Australia on Less than $35 per day - Australia Tips and Tricks
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The famous Sydney Opera House
Cheapest Places to Live > Australia on Less than $35 per day
We spent about 2 months in Australia, and visited the greater Sydney area before taking a road trip along the coast down to Melbourne and then around the Great Southern Touring Route - including the Great Ocean Road. Here is our budget breakdown and how we lived in Australia on less than $35 USD per day per adult. Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions.
This is on the south end of Shelley Beach on the Royal National Park coastal walk, from Jibbon Beach. Note: We do not recommend walking the leg from Shelly Beach to the Wedding Cake Rock Trail, as it is very sandy, hot, and has nothing to see except shrubs for about 2.2 km.
Australia Budget Summary
Sydney, NSW & Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
October 1, 2019 - November 29, 2019
Total Number of Days
60 days (59 nights, technically that means we had 60 days)
Total Expense
$4,700.59 USD
NOTE: $4,160.84 not including airfare to Australia - why mention this? Because everyone’s airfare to Australia will be dependent on where they are from. The other expenses - while in Australia - should be comparable for everyone.
Average Daily Cost per Adult
$39.17
NOTE: $34.67 per adult WITHOUT airfare to Australia.
The “Three Sisters” are located at the Blue Mountains National Park, near Sydney. Find them at Echo Point.
AUSTRALIA BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Because we spent most of our time in Sydney, most of the things that we did are based around the Sydney area. However, we did take a road trip down the eastern coastline to Melbourne, and around the Great Southern Touring Route - which includes the Great Ocean Road.
Transportation (airlines, taxis, trains, subways, buses, etc.)
$1,279.25
Airlines: $539.75
The airline tickets to get to Sydney from Fiji was fairly priced, but they still took up 42% of our total Australia transportation costs. We used Virgin Australia as we were coming in from Fiji, but United has direct flights to Australia as well.Gasoline: $309.14
This cost was for gasoline that we needed for both our friend’s car, when we were able to borrow it, and the rental car we used. Details in the Rental Car section below.Rental Car: $236.71
We were extraordinarily lucky to have a friend in the Kellyville area who was willing to let us borrow their car on occasion, so we only needed to rent a car for our 2-week road-trip to Melbourne and around the Great Southern Touring Route.Metro & Buses: $74.75
When we didn’t have access to our friend’s car up in Kellyville, we decided to use the public transportation - primarily the buses, but also the train on occasion. Additionally, we took a ferry from Parramatta Wharf to Circular Quay on one occasion, as well as another one from Circular Quay to Manly on a separate day - both amazing ferry rides with gorgeous views! Additionally, we took advantage of an “All Day Special” for fair prices on Sundays: “Travel all day on Sundays on metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services and pay no more than A$2.80.”Visa: $41.58
There was a fee that we had to pay for our Australia ETA (or E-Visa). These run 20 Australian dollars each, for 3 of us.Parking: $40.05
There are plenty of parking costs around Sydney, the National Parks, and Melbourne.Tolls: $34.49
There are a few tolls around Sydney, but they add up very quickly as they aren’t cheap!Bag Cart: $2.78
You have to pay for bag carts at the Sydney airport, and we required one this time with all of Waltoshi’s Gear. It was 4 Australian dollars.
Accommodation
$1,385.35
Airbnbs: $1,364.93
Our entire time in the Sydney area was spent at an Airbnb in Kellyville, about 45 minutes west of Sydney (Our hosts moved so they no longer have a listing). On the road trip, we ended up staying at an Airbnb after the drive down from Sydney, and then another one near Melbourne after we completed the Great Southern Touring Route. Wifi was good at each of these places, but we always pick a SIM and phone plan with extra data when we arrive in a new country as a back-up - and because we have a phone that has Hotspot capabilities - we never have an issue. Full use of the kitchens was vital for keeping the food costs low as well.Campsites: $20.42
A few nights, during the drive down to Melbourne, and along the GSTR, we camped at free camp sites. Additionally, we did stay at one paid campsite (Halls Gap Gardens Caravan Park) on our drive around the Great Southern Touring Route (which includes the Great Ocean Road). It was definitely needed in our opinion!
