Australia Money

Money & Costs
 
Costs
 
The cost of living in Australia does not vary much if compared between families and is quite uniform .If you are coming from Europe or other continents, you will find life here quite cheap and manageable compared with life back home. Expenditure, however, realistically falls on the lifestyle of an individual and this will determine on how much his/her lifestyle can be rated according to costs. With European and American standards, the most expensive costs you will encounter in Australia are accommodation and transport although much cheaper if compared to Southeast Asia.

Most adventurous people and travellers alike who are up for sightseeing, car hire and making hotel or motel bookings and up for a good meal should expect to spend about $110 per person per day but mostly not more than $160 per person for an individual per day. However in larger towns, prices tend to go up on most amenities and you could end up spending not less than 50$ extra but $30 less in less visited places. Raised fuel prices means you could save yourself a lot of financial headaches by not using Four Wheel Drive(4WD) motor vehicles when making road trips and instead prefer smaller Two Wheel Drive cars that do not use as much fuel and  could hence prove rewarding economically.

With a wide range of activities to choose from, tourists who come along with younger folk or people who are quite demanding can be assured of keeping them completely satisfied without spending a lot of money and over running their budget by visiting parks, setting up camps or booking motels with pool facilities and game rooms, kids menus and interesting youth and family activities.

If you are the type who is up for a great adventour, a $100 for a day, per person, would not be such a bad amount to spend although you could save massively if you travel by public transport and cook your own meals. You could also camp or stay in hostels instead of booking a hotel or motel and would probably end up saving over $80 per day.
 

Money
 
Exchanging Money
 
Trading foreign currency for local money is usually not such a complex or difficult process. You can simply go to a licensed money changer such as Travelex or Amex or a local bank and have your money changed there without a lot of trouble.
 

Taxes & Refunds
 
Most large purchases such as accomodation, furniture and transport are Tax incusive.The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a broad based 10% tax placed on most goods and services. The tax however was implemented so that it does not cover the most basic purchases such as milk, bread and fruits. Prices are made with GST added and mostly quoted on the comprehensive price together with the GST Tax by law.

However, travelling by air or sea to other countries is GST free and the tax is also not imposed on local air travel when bought from abroad by foreign nationals or tourists.

Visitors/tourists are entitled to a 30 day refund allowance claim for any GTS or Wine Equalization tax (WET) charge paid under Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) from any local supplier where the customer has bought goods worth at least $300.This entitlement is however limited to a number of goods and the customers/clients who qualify for this has to wear or carry these items as hand luggage onto the plane or ship.

The Tourist Refund Scheme is valid for claims from multiple suppliers. The client/customer however, will have spent at least $300 on each purchase.
 

Travellers Cheques
 
Although most people prefer the easier and better way of collecting money by using internationally linked credit and debit cards, traveller’s cheques still remain helpful in financial matters and still play a vital role. They can be cashed or exchanged quite easily from many banks and money agents throughout the country. It becomes quite complicated to cash your cheque if it is not a well known brand but international recognized cheques with brand names such as AMEX should not be difficult to exchange. You should be asked for identification at the exchange point. You will however have to be present it in form of a passport. The movement of traveler’s cheques in and out of Australia is not necessarily restricted.