2026 Sydney Travel Cost Study
Sydney on a budget
A mid-range trip of 4 nights in Sydney costs two people about $3,256 before flights, and $1,350 of that is two big tours. Set your own trip below.
Sydney trip cost calculator
Choose how many nights, how many of you, your style and the month. Hotel figures are the medians we read for that month and star class. Meal, car and fare figures come from published sources. The default ticks the two priciest of our picks, BridgeClimb and a guided Bondi hike. Untick them if you won't book them. Tour prices are the lowest advertised "from" prices, changed from euros at the ECB rate of 23 October 2026. Real cost can be higher. You can copy a link to your budget and share it.
Your trip
$3,256
$1,628 per person · $407 per person per night
| Hotel | $940 |
|---|---|
| Eating out | $720 |
| Activities | $1,350 |
| Car hire | $0 |
| Opal fares | $154 |
| Airport train | $92 |
| Hotel tax | $0 |
Short answer
Sydney costs about $316 per person per night on a budget, $407 at mid-range and $556 in comfort. That is per person per night, including tours and the airport train. At mid-range, it runs from $330 on a week to $467 on a short trip. A week for two at mid-range costs about $4,617. One person on a budget spends about $2,549 for a week. Leave out the hotel, and each person spends about $234, $290 or $346 a night, tours included. Sydney hotel nights in our sample ran a median $165 at 3-star to $421 at 5-star. Tours and the hotel are the biggest parts of the bill. Two people on a mid-range plan spend about $3,256 over 4 nights. That works out at $407 per person per night, including tours and the airport train. A budget plan comes to about $2,528, and a comfort plan to at least $4,448. All three include the same two tours, worth $1,350 for two. Without tours, meals and Opal fares come to about $53 per person per night on a budget, plus your bed. Flights are extra.
How to spend less in Sydney
- Avoid February if you can. A 4-star night cost a median $450 in February. April, July and January were all close, at $193, $194 and $195. We sampled one Tuesday and one Saturday night per month. We read them weeks to months ahead, and the lead time differs by month.
- Pick a 3-star hotel. A 3-star night cost a median $165. A 4-star night cost $235, so the gap grows with every night you stay.
- Compare a Saturday with a Tuesday. On the pairs we sampled, a 3-star Saturday cost a median 16.5% more than the Tuesday before. The gap varies a lot by month. We only measured Tuesdays, so compare your own dates.
- Let the Opal cap work for you. Adult Opal fares stop at $19.30 a day from Monday to Thursday. That is about 5 train rides. The cap is lower on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.
- Keep most meals simple. Guides quote a cheap meal at $14 to $25 per person. A mid-range main starts at about $45.
- Swap one paid tour for a free walk. A BridgeClimb Sydney tour costs a median $375 per person. Walking across the bridge on its footpath costs nothing.
Flights are not in this study. Their price depends on where you fly from and when.
What a trip to Sydney costs for two
At mid-range, two people spend about $2,803 on 3 nights and $4,617 on 7 nights in Sydney. That is about $2,309 each for a week. Flights come on top.
Each row is the same trip of 4 nights for two, in any month. It has the hotel, 2 meals out per person a day, the same 2 tours, Opal fares at the daily cap and the airport train both ways. Only the hotel class and the meal prices change.
| Style | Hotel | Eating out | Activities | Opal and airport train (no tax) | Total | Per person per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget 3-star hotel, cheap meals | $660 | $272 | $1,350 | $246 | $2,528 | $316 |
| Mid-range Our default 4-star hotel, mid-range meals | $940 | $720 | $1,350 | $246 | $3,256 | $407 |
| Comfort 5-star hotel, one fine dinner a day | $1,684 | $1,168 | $1,350 | $246 | $4,448 | $556 |
Shorter and longer trips (two people, mid-range)
Sydney hotel prices by month
A hotel night in Sydney cost a median $165 at 3-star, $235 at 4-star and $421 at 5-star, per room for two. For 4-star, April, July and January were the lowest months, all close to $193. February 2027 was the dearest ($450).
We read 2,032 prices of 197 hotels on Google Hotels on 25 October 2026. That is one Tuesday and one Saturday night a month from November 2026 to September 2027, for 2 adults in one room, close to the city.