Food
$1,340.57
Fast Casual Type Restaurants: $431.15
Some of our favorite quick service restaurants were Crown Charcoal Chicken in Kellyville (which has amazing Vegetarian & Pescatarian food options), Lord of the Fries, the Sydney Fish Market, Poke (at Coogee Beach), Three Guys Pizza Hub, Sumo Salad, Tower Sushi, and the South Melbourne Market.Groceries: $401.68
We shopped for groceries mainly at Coles, Woolsworths, and Aldi’s, although we also shopped a bit at Foodworks and a few produce markets like Nature’s Fresh 4 Less and Parklea.Dine-in (table service) Restaurants: $233.16
We would recommend Ettahmogah Pub in Kellyville, Grand Siam in Bella Vista NSW, Grill’d, Bondi Pizza, Boss Burger, and La Roche Cafe in St. Kilda.Pastry Shops / Cafe’s: $178.13
We really enjoyed the Apple Walnut Log and Apple Cinnamon Loaf at Bakers Delight, some slices of pie at The Pie Tin near Sydney, Max Brenner’s Vegan Dark Chocolate w/soy, and the Warrnambool Cheese World on the Great Ocean Road.Convenience / Street Food: $32.56
These were items we picked up at 7-11, Coles gas station, the Sydney Fish Market (sashimi pack), and the South Melbourne Market (donut kiosks).
This Koala is located at the Healsville Sanctuary just outside of Melbourne. See details in the Activities section.
Activities/Entertainment
$80.68
Cultural Site: $28.97
This was for entrance for 2 adults to the Lucas Cave at Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains National Park. We did receive a special 2-for-1 price on this admission from our friend at church, who obtained a voucher from the Entertainment Book (great value on 2-for-1 deals across Australia!), which her church - Parramatta Baptist Church - offers as part of their fundraising efforts to help “Hope for Orphans and Vulnerable Children”. The Entertainment Book is really affordable and can save you a ton of money if you have 2+ people. Plus, you’ll be helping Orphans and Vulnerable Children if you buy one through this link!Local Attraction: $51.71
This was for entry to Healsville Sanctuary for 2 adults. This did cost us A$76, but you could grab a tour ticket to both the Puffing Billy Steam Train and Healsville Sanctuary instead.Free Attractions: $0.00
We went on a number of walks and trails around the Sydney area, including from Little Sirius Cove to Clifton Garden, from the Sydney Fish Market around Darling Harbour to the Pylon Lookout and Sydney Opera House, the Royal National Park’s Wedding Cake Rock Walk, and the Coogee to Bondi Beach. It also included walking around in the Blue Mountains National Park - to see “The Three Sisters”, Wentworth Falls, and Jamison Lookout - and a free cave and lake walk around the Jenolan Caves area.
Miscellaneous
$614.74
Travel Patches for Australia: $5.52
Our one souvenir at each country that we visit is a travel patch because they are light weight and take up almost no space.
Hygiene items / Bathroom supplies: $92.65
We did need to buy some of our own shampoo, medicine, cough drops, lotion, toothbrushes, deodorant, flip flops for public showers at camp sites, loofas, and new shaver blades and a click-on styler accessory.
Laundry Machines & Soap: $2.85
Washer & Dryer were included in the cost of the Airbnb. This cost was for laundry soap.Phone SIM & Data: $48.01
This plan was through Vodafone and included 30 GB of data per month, some “free local minutes”, and the SIM card (we bought the 30 GB monthly deal plan “30 GB for A$30”, and then added an extra 20 GB of data for A$40 at another store the second month).Donations: $6.90
We did come across a homeless American military veteran - on Veterans Day - while wandering around Manly Beach. We decided to give to this man considering the situation and holiday.
Clothes: $379.38
We were in serious need of purchasing some new clothing items and decided to visit a local UNIQLO to get quality clothing at an affordable price - one of our favorite clothing stores! We also picked up some new Merrell Trail Glove shoes, as our old “On Brand” Cloud shoes were well beyond their livable condition. Note: these types of purchases are very uncommon for us!
Other Items: $79.43
Some of the other items that we needed were a YHA Membership (for discounts), a physical journal, a lightning to Digital AV adapter to watch movies on a TV from our phone, a car phone holder, and some camp sized can/bottle openers. Additionally, we got a Maui Jim replacement arm for my sunglasses for free through warranty.
There was a giant mob of kangaroos in the main field of the Murramarang Aboriginal Area on the Southeast Coast, near Bawley Point.
What does this not include?
Life Insurance
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Insurance + Medical (annual cost of $328 for a family of 3 - ask us how)
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Annual Fees for additional Insurance & Airport Lounges (annual net cost of $250 annually). Alternatively, you could just get the Priority Pass instead of applying for a credit card (10% off with this link).
While these are costs associated with our travels, they are not country-specific, which is why they are not included in this expense report.
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