Eight Melbourne campuses: where to live, travel time, weekly rent and student accommodation

Clayton is in the suburbs and no train reaches the gate, so start with how you will connect. Monash lists Clayton, Notting Hill, Mulgrave and Oakleigh as areas to consider, and we also treat Huntingdale and Springvale as rail-connected options: from Huntingdale station you can change to the 601 to Clayton campus, and the university lists other campus buses including the 630 and 900. To walk to class, look next to campus, for example Marshall Monash and Student Sanctuary–Acacia, which the operator says are about 100 m away. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians, leases that started October 2024 to September 2025): Clayton 1-bedroom flat A$490, 2-bedroom flat A$590, 3-bedroom house A$603; Chadstone-Oakleigh 1-bedroom A$500, 2-bedroom flat A$580; Springvale 1-bedroom A$370, 2-bedroom flat A$520, which is cheaper but further, with a train to Huntingdale and then a campus bus. On campus there is the Residential Village (Clayton Urban Community), and applications for contracts starting in January or February 2027 opened on 1 September 2026.

Parkville campus is just north of the city centre with good trams, and from Carlton you can walk. Parkville, Carlton, the CBD, North Melbourne and Brunswick are all convenient: the Route 19 tram runs along Royal Parade past the campus, several Swanston Street trams pass the southern side, and walking or cycling also works. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians, same period): Carlton-Parkville 1-bedroom flat A$500, 2-bedroom flat A$670; North Melbourne-West Melbourne 1-bedroom A$525, 2-bedroom A$660; Brunswick 1-bedroom A$460, 2-bedroom A$600. Student buildings in Yeeliving's listings include UniLodge Lincoln House (the university page calls it UniLodge at Lincoln Square and estimates about 430 m, a five-minute walk) and, around Carlton, Scape Berkeley, Scape Leicester and Scape Lincoln College. Applications for the university's own housing for 2027 have been open since August 2026.

RMIT is in the city centre. Within 3 km you can walk, and further out it depends on public transport. RMIT lists Melbourne City, East Melbourne, Southbank, Docklands, Carlton, North Melbourne, West Melbourne, South Melbourne, Parkville and Fitzroy as within 3 km, a walk or up to 10–15 minutes by tram. Areas 3–7 km out, such as Richmond, Brunswick, South Yarra and Footscray, take about 15–25 minutes by public transport. The nearby stations are Melbourne Central and State Library, and routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67 and 72 run along Swanston Street. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians): CBD-St Kilda Rd 1-bedroom flat A$560, 2-bedroom flat A$735; Carlton-Parkville 1-bedroom A$500; Footscray 1-bedroom A$450, 2-bedroom flat A$560, so a whole one-bedroom costs about A$110 a week less than the CBD. Student buildings in Yeeliving's listings include UniLodge Melbourne City (480 Elizabeth Street; the operator says it is under 300 m on foot to RMIT) and Scape Swanston (5 Little La Trobe Street; the operator describes it as in the student district near RMIT and the University of Melbourne with trams at the door). Private student buildings within 3 km cost more, so compare the total.

Burwood campus is in the east, and if you live along the Route 75 tram you reach the gate without changing. Where to live: Burwood, where the campus is, Burwood East to the east, and Box Hill, the main station for connections. The Route 75 tram stops at the campus gate (Yarra Trams stop 63, Deakin University & Burwood Hwy), with Vermont South at one end and Central Pier in Docklands at the other; board it around Flinders Street Station and check the exact stop in the journey planner. You can also take a train to Box Hill Station and change to the Route 201 shuttle bus, or to the 903 SmartBus (via Elgar Road). Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians): Burwood-Ashburton 2-bedroom flat A$570, 3-bedroom house A$650 (the one-bedroom median of A$450 rests on few leases, so treat it as a guide); Vermont-Forest Hill-Burwood East 2-bedroom flat A$578, 3-bedroom house A$630; Box Hill 1-bedroom A$490, 2-bedroom flat A$610. Student accommodation: Deakin Res has on-campus housing at Burwood; its website lists studios, shared apartments, the Burwood Student Village and 2-bedroom apartments, so check Deakin's accommodation pages for room types and prices, and Trimester 1, 2027 applications opened on 1 August 2026. Yeeliving's listings (October 2026) have no student building near Burwood, so off campus the options are mainly share houses and whole rentals.

