Average Holiday
Cost Statistics 2020

In 2019, 11.3 million Australians embarked on short-term overseas trips, of which 57% (6.3 million) were holidays. The most popular month for Australians travelling overseas was January (1.3 million people), while the least popular month was February (709,020 people). Additionally, Australians spent 417.9 million nights travelling domestically. The median duration for an overseas trip was 14 days.¹

Nevertheless, research shows that one third of Australians spend more than they intend to when travelling overseas. Cumulatively, Australians overspend by more than $900 million when travelling internationally. When it comes to how much people spend on holidays, studies show the average Australian spends $4,750 on an overseas trip, which is equal to 7.6% of the average Australian’s yearly income. However, this figure can vary significantly depending on your budget and destination.

Our in-depth 2019 analysis of the average holiday costs reveals the median cost of a holiday in every Australian state and capital city, as well as the average cost of a holiday in Australia’s five most popular international travel destinations. Additionally, we compare the average cost of airfares in Australia to international norms and analyse the best months to travel.

39,000,000 domestic travellers visited New South Wales in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 122,000,000 nights in New South Wales in 2019, spending $23,700,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 3 nights and an average cost of $193 per person per night for a domestic trip to New South Wales.

 The average cost of a domestic trip to New South Wales in 2019 was $607.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan² estimates the average cost of a holiday in Sydney is $197 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip³ suggests that travellers allocate $191 per person per night to travel to Sydney.

29,700,000 domestic travellers visited Victoria in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 83,500,000 nights in Victoria in 2019, spending $17,00,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 3 nights and an average cost of $203 per person per night for a domestic trip to Victoria.

The average cost of a domestic trip to Victoria is $571.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Melbourne is $197 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $160 per person per night to travel to Melbourne.

25,900,000 domestic travellers visited Queensland in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 103,000,000 nights in Queensland in 2019, spending $19,400,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 4 nights and an average cost of $189 per person per night for a domestic trip to Queensland.

The average cost of a domestic trip to Queensland is $750.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Brisbane is $158 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $160 per person per night to travel to Brisbane.

11,00,000 domestic travellers visited Western Australia in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 50,200,000 nights in Western Australia in 2010, spending $8,600,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 5 nights and an average cost of $170 per person per night for a domestic trip to Western Australia.

The average cost of a domestic trip to Western Australia is $777.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Perth is $178 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $160 per person per night to travel to Perth.

8,000,000 domestic travellers visited South Australia in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 27,900,000 nights in South Australia in 2019, spending $5,200,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 3 nights and an average cost of $187 per person per night for a domestic trip to South Australia.

The average cost of a domestic trip to South Australia is $644

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Adelaide is $165 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $81 per person per night to travel to Adelaide.

3,200,000 domestic travellers visited Tasmania in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 12,800,000 nights in Tasmania in 2019, spending $2,800,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 4 nights and an average cost of $220 per person per night for a domestic trip to Tasmania.

As such, the average cost of a domestic trip to Tasmania is $875.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Hobart is $186 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $151 per person per night to travel to Hobart.

3,200,000 domestic travellers visited the ACT in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 8,700,000 nights in the ACT in 2019, spending $1,900,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 3 nights and an average cost of $213 per person per night for a domestic trip to the ACT.

The average cost of a domestic trip to the ACT is $581.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, research conducted by Roy Morgan estimates the average cost of a holiday in Canberra is $151 per person per night, while Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $159 per person per night to travel to Canberra.

1,700,000 domestic travellers visited the Northern Territory in 2019. These overnight domestic visitors spent a total of 9,200,000 nights in the Northern Territory in 2019, spending $2,000,000,000. This equates to an average trip length of 5 nights and an average cost of $234 per person per night for a domestic trip to the Northern Territory.

As such, the average cost of a domestic trip to the Northern Territory is $1,265.

Looking specifically at Australian capital cities, Budget Your Trip suggests that travellers allocate $136 per person per night to travel to the Northern Territory.

When it comes to international travel, average holiday costs are more difficult to accurately predict, given fluctuations in exchange rates, airfare prices, and accommodation prices. Additionally, different people will have different priorities when travelling overseas. For example, the budget for a backpacker’s trip to New Zealand will be vastly different compared to the budget for a family holiday to Europe.

