People get funny when talking about money. Whether it’s your salary, 401k value, new car price, or how much a trip costs, no one wants to come across as a pretentious braggart. Well, stuff costs money, and people spend their money in different ways. With that in mind I’m going to borrow an idea from my friends over at OneSixtyK and provide a weekly breakdown of what it’s costing me to hang out over here in Australia. My hope is that it helps someone plan for his or her own trip.
| Week 1, 1/28 – 2/3 | Sydney (not cheap) | |
| Transportation | $66 | cab, train, ferry |
| Dining | $69 | street vendors, cafes, starbucks, etc |
| Groceries | $62 | misc food, toiletries, umbrella |
| Entertainment | $75 | zoo entry, IMAX movie |
| Lodging | $314 | seven nights, airbnb.com |
| Shopping | $85 | gifts, souvenirs, cellphone SIM card |
| Week 1 Total | $671 | |
| Airfare | $1943 | SLC -> LAX -> SYD |
| Trip Total | $2614 |
While typing all that out I realized that it’s going to be tough to track what I’ve spent using cash, so take the total number as as my best guess. For example, I spent a little over $200 in cash during the first week, which includes all of my transportation and some of my dining, but I may have missed a trip to McDonald’s.
I’m travelling solo and I’m not that extravagant so the “fanciest” dinner I had was a burger that cost $22. A very popular travel blog scared me with how expensive meals would cost in Sydney, saying that you should budget $25 just for lunch. An 8″ pepperoni pizza can be had for eight bucks and that’s good enough for me. You can also make the trip more affordable by mixing in free events such as a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art near the Opera House or a trip to one of the many awesome beaches and parks.
So there you have it. I knew the first week in Sydney would be expensive. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make the trip more affordable so stay tuned…
kentuckyfriedscott 
Okay, this post does not come from anything on your Mother’s side of the family…..finances are not my forte. You inherited this gene from your father, thankfully!!!
Yo Scott: Seems like your (perceived) fear of the high cost of Sydney is not all that bad. You saved a bundle with your airbnb accommodations, which accounted for about half of your week’s expenses. Judy and I have stayed places where that amount was not far off from one night’s housing! And the rest of your expenses don’t seem all that out-of-line to me. And the bigger question is “are you happy with your first-week’s experiences, and what sort of price would you put on those experiences thus-far?” I think it’s important to keep track of your expenses, and sharing that info could certainly be beneficial for those who may be thinking of a similar trip. But I hope you don’t deny something fun (during your trip of a lifetime) just because of the cost. So what’s next??? More time in Sydney, moving somewhere else, or what? Keep us posted, it’s lots of fun to read about your adventures. Hope you’re having a good time, and taking a lot of pictures also. It’s a little like being there vicariously through your postings. So, be careful, have fun, keep track of expenses, and take it all in. Lots of thoughts and good wishes. Love ya Unc
P.S. don’t worry about money too much, I sold your classical for enough to cover your grocery expenses. Pretty cool Huh!