Bundoora campus is in the north and the Route 86 tram runs there directly, but the university says the trip from the city takes about 50–65 minutes, so work out how long you will sit on it each day. La Trobe lists Bundoora, Kingsbury, Macleod and Heidelberg Heights about 1–2 km from campus; by train, go to Macleod and change to the 561 bus, or to Reservoir and change to the 301 (semester only) or 561 bus. The Route 86 tram runs along Plenty Road to the campus Plenty Road entrance, and there are also buses such as the 250 and 350, each with a timetable link on the university's site. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians): Bundoora-Greensborough-Hurstbridge 1-bedroom flat A$420, 2-bedroom flat A$490, 3-bedroom house A$570; Mill Park-Epping 2-bedroom flat A$450; Reservoir 1-bedroom A$400, 2-bedroom flat A$500. Student accommodation: La Trobe has Glenn College, Menzies College, Chisholm College and the North and South Apartments on its Bundoora campus; room types and prices follow the university's rate schedule for the year, and its page also gives the 2027 application dates. Yeeliving's listings have no student building near Bundoora.

Hawthorn campus sits beside Glenferrie station, so you step straight onto campus, and anywhere along the railway or the trams is convenient. Where to live: Hawthorn, Hawthorn East and Kew. Swinburne's website says tram routes 16, 48, 70, 72, 75 and 109 also serve the campus. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians): Hawthorn 1-bedroom flat A$450, 2-bedroom flat A$600; East Hawthorn 1-bedroom A$490, 2-bedroom A$610; Kew 1-bedroom A$470, 2-bedroom A$575; Camberwell-Glen Iris 1-bedroom A$440, 2-bedroom A$600. Student buildings in Yeeliving's listings include Student Living - Vivida (Swinburne's page calls it UniLodge Vivida, right next to campus) and Student Living on Riversdale (71 Riversdale Road, with a tram stop outside and Glenferrie station about a 15-minute walk). Swinburne's student accommodation page also lists a few university-linked options, so confirm names and availability with each operator.

Caulfield campus is beside Caulfield station and the Route 3 tram, and it is closer to the city than Clayton. Monash lists Caulfield East, Caulfield, Carnegie, Glen Huntly, Malvern East and Murrumbeena as areas to consider, and a free shuttle runs between Clayton and Caulfield. Weekly rents (Homes Victoria medians): Caulfield 1-bedroom flat A$500, 2-bedroom flat A$630; Carnegie 1-bedroom A$420, 2-bedroom flat A$595; Malvern East 1-bedroom A$480, 2-bedroom flat A$600; Murrumbeena-Hughesdale 1-bedroom A$405, 2-bedroom flat A$570, so going out along the railway cuts a one-bedroom by A$80 to A$95 a week against Caulfield. Student buildings in Yeeliving's listings include Realm Caulfield in Caulfield North (the operator says about an eight-minute walk to campus and about 13 minutes by train to the CBD) and Caulfield Place. To weigh student accommodation against a share house, see the article comparing student accommodation, share houses and whole rentals.

Both are within the 3 km that RMIT describes as a walk or up to 10–15 minutes by tram. Rents (Homes Victoria medians): Southbank 1-bedroom flat A$570, 2-bedroom A$720, 3-bedroom A$1,010; Docklands 1-bedroom A$600, 2-bedroom A$763, 3-bedroom A$1,200, so Docklands costs more. On trams, the Free Tram Zone covers Docklands but not Southbank (see our Myki and Free Tram Zone article, and confirm on the official map before you rely on it). Central Pier in Docklands is the end of the Route 75 tram, which Deakin says runs direct to its Burwood campus gate, and the Route 86 tram runs from Docklands to La Trobe Bundoora. Start with where your classes are, compare both routes with the journey planner, and remember bills and transport on top of rent.