When people plan an Australian working holiday, many of them ask this.
“How much startup money should I bring?”
Good question. But there is no single answer.
A working holiday to Sydney and a working holiday to Brisbane are not the same visa. A working holiday to Melbourne and one to Perth have a different money structure too.
The visa is one thing, but the city changes the budget.
Rent is different, jobs are different, whether you need a car is different, and temporary accommodation costs are different. That is why working holiday startup costs are often wrong if you budget for the “Australian average.”
The city is your budget.
The bottom line
- The core of early working holiday costs is not the flight but your first 4-8 weeks of survival money.
- Sydney and Melbourne have plenty of jobs and networks, but heavy rent and temporary accommodation costs.
- Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide have a different cost-of-living structure, but you have to look at where the jobs are and at transport together.
- If you are aiming for regional jobs or farm work, a car changes the budget significantly.
- A working holiday in your 30s is not just about the experience — you also have to weigh the opportunity cost and your plan for going back.
Key terms first
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WHV | Working Holiday Visa |
| Bond | Rental deposit. Even if you get it back, it is money that stays locked up while you are here |
| Share house | A Share house where several people live together |
| Regional work | Work in a regional area that can connect to second- and third-visa requirements |
| Buffer | The cash cushion that carries you until you find a job |
Buffer is the most important word in this article.
A working holiday budget is less about “how much you spend” and more about how long you can hold out before you find a job.
What working holiday startup costs are made of
Early working holiday costs usually break down into the items below.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Flight | Varies by departure timing and season |
| Visa application fee | Check the current amount with Home Affairs |
| Insurance | Koreans generally cannot rely on Australian Medicare |
| Temporary accommodation | The money that disappears fastest before you find a place |
| Bond and rent in advance | Even a share house needs cash up front |
| Food and transport | Keeps going out until you find a job |
| Phone, bank, TFN | The basic setup to start living |
| Car costs | A big variable if your strategy is regional or farm work |
The most commonly underestimated items here are temporary accommodation and a car.
The flight is a one-time payment and then it is done. But temporary accommodation goes out every day while you cannot find a place. A car starts adding registration, insurance, servicing and fuel from the moment you buy it.
The Sydney working holiday: plenty of opportunity, but you are short of breath
Sydney is one of the cities with the most opportunity in Australia.
There are lots of jobs, a large Korean network, plenty of information, and many areas you can get around by public transport.
But it is expensive.
Share house rent, temporary accommodation, eating out, transport, even a single coffee — everything feels costly.
The advantage of a Sydney working holiday is job access. The downside is that when your job search drags on, your cash shrinks fast.
If you choose Sydney, the key is this.
In exchange for choosing an expensive city, you have to save your buffer with job-search speed and your network.
The Melbourne working holiday: a balance of work and lifestyle, but watch the winter and the competition
Melbourne is an attractive city for people who love cafes, hospitality, the arts, education and city life.
There are also plenty of the jobs working holiday makers like. But there is just as much competition.
Melbourne has a wide living area, and how the job market feels can change with the weather and the seasons. Even if rent is lower than Sydney, popular areas are still a heavy burden.
If you choose Melbourne, do not look only at rent — look at transport zones, where the jobs are, and the living area together.
Even if you go to the outskirts to live cheaply, if it is hard to get home after a late-night shift, your total cost can actually go up.
The Brisbane working holiday: the cost of living is gentler, but watch the travel
Many people feel that Brisbane has a lower cost-of-living burden than Sydney or Melbourne.
The weather is good, and it is also easy to connect to regional jobs in Queensland.
But public transport access in Brisbane also varies by area, and travel costs change depending on where the jobs are.
If you are also considering farm work or regional jobs, you may end up needing a car.
The key question for Brisbane is this.
“Am I going to work within the city, or move out to a regional area?”
If you work within the city, you can get by without a car. If you plan to head out to regional jobs, you have to put a car and travel costs into your budget.
The Perth working holiday: high wage expectations and the cost of distance
Perth is the center of Western Australia.
It can connect to resources, construction, hospitality and regional jobs, and at times wage expectations can feel high.
But Perth is geographically far. The cost and time of moving to another city are large.
If you go into Perth first, “if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just move to the east coast” can be more expensive than you think.
A Perth working holiday means looking at the chance to earn money and the cost of moving together.
The Adelaide and regional-town working holiday: cheap rent is not everything
Adelaide and regional towns can have relatively low rent and cost of living.
But the number of jobs, transport, networks and access to information can be more limited than in the big cities.
You should not go in just because you heard rent is cheap.
Is there transport to get to the jobs?
Can you live without a car?
If you lose your job, do you have other options?
Are you someone who needs a Korean-language network?
These questions come first.
A city where you can hold out cheaply is good. But if there are too few options, it can get more expensive once you hit a wall.
A working holiday at 25 and at 35 have different buffers
The age limit for Koreans applying for an Australian working holiday has now widened to 35.
So a working holiday is no longer just a choice for people in their early-to-mid twenties.
But a working holiday in your 30s has a different money calculation.
A working holiday at 25 can be strongly about experience and exploration. Even if it fails, there is plenty of time to start again.
A working holiday closer to 35 is different. You may already have a career in Korea, income, and things like a jeonse deposit, stocks, insurance or a pension.
So the real cost of a working holiday in your 30s may not be the flight, but the income and career momentum you leave behind in Korea.
The city choice should change too.
If your goal is a reset, a quiet city with a low cost of living may fit.
If your goal is to explore the possibility of migrating, a city with your occupation, English and networks may fit.
If your goal is to save money, look at job density before rent.
Read next
- Australia working holiday until 35: why the money changes
- Renting in Australia: the cash that gets locked up first
- The cost of settling in Australia — the money that gets ‘locked up’
- Sending money from Korea to Australia
- The Korea–Australia money map
Disclaimer
This article is general information. Rent, wages, jobs, visa conditions and second- and third-visa requirements vary by city, over time and by region. Before making real plans, please check Home Affairs, Fair Work, state government information and the current job market.