I’m sure you’ve all heard about how expensive Australia is.
But still… how could you possibly resist a visit. I bet that warm weather, some coral reefs, and those white sand beaches are pretty darn tempting.
So is it possible to see Australia on a backpacking budget? Well friends, I’ve lived in three different Australian cities (Hobart, Newcastle, and Sydney) over the past 27 years, and I’m about to share as much knowledge as I can to assist you in planning for an affordable backpacking trip around this laid-back country.
The following costs are an average of what I would normally spend on a day-to-day basis, and are a rough estimate of what you might spend while backpacking Australia. The following prices are per person and in Australian Dollars (AUD). To convert the prices, use this GBP to AUD converter or go to XE for other currencies.
International flights:
Most international flights will head into Sydney or Melbourne. Obviously the price of flights won’t be the same for everyone as the cost will vary depending on your city of origin and the time of year you want to fly, so do a web search to find out how much your flights will cost from your city.
Return flights from North America or Europe normally sit between $1500-$2000. Remember that being flexible with your travel dates may save you money.
Accommodation:
6-8 bed dorm rooms are quite common in Australia and you can expect to pay around $30-$45 for a bed.
Private rooms are a little pricier at around $60-$90 per person for a double or twin room.
This is a pretty average price to stay in one of the major cities or popular coastal towns, but it might be slightly cheaper in more rural areas or smaller cities.
If you’re looking to reduce the cost of accommodation, you can look into camping around rural areas/national parks – here’s some more info on the cost of camping around Australia.
Intercity transport:
This country is bloody large. You might think you can hop on a quick bus from Sydney to Melbourne, but in reality it’s going to be a long, cramped, tiring 14-hour bus ride so you may as well fly and save yourself 12 hours of frustration.
Domestic flights – The cheapest routes (such as Melbourne to Sydney, or Sydney to Brisbane) can be as little as $50-$100 one way, the most expensive routes (such as Sydney to Perth) might be around $200-$300 one way. An average cost would be about $150 per flight.
Car rental – Another option is to rent a car or campervan and drive between cities. This is particularly popular along the East Coast where you can hop between coastal townships fairly easily. The price will vary depending on the length of your rental and type of vehicle – here’s a guide to the cost of travelling around Australia by car.
Also be wary of fuel costs, it’s not cheap here and if you happen to pull into the fuel station on a weekend or public holiday, you’ll pay a premium.
Local transport:
Buses and trains in major cities should cost about $2.50-$4.00 for short trips. I’d recommend a budget of about $7-$10 per day for a return trip to somewhere within a city.
Keep in mind that public transport in Australia is not as good as many other countries. There are buses and trains in most major cities, but the networks aren’t all that comprehensive and you may get frustrated at the infrequency and unpredictability of the timetables.
Sightseeing:
Museums – Popular museums such as the ACMI in Melbourne or the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney are likely to cost $10-$20 in entry fees.
Tourist sites – If you want to do the activities geared at tourists, expect to pay a fair bit. Taronga Zoo in Sydney costs up to $55 and the Sea Life Aquarium costs up to $35. Many of the tourist activities are still worth the visit, but I’d recommend picking only a few of the expensive attractions so that you don’t blow your budget.
If you’re heading up to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, I would recommend putting a heap of money aside for sightseeing! As one of Australia’s main attractions and a hotspot for Aussie animals, tour operators charge a hell of a lot more than what you might expect. Damn those pretty colourful fish and glistening turquoise waters.
National parks – Some national parks will charge an entry fee, you can expect to pay around $20-$25 per car for a one day pass. If you’re planning on visiting numerous national parks, month-long or multi-visit passes are sometimes available depending on which state you’re exploring.
Free activities – You won’t find a shortage of free sightseeing activities in Australia. You can enter some museums, landmarks, gardens and parks all free of charge!
If you average out costs of doing a paid sightseeing activity every second day (varying between museums, tourist sites, and national parks), the cost should average out to around $10-$15 per day. Add on extra if you’re planning on paying for day tours and excursions.
Food and drink:
The cost can vary greatly depending on how much you’re willing to spend – here are the average costs for eating out in Australia.
