Which place is cheaper, Queensland or Western Australia?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Western Australia or Queensland?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Western Australia and Queensland can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Western Australia or Queensland?
Western Australia
The vast expanses of Australia's largest state are meant for those looking to find a place in the world that's been virtually untouched by man. Western Australia is essentially the entire western third of the continent with most everyone living in the southwest near Perth.
As the capital of this state, Perth is the most isolated large city in the world. With 2 million people living in and around Perth, this city sits in the middle of nowhere. There are less than 500,000 people living outside of the city creating that untouched atmosphere for the traveler looking to truly get away.
Queensland
If you're an adventurer and thrill seeker, it's likely that Queensland, Australia is on your list of dream destinations. This state comprises of most of the eastern coast, but its main draws are the famous Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Park. Travelers flock to the stunning Australian Gold Coast of Brisbane.
Queensland experiences a climate ranging from subtropical to tropical, but keep in mind that Australia experiences the opposite seasons than North America. When it's summer here, the Aussies are experiencing winter.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Australia, The Best 3-Week Tours in Australia, The Best 4-Week (1-Month) Tours in Australia, and The Best Budget Tours to Australia.
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Western Australia Prices
Australia PricesQueensland Prices
Australia Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayWestern Australia $13,612Queensland $157
The average daily cost (per person) in Western Australia is $13,612, while the average daily cost in Queensland is $157. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Western Australia and Queensland in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personWestern Australia $7,399Queensland $71
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomWestern Australia $
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14Queensland $142
Compare Hotels in Western Australia and Queensland
Looking for a hotel in Western Australia or Queensland? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Western Australia $2,116Queensland $25
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Western Australia
Also for Western Australia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport Arrival Transfer in Perth: $119
- Departure Private Transfer: Perth City to Perth Airport PER in Luxury Van: $111
- Departure Transfer: Perth to Perth Airport PER by Business Car: $87
- Perth Airport (PER) to Perth city - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $174
- Private Transfer from Exmouth City Hotels to Exmouth Cruise Port: $65
- Private Transfer from Exmouth Cruise Port to Exmouth city hotels: $65
- Private Transfer from Exmouth Port to Learmonth Airport (LEA): $113
- Private Transfer from Fremantle Cruise Port to Perth Airport(PER): $73
- Private Transfer from Fremantle Cruise Port to Perth city hotels: $73
- Rottnest Island Transfer Flights - by Plane: $252
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Queensland
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Queensland:
- Transfer from Whitsunday Coast Airport One way: $20
- Shared Transfer Between Cairns and Port Douglas: $93
- Private Transfers from Sunshine Coast Airport to Noosa 4pax: $108
- Private Transfers One Way Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $167
- Private Transfers Cairns Airport to Port Douglas: $220
- Private Transfers - Cairns Airport to Palm Cove: $103
- Private Transfer: Airport BNE or Brisbane City to Cruise Port: $126
- Private Transfer to/from Whitsunday Coast Airport: $158
- Private Transfer to/from Shute Harbour: $172
- Private Transfer to Gold Coast /OOL Airport from Brisbane /BNE Airport (1-7 Pax): $248
- Private Transfer from Port Douglas hotels to Cairns Cruise Port: $176
- Private Transfer from Port Douglas Cruise to Cairns hotels: $158
Is it cheaper to fly into Western Australia or Queensland?
Prices for flights to both Queensland and Western Australia change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayWestern Australia $4,365Queensland $57
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Western Australia
For Western Australia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Perth Wildlife Tour Under the Stars with Dinner: $111
- Lake Kununurra Sunset Dinner Cruise: $122
- Margaret River Small-Group Full-Day Wine & Food Tour: $133
- Pinnacles Sunset Stargazing Dinner Experience Small Group Tour: $143
- Pinnacles Desert Sunset Dinner and Stargazing Tour: $158
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Queensland
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Queensland.