By type of stay
- 3-star hotels median $165 a night, middle half $114 to $209 (27 hotels)
- 4-star hotels median $235 a night, middle half $183 to $319 (66 hotels)
- 5-star hotels median $421 a night, middle half $317 to $583 (46 hotels)
- All listings median $289, middle half $193 to $434. This adds 58 places with no star rating or fewer stars, such as guesthouses. Some unrated private rooms and small flats may remain in it.
- Hostels left out. A hostel sells a bed in a shared dorm, not a room for two. We also dropped listings whose name marks a hostel or a flat or house with two or more bedrooms.
Each month, by star class
Google shows a different set of hotels for each date. So we only compare a month with other months of the same star class. We read February prices about 114 days ahead, so part of each gap is how early you book, not just the season. For 5-star, January 2027 was the cheapest month. The ranking covers 11 months.
| Month | 3-star | 4-star | 5-star |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | $251 | $340 | $527 |
| December 2026 | $151 | $235 | $377 |
| January 2027 | $167 | $195 | $350 |
| February 2027 | $267 | $450 | $665 |
| March 2027 | $206 | $262 | $580 |
| April 2027 | $139 | $193 | $355 |
| May 2027 | $163 | $215 | $364 |
| June 2027 | $147 | $205 | $357 |
| July 2027 | $158 | $194 | $401 |
| August 2027 | $145 | $227 | $428 |
| September 2027 | $182 | $258 | $494 |
About these numbers
All figures are the median room price per night for 2 adults on Google Hotels. Each month has only 20 to 35 3-star prices, so a single 3-star month can swing a lot. Prices read months ahead can change as your dates get closer. Whether Google's figure includes GST and fees can vary by listing, so check the final price when you book.
Saturday against Tuesday
How we compared weekends
For each pair we took one hotel and compared its Saturday price with its price on the Tuesday just before, in that month. We have 778 pairs in total: 114 at 3-star, 300 at 4-star and 313 at 5-star, and the rest unrated or 2-star. A 3-star hotel charged a median 16.5% extra for the Saturday. For 4-star it was 9.1% and for 5-star 10%. The gap swings a lot by month. Across all star classes, it peaked at 32.4% in February 2027. In September 2027 it was -7.7%, so Saturdays came out cheaper. Treat it as a rough guide, not a rule.
Well-rated hotels to look at
- Darling Harbour The Darling at The Star
Hotel at The Star on Pyrmont Street, 650 metres from Cockle Bay, with a casino, a spa and 20 bars and restaurants.
- The Rocks & Circular Quay Shangri-La Sydney
Hotel at 176 Cumberland Street in The Rocks, a five-minute walk from the Sydney Opera House.
- Sydney CBD Little National Hotel Sydney
Hotel at 26 Clarence Street, 450 metres from the King Street Wharf entertainment district.
- Bondi Beach Bondi Beach House
Small hotel at 28 Sir Thomas Mitchell Road in Bondi Beach with five individual suites, each with its own bathroom.
Each is rated 8 or more on Booking.com. We have prices for two of these four. Shangri-La Sydney cost a median $467 a night, and Little National Hotel Sydney $285. For more areas, see where to stay in Sydney.
Booking.com ratings and hotel notes as shown on 25 October 2026.
What eating out costs in Sydney
A cheap meal in Sydney costs about $17 and a mid-range main or set menu about $45 per person. Fine dining starts at about $101 per person, before drinks.
These are published prices, not our measurement. Guides and booking sites state them, and we quote them word for word, read on 25 October 2026. Most are starting prices. Fine dining rests on only 2 sources, so read it as a rough guide. The calculator uses the median of each group.
| Meal | Used in the calculator | Published figures |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap meal a simple main or a city lunch deal | about $17 median of 4 sources |
|
| Mid-range main or set menu per person, at a sit-down restaurant | about $45 median of 4 sources |
|
| Fine dining per person, at the top restaurants | about $101 median of 2 sources |
|
Beer and coffee
A pint of beer in Sydney costs $10.35 to $14.25 and a coffee about $4.84, going by published figures. Each rests on only 2 sources. One of the coffee figures may be an Australia-wide average, not a Sydney price.
| Drink | Middle figure | Published figures |
|---|---|---|
| Beer a pint at a pub or bar | about $12.30 |
|
| Coffee a cup at a café; one figure may be Australia-wide | about $4.84 |
|
What tours and tickets cost in Sydney
Paid tours in Sydney cost more than most meals. A guided BridgeClimb costs a median $375 per person. A Taronga Zoo ticket starts from $57, and an Opera House tour from $50.
