Ah the Australian dream… I can picture straight away a blond surfer dude full of muscle living in a house on the beach with a big 4x4 and a boat his garage, can’t you?

Well, whilst this can be a dream for some, others turn it into a reality, like I did. It can be achievable without being wealthy as long as the house is close by the beach (not necessarily beachfront) in a remote area, that you do have a job and that you are a couple since one wage may not be enough. For those who think, yeah right impossible, me and my partner are the perfect example. We purchased a 2 bedroom apartment with full ocean and islands views, a 4x4 and a 4.5m motor boat to enjoy the islands and the great fishing around it. And all that with 2 minimum wages!

 

WHAT IS THE ACTUAL MINIMUM WAGE IN AUSTRALIA? 

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In 2017, the minimum wage was $18.29 per hour or $694.90 per week if it is a full time contract at 38 hours of work per week. After tax it will be $616.90 per week. A full time contract will provide the employee with the peace of mind of having sick leaves and annual leaves saved up for him/her. A casual employee, which is the status most travelers will be working under, doesn’t provide any annual leave or sick leave which is the reason why a 25% loading is added on top of the minimum wage to cover employees in these events. Therefore most people say the minimum wage is $22.86 an hour whilst it is actually $18.29. Don’t get me wrong you still get $22.86 an hour on a casual rate but you won’t get paid if you are sick for a week and you can also get fired more easily. As a traveller you probably don’t worry too much about this but if you are looking at staying in Australia for the long term it is best to have job stability.

So what can you afford with your $18.29 an hour (or $22.86), let’s take a look at a few examples that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

 

FOOD

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Cost to be compared with your own country and also with Australia’s minimum

wage. All prices are in Australian Dollar and this is the cheapest brands found at my local store. I spend an average of $110 per week for 2 adults at the grocery store all included (cat food, cleaning, cosmetics…).Let me know if you would like some other price comparison.

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Prepacked loaf of bread        $1        Minced beef per kg          $10        Coke 1.25lt                        $3

Pasta 1kg                               $1        Cage eggs x 12               $3          Shredded cheese 700g     $5.50

Milk 2lt                                   $2        Bottle of water 1lt             $1          Nutella 400g                      $5.50

Chicken breast per kg           $9        Apples per kg                   $4          Instant noodles x 5            $1

Rice 1kg                                $3        Lettuce prepacked 200g   $2          Frozen McCain pizza        $7.70

Fresh salmon per kg             $30      Tuna can 185g                  $1.60     Special K 300g                 $5

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RENT/ACCOMMODATION

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This topic could be a full post on its own which I will write about in detail later on. However I have come up with a list of the average cheapest options for rent and accommodation, once again this is to give you a rough idea of the prices. “City” means any city in Australia and its suburbs, “Regional” means any town or areas other than cities, it doesn’t necessarily means the bush but more remote areas. Prices are all based on 2 people unless indicated.

 

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SHORT STAY , per night                 R               C                                                      R              C

Hotel room                                     $130         $200      Caravan  park, site             $20           $25               

Air BnB, room in shared house      $70           $100      Hostel, bed in dorm            $30           $35

Camping in National Park              $13           NA         Motel room                          $110         $120      

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LONG TERM, per week                   R              C                                                       R              C

1-2 bedroom apartment                 $200         $400      3 bedroom house                $450        $800

1 bedroom in shared house       $150-200  $200-300

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FUEL

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The price of fuel has dramatically increased over the past couple of years. It now sits at around $1.40 a litre so make sure your vehicle is quite fuel efficient, firstly because the distance in Australia are enormous, secondly because you don’t want to have to fuel up in the middle of nowhere where the next petrol station is 500 km away! I would suggest always having extra fuel available in a Jerrycan.

 

 

PHONE & INTERNET

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I find Australia behind when it comes to telecommunications. For example we finally got onto the 4G network and remote areas still get 3G network or nothing at all! What matters is that it is now working fast enough and the coverage is getting better and better. Bear in mind that in the middle of nowhere or on the road there might not be any reception for quite some time. In regards to pricing: $60 can get you an unlimited no lock-in home internet contract; $30 can get you a prepaid voucher for unlimited calls and 3Gb; $40 can get you a 24 months contract including mobile phone, unlimited calls and 1.5Gb.

 

                                                                          

CLOTHING

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Lots of budget options exist in Australia in terms of clothing although fashion is a big thing only in the main cities. Australians are quite discreet when it comes to showing off (except on the gold Coast LOL), I have talked to a lot of wealthy people who don’t look it especially in regional areas. Australians are quite happy with singlet, boardies and thongs on! So why not blend in? The only few time I dressed up a bit to look pretty before going shopping I had the comment like, “Are you going out?”, me "No just going to the shops".

Kmart and Big W must be the cheapest shops to but clothes even though the quality is a bit basic and most of the clothing is made in Bangladesh. You are looking at $5-$20 per item. A more sustainable alternative is the Op Shop or second hand store which is run by volunteers and the profits go straight to charity to help others. You are looking at $2-$5 per item. I personally find the clothes at Target a better quality and more fashionable but a little bit pricier. You are looking at $10-$40 per item.

 

 

DAY TOURS

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Of course this will vary according to the kind of tour you would like to do. A basic day tour driving you to different lookouts including lunch will be around $120.

A boat trip for the day should be around $180 to $300 depending on the area, if they offer snorkelling and diving on board.

A helicopter tour should set you back by $150 per person for a 15 minute ride!

 

 

EATING OUT

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Another vast subject so I have gathered my favourite meals, I hate McDonald’s though but I guess its prices gives an idea about the cost of living of a country.

 

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Fish&Chips                                              $10-15          Pizza takeaway                                  $7-15

Main course burger lunch                        $10-20          Sushi roll takeaway                            $3-5

Main course chicken Caesar                   $15-25          McDonald's Big Mac                          $4.30

Main course steak dinner                        $35-55          Sandwich takeaway                            $7-10

Main course veggie risotto                      $20-35          Full English breakfast                         $12-25

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I hope this is a useful post to help you budget your Aussie trip. Please comment below or email me if you have any questions.