | about Rs 36,000 (IELTS) or USD 220 (PTE) | Before you apply |
| University application fee | Usually Rs 0; some charge AUD 50 to 150 | With the application |
| NOC from the Ministry of Education | Rs 2,000 online | Before paying tuition |
| Bank charges on the tuition transfer | Varies by bank | With each payment |
| Medical and biometrics in Kathmandu | As quoted by the panel clinic and VFS | After lodgement |
| Bond on a room | Often 4 weeks’ rent, AUD 700 to 1,600 | Before you move in |
| First month’s rent in advance | AUD 700 to 1,600 | Before you move in |
| SIM, transport card, bedding, kitchen basics | AUD 300 to 600 | First week |
| Winter clothes (Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra) | AUD 150 to 300 | First month |
Land with about AUD 7,000 to 9,000: the bond, the first rent and 3 months of living costs, most of it already in your Australian account.
Living costs, city by city
What our students in Australia told us they spend in a month, sharing a room, in 2026.
| City | Rent | Food | Transport and phone | Total a month | In rupees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | AUD 1,350 to 1,750 | AUD 450 to 600 | AUD 240 to 300 | AUD 2,040 to 2,650 | Rs 2.2 to 2.8 lakh |
| Melbourne | AUD 1,150 to 1,500 | AUD 430 to 580 | AUD 230 to 290 | AUD 1,810 to 2,370 | Rs 1.9 to 2.5 lakh |
| Brisbane | AUD 1,050 to 1,400 | AUD 420 to 550 | AUD 220 to 260 | AUD 1,690 to 2,210 | Rs 1.8 to 2.3 lakh |
| Adelaide | AUD 900 to 1,200 | AUD 400 to 520 | AUD 190 to 230 | AUD 1,490 to 1,950 | Rs 1.6 to 2.1 lakh |
A studio or a room of your own costs noticeably more. Best cities for Nepali students compares rent, jobs and the regional visa benefits city by city.
What part-time work covers, and what it doesn’t
You can work 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks. The national minimum wage is AUD 26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026.
At 20 hours a week on the minimum wage, that’s about AUD 2,290 a month before tax: enough to cover a shared room and food in most cities, after the first month or two. It doesn’t cover tuition, and the first job usually takes 4 to 8 weeks to find.
So the honest plan is: tuition and the first 3 months from home; living costs from work after that. Working while studying in Australia has the pay rates and the visa rules.
Five ways to spend less, legally
- Choose a regional campus. Lower rent, and graduates of regional campuses get extra time on the post-study visa. Destination Australia scholarships pay AUD 15,000 a year at eligible regional campuses.
- Ask for the scholarship, in writing. Most universities on our shortlists give 10% to 30% off tuition for good marks. It’s often automatic; sometimes you have to ask. Australia scholarships lists what’s realistic.
- Compare like with like. A public university in Wollongong or Adelaide can cost thousands less than a private college in Sydney for an equivalent master’s.
- Share a room for year 1. It’s the biggest single saving, about AUD 300 to 500 a month.
- Ask which option the consultancy earns least on. We show our commission (10% to 25% of first-year tuition, paid by the university) on every option, and every shortlist has at least two we earn less on.
From our files. A father from Bhaktapur brought his daughter’s offer from a private college in Sydney: AUD 38,000 a year for a Master of Business Analytics. He asked us one question: “Is there a cheaper one that’s just as good?” We showed him a public university in Wollongong at AUD 31,200 for an equivalent master’s. That saved AUD 6,800 a year, about Rs 7.2 lakh. We earned less on it, and said so. She graduated in 2025.
The whole course, not just year 1
| Course | Length | Tuition, whole course (typical) | Living, whole course | Total in rupees (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coursework master’s | 1.5 to 2 years | AUD 50,000 to 85,000 | AUD 45,000 to 60,000 | Rs 1 to 1.5 crore |
| Bachelor’s | 3 years | AUD 90,000 to 135,000 | AUD 89,000 | Rs 1.9 to 2.4 crore |
| Bachelor of Nursing | 3 years | AUD 95,000 to 120,000 | AUD 89,000 | Rs 1.9 to 2.2 crore |
Part-time income after the first semester usually covers much of the living cost in years 2 and 3. Tuition rises by about 3% to 5% a year at most universities, so plan for it.
Is Australia worth the cost?
For students who want to work after graduating, often yes. A bachelor’s or coursework master’s gives 2 years on the 485 visa, and our graduates in Australia who answered our 2026 survey earned a median AUD 71,400 in their first full-time job (188 respondents). If you only want the degree and plan to return straight away, Germany or Finland can give you a recognised degree for a fraction of the cost.