- Longreach: Country Classics Buffet Dinner: $35
- Smithy's Outback Dinner & Show in Longreach: $71
- Brisbane/Gold Coast: Sunset, Dinner, Stars/Premium Telescope: $85
- Gold Coast Buffet Dinner Sightseeing Cruise: $100
- Cairns Catamaran Harbour and Dinner Cruise: $104
- Silver-Tails Rail Sunset With Smithy's Dinner & Show in Longreach: $122
- Drover's Sunset Cruise incl. Smithy's Dinner & Show in Longreach: $122
- Cooking Classes on Witta Maleny Sunshine Coast: $129
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Western Australia $1,471Queensland $39
Tours and Activities in Western Australia
For Western Australia, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Perth Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self Guided Walking Tour: $3.52
- Fantasy Hunt in Perth: Self-Guided Puzzle Adventure: $5.87
- Perth Kids Quest: Family Walking Adventure: $6.45
- The Swan River Colony: A Self-Guided Tour of Fremantle: $9.99
- Perth Cultural and Historic Self Guided Walking Tour: $9.99
- Fremantle Spooky Stories Self Guided Walking Tour: $9.99
- Perth Pirate Adventure: Self-Guided Walking Tour: $12
- Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse Fully-guided Tour: $13
- Gourmet Campfire Experience: $13
- Skip the Line: Perth Video Game Console Museum Ticket: $13
- Explore Albany: Self-Guided Audio Tour: $14
- Explore Wonderful Perth: Self-Guided Audio Tour: $16
Tours and Activities in Queensland
Here are a few actual costs in Queensland for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 1 Hour Tour Mooloolaba Sunset Cruise: $29
- 1-Hour Cairns Botanic Gardens Evening Family Experience: $43
- 1-Hour Daintree River wildlife cruise: $28
- 1.5 Hour Jet Ski Coastline Tour, Cairns to Palm Cove Return: $190
- 1.5 hr Jet Ski Safari tour to South Stradbroke Island!: $215
- 1770 Coastline Tour by LARC Amphibious Vehicle Including Picnic Lunch: $63
- 2 Day Great Barrier Reef and Kuranda Scenic Train & Skyrail Tour: $273
- 2 Hour Ultimate Learn to Surf Adventure: $47
- 2.5 hr Jet Ski Safaris tour - Ultimate Adventure + island stop: $286
- 3 Hours Private Brisbane Walking Tour: $215
- 30 min Jetski Tour Cairns: $79
- 4H Snorkeling and Fishing Cruise on Magnetic Island: $104
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayWestern Australia $835Queensland $13
Sample the Local Flavors in Western Australia
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Western Australia:
- Swan Valley Gin Distillery Tasting: $14
- Premium Temper Temper Chocolate & Red Wine Tasting: $22
- Private Wine Tasting in Barrel Hall: $29
- Private Barrel Hall Wine Tasting in the Margaret River Region: $37
- Small-Group Wine Tour in Margaret River: $40
- Savour Voyager Wine Tasting: $47
- Back Vintage Wine Tasting: $47
- Swan Valley Wine Tour - Half Day Afternoon: $79
- Discover Voyager Tour and Wine Tasting: $94
- Broome Afternoon Tour: Crocodile Refuge Brewery and Museum: $115
- Build your own Unique Private Winery/Brewery Tour at the Margaret River region: $122
- Half Day Swan Valley Afternoon Wine Tour - Premium Small Group Tour: $129
Sample the Local Flavors in Queensland
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Queensland:
- An Epic Bar Crawl Sunshine Coast: Sippin on Sunshine: $15
- Rum Distillery Tour: $16
- Tamborine Mountain Distillery Tour & Tasting: $22
- XXXX Brewery Tour: $29
- Cairns Party Bus Pub Crawl Night Out Experience: $47
- Craft Distillery and Brewery Tour on Gold Coast: $83
- Afternoon Brisbane Half-Day Brewery Tour: $114
- Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting in Brisbane: $129
- Full Day Guided Wine Tour in Mt Tamborine From Brisbane: $144
- Hinterland Heritage Wine Tour: $144
- Full-Day Guided Wine Tour in Mt Tamborine From Gold Coast: $144
- Brisbane Brewery Full Day Tour with Lunch: $150
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Western Australia and Queensland, we can see that Western Australia is more expensive. And not only is Queensland much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Queensland would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Queensland and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Western Australia would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Western Australia than you might in Queensland.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Western Australia Expensive? and Is Queensland Expensive?.
Which has a larger population, Western Australia or Queensland?
Queensland has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Western Australia. When comparing the sizes of Western Australia and Queensland, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.