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Money Matters - Australian money for travellers
Sydney is an easy city to visit, with a straightforward and buoyant currency. Aside from cash, credit cards, banking cards and travellers’ cheques are accepted almost everywhere. Prices are on par with most major international cities, and a lot cheaper than many, especially those in Europe.
Currency - what money is used in Australia?
The Australian dollar is made up of 100 Australian cents. To see how your currency compares with the Australian dollar, use our online currency converter below.
Banks
Banks in Sydney are generally open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. On Fridays, a number of banks stay open until 7pm, and some open on Saturday mornings.
Credit cards
All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) are widely accepted in Australia.
Travellers' cheques
Travellers’ cheques are widely accepted in Australia, and may be changed at a bank.
Automatic teller machines
Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are available throughout the city, and accept most common cards. Look for your type of card on the posters, stickers or signs next to the ATMs.
Cost of living - what does it cost to visit Sydney?
To give you an idea of how much money you need when visit Sydney, here are some common price comparisons, averaged out.
(Note: These prices are in each country’s local currency. Use our currency converter below to compare the prices in your own currency).
| Item or service | Sydney (AU$) | New York (US$) | London (GBP) |
| Cup of coffee to go | 3.00 | 3.50 | 2.50 |
| A Big Mac | 4.00 | 2.50 | 2.30 |
| A 10 minute taxi ride | 15.00 | 1.50 per mile (+ 20% tip) | 3.00 |
| Broadsheet newspaper | 2.00 | 1.50 | 0.30 |
| Eggs benedict at a cafe | 15.00 | 8.00 (+ 20% tip) | 4.50 |
| Woman's haircut | 70.00 | 95.00 (+ 20% tip) | 70.00 |
| Manicure and pedicure | 55.00 | 40.00 (+ 20% tip) | 40.00 |
| Steak dinner | 20.00 | 20.00 (+ 20% tip) | 23.00 |
| Levi's jeans | 120.00 | 30.00 | 55.00 |
| Dry cleaning (per item) | 6.00 | 3.50 (+ 20% tip) | 7.00 |
| Metro bus or train ticket (per trip) | 3.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
Currency converter
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"My advice: get out on our fabulous harbour and experience the wonders of Sydney’s waterways in one of the many unique ways available."
Jane Hardie, EastSail
