What leaving costs
Before you even take off, several costs cannot be avoided.
First the visa fee, shown on the official page, 840 Australian dollars at the time of writing.
Then insurance, which is often paid in one go for six or twelve months.
The plane ticket, which varies a lot depending on the season and the number of stopovers.
The official translation of your driving licence, required to drive legally, best done before you leave, where it is cheaper.
And the gear: bag, shoes, adapter, maybe a tent if you are aiming for a van.
What I paid myself.
The visa: about 400 € in January 2026. Careful, it has gone up since: since 1 July 2026, a first application costs 840 Australian dollars, and a second or third one 1,000. Take the increase into account if you are planning your budget today.
Insurance with Chapka: about 400 € for the year. Remember to enter my code when you sign up.
Together, these two costs already come to around 800 €, before the plane ticket. It is what many people underestimate when preparing to leave.
The first month, the real trap
It is the most expensive month of the whole working holiday, and nobody budgets for it properly.
You pay at the same time for the hostel while you look for a flatshare, the bond for that flatshare, often four weeks of rent, the first rent, a phone plan, transport, setting up groceries and sometimes a certificate like the White Card or the RSA.
During those first weeks, I stayed in Mad Monkey hostels, in Sydney then in Cairns. With my code Julien10, it is ten percent less when you book on their official website: everything is explained on my Mad Monkey promo code page.
All of this before the first pay, which rarely comes before two to four weeks of work.
The simple rule: arrive with enough to last two months without income. Not one month, two.
Life on the ground, item by item
Rent is the biggest cost, by far. It is shown per week, not per month, which is confusing at first. Sydney and Melbourne are much more expensive than Perth, Adelaide or Brisbane.
Groceries come next. Cooking changes everything: eating out in Australia quickly costs the price of a restaurant in France.
Transport depends on your city and your job. A car quickly pays for itself as soon as you leave the big cities, and becomes essential for regional work.
That leaves the phone, insurance if it is paid monthly, and going out, which adds up fast in a country where alcohol is heavily taxed.
À compléter : mes dépenses réelles par semaine, par poste et par ville.
What you earn
Australia has a high national minimum wage, reviewed every 1 July. The rate that applies depends on your industry, each sector having its own award.
To find out the exact minimum for your job, the Fair Work Ombudsman provides an official calculator. It is the reference to bring out when an employer offers a dubious rate.
An important point: a casual contract, with no guaranteed hours, pays more per hour than a permanent one. That loading makes up for the lack of paid leave, it is not a gift.
And do not forget superannuation, paid on top of your wages, partly recoverable when you leave. The details are on the bank, tax and super page.
Bringing the bill down
A flatshare rather than a studio, every time. The market is built for it and listings are everywhere.
A cheaper city to start with. Perth, Adelaide or Brisbane give a starting budget room to breathe, where Sydney swallows it in three weeks.
Regional work, where accommodation is often provided or very cheap, and where you complete your 88 days at the same time.
And bank fees, invisible but real. Paying in Australian dollars with the wrong foreign card costs several percent on every purchase.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do you need for a working holiday in Australia?
Immigration asks you to be able to prove that you have about five thousand Australian dollars on arrival. It is a regulatory minimum, not a comfortable budget: between the rent to pay upfront, a possible car and the first weeks without wages, reality is often higher.
Do you really have to prove the 5,000 AUD?
Proof is not always requested when you apply, but it can be at any time, including at the border. A recent bank statement is enough.
How long before you find a first job?
It depends entirely on the city, the season and the industry you are aiming for. What matters for the budget is having enough to live without income for several weeks, until the first pay comes in, knowing that pay is often weekly or fortnightly.
Is the Australian minimum wage really higher than in France?
Yes, and the gap is big. The exact amount is published and reviewed every year by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Casual contracts, the most common among backpackers, also come with a loading that makes up for the lack of paid leave.
Can a working holiday in Australia pay for itself?
Many people come home with more money than they left with, but it is never automatic. It depends on the industry, the region and above all the cost of accommodation, which is the cost that drains a budget fastest in the big cities.
Shall we prepare your working holiday together?
Everything written here is free and detailed. But between reading the steps and putting your own application together, there is a step that many people take weeks to make.
I can do it with you: the visa application and its timeline, choosing your insurance, your starting budget, the first days' paperwork and the strategy for finding a job. We start from your departure date and what you have already done.
One single package, built around your departure, with a price decided after a first call. That call is free and commits you to nothing.
The links and codes mentioned
The banks, insurance, eSIMs and booking platforms I use are all on one page, with my referral codes.
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