Groceries and Shopping

Grocery shopping in Australia can quickly consume your budget if you don’t shop smartly. Our guides help international students save money on food while eating well and finding familiar ingredients from home.

Learn the real weekly and monthly cost of groceries for a single student, compare Coles vs Woolworths vs Aldi to find the best value, and discover where to find Asian, Indian, African, and other ethnic grocery stores in Australian cities. We teach you how to build cheap, healthy weekly meal plans and share the best budget shopping tips including markdown items, loyalty programs, and shopping apps.

Our guides explain where to buy cheap essentials for your room (Kmart, Target, Big W, Reject Shop), how to read Australian food labels including expiry dates and allergen information, and where to shop for second-hand furniture on Facebook Marketplace and op shops (thrift stores).

We also cover shopping for religious and cultural festivals (Ramadan, Diwali, Christmas), online grocery shopping pros and cons, and the basic staple foods every student kitchen should have for cooking cheap, healthy meals.

Shop smartly in Australia. Eat well, save money, and find the foods that make you feel at home.