Australia and Malaysia are the two most shortlisted study-abroad destinations for Indonesian students, for different reasons. Australia tends to come up for its global reputation and research strength, and Malaysia for its affordability and closeness to home.
Both are genuinely good choices for students looking to further their education, whether that’s entering an undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s or even PhD study. The right option for you depends on your priorities.
This guide compares the two on the factors that affect the day-to-day study experience and long-term outcomes: cost, academic quality, teaching style, student life, and how easy it is to get home when you need to.
Cost of study
For many international students choosing where to pursue their studies, cost is often a primary practical constraint.
On a like-for-like basis, Malaysia is more affordable to study in than Australia, across both tuition and living costs. But academic experience, lifestyle, value and cost are not always so cleanly comparable. On this page, we’ll break these down further to provide you with a better understanding to help you make your decision.
Tuition per year, by country*
Australia
- Undergraduate: AU$20,000–45,000/year
- Postgraduate: AU$22,000–50,000/year
Malaysia
- Undergraduate: RM11,000–45,000/year
- Postgraduate: RM20,000–47,000/year
Business, commerce and engineering tend to sit at the higher end of the Australian range; humanities lower.
*These are indicative figures only, use them to get an idea of the range rather than a number to budget against. Always check the specific course's current fees and the applicable currency exchange rate for accurate information.
Cost of living, by city
Approximate monthly spend by students in each major city
- Melbourne/Sydney: AU$2,000–2,800
- Kuala Lumpur/ Selangor: RM1,500–2,500.
Aside from tuition, day-to-day expenses are another big variable when deciding where to study overseas, with Australian budgets sitting noticeably higher than in Malaysia. These figures are taken from average spending across a few key areas:
- Accommodation
- Bills
- Groceries
- Transport
- Spare time entertainment, i.e. cinema visits, social activities.
This can of course change significantly based on lifestyle and personal spending habits, which is something to keep in mind.
Earning potential while studying
While Australia is the more expensive place to study, students who work part time while on their student visa in Australia* stand to earn more per hour, helping to balance out the difference. The minimum wage in Australia is $26.44 per hour**, whereas Malaysia’s minimum hourly rate sits at RM8.72, or RM1,700 monthly since 2025.
A note to keep in mind: It is important to have sufficient funds to support yourself throughout your stay in Australia. While part-time work can provide some additional financial support, you should not rely on employment income to cover your essential living expenses or support your family while studying in Australia. Planning your finances ahead will help you enjoy a more comfortable and rewarding study experience.
* Refer to the Department of Home Affairs for information about work rights for student visa holders
**as of 1 July 2026.
Budi, undergraduate, living in student accommodation
Budi is in his first year of a Bachelor of Business, living in RMIT's managed student accommodation with meals and utilities bundled into his weekly rent.
He's focused on settling into a new country and a new academic system, so he works occasional shifts, around 10 hours a fortnight, in a campus café. His before-tax earnings of roughly AU$264.40 every two weeks cover groceries and social spending rather than rent, since his family supports the bulk of his living costs in his first year.
Sri, postgraduate Master's by Coursework, sharing a house
Sri is studying a Master of Finance and shares a house with three other students in Melbourne's inner suburbs, about 30 minutes door-to-door from campus.
She works close to the full allowance of 48 hours a fortnight in a retail role, earning roughly AU$634 a week before tax.
Between her earnings and an Academic Merit Scholarship covering 20% of her tuition, she's able to cover most of her own living costs without leaning heavily on savings and family support.
Puti, undergraduate, balancing study load with part-time work
Puti is in the final year of a Bachelor of Information Technology and deliberately keeps her work hours lower, around 15 hours a fortnight in a tutoring role, to protect time for a heavier final-year workload. Her earnings of roughly AU$250 a week are a top-up rather than her main source of income, with the rest of her budget coming from family support and savings from her first two years working more hours.
Total cost of degree completion
Per-year comparisons understate the real gap, since tuition and living costs both compound across the full length of the degree. Take a look at our page outlining the costs of studying in Australia as an international student to get an idea of how much you can expect to spend here throughout your education.
Courses may differ in length; a 3-year degree in Australia may take 4 in Malaysia, and vice versa, so the numbers provided here are just a guideline. If cost is a major deciding factor, then taking some more time to look into the specifics of your desired course and how it works in each country is imperative.
