Biggest question is:
How expensive is Australia relative to SE Asia?
Because this is something I'm doing right after school, so I'm probably not going to have a lot of money.
Very fucking expensive. In Malaysia, a professor on top of her league (PhD from Harvard, publishes several papers a month) makes RM8000 ($3000) a month. In NSW,
minimum wage is $14 per hour. Some people say you need $100000 per year to be comfortable in Sydney.
In Malaysia, you can get a satisfying, delicious lunch without drink for RM3, a pancake-sized breakfast for RM1 ($0.30). In Australia, a burger costs $7. But cars in Malaysia are like twice the price or more because of the government enforced monopoly, and the public transportation is crap, needing at least 30-45 minutes to go anywhere by bus. Also, alcohol prices are extreme.
Take that as you will. Indonesia's cheaper in many parts, but more expensive with luxury items like donuts. I heard Singapore has a higher currency, but some of my friends go there to shop. Borneo has cheap smuggled goods like piracy, porn, cigarettes, and alcohol, at least Malaysia's side does. You can find the weirdest stuff there if you know who to ask.
Anyway, wrong topic for this