We measured these ourselves. Each figure is the median "from" price per person of the tours and tickets listed on our pages, as GetYourGuide showed them on 25 October 2026. GetYourGuide showed us prices in euros, so we changed them to dollars at the ECB euro reference rate of 23 October 2026. A "from" price is the lowest option, and it may be a sale price. Yours can be higher.
| Type | Median |
|---|---|
| Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb | $375 $375–$378 |
| Bondi to Coogee coastal walk and Sydney's coastal walks few tours | $126 $111–$140 |
| Taronga Zoo tickets and ferry | $80 $74–$105 |
| Sydney helicopter rides and scenic flights | $480 $376–$743 |
| Koalas and kangaroos: Sydney's wildlife parks | $274 $137–$337 |
| Hunter Valley wine tours from Sydney | $216 $129–$242 |
| Day trips from Sydney | $189 $108–$217 |
| Blue Mountains day trips from Sydney | $205 $187–$215 |
| Whale watching in Sydney | $87 $82–$103 |
| Sydney Harbour Bridge: walk, Pylon Lookout and views few tours | $114 $40–$189 |
| Kayak tours on Sydney Harbour | $155 $134–$168 |
| Sydney Opera House tour and shows | $169 $69–$179 |
| Sydney city tours, hop-on hop-off and walking tours | $112 $68–$208 |
| Hawkesbury River oyster farm tours | $103 $93–$139 |
| Sydney Harbour dinner and lunch cruises | $124 $102–$165 |
| The Rocks and Circular Quay few tours | $45 $30–$83 |
| Surf lessons at Bondi and Manly | $102 $93–$118 |
| Sydney Harbour jet boat rides | $68 $51–$94 |
| Sydney food tours | $127 $103–$147 |
| Sydney attraction passes and Madame Tussauds few tours | $39 $39–$54 |
| Bondi Beach | $223 $188–$293 |
| Sydney Harbour cruises | $60 $53–$71 |
| Port Stephens: dolphins, sand dunes and sandboarding | $52 $43–$94 |
| Sydney bike tours few tours | $139 $119–$149 |
| Sydney pub crawls and brewery tours | $119 $112–$155 |
| Aboriginal culture tours in Sydney few tours | $104 $83–$125 |
Middle half: the 25th to 75th percentile of from-prices; rows with fewer than 4 tours ("few tours") show a rough spread only. A "from" price is the lowest option a listing offers. Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026.
-
from $375 per person BridgeClimb Sydney: Guided Daytime Summit Climb of Sydney Harbour Bridge Check availability -
from $600 per group Bondi to Coogee walk Sydney: Bondi to Coogee Hike with Lunch at Coogee Pavilion Check availability -
from $57 per person Taronga Zoo Sydney: Taronga Zoo Tickets Check availability -
from $270 per person Helicopter rides Sydney: 20-Minute Shared Helicopter Ride over Sydney Harbour Check availability -
from $249 per person Zoos and wildlife parks Wild Wombats and Kangaroo Experience, All Inclusive, Sydney Check availability -
from $129 per person Hunter Valley Pokolbin: Hunter Valley Half-Day Tour with Cheese and Wine Check availability
Free things that replace paid ones
Many of Sydney's best views cost nothing, so you can skip a paid tour and still see the big sights.
- Free Walk across the Harbour Bridge
The bridge has a footpath you can walk for free. You get the harbour view without the climb price.
- Free Bondi to Coogee on your own
Walk the Bondi beach coastal walk by yourself for free. The guided hike with lunch costs $600 per group of up to two, so groups of three or more pay more.
- Free The Opera House from outside
Walk around the building and its steps for free. A guided tour inside starts from $50 per person.
- Free to walk Royal Botanic Garden
The garden runs along the harbour right next to the Opera House. Its paths are free to walk. Check opening times on the garden's site.
- Usually free Art Gallery of New South Wales
The main halls are usually free to walk through. Some special shows charge a fee, so check the gallery's site.
