How electricity works in Australia.

Once your room in Australia is booked, you are ready to start packing. This includes all the electrical items.

This is a guide on how electricity works in Australia.

The electricity supply in Australia is 230-250 volts.

Students from most nations in Asia, Africa and Europe should have appliances that work on the same mains voltage as Australia – therefore you will not need a voltage converter.

Exceptions to this are Japan and American countries which use 100/120V 50/60Hz and usually need a convertor/ adaptor.

100 volt appliances (shavers, hair dryers etc) cannot be used without a voltage converter and a  power adapter (see images on right side).

We recommend buying the appliances in Australia as it is much easier. Sometimes its hard (and expensive) to buy the voltage converters).

Voltage Converter: Device that transforms the voltage from the power outlet into one your appliance can use).

Power Adapter: Device that allows you to plug your device into an Australia power outlet).

So there you have it. Once you choose the most appropriate room option you will need to start choosing which electrical gadget to bring and not to bring.

In our opinion, you shouldn’t bring anything (except your phone and laptop).

Simply buy new items once you get here. You won’t have to worry about getting converters or adapters (you will also save money as power converters can be expensive).

RENTING A ROOM IN AUSTRALIA- UTILITY BILLS

In terms of utility bills (internet, electricity and gas) you can expect to spend around between $100-130 dollares per month.

It all depends on your lifestyle as well. There have been cases where students leave the airconditioning and heating system on for straight days and the electricity bill comes for thousands (YES THOUSANDS) of dollars. If you are leaving the house make sure everything is off. During a mild winter day instead of turning the heating on simply put a jumper on.

It’s all common sense.

Find out more about how the Australian currency (Aussie Dollar – A$) works