Travel in Australia has a reputation for being expensive, especially when you compare it to many nearby Southeast Asian countries. I recently spent a week traveling in Tropical North Queensland with my best friend, Chloe, and I wanted to share my budget for the trip, and hopefully convince a few more travelers that Tropical North Queensland should be on their list.

For flight, buses, accommodation and day tours, I spent a total of $1334 on a week of traveling from the Whitsundays all the way up to Cape Tribulation.

Transport Budget

• Flights: $65 Brisbane to Proserpine, $95 Cairns to Brisbane. Obviously, departing from Brisbane is a bonus!
• Greyhound Airlie – Townsville: $90
• Return ferry from Townsville to Magnetic Island: $29
• Greyhound from Townsville – Cairns: $119
• Total: $398

Day Tours Budget

This most expensive part of my trip was the day tours, however these were essential for experiencing some of the more remote places, such as the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. The natural beauty of the tropics is the main reason for visiting the region, so it’s worth finding the right tour.

• Cruise Whitsundays Day Trip to Whitehaven Beach & Hamilton Island: $165
• Kuranda Skyrail & Scenic Rail Passes: $121 (including bus transfer to & from the station)
• Rainforestation Tour in Kuranda: $23
• Australian Butterfly Sanctuary Tickets: $29
• Day Trip to Green Island to Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef: $172
• Eco Tour of the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation & Port Douglas: $195

Total: $705

Accommodation Budget

We stayed in very basic accommodation, either at private double rooms in a hostel or in basic BnB/motel-style accommodation. We could have saved more if we’d stayed in hostel dorms, but I was glad for the extra privacy at the end each day.

• Magnums Backpackers, Airlie Beach (2 nights): $56pp
• Historic Yongala Lodge, Townsville (1 night): $44pp
• Queens Court, Cairns (4 nights) : $129pp – I got an AMAZING deal on booking.com!

Total: $229 per person

Food Budget

A café breakfast or lunch in Australia will set you back $15 – $24, with dinner at a casual restaurant between $20-$30 plus drinks. A coffee is usually $3.50. As you can see, this would add up really quickly so we didn’t eat out every day!

In Airlie Beach, our accommodation was right next to a Woolworths (supermarket), where we stocked up on food for breakfast and packed snacks for our day trips.

In Cairns, we had a couple of meals out, but we often just went to the Cairns Night Markets to buy fruit cups for breakfast and dinner for only $6 a piece. It was really hot, which makes me lose my appetite a bit. The fruit cups were perfect for a bit of energy and were very refreshing! We took lots of snacks and sometimes lunch on our day trips with us, and some tours, like the Cruise Whitsundays day trip and the Cape Tribulation day trip, include a meal.

Normally I like to immerse myself in local food, but as I was traveling within my home state I was happy to go to the supermarket for basics. If you’re from outside of Queensland, you might like to splurge on a dinner at one of the seafood restaurants along the Esplanade one night.

A bonus for North American travellers is that in Australia, the price you see on the menu is what you pay. Tax & labour costs are already included in the price, so there’s no added tax or tip required when you get the bill.

Souvenirs Budget

The beauty of traveling in your own country is that a majority of the souvenirs won’t tug at your heartstrings. In fact, I actually bought nothing other than food and drinks on this trip!

There weren’t many opportunities for souvenirs on each of the day trips, but you might find something you like at the Cairns Night Markets or one of the (very overpriced) beachwear shops on Hamilton Island. Not for me! International travellers might want to budget $50-$100 to spend at a market or local shops.

How do you budget when you travel?

Genevieve Lauren

Hello! I’m an Australian travel blogger, living in Melbourne, Australia. I grew up in Brisbane, studied in Paris, lived & worked in New York City and now live in Melbourne, Australia.

I love sharing specific and useful recommendations, itineraries and guides for the most beautiful things to see, do, experience & eat wherever I go.

My favourite travel destinations are Australia, New York City & surrounds, France, Greece & Japan, but I’m always excited to explore somewhere new!

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