How much does a full NZ-Australia series trip cost?
A real Melbourne Boxing Day Test budget, plus what the other 3 legs cost in tickets alone
This is a genuinely uneven trip to cost out — four cities, four different hotel markets, and one of them (Melbourne, Boxing Day week) is the single highest-demand hotel window of the whole series. We've costed Melbourne in full below as a representative example of what a leg of this trip runs, plus the real ticket-tier costs that apply to any of the four Tests, so you can multiply out whichever legs you're actually planning to attend.
Typical 3-night Melbourne trip (Boxing Day Test, General Admission)
US$1,047–US$1,379
A 3–4 star hotel, food, local transport, and a General Admission single-day Test ticket for 3 nights. Excludes flights — genuinely origin-dependent, see the Planner link below.
Prices verified 21 Jul 2026 — not real-time
Three ways to do the Melbourne leg (3 nights, hotel + food + transport + a single-day Test ticket)
Budget
US$555–US$1,085
- • A basic, well-reviewed Melbourne hotel
- • General Admission
Moderate
US$1,047–US$1,379
- • A solid 3–4 star hotel, good tram/train access to the MCG
- • General Admission
Splurge
US$1,892–US$2,884
- • An upscale hotel with real amenities, walking distance to the CBD
- • Outdoor Boxes, The Lounge
Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney — use Melbourne as your guide
We've costed Melbourne in full above as a representative example of what a leg of this trip runs. If you're planning a Perth, Adelaide, or Sydney leg specifically, use those same hotel-tier ranges as a rough guide and adjust for each city's own market, plus the ticket-tier prices below (they apply to every venue) and the Planner for a real flight-cost range from your city.
Ticket tiers — applies to any of the four Tests
General Admission (single-day Test match ticket)
US$29–US$166
Single-day Test match ticket
Outdoor Boxes, The Lounge (single-day Test match ticket)
US$526–US$627
Single-day Test match ticket
Private Suites, The First XI (single-day Test match ticket)
US$876–US$974
Single-day Test match ticket
Getting around Melbourne, cheaply
This price covers Melbourne's myki-based trains, trams, and buses, capped at $11.40/day for Zone 1+2 — genuinely no car needed. If you're an Australian Open ticket-holder, tram routes 70/70a between Docklands and Melbourne Park run free during the tournament.
A local money-saving trick
This price covers casual dining, not CBD laneway prices — Melbourne's Asian food scene (Vietnamese, Thai, Indian) delivers solid meals for A$10–18. Queen Victoria Market's food stalls are the real budget move, with meals under A$6.
What about flights?
Flight cost genuinely depends on your route — a one-city trip to Melbourne is a very different flight budget from a full four-city Perth-Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney itinerary, and the domestic legs between the four host cities are a real, separate cost on top of your international flight in (see the Getting There guide). Tell the Planner where you're starting from and which cities you're actually visiting.
Check flight costs from your city →Get the full picture
Every number above is real and free — the pack doesn't unlock more prices, it unlocks the decision. Which of the four legs is actually worth the trip if you can only pick one, how Boxing Day week's hotel demand changes what you should book and when, and the real tradeoff between a single-city trip and the full four-city series.
US$5Rises to US$10 after 1 October