Among the eight capitals, Sydney has the highest rent: A$917 a week. Hobart has the lowest: A$598. The data is from the SQM index for the week to 4 November 2026. We do not give a total budget, because we have not found an official source that calculates one by city.
This guide is general information and does not say where to live. All amounts are in Australian dollars.
How much is rent, and how much is everything going up?
Rent is from the SQM Research weekly index, week to 4 November 2026, from highest to lowest. The last column is the annual price rise from the statistics office, ABS, to September 2026: it measures how much prices go up, not how much they cost.
| City | All homes | Houses | Flats | Annual price rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | A$917 | A$1,171 | A$744 | 4.3% |
| Perth | A$800 | A$891 | A$671 | 4.5% |
| Brisbane | A$756 | A$841 | A$654 | 4.4% |
| Darwin | A$730 | A$861 | A$639 | 5.2% |
| Melbourne | A$687 | A$827 | A$585 | 4.0% |
| Canberra | A$684 | A$803 | A$588 | 4.7% |
| Adelaide | A$652 | A$703 | A$551 | 5.0% |
| Hobart | A$598 | A$621 | A$563 | 5.3% |
These are prices per home. The page does not cover rooms in shared flats, which is how many people on a Working Holiday live. According to ABS, rents rose 3.6% in the 12 months to September 2026.
How much do everyday things cost?
This data is from Numbeo, updated on 4 November 2026. It is not official: it is contributed by users. The last column of the second table says how many people contributed data in 12 months, because with few the figure is less reliable.
| City | Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | Cappuccino | Milk, 1 L | Bread, 500 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | A$25.00 | A$5.84 | A$2.59 | A$4.05 |
| Brisbane | A$25.00 | A$6.17 | A$2.44 | A$3.74 |
| Cairns | A$25.00 | A$6.25 | A$2.71 | A$3.88 |
| Canberra | A$30.00 | A$5.86 | A$2.09 | A$4.55 |
| Darwin | A$32.50 | A$5.86 | A$2.17 | A$4.35 |
| Gold Coast | A$30.00 | A$5.44 | A$2.19 | A$3.83 |
| Hobart | A$26.50 | A$5.70 | A$2.61 | A$3.52 |
| Melbourne | A$25.00 | A$5.97 | A$2.17 | A$4.43 |
| Perth | A$30.00 | A$6.40 | A$2.50 | A$4.50 |
| Sydney | A$25.00 | A$5.75 | A$2.37 | A$4.13 |
| Sunshine Coast | A$25.00 | A$5.80 | A$1.92 | A$2.72 |
Housing costs per month, on the same pages:
| City | 1-bedroom flat in the centre | Utilities, 85 m² | Internet | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | A$2,446 | A$277 | A$82 | 115 |
| Brisbane | A$2,809 | A$229 | A$87 | 140 |
| Cairns | A$2,155 | A$233 | A$95 | 17 |
| Canberra | A$2,527 | A$261 | A$81 | 65 |
| Darwin | A$2,488 | A$312 | A$90 | 18 |
| Gold Coast | A$3,333 | A$312 | A$77 | 29 |
| Hobart | A$2,350 | A$320 | A$86 | 24 |
| Melbourne | A$2,468 | A$332 | A$82 | 201 |
| Perth | A$2,899 | A$290 | A$90 | 132 |
| Sydney | A$3,713 | A$370 | A$82 | 181 |
| Sunshine Coast | A$1,973 | A$200 | A$96 | 9 |
This rent does not match SQM's because it measures something different: a flat in the centre, not the whole urban area.
How much does public transport cost?
Each city works differently, so it cannot all go into a single figure. Adult prices:
| City | Detail | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Opal cap: A$19.30 a day Monday to Thursday, A$9.65 Friday to Sunday and public holidays, A$50 a week | Transport NSW, official, undated on the page |
| Perth | Go Anywhere trip: A$3.50 in cash. Daily cap with SmartRider or contactless card: A$7 | Transperth, official, from 1 January 2026 |
| Queensland | 50 cents per trip on all Translink services, which cites south-east Queensland and cities such as Cairns | Translink, official, undated on the page |
| Hobart | Metro buses free for "Tasmanians". The page does not make clear whether this includes people arriving on a temporary visa | Metro Tasmania, official, undated on the page |
| Melbourne | Monthly pass: A$200 | Numbeo, third party, 4 November 2026 |
| Canberra | Monthly pass: A$132.80 | Numbeo, third party, 4 November 2026 |
| Adelaide | Monthly pass: A$120 | Numbeo, third party, 4 November 2026 |
| Darwin | Monthly pass: A$69.69, with 18 people contributing data | Numbeo, third party, 4 November 2026 |
What else goes in the budget?
Other costs depend on your situation and are in other guides: bank account, tax on a Working Holiday and funds the visa asks for. Nationwide businesses, such as phone or transport, are in Services.
What we could not confirm
- Price of a shared room. We have no dated source by city. We could not check Flatmates.
- SQM rent for Gold Coast, Cairns and Sunshine Coast. Their pages showed no figures when we read them.
- Byron Bay. Left out: on Numbeo it only had 5 people and data from October 2025.
- Official transport in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin. We could not check their websites.
- How long the 50-cent fare lasts and whether it covers every Queensland city. Translink does not say on that page.
- SQM's method. We could not read its document, so we do not know whether the prices are advertised or paid.
- Moneysmart and Study Australia. We could not check the first. We did not locate the costs page of the second.
Sources
Seen on 5 November 2026.
- ABS: price index, September 2026 (official; published on 28 October 2026)
- SQM Research, week to 4 November 2026 (third party): Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra
- Numbeo, updated on 4 November 2026 (third party, user data): links in the price table
- Transport NSW: fares (official)
- Transperth: fares (official)
- Translink: fares (official)
- Metro Tasmania: fares (official)