Don't spend your entire budget in the first 2 months
Arriving with a comfortable budget of between $5000 - $10,000 AUD with the plan to work should be more than enough.
Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer
Getting Set Up!
Before You Arrive
Before you arrive there are certain costs involved that are unavoidable to get yourself here.
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To re-cap from the Getting Started Guide we have totaled up the rough costs to give you an idea of a pre-budget: (All in AUD)
Working Holiday Visa (WHV) - $500
Insurance (annually)
- $600-$1000
Return Flights
- $1500-$2200
Total: $2600-$3700
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You also must have a minimum of $5000AUD in savings before entering the country and may be required to prove this in order to be granted your visa or even when getting through the borders on this side (although this scenario is less likely)
Plan Your Budget
Once you’re in the country your budget will need to be allocated according to your plans. For example; if you are planning to travel when you first arrive, make sure you leave yourself enough money at the end for accommodation and food while looking for work to top that budget back up.
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If you're planning to work straight away, then make sure to be setting aside money as a travel budget. The time in Australia will go faster than you might initially think and before you know it you'll have worked your time away
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Our recommendations
Travelling - $5000
Accommodation set up - $1500
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Stretch Don't Splurge
Remember that Australia is very expensive (Sydney & Melbourne being the most expensive on the continent) so eating out every night isn’t going to help your budget stretch, Instead save it for a special treat and spend time cooking.
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The same goes for supermarket food… Buying all the premium products and meats is going to make your weekly shops go through the roof (Sorry peeps, that means sirloin steaks every night is not an option)
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Find friends to cook with or batch cook your meals to help save big time
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You can eat very well for well under $30 per day if you are organized with your food
Travelling Budget - Vehicle
This all depends on how you want to travel. Let’s say you want to buy/rent a vehicle, besides the initial cost involved here (between $1500-$10000 depending on type and length of time required) you have to think about the other costs involved in having a vehicle; petrol, maintenance, insurance, breakdowns...However if you go with a friend or in a group then these costs can be shared. Also if you have a vehicle you can sleep in this will cut out accommodation costs when on the road (campsites are either free or from $5per person per night - we got the whole way doesn't he East Coast with no accommodation costs so it can be done!)
Finally if you can cook basic pasta and rice dishes and love a filling packet noodle dinner then you can eat for next to nothing, especially when shared with your travel mates.
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Remember, if you purchase the vehicle, you may get a huge chunk of the money you spent upfront on it when you sell at the end of your trip.
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Check out these two apps to show you where all the free and paid campsites are: ​
Travelling Budget -
No Vehicle
Ok so you don’t drive and don't feel like being stuck in a van with strangers for months, don’t panic there are amazing coaches around pretty much the entire country. For example the Greyhound from Sydney to Cairns (East Coast) for as little as $400 for a whole month's validity.
Just bare in mind that you will need to book accommodation for every location you stop at, in advance, especially during peak season (Sept - Mar). For this you’ll be looking at anywhere from $30-$80 for a dorm room bed depending on the time of year, location, and what the accommodation has to offer.
The last option is to fly from place to place, however, unless you are hoping to miss out on all the best bits, we highly suggest not doing your traveling this way. It is also quite costly in the end, so best to stick to the ground for traveling Australia.
More on this in our travel guide
Day Trips & Tours
Whatever way you decide to travel there are certain things that you will still need to pay for on top if you want to see the best Australia has to offer. For example, you have to get on a boat to see the Whitsunday islands. We can’t give you an exact amount to budget for these (roughly $200-$800) as it is solely depends on what you want to see and do. We recommend budgeting around $1500+ for your activities and tours
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Check out our BB Top Travel Inspiration here
Settling Down
Assuming you’re stopping to work in a big city your outgoings will be quite high, especially at the beginning - however if you have prepared and booked some accommodation in advance you should have got a cheap deal and won’t have to worry until you’ve found work (and more permanent accommodation) We recommend when trying to get set up in a city to have at least 2-3 weeks accommodation booked and paid for in advance.
Searching for a job can be a gruelling process, we have a complete guide with recommendations and CV assistance, click here.
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To find accommodation there are a number of things you need to consider, first of all you must have enough for a bond (usually 4 weeks of the rent held with an independent government agency called the RBO) plus a week to two weeks rent upfront. Accommodation ranges from $150+ (shared or single room) to $350+ (private double/queen room) with a variety of standards in between these prices, and not all will be furnished.
Food & Booze
So you’re used to Mums home cooked meals or a take away whenever you desire, this is no longer a luxury you can afford if you are worried about your budget.
For a standard weekly shop in a supermarket, you can start your budget at $55-$80...which isn’t bad if you consider that's 3 meals a day for 7 days. However this estimate will dramatically increase if you’re shopping for top shelf items and premium products.
Eating out is something that you should consider a luxury when on a tight budget, however a lot of places have meal discounts at certain times of the day/week/year so keep your eye out and time your meals out for then… we recommend a budget of $20-$45 for a meal out, not including drinks.
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Alcohol is a budget all on its own… and depending on what you like to drink this can vary a lot. For example, you can get goon (Australian boxed wine) for as little as $10 for 5 ltrs (if you can stomach the hangover that is) or a 24 case of beers for around $45 and liter bottle of spirits from $40+ but when drinking in bars you are looking at from $5 (house spirit, wine or beer at backpacker bars) to $20+ per drink. This will depend on the bar you are in as a lot of popular bars have happy hours where you can get half price drinks along with other promotions.
Getting Around
Each city has its own system for public transport for example Melbourne has FREE trams in Zones 1 & 2 which is great for getting around the city whereas Sydney you will pay around $3 per trip. You can take a transport card in each city, where you tap on and off and this can be topped up online or in certain stores, However if you have GPay or ApplePay you can tap on and off using this (Which personally we think is easier as you don’t have to remember your card when you go out and also you never have to worry about not having enough balance and then missing the bus/train because you’ve had to top up - yes this is from personal experience!)
BB Tip: Get a bike! (If you’re confident getting around on one). They’re often faster and easier aw well as being better for the environment.
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Check out our BB Top Travel Inspiration here