Australia budget per month: how much do you need? The Sundays on The Travel Tester are open for all your questions about travelling, working and living in Australia. This week, we’ll have a look at the budget you’ll need for a month of travelling.
Previous questions about Australia included how to make the first step to go travelling and the different types of discount cards and hostel membership cards available. We also talked about the question ‘is it safe to travel as a girl alone in Australia?’ and whether it’s a good idea to get a campervan or public transport to travel around.
Last week, I gave you the highlights on the East Coast of Australia. Did you get excited already?
One of the hardest questions I (most often) get, are about how much money to bring to Australia for a certain amount of time. It’s hard because it’s so dependent on your travel style and the amount of time you spend in Australia, but let me give you a rough idea for an Australia budget per month.
Question
I find it really hard to estimate how much money I need to take with me. I’m planning on visiting Australia for about 3 months. – Eva
Answer
Hi Eva,
You can travel Australia in lots of different ways. There is a big choice in accommodation: budget hostels, hotels, camp sites or sleeping in a car/campervan. You can self-drive, take an organized tour or travel by bus. Some people go out dining and clubbing every night, others cook themselves and read a book at night.
But whatever way you travel, Australia is a country where you want to set yourself a budget. It’s very expensive to travel in, so you really don’t want to overspend too much!
I’ve based the following budget on the way I travelled as a backpacker in Australia myself in 2006. Of course with updated (unfortunately, read: doubled) prices. I travelled alone, for 3 months, stayed in hostels and used public transport and a couple of organized tours in the more remote areas.
Australia Budget Per Month
(Prizes in Australian Dollar and an estimate)
Accommodation
The average price for a budget backpackers hostel is AUS$30 per night (a bit less in low season, around AUS$20-25). Bigger (flashpacker) hostels can go up to about AUS$40 a night. [1 month = AUS$900 | 3 months = AUS$2700]
Transport
I travelled the East Coast with the Greyhound Bus, on a Mini Travellers Pass from Sydney to Cairns. This costs around AUS$400 and is valid for 90 days. [1 month = AUS$130 | 3 months = AUS$400]
Food
You will spend around AUS$15 per day on food (B/L/D). Wether you go out or cook yourself, I found that usually you’ll spend about the same. A good tip to save money on food is to have a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner. There are many places offering AUS$5-10 lunches! Cooking with multiple people in the hostel can also bring down the cost on food. [1 month = AUS$450 | 3 months = AUS$1350]
Activities
Count on AUS$40-60 for ‘simple activities’, such as visiting the Aquarium, a Wildlife Park, a daytrip to the Blue Mountains, Surf Lesson, Daytrip Snorkelling, etc. I did about 10 of these activities in the 3 months of travel. [1 month = AUS$170 | 3 months = AUS$500 in average ]
Organized Tours
There are a couple of 3 Day tours that you probably you want to do, such as: Fraser Island 4WD Safari, Whitsunday Island Sailing Trip, Kakadu National Park, Uluru/Kata Tjuta Tour. These tours are around AUS$350 in average for the 3 days. Booking multiple tours can give a discount in most cases. [I did all these tours, so that was around AUS$1400 for 3 months]
Between Alice Springs – Adelaide, Adelaide – Melbourne and Melbourne – Canberra – Sydney, I travelled with a company called ‘Adventure Tours‘. These tours are quite pricey (a bit more than above tours) , but include accommodation, food, a tour guide, national park fees and most activities. I didn’t included these in this calculation.
Total Costs
Adding all the above costs, I get to a rough AUS$2117 per month (3 months = AUS$6350).
Extra Costs
Don’t forget to add any additional costs you might make to your Australia budget per month:
- Flight (around AUS$1500 from Europe)
- Domestic Flights (around AUS$100 single, I used 2 of them, from Cairns to Darwin and from Darwin to Alice Springs)
- Backpack, shoes, clothing and other personal travel needs
- Insurance
- Souvenirs
- (Alcoholic) drinks (around AUS$6-8 for a house beer/wine, AUS$4-5 for soft drinks)
Please send me your Australia questions! I’ve visited Australia 3 times, travelled all around the country and lived in Sydney for 2 years, working as a hostel receptionist and Australian Travel Agent. I love to answer any questions you might have. I’ll do my best to answer to my best and current knowledge, or help you find the right resources to prepare for the trip of your lifetime. I fell in love with Australia, and I know you will too. You can post your questions in the comment section or mail me on thetraveltester@gmail.com
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