How Much Does A Trip To Cairns Cost?
A trip to Cairns can cost anywhere from $60 per day to $200+ per day, depending on your travel style. Most travellers will probably spend between $100 and $200 per day if they have a more flexible, mid-range travel style.
If you stay in hostel dorm rooms, cook your own food, and choose the most affordable tours and free activities, you can get away with spending $60 per day. On the other hand, you can easily spend well over $200 per day if you have a bigger budget and a more lavish travel style.
Let’s get into all the nitty-gritty details of what a trip to Cairns may cost!
How much does a trip to Cairns cost?
There are many factors that will affect your Cairns trip cost, including trip length, time of year, and travel style. Every traveller is different and will have a unique experience in Cairns, so it’s hard to give an exact cost for a trip to Cairns.
But we’ll go over these different factors that can affect your trip cost, and provide some estimates later on. Use this guide as a trip planning tool and guideline so you can get an idea of how much money you might need. But always be flexible and do your own research as well.
You can even chat with our team of travel experts for more advice and recommendations for your trip to Cairns!
Factors that affect your Cairns trip cost
Trip length
This one is a given, but generally a longer trip to Cairns will cost more than a shorter trip. However, sometimes longer trips can actually be better value for money.
For example if you’re renting a car, the price per day can decrease if you hire for a few days or more as opposed to one day. You can also get tour packages that include multiple tours for a discounted price. This gives you a better deal on multiple cool experiences, as opposed to one full-priced tour.
If you’re staying in Cairns for a few days or longer, you can also find accommodation that includes a kitchen. Then you can stock up on some groceries and prepare your own meals, which is cheaper than dining out for every meal.
But when looking at overall trip costs, generally a shorter trip will be cheaper overall.
Time of year
The costs for visiting Cairns can vary based on the time of year. Peak season in the tropics tends to coincide with the dry season, which is May to October. This is when the weather is warm and dry, and therefore more favourable for outdoor reef adventures. But when the weather is better, the demand for activities, flights, and hotels is higher and things can be more expensive. This surge in prices also occurs around holidays and events.
The cheapest time to visit Cairns is the height of the rainy season, which is January to March. February is the rainiest month! So storms are more frequent and the weather is hot and humid, but prices are super low.
Many choose to visit Cairns in the shoulder seasons, such as April or November. These months are right on the edge of the wet and dry seasons, meaning the weather is nice but the prices aren’t at their peak.
Travel style
Your travel style is a huge factor in the cost of a trip to Cairns! Let’s briefly go over the different travel styles and how costs for accommodation, food, and activities may differ.
A great way to travel is to strike a balance between budget, mid-range, and luxury. Treat yourself where you want to and live life to the fullest, but be more frugal in other areas. Just think about what your budget allows for and how you can enjoy Cairns without burning through money too quickly!
Explore the best of Cairns in Australia!
Budget travel in Cairns (60 - 100 AUD per day)
Backpackers and budget travellers will find that Cairns can be very affordable! You just have to sacrifice a bit of luxury to get the lower prices. But it’s still very possible to enjoy Cairns on a budget.
- Accommodation - Stay in hostel dorm beds, caravan parks, or budget hotels and motels
- Food - Buy groceries and cook most of your own meals, or prioritise cheap eats around Cairns
- Activities - Choose the most affordable day trips and half-day trips, or prioritise free activities
- Transport - Stay in a centrally located area and walk to most places, or take cheap public transport
Travelling this way is ideal for young backpackers, solo travellers, or families on a budget. In addition to finding affordable ways to sleep, eat, and explore, you can also save money by limiting shopping and souvenirs!
Mid-range travel in Cairns (120 - 200 AUD per day)
Most travellers will likely fall into the mid-range travel style. It’s good to splurge on some cool activities, but also smart to save money in other areas. Here are some ideas of how you can travel Cairns on a mid-range budget.
- Accommodation - Stay in hostel private rooms, mid-range hotels and resorts, dive liveaboards
- Food - Combine some nice restaurants, cheap eats, and cooking your own meals
- Activities - Choose reasonably priced day tours, day trip combos, maybe a few overnight tours
- Transport - Combine walking, public transport, Ubers, tours with transport, and possibly car rental
The key to maintaining a mid-range budget is balance. Maybe one day you book an epic Great Barrier Reef tour with scuba diving, and the next day you just enjoy free sightseeing around Cairns. Maybe one day you do some souvenir shopping and have a nice seafood lunch, and the next day you spend all day eating cheap snacks at a free waterfall. It’s all doable with balance!
Luxury travel in Cairns (200 - 400+ AUD per day)
If you have a bigger travel budget for Cairns, you can really experience the finer things in life here. Here is what a luxury trip to Cairns might look like.
- Accommodation - Stay in luxury hotels and resorts, Airbnbs and apartment rentals
- Food - Dine out at fabulous restaurants, cocktail bars, and dinner cruises
- Activities - Book all the amazing upgrades on tours such as diving and scenic flights, choose luxury tours or private tours
- Transport - Take taxis and ubers, book car rental, take private transfers
So there is so much you can do in Cairns with an unlimited budget. However, not many travellers have unlimited budgets! So you can take bits and pieces from the luxury travel style and mix it in with some budget travel tips to get a more well-balanced trip cost.
Flights to Cairns
On top of your spending on activities, accommodation, food, and transport, you will need to buy flights to Cairns. That is, unless you’re road-tripping to Cairns from elsewhere in Queensland. But for most travellers, flying into Cairns is the easiest way to get there.
Flights to Cairns will be cheaper in the off-season. You can also keep an eye out for travel deals and discounts on Australia’s most popular airlines, such as Qantas or Jetstar. You can score some very affordable flights to Cairns from Australia’s major cities, especially if you are flexible with your travel dates and able to fly with just a carry-on!
Read our guide to finding cheap flights to Cairns for more ways to save on airfare.
