Top 8 reasons to live and study on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast, just one hour south of Brisbane, is renowned for its warm climate throughout the year and beautiful white sandy beaches. The Gold Coast has a vibrant dining scene and nightlife, friendly and relaxing neighbourhoods, and is the ‘theme park capital of Australia’.
The Gold Coast is Australia’s sixth-largest city with strong economic growth, world-class educational institutions, and career opportunities. What was once a city driven solely by the tourism industry, the Gold Coast now has a diverse range of industries to support its economy.
The Gold Coast is one of the top 100 best student cities to live in*, the 26th top sporting city in the world**, and the most biologically diverse city in Australia.
Here are the top 8 reasons to live and study on the Gold Coast:
1. Sunny weather
Gold Coast has more than 300 days of sunshine per year with hot summers and mild winters, so you will have plenty of opportunities to swim, surf, and play outdoors. It’s the perfect playground for watersports, seaside strolls, and hiking through nature.
Fun fact - the Gold Coast has 9 times more waterways than Venice, Italy (over 600km of waterways) with 260km of canals that can be navigated by boat, jet ski or paddle board.
2. Lower cost of living
As it is a regional city, the cost of living in the Gold Coast is lower compared to capital cities and it’s easy to get around with a great network of buses, trains, and trams (G:Link) that is convenient and reliable. They cover many routes and students can get a 50% discount on the ticket price with Translink.
You can use the cost-of-living calculator to help you budget your expenses.
3. Friendly and diverse community
The Gold Coast is a diverse and multicultural place to live. Nearly 1 in 3 residents are born overseas. and 14% of residents speak a language other than English at home. You will have many opportunities to make friends with people from all over the world and learn new perspectives.
The Gold Coast has an extensive list of cultural events and festivals held annually such as Multicultural Queensland month in August. In Chinatown located in Southport, street markets run on the first Saturday of each month.
4. Business and employment opportunities
Gold Coast’s economy is worth over $40 billion and is expected to grow more than 3% per year over the next 5 years^. The Gold Coast is fast becoming a business hub with a low unemployment rate of 2.7% (March 2023).
Before the COVID pandemic, the Gold Coast relied heavily on hospitality and tourism was its main export. Now, the city’s top exports include sustainable manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, health care, mining, finance and education.
The Gold Coast Student Jobs is an initiative of Study Gold Coast and connects students and graduates to hundreds of opportunities across a range of industries. Study Gold Coast also provides online career tools, organise Careers Festivals, Recruitment Events, and their Student Hub can help you with your job search. The Mayor’s Student Ambassador Program also gives you the opportunity to strengthen your professional skills and engage with the local community.
If your goal is to run your own business, the Gold Coast is the place to be. The number of start-ups is rapidly growing with 1 in 5 workers on the Gold Coast now working for themselves. The Gold Coast has plenty of support services to help entrepreneurs build their businesses such as the Gold Coast Innovation Hub and YP Gold Coast.
5. Beautiful beaches
The Gold Coast’s white sandy beaches stretch along 57km of Australia’s coastline and are great spots for sunbaking, water sports, and recreational activities. Popular beaches include:
- Snapper Rocks – famous for surfing.
- Currumbin Alley – gentle water, popular with families.
- Tallebudgera – sparkling creek framed by Burleigh Heads National Park and Palm Beach.
- Burleigh – good for sunbaking, swimming, and lookout points.
- Broadbeach – sunbaking, volleyball courts, dining and shopping nearby.
- Surfers Paradise – great waves and white sands.
6. Hinterland - National parks and rainforests
Just a short drive from the city centre is Gold’s Coast’s green hinterland - ‘the green behind the gold’ - where you will find rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. There are stretches of hiking trails with varying levels of difficulty you can take to admire its natural beauty.
The Gold Coast has amazing national parks each with its own unique features. Admire the glow worm cave in Tambourine Mountain, relax under waterfalls in Springbrook National Park, or enjoy birdwatching in Lamington National Park.
Get up to close to Australian wildlife at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (home to Australia’s largest living collection of native animals). The Gold Coast is the most biologically diverse city in Australia, home to more than 1,300 animal species and 1,730 species of native plants.
8. Exciting events calendar
With Gold Coast being the second-most populous city in Queensland and one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world means the city has many exciting events to offer. From live music events and art exhibitions to food festivals and major sporting events. Experience a day of thrills and laughs at any of the large 5 theme parks.
Visit Home of the Arts (HOTA) where you will experience art, cinema, music and comedy. HOTA recently went under a huge renovation and now has a $46 million gallery with an outdoor stage, two cinemas, a rooftop bar, and an adventure trail.
Think the Gold Coast might be the right city for you? Learn more about the great facilities and services available at our KBS Gold Coast campus and read our complete guide to studying in Australia.
*QS Best Student Cities, 2023
**BCW Sporting City Index, 2022
^Gold Coast Economic Report 2023
