Short answer: On the ground in Australia, plan on roughly A$115–140 (about US$80–100) per person per day on a hostel budget, A$230–325 (about US$160–230) in a mid-range city hotel shared by two, and from about A$400 (about US$280) for upscale comfort. A week costs about A$800–980 (US$560–690) on a budget, A$1,610–2,275 (US$1,130–1,590) mid-range and from about A$2,800 (US$1,960) in comfort, before international and domestic flights. For a reality check, visitors from the United States spent an average of A$3,438 each in Australia in 2025, according to Tourism Research Australia.
Australia is one of the pricier countries to visit, mostly because of hotels and eating out, and because it is huge: getting between Sydney, the reef and the Red Centre usually means flying. The good news is that many of the best things are free or cheap, from beaches and coastal walks to world-class public galleries, and several cities now have very low public transport fares. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources, so you can build a realistic budget for your trip to Australia. The Australian dollar was worth about US$0.70 in the Federal Reserve’s rates for the week to 2 October 2026, so dollar figures here use A$1 = US$0.70 and are rounded. Use our Money exchange tool for today’s rate.
Australia daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the sourced prices further down this page: one person, one city day in Sydney, the most expensive big city for hotels. They leave out flights, tours, car hire and nightlife.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed: from about A$60 | Half of a city hotel room at A$250–315: A$125–160 | Half of an upscale room from A$350: from A$175 |
| Food | Two cheap meals at about A$25, plus a coffee: about A$55 | One cheap meal, half of a A$130 dinner for two, coffee: about A$95 | Lunch plus half of a A$200 dinner for two: about A$130 |
| Local transport | Opal: up to the A$19.30 weekday cap | A$10–19 | Opal plus a taxi: A$20–60 |
| Sights | Free beaches, gardens, galleries: A$0 | A$0–50 (Opera House tour) | About A$50–100 |
| Total | About A$115–140 (US$80–100) | About A$230–325 (US$160–230) | From about A$400 (US$280) |
The city hotel range is Sydney’s average daily room rate in recent months from the hotel data company CoStar; the hostel price is a typical 2026 starting price in central Sydney; meal prices are typical October 2026 Sydney prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes. Days in Brisbane, Perth or Hobart cost less for transport, thanks to the fares below.
What visitors actually spend in Australia
Tourism Research Australia, the government’s tourism statistics agency, surveys departing visitors every year. In 2025, 744,960 visitors came from the United States, and they spent an average of A$3,438 (about US$2,400) each in Australia, A$2.4 billion in total. Seven in ten Americans stayed two weeks or less, and many were on their first trip. That figure excludes the flight to Australia.
Across all international holiday travelers, the agency’s figures for the year to March 2026 show that 57% of spending went on food, drink and accommodation and 13% on tours, a higher share for tours than any other type of visitor. In other words, plan for paid experiences such as reef trips and guided outback tours as a real line in your budget.
To compare with our example days: two weeks at the mid-range level comes to about A$3,220–4,550 on the ground, before domestic flights and tours, which brackets the A$3,438 that the average American visitor spent. A budget traveler on the same trip would spend about A$1,610–1,960, and a comfort traveler from about A$5,600. The fixed fees are small next to these totals: an Uluṟu park pass (A$38), a day on the reef (A$8.50 in charges) and a Sydney Opera House tour (A$50) together cost under A$100.
In our Travel costs by country table, Australia’s travel price index is 123, with the US at 100: hotels, restaurants and transport services cost roughly a quarter more than in the United States, which puts Australia in our most expensive band, 5 out of 5. Everyday living costs (index 90) are a little lower than in the US.
Accommodation costs
Your bed is the biggest line in an Australian budget. CoStar’s hotel data puts Sydney’s average daily room rate at A$250.79 in May 2025, A$285.71 in August 2025 (a record for August) and A$314.15 in December 2024, when New Year’s Eve pushed a single night to a record A$854.38. Book well ahead for New Year, major events and the school holidays. Hostels are the budget alternative: dorm beds at central Sydney hostels start at about A$60 a night in 2026.
Prices include Australia’s 10% goods and services tax (GST). Outside the big cities, motels, caravan parks with cabins and national park campgrounds are the usual ways to save, especially on road trips along the Great Ocean Road or the Queensland coast.
Food and drink costs
Eating out is where Australia feels expensive. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures put a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at A$25 in both Sydney (range A$20–45) and Melbourne (A$16–50), and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about A$130 in Sydney and A$120 in Melbourne (range A$80–200). A fast-food combo costs about A$17, a regular cappuccino about A$5.70, and a half-liter of draft beer A$11 in Sydney and A$14 in Melbourne.
Supermarket meals, picnic lunches are the classic Australian way to eat cheaply. Some cafés and restaurants add a surcharge on weekends, public holidays or card payments, so check the menu.
Getting around: city transit, ferries and long distances
City public transport takes contactless bank cards and phones almost everywhere, and caps or flat fares keep costs down:
- Sydney: Opal fares on trains, metro, buses, ferries and light rail are capped at A$19.30 a day Monday to Thursday, A$9.65 Friday to Sunday and on public holidays, and A$50 a week. Off-peak trips are 30% cheaper. Airport stations add an access fee of A$18.61 per trip with Opal or a contactless card.
