The Best Regional Areas to Study in Australia

The Gold Coast is the fifth biggest city in Australia. However rent it is significantly cheaper compared to Sydney and Melbourne. The affordable lifestyle is one of the many appealing reasons to reside and study on the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast is an iconic destination to visit, travel and if lucky enough, to live. With glorious glistening beaches, to luscious rolling hinterlands, as well as a thriving vibrant nightlife, the Gold Coast haven has something to offer everyone. The all year round tropical climate means you can spend your days lazing in the sunshine on the long white sandy beaches, learn to surf in world renown beaches. Or perhaps take a hike through the dense rainforest to one of the many beautiful waterfalls and swim in the gorgeous natural rock pools. In the evenings explore the many classy bars, hip eateries and fine dinning restaurants, with enough variety to suit any taste.

Many internationals are drawn to the Gold Coast for its laid back lifestyle, friendly community lower cost of living.

Trade Courses
Commercial Cookery
Carpentry
Automotive Mechanical
Bricklaying

Vocational Courses
Marketing
Human Resources
Aged Care
Business
Early Childhood Education
Nursing
Graphic Design
Travel and Tourism
Digital Media and Technology
Sport Development
Fitness
Outdoor Recreation
Hospitality
Leadership and Management
Project Management

Perth is the largest city in Australia to be classified as a regional area for migration purposes. This city offers a warm relaxed lifestyle with an open layout and a touch of city living. Its lovely river centre is known for its cute quirky cafes, huge parks, twilight markets and pop up events.
If that is not enough, Perth is closely located to many stunning locations with captivating views and soft sandy beaches to watch idyllic sunsets.
In just a 25 minute ferry ride, you could spend the day exploring the beautiful and unspoilt Rottnest Island. Or in a small 3 hour dive, find yourself in the Margaret River region, packed full with beautiful beaches, vineyards, and delicious foods.
Perth enjoys a mediterranean climate, with hot dry summers to explore the landscapes and cool wet winters to cosy up.

Perth is the fourth biggest city in Australia. Rent and the cost of living is comparable to other major cities around Australia.

Trade Courses
Commercial Cookery
Carpentry

Vocational Courses
Business
Early Childhood Education
Nursing
Digital and Interactive Games
Graphic Design
Interior Design
Education Support
Conservation and Land Management
Fashion Design
Hairdressing
Travel and Tourism
Digital Media and Technology
Sport Development
Fitness
Outdoor Recreation

The cost of living is about what you’d expect, considering the lifestyle and opportunity on the Sunshine Coast. While it is significantly lower than the Cost of Living in some of the major Australian cities (Sydney was ranked the 32nd most expensive city in the world in 2018!), the Cost of Living on the Sunshine Coast is quite a bit higher than in other Regional Locations, like Tasmania and Bundaberg. However, you can live outside of the main cities and find less expensive costs of living.

The Sunshine Coast makes the top of our list for Regional Locations in Australia, and it’s easy to see why. With its pristine beaches, surf for any level, rural subtropical hinterlands, upscale shopping and local markets, there is something for everyone in terms of lifestyle. Whether you are drawn to the ocean or the mountains; prefer the lavish life or the boho life, you’re sure to find it – and everything in between – on the Sunny Coast.

The population on the Sunny Coast is around 350,000, but this is spread out across the coast and inland, towards the mountains, meaning there is loads of opportunity and a thriving community without feeling like you are living like a sardine. People are catching on to this regional gem, and the population is expected to grow over the years, meaning this is the right time to make your move there.

Despite being about as Aussie as you can get in terms of lifestyle, almost 20 percent of the population was born overseas, with thriving British, Kiwi, Irish, Scottish, German and Italian communities. There are all sorts of fun events year-round, from music festivals to food and wine festivals, triathlon events and even a yoga festival. The Sunny Coast is about an hour to 90 minutes north of Brisbane, where you can get your dose of urban culture or easily catch a direct domestic or international flight.

Hospitality and Tourism are major industries in the region and with a new hospital recently completed, medical and health professionals are also in demand. As the population steadily grows, construction is also a major industry here.

When you combine a small area with one of the best lifestyles in perhaps the world, you unfortunately get higher costs of living. However, there are several coastal and rural towns near Byron that are much less expensive and an easy drive away.