- Coffee: $3.50-$4.00
- Lunch (sandwich or similar): $7-$10
- Lunch (restaurant): $12-$20
- Dinner (take out): $10-$20
- Dinner (restaurant): $20-$35
- Alcoholic drinks: $6-$10
When I travel, I usually try and eat out only once per day, and buy groceries for breakfasts and either lunch or dinner. If you do something similar then you could expect to average about $25-$35 per day.
Groceries – Woolworths and Coles are the major competing grocery stores, which is where you’ll find the best prices for groceries. If you’re staying in the CBD of a major city, try and avoid the tiny convenience stores. You will end up paying twice as much as you should.
Eating out – Restaurants will be cheaper the further you are from the tourist hotspots. The selection of Asian foods in Australia is super amazing and reasonably affordable, so try seeking out Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese restaurants.
Pubs – If you want to eat out but not drain your credit card at a restaurant then consider having a meal at the pub as many Australian pubs have some great Aussie foods on offer. And who could say no to a cold brewski and burger after a long day of relaxing on the beach? You’ll find the cost of a pub meal to be fairly reasonable – usually somewhere between take out and restaurant prices.
Drinks – Unfortunately Australia is one of the most expensive places to drink as alcohol is heavily taxed, so if you love having a drink or two in the evenings, your daily cost will go up significantly! Sorry guys, the fun police have spoken.
Water – One other thing to note is that in most parts of Australia, tap water is fine to drink and bars/restaurants are legally required to provide it to you if you ask. You’re a sucker if you waste money buying bottled water.
Other costs:
Insurance – I once worked as a travel agent and boy, did I hear some horror stories of people travelling without insurance! As a foreigner you will need to be covered for things like unexpected medical costs, cancellations, and other emergencies.
Visas – Most nationalities will require a visa for even a short stay in Australia. Check out this do you need a visa website to find out if you’ll need one. If you’re planning on acquiring a working holiday visa, check out this informative guide by an EU citizen on how to get an Australian Working Holiday Visa.
Total per week of travel:
- Accommodation (in a combination of dorm beds and private rooms) at $45 per night: $315
- Intercity transport (once per week) at $150 per trip: $150
- Local transport at $7 per day: $49
- Sightseeing at $15 per day: $105
- Food and drink at $30 per day: $210
This amounts to $829 per week of travel, plus your international flights, insurance, and visas.
It’s important to remember that this budget can easily be blown out with schmancy hotel rooms and lobster dinners, or significantly reduced by dining on packet pasta and getting cosy in a room with 11 other people.
Hopefully this has given you an idea of how much your upcoming trip to Australia will set you back. I know it might seem expensive, but I’ve never known anyone to regret visiting Australia. It really is a remarkable country.
This is brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m sure it’s worth every penny (or AUD dollar in this case).
I best get saving!
You definitely won’t regret spending the few extra dollars for a vacation in Australia! Thanks Raven 🙂
I’m going to be studying in Brisbane for three months this fall. Looks like I’ll be penny pinching. At this point I’m more concerned about all of the deadly creatures that I hear live in Australia and just getting out alive. 😉
It will be worth the penny pinching Mariel, I’m sure you’ll love Brissie (as we call it in Australia). And don’t worry too much about the deadly creatures, I’m sure you’ll only a have a few close encounters 😉
That’s some great tips. Tried kind of a backpacking way of living when I was in Australia 2011 for a month, I’m not good at it 🙂 Really do not want to share bed room, but on the other hand we were 4 people that travelled together so not a problem really. Like me, if you do not fancy the backpacking way you can try the flashpacking way 🙂
It’s great if you’re travelling with friends as you can split the costs a few ways! I’m also not a fan of dorm rooms, but I do love private rooms in hostels – much cheaper than hotels and you still get the hostel atmosphere!
Wow. That’s a nice summary of expenses in Australia. I guess $45 – $50 for a room is okay. Not bad!
As an Australian, I never really realised just how expensive our alcohol was until I went overseas over the age of 18. It’s incredible that beer costs the same as Coke in Europe, and is sometimes cheaper!
Tessa at Bramble & Thorn
It’s unbelievable isn’t it! In Eastern Europe we were paying only $1.50 for a pint of beer and here in Aus it’s $8 minimum!
