UGM Graduate Reveals Sky-High Living Costs in Australia: WHV Burns a Hole in the Pocket

Dea Rachma, a cum laude graduate from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), went viral on TikTok after sharing her story about working as a cleaning service worker in Australia. In Ruang Berbagi podcast, she opened up about her struggle to obtain a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) and the tough realities of living Down Under.

Dea explained that getting a WHV was no easy feat. Besides strict requirements — such as a minimum IELTS score of 4.5 and proof of AU$5,000 in savings — the application process itself was filled with uncertainty and intense competition.

“Getting an Australian WHV is harder than scoring a Coldplay concert ticket,” Dea joked.

She described waiting for hours, constantly refreshing the immigration website before finally securing her spot.

After obtaining the visa, Dea worked as a hotel receptionist for five months before switching to cleaning at a mining campsite in Western Australia. Despite earning around Rp24 million every two weeks, she revealed that the cost of living in Australia is extremely high.

“The cheapest room I found was AU$180 per week — and that was for a shared room,” she said.

Food, transportation, and daily necessities were also expensive. Still, Dea remains passionate about pursuing her dreams abroad, hoping her experience inspires young Indonesians to chase opportunities with courage and preparation.

“Don’t go abroad just to escape Indonesia. Think it through — life overseas isn’t easy either,” she advised.

Source: YouTube – Kompas.com