What a month it’s been! I’m over halfway with my year in Australia now. And October has been a crazy month in WA and on the West Coast… I rolled my car on 17 October, which meant a very fast change of plans. Without a vehicle, I became homeless twice over, and needed to pivot. Although I did buy a new car, my monthly budget runs from the 28th of the month to the 27th (based on the date I landed in Australia back in March) – so that massive expense will be included in next month’s budget breakdown. I can’t wait lol.

I typically break down my expenses into four main categories: accommodation, gas, food, and other. “Other” is really a mix of anything else I spent money on – sightseeing, laundry, whatever. Find out what made up the “other” category for this month below!

How Much I Spent in Month 7 in Australia

So, how much money did I actually spend? Here’s a budget breakdown for the month!

Accommodation: $261 = £136 // 165 USD

Gas: $1350 = £705 // $855 USD

Food: $379 = £198 // $240 USD

Other: $669 = £349 // $424 USD

Total: $2659 AUD = £1392 // $1684 USD

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Australia Budget Analysis

I was starting to feel the pinch towards the beginning of the month. Like September, I was blowing SO much money on gas as I road tripped this month. When all of a sudden I needed to blast down to Perth, and cover ~1600km in a (diesel) vehicle, I dropped a LOT of money on fuel. I was going to spend about three weeks driving this distance – so to drive it in three days was a big hit on my budget. Plus, gas in Broome and other remote places was so expensive. I understand that it’s because it costs a lot to get the fuel there. But man, it hurts. I paid $2.68/L at Sandfire roadhouse, which remains the most expensive gas throughout my entire trip in Australia.

I’m so grateful that for two weeks after the crash, I’ve been able to stay with my friend Shelley in Perth. SO immensely grateful. She and I connected on Instagram years ago when she was living in York, but had never met in person (she runs Wander & Luxe). When I said I was going to Australia, she said she’d be happy to put me up if I came to Perth. I messaged her almost immediately after the crash and asked if I could come and stay. So, I’ve thankfully had somewhere to stay where I can recover and sort things out – and not have to pay for accommodation. It has been such a blessing, and I appreciate it so much.

The rest of my budget for the month is pretty standard. I needed to pay for a hostel in Broome to get some air conditioning – those four nights were about half of my accommodation budget. My food budget is thankfully lower than previous months. I had access to a fridge for pretty much the whole month, which made a huge difference in my food costs!

My other expenses this month were a mixture: $406 on a Ningaloo Reef tour (where I went swimming with a whale shark!), laundry, Kmart runs, a WA parks pass for the month, and $150 for a mechanic on Airtasker to help me inspect my car. I was a bit worried about how much the reef tour was, but it was an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and worth every cent. The money I spent on Courtney, a certified mechanic of 35+ years, to help me with my car was also absolutely worth it.

Next month will be a bit dramatic with all the expenses for the car! I hope this post helps anyone budgeting a trip around Australia.

Have you ever been to Western Australia before?

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Australia Budget: Month 6 (September 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 5 (August 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 4 (July 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 3 (June 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 2 (May 2023)

Australia Budget: Month 1 (April 2023)

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