Trade Courses
Commercial Cookery

Vocational Courses
Business
Marketing
Leadership and Management
Digital Media Technology
Early Childhood Education

With such a large and diverse population, there comes a great deal of opportunities across the board. If a career as a Chef, Mechanic, or I.T professional are calling your attention, look no further than this beautiful South Australia gem.

Your money goes much further in Adelaide than other Australian cities. It falls somewhere in the middle in terms of cost of living when compared to other regions on our list, with all of the conveniences of living in the city, such as efficient and extensive public transportation.

Trade Courses
Automotive
Commercial Cookery

Vocational Course
Business
Community Services
Leadership and Management
Accounting
Early Chilldhood Education and Care
Individual Support
Nursing
Network Security
General English
Project Management
Disability
Remedial Massage

With tourism being one of the biggest industries in Cairns, working in hospitality is a safe bet. As it becomes more popular, trade work for technicians and construction workers is also always in demand. Health care workers, managers and administrative workers also are in demand in this region.

The cost of living in Cairns is relatively low as compared to other cities in Australia offering a tropical lifestyle.

Trade Courses
Commercial Cookery
Electro-instrumentation

Vocational Courses
Business
Hospitality
Nursing
Early Childhood Education
Horticulture
Beauty Therapy
Travel and Tourism
Digital Media
Information Technology

Tourism is a large contributor to Tasmania’s economy, meaning employment within the hospitality industry remains high. Tasmania also has employment opportunities is a broader range of sectors when compared to other regions. For instance, IT and Communications Professionals and Electricians are in demand here. Other major industries are construction and trades.

Cost of Living: Tasmania is quite wealthy considering how small it is and the average income is relatively high, while the cost of living is much lower than in mainland cities. Hobart was ranked as the most affordable capital province in Australia to buy a house.

Trade Courses
Commercial Cookery

Vocational Courses
Nursing
Business
Leadership and Management

Trade Courses
Automotive Mechanical
Engineering Fabrication and Trade

Vocational Courses
Nursing

Bundaberg, situated between Brisbane and Cairns, is filled with Australian charm from another era. With many buildings and sites in the CBD being over 100 years old and the long-standing sugar cane farming and rum distillery traditions, Bundaberg heralds to seemingly simpler, quieter times; but don’t let that fool you into thinking that means there’s nothing to do.

Bundaberg is considered the Southern Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef as well as being the Number 1 Whale Watching Destination in Australia, which draws tourists year-round. This means that not only will you have plenty to do for weekend fun, but the CBD is designed to satisfy and impress, with great restaurants and pubs as well as outstanding markets featuring local tropical produce and authentic Aussie-made arts and crafts. Bundaberg also has stunning beaches and alluring forests in the hinterlands and is the access point to Lady Elliot Island, where you can swim with giant manta rays.

Bundaberg’s population has been slowly growing over the years and has reached nearly 100,000. It’s a popular place to call home for people from the Philippines, South Africa, Europe, China and the UK.

A major appeal of living in Bundaberg is the very low cost of living. It is by far one of the least expensive regions in Australia, with median house prices being about a third cheaper than Sydney and a half the cost of a home on the Sunshine Coast.

When you consider the high salaries that locals earn, the cost of living in Darwin is quite affordable. The city is expanding and there is a lot of new builds which is keeping the cost of accommodation down.

Darwin is a unique place found at the top of Australia filled with bountiful places to explore. It has a culturally rich Indigenous heritage to learn from as well as an incredibly friendly community to be involved in. Every Australian will tell you that the Northern Territory is like nowhere else.

Darwin is a very modern city with a warm, pleasant and tropical climate and is surrounded by calming surf and lush greenery. You could spend your days exploring the greater area around the city, where there are wondrous stretches of desert, towers of natural monoliths, gorgeous fresh waterholes and other breathtaking natural sights like the Katherine Gorge, the world famous Uluru, Kakadu National Park and the Karlu Karlu Devil’s Marbles.

Darwin is also known for its incredible ecosystem and Australian wildlife. You could learn about the in-depth plant life, go on bird watching tours or even spot wild crocodiles in an unforgettable river cruise.

Since Darwin is home to a wealth of Indigenous culture, you could visit one of the many Aboriginal art galleries in the city centre or take a tour led by an Indigenous guide to learn about the local Larrakia people’s Dreamtime stories.

Many internationals are drawn to Darwin for its raw genuine Aussie experience, friendly community, breathtaking natural surrounds and laidback lifestyle.