Country
Australia travel budget: how much to plan?
A trip to Australia starts around €76/day on the ground, roughly €1670 for 7 nights per person excluding flights. Full budget breakdown by category across 2 cities, with flights and the best month to visit.
At a glance
- Cities covered
- 2
- Min. budget per day
- €76
- Index vs London
- 78%
At a glance
Choosing between Sydney and Melbourne costs a budget traveller nothing and a mid-range traveller a great deal. Our measurements give the same entry-level night, €28 against €26, but a mid-range at €137 in Sydney against €84 in Melbourne, 63% more. Plan €67 to €76 per person per day on a budget, €190 to €255 mid-range. A week comes to around €2,401 per person in Sydney and €1,865 in Melbourne, flight included.
- Budget / day
- €67 to €255
- Flight from London
- from €423
- Entry-level night
- €423 to €672
- Mid-range night
- €84 to €137
- Cost index
- 101% of London
- Seasons
- reversed
per person, by city and comfort
Melbourne, return
identical in both cities
63% more in Sydney
22°C in January, 12 in July in Sydney
Budget
What actually costs
The ticket is the dominant line, and it barely negotiates. From London the return to Melbourne drops to €423 in September and Sydney to €436 in December. Over a week, transport therefore accounts for close to a quarter of the total. That is the underlying constraint of an Australian trip.
Both cities share the same floor. An entry-level night costs €28 in Sydney and €26 in Melbourne. For a hostel traveller the choice of city is therefore budget-neutral, which is true of almost no other two-city country in our comparator.
But their mid-ranges have nothing in common. A three-star is €137 in Sydney and €84 in Melbourne. Over six nights that gap alone is €318, more than the best flight date can save. A mid-range stay is therefore structurally pricier in Sydney.
The top tier narrows again. From €137 to €155 in Sydney, the third band adds only €18, where it goes from €84 to €106 in Melbourne. If you leave entry level in Sydney, you may as well go straight up: the premium there costs little extra.
Price geography
Where to go, at what price
Our comparator covers Sydney and Melbourne, the country's two gateways. Their difference is less geographic than budgetary, and it only shows from mid-range upwards.
Sydney
76-255 €The Opera House, the Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Hyde Park sit within walking distance. The drier of the two cities, with 5.1 rainy days in August against 11.5 in Melbourne.
Best for : First visit, hostel travellers, sunny weather
Melbourne
67-190 €The National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Museum, Federation Square and the Old Melbourne Gaol. The museum city, and its mid-range costs 63% less than Sydney's at equivalent comfort.
Best for : Mid-range stays, museum lovers, watched budgets
Le reste du pays
90-250 €The interior, the tropical North and the west coast require domestic flights and nights outside the two cities. Our measurements do not cover those stops: treat them as a separate budget.
Best for : Three-week stays and up
Seasonality
When to go
Seasons are reversed, and this time the calendar works in your favour. December is the cheapest month to fly to Sydney at €436, and it is also the start of the southern summer at 21°C. That is the reverse of New Zealand, where the cheapest ticket falls in midwinter.
July and August are the cold months. Sydney drops to 12 and 13°C, Melbourne to 10. They are also Melbourne's wettest months at 11.1 and 11.5 rainy days, while Sydney stays dry at 5.9 and 5.1.
September is the best compromise for Melbourne. The flight reaches €423 from London, its low, but the temperature is still only 12°C. You are weighing the ticket against the tail of the southern winter.
The two cities do not respond to rain the same way. Sydney is markedly drier in the southern winter, Melbourne markedly wetter. On a June to September trip, that steers the choice as much as price does.
Itineraries
What each trip costs
Per-person budgets covering lodging, food and local transport, excluding flights.
7 days
1 500 à 2 100 €
A single city
Six nights in Melbourne, museums and districts on foot. The country's cheapest format, at around €1,865 per person including the flight.
14 days
3 000 à 4 200 €
Both cities
Seven nights per city. Over fourteen nights the ticket dilutes and its share of the total drops sharply, making the trip better value per day on the ground.
