Sydney and Melbourne may have the big city, multi-cultural flavour, but international students have ranked Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth highest on affordability, cleanliness and being green, new IDP research has found.

Participants in the survey of over 6,000 international students said Adelaide was quiet, affordable, safe and clean. A similar profile was given to Perth, which scored highest on quiet and affordable, while Brisbane enjoyed a tick for being green and having outdoor activities.

The city-by-city findings are part of a major study on international students by IDP Education to be unveiled at the Australian International Education Conference. The event started on Tuesday 13 October at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“This shows why cities hoping to attract more international students need to play to their strengths,” said IDP chief executive Tony Pollock. “It is hard to argue with a finding that says Sydney and Melbourne have the entertainment and big city attractiveness, but a city with a reputation for being affordable, clean, quiet or green can be just as appealing to families overseas.”

Over 1,300 delegates from 40 countries will hear more findings from the new IDP research at this week’s conference.

To learn more about living and learning in Australia, read i-studentadvisor Australia.