Research by Westpac shows that the average Australian overseas holiday lasts three weeks and costs $4,679 — an average of $222.81 per person per day⁴. A survey by CommBank corroborates these findings, revealing an overseas trip costs the average Australian $4,750³.

Further the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) shows the average Australian household allocates $77 towards ‘holidays’ per week, or $4004 per year⁵. As such, it seems likely that the average Australian spends between $4000 and $5000 on an overseas holiday.

Of course, these numbers can fluctuate depending on your destination and lifestyle choices (i.e. which airline you fly with, what type of accommodation you stay in etc.).

Below are the average holiday costs for Australia’s five most popular overseas travel destinations.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 1.5 million Australians visited New Zealand in 2019, meaning it was once again most popular international destination for Australian travellers.

In 2019, 3,890,000 overseas travellers visited New Zealand. The average cost per person per trip was $3,350. Australian tourists collectively spent 2.74 billion dollars in New Zealand in 2019, a 6% growth from 2018.

Budget Your Trip also recommends allocating $181 per person per night to visit New Zealand.

According to the ABS, 1.4 million Australians visited Indonesia in 2019, a 1.9% increase from 2018 — making it the second most popular international destination for Australian travellers. 

In 2019, 16,106,954 overseas travellers visited Indonesia, staying for an average of 9–⁠12 days.⁶

Indonesia gains US$4.6 billion annually from tourism, with visitors spending an average of US$100 per day.

Budget Your Trip recommends travellers allocate $63.29 per person per night to visit Indonesia.

According to the ABS, 1.05 million Australians visited America in 2019 — a -3.6% decrease from 2018 — making it the third most popular international destination for Australian travellers.

According to the US Travel Association⁷, 76 million overseas travellers visited America in 2019. Overseas travellers visiting America spent an average of $4,200 per visit in 2019, staying for an average of 18 nights. This equates to an average cost of $233.33 per person per night to visit America.

Budget Your Trip recommends travellers allocate $223 per person per night to visit America.

According to the ABS, 663,000 Australians visited the United Kingdom in 2019, making it the fourth most popular international destination for Australian travellers.

In 2019, 40.86 million overseas travellers visited the UK, spending a total of £28.45 billion. This equates to an average spend of £696 per visit. Overseas visitors spent 289.63 million total nights in the UK, for an average trip length of 7.09 nights.⁸

Budget Your Trip recommends travellers allocate $217.95 per person per night to visit the UK.

According to the ABS, 608,300 Australians visited China in 2019 — a 2.4% increase from 2018 — making it the fifth most popular international destination for Australian travellers.

In 2019, inbound tourists took 145 million trips to china, generating CNY 5.98 trillion in revenue.⁹

Budget Your Trip recommends travellers allocate $98 per person per night to visit China.

Compared to other countries, Australia fares poorly when it comes to average airfare costs. According to Kiwi.com’s comprehensive flight price index¹⁰, Australia is the 12th most expensive country to catch a flight from. The average cost of a flight from Australia is $39.59 per 100km travelled.

In comparison, Belgium is the most expensive country to catch a flight from, with an average cost of $77.25 per 100km travelled, while Malaysia offers the most affordable flights at $5.91 per 100km travelled.

Flights from New Zealand cost an average of $11.92 per 100km travelled, while flights from the UK cost an average of $15.64 per 100km travelled and flights from the USA cost an average of $16.26 per 100km travelled.

As airfare prices fluctuate seasonally, research shows that booking your flights at the right time can either save you 15% or cost you up to 30%. In fact, 75% of Australians miss out on the best international flight deals, while 90% miss out on the best domestic flight deals.¹¹

According to a comprehensive study by Sky Scanner¹², travellers should book 22 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on international flights and 21 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on domestic flights.

For example, the study found that by booking 23 weeks in advance, international travellers could save $135 (12%) on a trip from Sydney to Hong Kong.

Looking specifically at some of Australia’s most popular travel destinations, travellers should book 5 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on flights to London, 24 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on flights to Bali, 23 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on flights to Los Angeles, 12 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on flights to Auckland, and 23 weeks in advance to get the cheapest deal on flights to Hong Kong.

Further, December is the most expensive month to travel, with average airfares increasing by 32%, while May is the cheapest month to travel, offering average savings of 13% on airfares for both domestic and international flights.