On the ground
Eating, moving, visiting
City transport covers most visited sites in both cities, whose centres are largely walkable. Car rental only earns its keep for leaving the metropolitan areas, and is then a separate line our figures do not measure.
English is the official language, alongside Auslan. No practical barrier to plan for.
Major museums are the main sightseeing line. Melbourne concentrates more of them, which reinforces its advantage for a mid-range stay: cheaper to sleep in and denser to visit.
Distance is the country's real constraint. Sydney and Melbourne are separated by a domestic flight, and the rest of the territory by several hours in the air. On a short trip, sticking to one city avoids a whole line of spending.
Savings
Cutting the bill
Choose Melbourne if you travel mid-range. A three-star costs €84 there against €137 in Sydney, a €318 gap over six nights, more than the best date trade-off can save.
The choice of city is neutral if you travel in hostels. At €26 and €28 a night the two are level: decide on the itinerary, not the budget.
Lengthen the stay rather than stacking cities. The long-haul ticket is paid once and weighs close to a quarter of a week: each extra night dilutes it.
December is the right month for Sydney. The flight hits its low at €436 and it is the start of the southern summer at 21°C. Both criteria point the same way, which is rare.
Avoid July and August in Melbourne. They are the coldest months at 10°C and the wettest at 11.1 and 11.5 rainy days. Sydney stays dry over the same period.
If you leave entry level in Sydney, go straight up. The third band adds only €18 to the second, against €53 between the first and second.
Treat the interior and the North as a second budget. They require domestic flights our figures do not cover.
Practical
Good to know before you go
Currency: Australian dollar. Languages: Australian English and Auslan. Flight from London: €423 to €672 return depending on month and city. Time difference: nine to eleven hours ahead of the UK depending on season. Climate normals period: 1991-2020.
Seasonality
Climate and prices, month by month
The most temperate month across the country is January, averaging 21°C. Across the 60+ InstantTripCost destinations, this is also the window where median flight prices stay the most stable outside peak tourist season.
Jan
21°
Feb
21°
Mar
20°
Apr
17°
May
14°
Jun
12°
Jul
11°
Aug
12°
Sep
14°
Oct
16°
Nov
18°
Dec
20°
How many nights, and where
A night costs different amounts city to city. Splitting seven nights differently can be worth several hundred euros, at the same length and comfort.
| City | Per night | 7 nights here | 14 nights here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | €202 | €1,414 | €2,828 |
| Sydney | €275 | €1,925 | €3,850 |
Two ways to spend seven nights
- Seven nights in Sydney
- €1,925
- Split across the cheapest cities : Melbourne 4 + Sydney 3
- €1,633
Gap: €292 per person
On-the-ground figures, excluding flights, mid-range, per person. Intercity travel is not counted.
Selection
Cities worth exploring in Australia
Each card shows the lowest daily budget, the cost index versus London, and July weather.
Comparison
Country cities at a glance
Sorted by daily budget ascending. All figures per person, flights excluded.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Sydney or Melbourne, which is cheaper?
- It depends entirely on your comfort level. At entry level the two are level, €28 against €26 a night. Mid-range, Melbourne is markedly cheaper: €84 against €137, a €318 gap over six nights. The advice therefore depends on the budget, not the city.
- How much does a week in Australia cost?
- Around €2,401 per person in Sydney at mid-range comfort and €1,865 in Melbourne, flight included. Travelling cheap, plan €532 on the ground in Sydney and €471 in Melbourne, excluding flights.
- What is the best time to visit Australia?
- December for Sydney: the flight hits its low at €436 and it is the start of the southern summer at 21°C. Both criteria coincide, which is rare on a distant destination. For Melbourne, September gives the cheapest ticket at €423, but only 12°C.
- Is Australia an expensive destination?
- On the ground, moderately: the cost index sits at 101% of London, level with home, and an entry-level night at €26. What costs is getting there. The ticket accounts for close to a quarter of a week's budget, which makes longer stays markedly better value per day.
- Should you visit both cities?
- On a week, no: a domestic flight adds a whole line of spending for few nights gained. Over fourteen nights, yes, because the long-haul ticket dilutes and its share of the total drops sharply.
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