The article is written by Loren Howarth
As you take the leap from home to come and study in Australia, finding a place of your own is at the top of the agenda. Unfortunately due to the rising cost of housing and subsequently rent, living by yourself in a major city is quite unlikely. For the time being, you can live with roommates and make the most of this incredibly fun and youthful experience. But this can have some downsides.
Cleaning
Pro: When you live with other people, it isn’t just up to you to clean up. Instead, the role is often divided by a roster system, or everyone just helps out cleaning common places such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living rooms, leaving everyone to maintain their own bedrooms. This creates a decreased workload, and you won’t be stuck cleaning an entire apartment or townhouse by yourself.
Con: Sometimes, no one wants to clean. Although you will endeavor to help each other out, it’s likely that there will be instances of people blatantly ignoring overfull garbage bins and pans which have been left soaking in the sink for days. Soon the mess will increase, and then it will be down to who gives in first to be stuck cleaning.
Having other people live with you
Pros: When you live with other people, you can gain true best friends. These will be people you look forward to hanging out with at the end of a long day, and simply knowing that there will be someone you can vent to or simply chat to is reassuring in itself. You will also be able to meet more new people through your roommates.
Cons: Sometimes though, you can come across people you don’t get along with. This doesn’t necessarily mean you will become enemies, but it just means you won’t become best friends either. It could be someone who tells you off for leaving your music on or even someone who simply transforms the entire apartment into their bedroom. If you come across someone like this, try your best to talk to them about how it makes you feel and if that doesn’t solve anything, maybe it’s time to find somewhere new.
Cost
Pros: Generally speaking, you’ll most likely pay less. By living with roommates and splitting up the rent, as well as other bills such as internet and electricity, this will be sure to leave some spare cash in your pocket. So if you can tolerate living with other people and want more money to spend on adventures and activities while living in Australia, it makes more financial sense to share housing.
Cons: Literally everything is shared. Nothing you buy is just yours anymore when you choose to live with other people. If you go grocery shopping for yourself and stock up the fridge, chances are everyone else will also consume some of the food you have purchased. Or even a luxury shampoo and conditioner that you splurge on, will most likely be used by your roommates who have run out of their own.
