The hostel had a huge kitchen. There were 10 or 12 double burners for cooking, and 6 or 8 industrial fridges for us to store our food. I shared my room with three other people, and more often than not they were there long-term, as well, so we got to know each other a bit.

I usually ate out two or three times a week. Eating out can be expensive, depending on where you go. I usually went to fast casual restaurants instead of full-service because it was cheaper. A burger meal (burger, fries, drink) would be $15–20, and Sub-way is still quite affordable down there (6-inch and drink for $5). Buying groceries and cooking for yourself is by far the cheapest option; I presume because a lot of Australia’s food is domestic, not shipped from abroad.

I checked with a few of my friends who’d rented, and they paid about $350/week for their rooms, and since they were couples they split the cost between them (so $175/week each). One of them was in a large house (8 bed/3 bath) with 14 people total, while the other couple shared with two other couples (3 bed/1 bath). We were all located quite centrally in Melbourne. If you’re travelling with a partner or friend, that could be a cheaper option, but I was solo.

Let me know if you have any other questions.