Kasha Patel, Deacons Abroad marketing intern, shares her suggestions for saving your cash while studying Down Under:

Australia is known to be very expensive. The strong Australian dollar has pushed four Australian cities into the top 15 most expensive cities in the world to live in, according to a survey released in July by the UK-based Economist Intelligence Unit.  While you’re visiting this pricey country, utilize these tips to help reduce your costs:

1) Limit eating out. Eating out is rather expensive. Most sit-down dinner meals are $20.

2) Split groceries with someone. Most people split up into pairs or threes and bought food from Coles, one of Australia’s leading grocery stores. 

3) Make your own sandwiches for hikes. Peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches were my go-to food on a lot of our hiking trips. Jelly sometimes has to be refrigerated, so be sure to read the label before buying one.

4) Look for backpacker travel centers that offer 30 minutes of free Internet for travelers. Many travel agencies offer this free service. You don’t need to sign-up for anything, just sign your name in with the desk and they’ll provide you a computer kiosk. Many times, you can stay on longer than 30 minutes if no one else is waiting.

5) Buy local, fresh fruit that’s affordable. I think kiwi fruit is delicious, easy to carry and certainly is cheaper in Australia than in America. Stay away from fruits out-of-season or expensive because of production shortages. For example, bananas were in serious shortage when I studied in Australia, so they would cost you over $10 for just five bananas! Stay away from pricey fruits like that.

6) Bring snack foods with you from home. I brought a lot of unopened granola bars to Australia. Just make sure you declare all of your food, otherwise you may accidentally breach an Australian quarantine law…like me.

7) Save up if you’re going to Sydney afterward your program! I spent the most money of all in Sydney, totalling approximately $75 to $100 a day to cover tourist attractions, transportation and shopping.