@angelcheng There's plenty of info on how much you will spend, you apparently have not looked around enough. I think I've written a response to this question somewhere but I don't remember where, so I'll try to write it all over again and hope I don't forget any major info. Please note that these estimates are the MAJOR costs associated with getting a student visa, I didn't include minor costs like bank certificate fees (Php 100 sa BDO) or certified transcript (around Php 400 sa UST), which you may have to spend on if you are required to get them (I didn't).
The bulk of your expenses would be coming from your tuition fees and living costs. From DHA's website, you'll need about AUD 20k for a year's living expenses. Universities don't require proof of financial capacity nowadays, but I'm not so sure about TAFE or vocational schools (there might be a thread about that somewhere in the forum).
Tuition fees vary depending on the institution--since you're going for cookery, you'd most likely go to a vocational school, where tuition fees might be up to AUD 15k a year (the culinary schools I've checked out at education fairs quote the cost of the whole 2-year program, and it's around AUD 28k or more--going for Le Cordon Bleu Sydney's Certificate III costs AUD 36k).
To get an eCoE for student visa application, you'd typically be required to pay the deposit stated in your offer letter (typically tuition fees for the first semester). For example, your whole program costs AUD 28k for an 8-term program at Ad Astra (4 terms per year), you might be required to pay AUD 3500 for the first term to get your eCoE (but of course it's better to have the next few terms' fees on hand so you don't have to worry too much about finances once you get to Australia). Other culinary schools might offer programs spread over 3 terms or 2 semesters per year, so your deposit will differ based on the fees of your first term.
Once you've decided on your program and school, check their requirements for admission. For me, applying to university didn't cost much except for IELTS (around Php 10k), since I had most of my documents on hand na--original and certified transcript, diploma, etc. If you don't have them, you'll be shelling out some money to get them from your university. If you don't meet the minimum English proficiency requirements on your first English test, you'll of course have to spend more, so ideally you nail it the first time around para once lng mag-eexam hehe (muntik na ko madali sa IELTS Writing). Since you're applying via education agent, there's no need to pay application fee or anything.
Once you get your admission/offer letter, you'll need to decide on your OSHC arrangements (International students are all required to have health insurance to get a visa). Your school can help you arrange your OSHC, or you can also arrange it yourself. For a single 26-month coverage, OSHC will cost you around AUD 1000 to 1200. It will cost you more if you're traveling with dependents.
Next you'll apply for your student visa, which will cost AUD 560 (at the time of writing). Then DHA will request for your health exam; if you're living in Manila it may range around Php 6k depending on the Panel Physician (I'm not sure of exact cost here since I did mine in Taiwan for NTD 3k).
Once you get your student visa grant (yay!), you'll have to book your flight to Australia. I bought my Cebu Pacific one-way Manila-Sydney ticket 8 weeks before my intended flight, and it cost me about Php 12k, no food, with seat selection, and with 40kg of baggage allowance (medyo promo kasi kaya mura hehe). Expect to pay more when you buy your ticket close to your flight date (less than 4 weeks before intended flight) or pag hindi sale/promo.
So in summary:
<b class="Bold">IELTS Php 10k
Tuition fees (let's go for one semester's fees) AUD 7.5k (rounded up to Php 300k)
Living costs (1 year) AUD 20k (rounded up to Php 800k)
OSHC AUD 1500 (Php 60k)
Student Visa Fee AUD 560 (Php 22k)
Health Exam cost Php 6k
Plane Ticket to Australia Php 12k
</b>
<b class="Bold">Total: Php 1.21 M</b>
Of course, this estimate will vary if you are not required by the school to show proof of financial capacity or if your tuition fees differ. This estimate is just for you to have an idea how much money it involves to study in Australia.