How much does student accommodation in Melbourne cost per week?
On Iglu's website, a shared room starts at A$515 a week and a studio at A$635, with power, water, Wi-Fi and weekday breakfast included.
Key points
- 1Shared rooms from A$515
- 2Studios from A$635
- 3Rent usually includes bills
- 4Shorter terms cost more a week
- 5Compare the same dates and room
1The answer first: starting prices on the website
Iglu shared rooms start at A$515 and studios at A$635.
Prices change with room type, lease length and move-in date, and some rooms show as unavailable, so these are starting prices, not what you end up paying.
Flagstaff Gardens is listed by Yeeliving, at 7 Batman Street, West Melbourne.
These are weekly prices. Per month, a shared room is about A$2,230 and a studio about A$2,750 (weekly rent × 4.33).
| Building | Address | Shared room from | Studio from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff Gardens | 7 Batman Street, West Melbourne | 515 | 635 |
2What the rent includes
Iglu rent includes power, water, heating, Wi-Fi and breakfast.
Iglu's website: electricity, water, heating, unlimited Wi-Fi, weekday breakfast.
Other operators differ, so ask about each item one by one.
Laundry, parking and an end-of-lease cleaning fee may cost extra. In Yeeliving listing data the cleaning fee varies by building: A$200–300 in some, A$130 in one, and some say no extra cleaning fee is usually charged.
3Compared with a share house or a whole rental
Student accommodation costs more a week, but bills are often included.
Across all student-accommodation room types in Yeeliving listings the range is A$239–889, with a median of A$519.
Share house bills are extra: A$60–160 a month, or about A$14–37 a week (the monthly figure ÷ 4.33). A share house room plus bills comes to roughly A$364–472 a week, which is the number to set against the student accommodation range of 392–538.
| Type | Weekly guide | Bills | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student accommodation: Iglu shared room | 515–585 | Included | Iglu starting prices, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Student accommodation: Iglu studio | 635–715 | Included | Iglu starting prices, 26 Oct 2026 |
| Student accommodation: Yeeliving listings (lowest room type per building) | 392–538 (middle half) | Usually included | Yeeliving listings, 3 Oct 2026, 46 buildings |
| Share-house room (whole place ÷ bedrooms, estimated) | 350–435 (middle half) | Extra | Yeeliving listings, 3 Oct 2026, 21 places |
| CBD one-bedroom flat (whole place) | 560 (median) | Extra | Homes Victoria, leases started Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 |
4An example: a A$600 a week budget for one semester
A shared room with bills costs about A$3,200 more over a semester than a share house room.
Say your budget is A$600 a week and you are weighing a shared room in student accommodation with bills included (A$515–585 on Iglu's website, so A$550 as a midpoint) against a room in a share house (A$350–435 in Yeeliving listings, so A$400, with bills extra).
Over a 26-week semester, the shared room is A$550 × 26 = A$14,300, with bills and Wi-Fi included. The share house room is A$400 × 26 = A$10,400, plus bills of about A$110 a month, or A$660 over six months: about A$11,060 in total.
The difference is about A$3,240, or roughly A$125 a week. That buys you no utility set-up, someone managing the building and a room ready to move into. In a share house you buy your own furniture and split bills with housemates. A$600 a week covers either, so it comes down to how much of that you want to handle yourself.
5Lease length changes the weekly price
For the same room, a shorter term usually costs more a week.
In Yeeliving listings, 26 weeks is about 7% higher than 52 weeks for the same room (median across 63 room types, range 4%–13%).
A real example: one twin room type at Scape Berkeley 1 is A$329 a week on a 52-week term and A$369 a week on 26 weeks (3 Oct 2026, about 12% higher). Over 26 weeks you pay A$9,594 in total, against A$17,108 for 52 weeks. If you only stay half a year, a 52-week term means paying for another half year, unless the contract lets you leave early or hand it over at a low cost.
Different terms and move-in dates are not comparable by weekly rent: compare the total instead.
6How to compare fairly
Same dates, same term, same room, with bills counted.
Ask each provider for room type, weekly price, start date, term and what bills are included.
Read the full agreement before paying and ask where any money is held and how it is refunded.
Gates and CCTV are facilities, not a promise of safety.
Want to filter student accommodation by campus and budget?
Start with how to choose student accommodation, then see student accommodation near eight campuses. The adviser service for student accommodation is free.
Frequently asked questions
How much does student accommodation in Melbourne cost per week?
It depends on the room. On Iglu's website (26 Oct 2026), shared rooms in an apartment start at A$515–585 a week and a single-person studio starts at A$635–715; the rent includes electricity, water, heating, unlimited Wi-Fi and weekday breakfast. In Yeeliving listings (3 Oct 2026), across 46 student buildings in Melbourne and using the entry room type in each, the middle half of weekly prices is A$392–538; across all room types the range is A$239–889 with a median of A$519. Operators, buildings and lease lengths differ a lot, so rely on the written quote.
Is student accommodation in Melbourne more expensive than a share house or a whole rental?
The weekly price is usually higher, but bills are often included in the rent, while in a share house or a whole rental power, gas and internet are usually extra, roughly A$60–160 a month. Compare the same dates, term and room type and count bills, laundry and parking; do not compare only the starting price. In the same period, the middle half of share-house room prices in Yeeliving listings is about A$350–435 a week (estimated as whole-place rent divided by bedrooms), and the official median for a one-bedroom flat in the CBD is A$560.
Does the rent for student accommodation include bills and internet?
Usually, but it differs by building. Iglu's website states that rent includes electricity, water, heating, unlimited Wi-Fi and weekday breakfast. Laundry, parking, an end-of-lease cleaning fee and similar items may cost extra. Before signing, ask the provider to list what is included, item by item, and any limits.
Do I pay a bond for student accommodation, and where is it held?
Student accommodation is not an ordinary residential tenancy. Deposits, cancellation and early-exit terms follow each building's own contract and may differ from the bond rules for ordinary rentals. Ask for the current written quote and the full agreement before paying, and ask where your money is held and how it is refunded. Some operators state a no-visa-no-pay policy; check the operator's own website for the terms.
Is the weekly price higher for a shorter lease?
Usually. In Yeeliving listings (3 Oct 2026), a 26-week term is about 7% higher a week than a 52-week term for the same room type. Compare total cost rather than weekly rent when terms and move-in dates differ.
Where can I find current prices for student accommodation?
In two steps. First, open the operator's website, pick the building, room type, term and move-in date, and check the price and whether rooms are available. Second, put that exact combination in an email or online application and ask for a current written quote and the full agreement. The written quote is what counts, because prices on the page change with remaining rooms.
Is Yeeliving's adviser service for student accommodation free?
Yes. Yeeliving is a Melbourne-based rental service company for international students (yeeliving.com). The adviser service for student accommodation is free; for private rentals (whole places), the service fee is explained in writing by an adviser before the service starts.
Sources (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- Iglu: Flagstaff Gardens
- Iglu: Melbourne accommodation overview (what rent includes)
- Homes Victoria: Moving annual rent by suburb (September quarter 2025)
- Study Australia: Accommodation
This page compiles operator websites and official public data. It is not legal advice and it is not a quote. Starting prices change with room type, lease length and move-in date, and the Homes Victoria rents are for the September quarter 2025 (leases that started October 2024 to September 2025), still the latest quarter on the official page when checked on 26 October 2026. Yeeliving listings are Yeeliving's own data (3 Oct 2026), and the Iglu building shown here, Flagstaff Gardens, is listed by Yeeliving. Before signing, rely on the current written quote and the full agreement. Monthly amounts are weekly rent × 4.33.