- Opal fare Manly ferry
The ferry from Circular Quay to Manly costs a normal Opal fare. It counts toward your daily cap.
Check opening times before you go. Special shows and events can charge a fee.
What a rental car costs in Sydney
Hiring a car in Sydney costs $93 to $113 a day on average, by published figures, with $97 as the middle value.
These are published figures, not our measurement. The middle value is the median of 4 figures from 3 sites. One site gave two figures, an airport and a city average, and both count here. What you pay turns on your dates, the car you pick, insurance and fuel. The calculator takes the low, middle and high figure for the three styles.
- $93 a day:
On average, car rentals at Sydney Airport (SYD) cost around AUD $93 per day
roadgenius.com.au - $97 a day: middle
On average, car rentals in Sydney cost around AUD $97 per day
roadgenius.com.au - $97 a day: middle
On average, a car hire in Pyrmont, Sydney costs $97 per day
kayak.com.au - $113 a day:
With prices averaging $113 a day
skyscanner.com.au
Advertised minimums, not typical prices: from $41 a day (expedia.com.au) · from $39 a day (oranacarandtruck.com.au).
In the city you rarely need a car. Trains, buses and ferries reach most sights: see getting around Sydney.
Hotel tax, Opal fares and the airport train
A third-party tax guide says New South Wales has no hotel tax, and the Revenue NSW list of state taxes shows none. Check the final price when you book.
Key findings of the 2026 Sydney Travel Cost Study
- $450 for a 4-star night in February, against $193 in April.
For stays advertised on Google Hotels on 25 October 2026 within 15 km of the Opera House, a 4-star night in Sydney cost a median $450 in February 2027 against $193 in April 2027, 133% more (per room per night, 2 adults; on the nights we sampled, one Tuesday and one Saturday per month from November 2026 to September 2027, read months ahead, so the gap mixes season with booking lead time; October 2026 is left out because it was too close to the read date).
- $139 for a 3-star night in April, up to $267 in February.
For 3-star hotels the advertised monthly median ran from $139 per room per night (April 2027) to $267 (February 2027), 2 adults; Google showed a different set of hotels for each night and only 20 to 35 3-star prices a month, so single months move a lot.
- $421 for the middle 5-star night, with 4-star at $235 and 3-star at $165.
The 46 five-star hotels priced in our sample within 15 km of the Opera House were advertised at a median $421 per room per night for 2 adults across 22 nights from November 2026 to September 2027, against a median $235 for a 4-star night and $165 for a 3-star night (unrated listings, hostels and whole flats left out).
- 16.5% more on Saturday than on Tuesday, at the same 3-star hotel.
On the Tuesday and Saturday pairs we sampled, the same 3-star hotel cost a median 16.5% more on the Saturday than on the Tuesday before it (114 pairs of the same hotel on both nights, some hotels in several months, per room per night, 2 adults), against 9.1% for the same 4-star hotel (300 such pairs); the gap varies a lot from month to month, so it is a rough guide, not a rule.
- $17 or so for a cheap meal, $45 mid-range and $101 fine dining, per person.
Published guides put a cheap meal in Sydney from about $17 per person and say mid-range restaurant mains and set menus start at about $45 and fine dining at about $101 per person, before drinks (medians of a small set of cited sources, mostly published starting prices, not our measurement).
- $4.33 for a peak train ride on Opal; fares stop at $19.30 a day, Monday to Thursday.
On Opal a peak-time adult train ride within 10 km costs $4.33, and adult fares stop at a daily cap of $19.30 Monday to Thursday, about 5 such rides; the train from the airport to Central costs $23 one way per adult at the peak fare, our sum of the official station access fee and the train fare (official fares). A third-party source and the Revenue NSW tax list show no hotel tourist tax in Sydney ($0 per night).
Source: 2026 Sydney Travel Cost Study, things-to-do-in-sydney.com (CC BY 4.0)
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: download the data · embed the chart
Method, data and reuse
What we measured ourselves
- Hotels: 2,032 prices of 197 hotels on Google Hotels, read on 25 October 2026. One Tuesday and one Saturday night per month, November 2026 to September 2027, 2 adults, one room; paid ads, listings without a price and duplicates left out. These are the prices advertised for those dates when we read them, not what guests later paid. Months are compared within a star class because Google shows a different set of hotels for each date.
