Brisbane or Sunshine Coast for an International Student?

I suggest you post this in the Oceania section of the forum for more exposure to students in Australia and better chance of replies. I cannot see how Brisbane is cheaper to live than Sunshine coast. 

You perhaps ask the agent to give you some facts and figures to back up her assumptions. You could also check out this website www.numbeo.com which you can navigate through to give you relative cost of living in both areas.

hI Iselaf,

Your topic is now on the Australia forum for more visibility.

Thanks

Priscilla

Hi

I used to live in Brisbane now on the Sunshine Coast , so hopefully can help abit .. I was also a international student and students can work 20 hrs per week , most uni's you can pay in installments or every term so as long as you get a job then you can pay when you earn.
The Sunshine Coast is 1.15 mins by car from Brisbane or 1.30 by bad and train. But it is very spread out with not great public transport so would really need a car to live here . Whereas in Brisbane you can get away without one .
I hate cities also but Brisbane is nothing like Mexico City (I have been ) and nothing like any other big city London, NY, Sydney etc . It's pretty small but spread out but the city centre is tiny you can walk the whole city centre in a hour .. So actually not a bad place to live , also has a large Mexican and foreign population ..
So yes Brisbane is much much easier to find jobs there are a few on the Sunshine Coast but as population is limited so are jobs many people who live on the Sunshine Coast work in Brisbane they commute daily..
But depends on the job you want to do you might find some work here . However if you need to get university work experience in your field it might be more difficult here ..
You could alway email a few places first saying you are looking to studying here and are there any chances of jobs ..
a VET course - thee are plenty animals here so maybe easy to get a job in that field here ..
I would recommend Brisbane and just go to the shun shine coast on weekends , or start studying in Brisbane then transfer to the Sunshine Coast Uni later on ..
The Sunshine Coast is beautiful but also not much to do for students , no real nightlife etc . But Brisbane has everything ..
Hope that helps a bit feel free to ask anything
Mark

Hi,
I've got a bit to say about this topic. I have lived in the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. Right now I live in Newcastle, just north of Sydney and love it.
Brisbane is a great city although can be very humid. People are friendly, positive, it's not too crowded, the city centre itself is very nice and modern.. Public transport is VERY good and the SC is not far away at all.
However, I think that if you want to live on the SC, then that's where you should go. You should get a cheap car when you get there as it's much easier to get around (public transport not the greatest as the SC is basically made up of small towns) The SC is beautiful, amazing lifestyle and the Sunshine Coast University campus is super cute with kangaroos all over just hanging out. There are jobs if you want them. You can work in a restaurant or cafe and swim during the day!
I like both places, but I'm over cities and I think like the idea of decentralization or else all cities will end up like Delhi or Mexico city or Bogota (yuck!). By the way, if you go to Colombia go to Manizales! Super cute city in the mountains.
Go with your gut, don't worry about what other people advise you to do, even me. If you're happy where you live then you will find your niche.
Ciao.

Well,

Thank you everyone for taking some time to answer and give your opinions. I am still working on it, it's been difficult since I really want the Sunshine Coast over Brisbane, but there are not many options to study Certificate or Diploma courses for international students and it's making me frustrated.

I think I might end up going to Brisbane first, take a Certificate in Childcare and then go to Coolum, where I'll take a Certificate in TESOL, which is actually my professional field.

By the way, as much as I'd love to study a Master's degree in my field I cannot afford to pay tuition and living expenses. It's like going to an american Ivy League College hehehe. It's crazy!

Coolum is beautiful!!!! Super cute little area and close to Marcoola, that has a yummy bakery with great pies. You'll get to know pies in Australia and sausage rolls. Yummy!
You gonna love the SC, and Brisbane.

good luck!