I’m planning on going to university after I graduate so all of this advice is so great! It’s nice to know how much I need to save up!
thelifeofastudenttraveller.blogspot.co.uk
How exciting! I’m sure you will love it 😀
Actually, as an Australian health professional who’s worked in the UK and also knows and has compared notes with other health professionals in NZ, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Ireland, Germany, Canada and the USA, our health care system is fantastic. Aussies have it great and take it completely for granted. And free too! For instance, standard practice for a drunk turning up in the ER is to babysit them until they’re sober in case they leave the department and get hit by a car or something AND to give them saline to help avoid a massive hangover. When I tried to do the same in the UK, I was told off for wasting resources and to just kick that person out.
Haha wow! Thanks for your insight Bibiana. I think the main problem with the health system in Australia is that funding is constantly being cut so there’s often problems with hospitals being understaffed, not enough space for the number of patients, and waiting lists being ridiculously long, but I’m in no way an expert!
Thank you! Really helpfull 🙂 Going to Australia in August, when i finish school, and i can’t wait!
It is so expensive, for me at least.. that is why I put visiting it off. I guess that Australians are actually lucky with the fact that it is expensive at their country, it makes every other country like super cheap for them! Imagine them visiting Prague or something!
You’re absolutely right Yvonne, it’s super cheap to travel internationally because so many countries seem cheap to us Australians!
Hey Ashley, I liked your blog about OZ. The only thing I disagree (hope you don’t mind) is the public transport. I have lived my life in this Sydney and kinda have to agree that Pub trans may not be the best in the world but it is lot better than a lot of places in the world. Matter of fact it is better than Tube in London or even Paris or local trains anywhere in Europe in regard to its cleanliness and safety and by the way I do a lot of peak hour travel as I work in the city. Yes, city is expensive but if you know where and what to do there are cheaper options. Surely the food and alcohol is cheaper in Europe but if you compare what we earn here and what we pay it will work out the same if not cheaper. Just thought I keep my personal opinion here. Nice blog though and enjjoyed reading this segment. May read other ones to learn a little more about your travel experience.
Thanks for your comment Ricky, I don’t mind if you disagree. I was writing the post from the perspective of a foreigner visiting the country rather than someone that lives here. I’ve travelled to many countries over 4 continents and there’s only been three times that I’ve found pricing similar to or more than they are in Australia (London, New York, and Zurich). So if anyone is travelling here from a place that isn’t one of those, they’ll likely find it more expensive!
I can’t say I agree with you about the public transport in Europe, I thought it was stellar in most of the cities I visited! And in London you only have to wait a couple of minutes for the tube to come along (and the same in Paris, Moscow, and Berlin), whereas most of the lines in Sydney have a 15 minute wait in between trains even in peak hour!
Another accomodation option is house sharing. You can find rooms for around $120 per week in a share house (high or lower depending on luxuries etc). Good option for someone who wants their own room at a reasonable price.
Good tip Kirstie, I’ve never tried house sharing before (aside from when I’m actually renting a place to live long-term) but I’ll definitely look into it!
I love your blog! What website do you use to make your blog graphics? They are beautiful 🙂
Thank you Brittany! I just had someone ask the same thing to me on Facebook 😛 I use InDesign, I usually trace a map of the location with the pen tool, then add in some text and icons 🙂 It takes a bit of time but I’ve been a graphic designer for years and find this kind of thing fun to make! You can find some of my tips for making blog post images here.
Hey there, really informative blog thank you for sharing.
I’m coming to Aus on a WHV but I’m getting a bit worried about budgeting without having a job. I’ll be looking for one (with an RSA) virtually as soon as I get there, but I am worrying that I will run out of money before I can actually secure one, as I’ve heard so many people struggle to get jobs and there’s a lot of competition. I’ll be flying into Brisbane and looking for a job there if that helps. But any tips on how I can scrimp by on around AUD$3000 (if not less) for a month to two months.. if that’s even possible. Or even if you have any tips on landing a job as a backpacker ASAP (I’m happy to do anything, preferably housekeeping or cleaning, pot washing, something like that). I have a BA and MA and customer service experience too if that helps you inform your response at all.
Thank you in advance,
Alice
Hi Alice, congrats on your upcoming working holiday to Australia! I’m sure you are going to love it here 😀 To get by cheaply, I’d suggest staying in a hostel dorm as this will be the cheapest way to get accommodation (unless you’re comfortable with Couchsurfing). Some hostels also have job boards and programs for employing travellers, so this might help to you get employment quickly. Good luck with your move down under!