Scholarships can meaningfully close the gap for eligible students
Everything above is before scholarships, and along with other Australian universities, RMIT offers a range of scholarships and support for Indonesian students:
- Academic Merit Scholarship: a 20% tuition fee reduction for Southeast Asian citizens applying from their home country, covering everything from Vocational Education through to bachelor's, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, and master's by coursework.
- LPDP-RMIT Scholarship: for Indonesian citizens holding an LPDP award funded by the Indonesian government, covering 100% of tuition plus living costs for master's and PhD study.
Depending on study level and eligibility, Australian study can range from a 20% discount off the tuition fee to fully-funded study. This means that it's worth checking eligibility before ruling Australia out on cost alone.
University quality and global recognition
When it comes to academic acknowledgement, Australian universities play quite high in global rankings, often in the top 100. Most prominently, in QS and Times Higher Education. These are two of the most widely used global university ranking systems, published annually by separate organisations, which give prospective students a broad way to compare institutions on things like research strength, reputation, and teaching quality. Malaysian universities are gaining ground: Universiti Malaya, for instance, has broken into global top-100 lists in recent years, and several other Malaysian institutions are steadily climbing.
It's important to understand what these rankings actually measure before leaning on them too heavily. QS and THE weight things like research output and citations, academic and employer reputation surveys, faculty-to-student ratios, and international recognition. They're generally considered to be a reasonable proxy for institutional strength, particularly at the research and postgraduate level, but they don't tell you much about teaching quality in any specific course. We recommend researching that separately at the course level.
Industry connections
Both countries build experience into study in slightly different ways.
In Australia, industry partners help shape the course. For example, RMIT's courses are informed by industry partners such as Deloitte and Adidas, and many include work-integrated-learning opportunities through placements and internships.
In Malaysia, work placement is often either a highly encouraged or compulsory part of a degree, particularly in courses where practical skills are essential, such as nursing, education, and engineering. Industry training is standard in many undergraduate courses. This is considered a key part of preparing students for work, and they can spend anywhere from a few weeks to several months completing industry placements before they can graduate.
Academic experience and teaching style
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Teaching format |
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English immersion |
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Assessment style |
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Actual class size and teaching format vary by course and institution in both countries, so check directly for the specific course you're considering rather than assuming a fixed difference.
In Malaysia, Indonesian students often speak a shared language like Bahasa Indonesia outside class. Some find this helps them settle in, while others want more day-to-day English practice. Neither is better in every case – it depends on what you want from your time abroad.
Assessment in both countries leans further from what's typical in Indonesian secondary schooling, where final exams and memorisation of set material often carry the most weight. Australian and Malaysian universities put more emphasis on independent research, argument-based writing, and continuous assessment across the semester, a shift that becomes more pronounced the further you go into a research-heavy or postgraduate course.
Student Life and Cultural Fit
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Malaysia |
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Indonesian student community |
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Halal food and religious facilities |
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Climate |
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Safety |
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Malaysia's cultural and religious environment tends to require a smaller adjustment for Indonesian students overall, particularly around food, faith and climate. Australia's cities offer a more distinctly different day-to-day environment, which some students see as part of the value of studying abroad and others find takes longer to settle into.
Proximity to home
A flight from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur takes about 2 hours and typically costs IDR 1.5–4 million return. A flight to Melbourne or Sydney takes 7–8 hours and typically costs IDR 5.5–13 million return, depending on demand and the time of year.
In practice, that means a student in Malaysia could fly home for a weekend, a family event, or Eid, and be back in class Monday if needed. A student in Australia is usually planning trips home around semester breaks, once or twice a year, because of both the travel time and the cost.
For parents, the question is how often you will see your child while they study. From Malaysia, short and frequent visits are realistic. From Australia, visits are less frequent but usually longer, such as a stay over the semester break or a trip for graduation.
Which destination suits which student
Both Australia and Malaysia open Indonesian students up to a world of opportunity, and neither country is the better choice overall. The right one depends on what matters most to you and your family.
Choose Australia if you’re prioritising:
- Higher global rankings and research depth
- Full English immersion
- Stronger postgraduate and research pathways in your field
- A scholarship that helps close the cost gap.
Choose Malaysia if you're prioritising:
- Lower overall cost
- Being close to home and family
- A more familiar environment, with climate and daily life closer to home
The country is only the first decision. The specific university and course will shape your actual experience more than which country it's in. Explore RMIT's courses for international students to see what could be in your future here.