- Queensland: every Translink bus, train, tram and ferry ride costs a flat 50 cents, any distance, including in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns. Brisbane’s Airtrain is separate, from A$23.30 to the city.
- Perth: a Go Anywhere fare costs A$3.15 by contactless card, and Transperth travel is free every Sunday with a contactless card or SmartRider.
- Melbourne: trams are free inside the city’s Free Tram Zone, covering the center and Docklands.
- Hobart and Tasmania: Metro Tasmania buses are free statewide until 30 June 2027.
Between regions, distances are enormous. Most visitors fly between Sydney or Melbourne and Cairns, Uluṟu, Perth or Darwin, and domestic fares vary a lot with how early you book. Car hire makes sense for coastal road trips and Tasmania; the Spirit of Tasmania car ferry from Geelong to Devonport has adult fares from A$49.
Sightseeing fees, park passes and free things to do
National park passes and the reef charge are modest; guided tours, reef trips and wildlife experiences are what add up.
| Sight or fee | Adult price |
|---|---|
| Sydney Opera House Tour (1 hour) | A$50 booked ahead, A$55 on the day |
| Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park pass (3 days) | A$38 (under 18 free) |
| Kakadu National Park pass (7 days) | A$40 in the dry season (15 May–31 October), A$25 from 1 November to 14 May; 2026 dry-season visits are charged the A$25 rate |
| Cradle Mountain Icon Daily Pass, shuttle included | A$30.70 |
| Great Barrier Reef environmental management charge, full day | A$8.50 (A$9.00 from 1 April 2027), usually in your tour price |
| Scenic World, Blue Mountains, Day Pass | From A$64 |
| National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne | Free (some exhibitions charge) |
| Australian War Memorial and Parliament House, Canberra | Free |
More free and cheap ideas: the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk and Sydney’s harbor beaches, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Brisbane’s South Bank, Hobart’s waterfront, and the beaches of Byron Bay and the Sunshine Coast. A Sydney ferry ride across the harbor costs no more than a normal Opal fare, within the same daily cap. For multi-day walks, Tasmania’s Overland Track costs A$312 from October to May.
Entry fees, the departure charge and tax refunds
- Visa or ETA: eligible passport holders, including Americans, apply for an Electronic Travel Authority in the official Australian ETA app, which has an A$20 service charge and no other fee. Citizens of the EU and some other European countries use the eVisitor, which is free.
- Passenger Movement Charge: A$70 per departing passenger, collected in your ticket price.
- Tourist Refund Scheme: you can claim back the GST on goods bought in Australia if you spend A$300 or more (including GST) with one business, within 60 days before you leave. Claim at the airport at least 30 minutes before your flight, with the goods in your carry-on.
Tipping in Australia
Tipping is not expected, because service staff are paid award wages. Rounding up a taxi fare or leaving about 10% for very good restaurant service is appreciated but optional. Our tip calculator works out amounts in Australian dollars.
Money-saving tips for Australia
- Avoid the priciest weeks. Christmas, New Year and the summer school holidays (in New South Wales, 18 December 2026 to 27 January 2027) are the most expensive on the coast; Sydney’s hotels averaged over A$314 in December 2024.
- Use the fare caps. In Sydney, ride on Fridays and weekends when the daily cap halves to A$9.65, and avoid the A$18.61 airport station fee if a bus works for you.
- Base yourself in Queensland or Tasmania for cheap transit: 50-cent fares in Queensland and free buses in Tasmania.
- Fly less, stay longer. Pick two or three regions rather than trying to see the whole country in two weeks; see our Australia itinerary for realistic routes.
- Mix free and paid sights. Free galleries, coastal walks and beaches balance out reef trips and outback tours.
- Cook some meals. Hostels and apartments make self-catering easy, and a cheap restaurant meal costs about A$25.
For where to go, see top places to visit in Australia, and for seasons, the best time to visit Australia.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Australia from our guides, including Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, Hobart and Uluṟu. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn Australian dollars into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Australia?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly A$800–980 (about US$560–690) per person on a hostel budget, A$1,610–2,275 (about US$1,130–1,590) mid-range, and from about A$2,800 (about US$1,960) in comfort, before flights and tours. A reef day trip or an outback tour comes on top.
Is Australia expensive?
Yes, for hotels, eating out and domestic flights: our travel price index puts Australia about a quarter above the United States. Public transport can be very cheap, though, with 50-cent fares in Queensland, daily caps in Sydney and free buses in Tasmania, and many top sights are free.
Do I need cash in Australia?
Rarely. Cards, phone wallets and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere, even for small amounts, and public transport in the big cities takes contactless cards. Some businesses are cashless, and some add a small surcharge for card payments.
Is the departure tax included in my plane ticket?
Yes. Australia’s A$70 Passenger Movement Charge is collected in the ticket price, so you do not pay it separately at the airport.
Can tourists get the GST back in Australia?
Yes, through the Tourist Refund Scheme, if you spend A$300 or more including GST with one business within 60 days of leaving. Keep the tax invoice, carry the goods in your hand luggage and claim at the airport at least 30 minutes before departure.
What is the cheapest month to visit Australia?
For the south, the cool months from June to August are quieter and cheaper, apart from school holidays; in the tropical north, the wet season from about November to April is the low season. Christmas to late January is the most expensive time on the coast.