Best Suburbs in Perth for Students: Near UWA and Curtin Campuses

UWA and Curtin sit on opposite sides of Perth with genuinely different suburb options around them – one riverside and leafy, the other more affordable with its own free student bus network. Here is what actually surrounds each campus.

Near UWA: Crawley, Nedlands and Subiaco

There is no train station at the campus itself. Subiaco has its own station on the Fremantle line, with a weekday bus (route 97) to UWA, and the practical options from Crawley and Nedlands are buses, the free Purple CAT from Elizabeth Quay, or cycling along the riverside paths. Budget for this area to run higher than most of Perth: rents in Nedlands, Crawley and Subiaco are generally above the Perth average (indicative only, check current listings and the Perth student accommodation guide for prices).

Near Curtin: Bentley, East Victoria Park, Victoria Park, Waterford and Cannington

The genuinely useful detail here: Curtin runs its own complimentary bus service for students living in Bentley, Waterford, South Perth and Victoria Park, plus a weeknight hail-and-ride service around campus during semester – on top of the Curtin Central Bus Station’s regular routes to Cannington, Canning Bridge and the city. As a rule, this whole area runs more affordable than the UWA suburbs, which is a large part of why East Victoria Park and Cannington show up so often in student accommodation searches.

Choosing between the two

If your course is at UWA, you are choosing between paying more to be riverside and leafy (Nedlands, Crawley) or accepting a slightly longer trip from Subiaco, which has its own train station but is not necessarily cheaper. If your course is at Curtin, the free student shuttle genuinely changes the calculation – East Victoria Park and Victoria Park give you both affordability and a direct free connection to campus, which is hard to beat without a car.

Checking a share house before you commit

Whichever cluster you choose, a share house arrangement changes the calculation as much as the suburb does – a cheap Bentley room in a poorly run house can end up costing more in stress than a pricier Nedlands room with reliable flatmates. Our share house vs studio vs homestay guide and moving house checklist both cover what to check before signing anything.

Bottom line

UWA students cluster around Crawley, Nedlands and Subiaco – riverside, leafy, but pricier, with bus access rather than a train station at campus. Curtin students cluster around Bentley, East Victoria Park, Victoria Park, Waterford and Cannington – generally cheaper, and helped considerably by Curtin’s own free student shuttle bus. Pick based on your campus first, then your budget within that area.