Cost of day to day expenses
 

My wife and I are traveling to Australia this June and we have pre booked everything (i.e. all hotels and travel). I am trying to get a sense of what things cost on a day to day basis down there (i.e. a coke, sandwich from a stand, a ticket to an aquarium).

Anyone have any insight? I have been led to believe that if it costs US$1 it will cost AU$1 (understanding that will be less b/c of exchange rates)

The answer..how long is a piece of string ? The Aussie dollar today is worth 64 cents against the U.S.
1 can of coke should cost around Aus. $2.00 to 2.50.
Aquarium visit if in Melbourne $18.
I bought a sandwich yesturday which cost $2.50. in the country however I have paid up to $7.00.
A nice feed of fish & chips should be $2.00 for chips (or $3. if they sell them in buckets very small buckets) plus your 1. piece of fish which could be $3.50. upwards to around $6.00.
Icecreams around $2.50.
If you are in Qld. & go to Dreamworld etc I think its around $90.00. per person.
Sydney the cheapest entertainment is all day ferry passes hope on & off ferries & enjoy the harbour.
Petrol if you are renting a car is different state to state Qld. is around the cheapest. In Victoria today it is 92.5. cent ltr. in some country area's & 83.9. in the city.
As you can see there is no such thing as set prices in this country. Enjoy

I'll be going there as well in June. One website you may want to look at is travelmate.com.au. Click on "vouchers" at the top, and print out the coupons for entrance to the listed sites/events. They're 10 percent off if you're interested. The website also has tips that may help you. Enjoy your vacation.

Donna

How did you pre-book everything? Did you do it all yourself or have a travel agent's help. I am wanting to plan a trip for June. Thanks for your input.

It's pretty much right that, if it costs a dollar in the US, it'll cost a dollar here. You win on the exchange rate!

I would thank my lucky stars if I was you that your exchange rate is so good. Most of us here in NZ can't afford to holiday in the US with our exchange rate so make the most of it.

Hi, just keep in mind, in the Cities, it's much much more. Sydney way really expensive. Things to take back aren't bad, but dining is high. You can share, like we did alot, and they don't care. We do it whenever we go out here in the states. No tipping ( unless you feel the urge,) is also an advantage. A small single serving pizza at the Rocks in Sydney was $25, ouch. Outside, in the non tourisity areas, , it's back to normal, like here. Exchange rate is fantastic. Just take your Debit Card from your bank, and use it. No need for travelers checks anymore. Great. Have fun. Deb

For what it's worth, in Feb we spent approx A$2700 for 22 nights accommodation (hotel, B&B), A$700 for 10 days car rental incl. petrol, A$2500 for food, shopping, attractions etc (for 2 persons).

debusa

I can't believe a small piece of pizza was $25. I'm sure glad I'm not a tourist here. Lesson - eat out of tourist areas! have fun!

To-date our trip to Australia has been our least expensive. Also prebooked from the States, excluding meals. Including air and hotels (most 5*, some 4*) cost less than $4000 person including the meals we paid for ourselves and gifts/trinkets.
If we wanted a Coke, we bought it; we ate dinner at the Quay, paid for ferry tickets, aquarium. The exchange rate is in our favor, so it was a non-issue.

Up at the Reef, we booked a small boat (Poseiden) rather than the Quicksilver, did the Daintree/Cape Trib tour (w/lunch); From Alice did a day-trip to Uluru by air including meals; in MEL stayed in the St.Kilda area on the beach and used the tram to get to Victoria Market, Casino, and dinners, though streets in St.Kilda are full of great restaurants.

Rented car twice - once in SYD to drive out to Blue Mountains; again in MEL to drive the Great Ocean Road.
Took local buses in SYD to Bondi and in MEL all around town (when not on tram). And did lots of walking in both SYD and MEL.

Everything was easy and people were real friendly and helpful.

You will find that the average restaurant meal will have entrees at between $13 - $18 (mostly around $15) mains between $18 - $30 (mostly around $25) and desserts at between $6 - $10 (mostly around $8.50). This would be an average for good food in a good though not upmarket restaurant. Eating at pubs can be cheaper but not a lot. Some pubs have Monday or Tuesday night specials where they will serve steak for $5 with a beer or a glass of wine and you can get "bar food" for around $12. Up market restuarants you will be looking at upwards of $45 for a main.

By going to a cafe you can get a fully cooked breakfast for around $12. A sandwich can set you back $7 in a tourist area such as Darling Harbour, but you can get a takeaway chinese meal for $8.50 (go figure). You can get a pie and sauce for a couple of bucks and you can't go far wrong there - especially at Harry's Cafe de Wheels in Woolloomooloo.

To have wine in a restaurant can be daunting - prices fluctuate greatly and you can be looking at a 100% markup on what you would pay in a bottle shop. BYO (bring your own wine) restaurants often have cheaper food and you can budget by buying your wine in a bottle shop instead of at the restuarant. Some restaurants will allow you to BYO wine only - but they can be funny about it and will charge you a corkage fee.

These prices are Sydney prices - Melbourne is cheaper, as is Brisbane. Gold Coast in Queensland caters for all budgets.