Prices are in Australian dollars which = roughly 0.6 American dollars at the time this was written.

Rent: $200 per week, shared house with plumbing and structural problems but the location is central.

Utilities: $90 per month for the internet and other utilities are covered as part of the rent in this house deal.

Transportation: Public transport here is not very good. the bus runs for around half the day and often not on weekends or public holidays. it's either taxi, car or bike if you plan to stay here long. car registration depends on the car but should be around $600 per year and fuel in feb 09 is fluctuating between $1 and $1.5

Food: Eating out here is expensive. Look for resteraunts in out of the way places, or the nearest Aldi supermarket. there's one on the edge of southport, they're far cheaper than anywhere else.

Recreation: There's the beach which is free though there's no shortage of people willing to take your money for surfing lessons. There's the nightclub scene which is very expensive so it's a good idea to get a bit drunk before you go out. drinks can be served all night but if you leave a bar after 3am they won't let you back in. Alot of strip clubs here and prostitution is completely legal. If you want to see live music there's not much here, but brisbane has a pretty lively scene and is only an hour away by train, but the train will cost you $10 each way. It can be cheaper much to go by car if you can share the fuel costs with someone.