- Activities: the "from" prices of the 140 tours and tickets on our 26 activity pages (the table above), as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026; the calculator offers 12 tours, one per activity page. A "from" price is the lowest option a listing offers, not a typical price.
What we cite
- Meals, drinks and car hire: figures published by travel guides, food-tour companies and rental platforms, that came up in Australian Google searches and quoted word for word with their date. A range counts with its midpoint, each source once per group. No figures from forums or social media. None comes from a page that shows a date in 2022 or earlier; many pages show no date at all.
- Hotel tax, fares: the Roommaster, Transport for NSW.
How the calculator adds up
- Nights and days: the calculator counts per night, so meals and Opal fares use the number of nights. Activities: the default ticks the two priciest of our picks, BridgeClimb and the guided Bondi to Coogee hike with lunch. Together they cost $1,350 for two, a big share of the total. The hike is priced per group of up to two and counted once, so groups of three or more pay more. Tour prices are the lowest advertised "from" prices, changed from euros at the ECB rate of 23 October 2026. Real cost can be higher. Untick them to see the trip without tours. Any month: the median of all 22 nights we read.
- Hotel: nights × rooms (one per two travellers) × the median for the style's star class in that month (or the whole year).
- Eating out: nights × travellers × meals a day at the style's meal price; in comfort, one fine dinner a day and the other meals at mid-range prices.
- Car: days × the style's daily price. Activities: the from-price per person or per group.
- Hotel tax: there is none, so this line is always $0.
- Transport: nights × travellers × the weekday Opal daily cap ($19.30). We assume the Monday to Thursday daily cap every day. That is above what most visitors pay. The cap is lower on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. A weekly cap, Monday to Sunday, can lower the total too. Airport: two train rides per traveller between the airport and Central, $23 each. That fare is our own sum of two official figures: the station fee and the train fare.
Each line is rounded to whole AUD.
Sydney trip costs: your questions
Is Sydney, Australia an expensive city?
It depends most on your hotel and tours. A hotel night in our study ran a median $165 at 3-star to $421 at 5-star, per room. Guides put a mid-range main at about $45 per person. A guided BridgeClimb costs a median $375 per person.
How much does a trip to Sydney cost?
At mid-range, two people pay about $3,256 for 4 nights, with two big tours. That is $407 per person per night, including tours and the airport train. On a budget it is about $316 per person per night, on the same basis. Flights are extra. Set your own trip.
What is the cheapest month to visit Sydney?
For a 4-star hotel, April, July and January were all close: a median $193, $194 and $195 a night. February 2027 was the dearest, at $450. We sampled one Tuesday and one Saturday night per month, read weeks to months ahead, and the lead time differs by month. For 3-star, April was lowest ($139).
What to do in Sydney without spending money?
Walk across the Harbour Bridge on its footpath, or walk from Bondi to Coogee. See the Opera House from outside, and walk the paths of the Royal Botanic Garden. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is usually free to walk through. See the free list.
How much is a beer in Sydney?
Published figures put a pint at $10.35 to $14.25, about $12.30 in the middle. This rests on only 2 sources. See the sources.
How much is a coffee in Sydney?
About $4.84 a cup, from 2 published figures of $4.64 and $5.04. The lower one may be an Australia-wide average.
How much is the train from Sydney Airport to the city?
About $23 one way per adult at the peak fare, from the airport to Central. That is our own sum of two official Transport for NSW figures: the station fee and the train fare.
Is there a tourist tax in Sydney?
No. A third-party tax guide says New South Wales charges no hotel tax, and the Revenue NSW list of state taxes shows none. Our calculator counts $0 per night.
How much is a rental car in Sydney per day?
On average $93 to $113 a day, by published figures, and $97 in the middle. What you pay turns on your dates, the car, insurance and fuel. The car hire section has a button to compare prices.
Sources
Official sources
All read 25 October 2026
- Tourist tax per night: roommaster.com
- Transit day pass: transportnsw.info
- Airport transfer one way: transportnsw.info
Meal and drink prices (cited)
All read 25 October 2026 (the day we read them, not the day they were published; some pages show no date)
Car hire prices (cited)
All read 25 October 2026 (the day we read them, not the day they were published; some pages show no date)