What does emigrating to Australia cost?
Answer four questions and you see an honest range for your situation. For every item it says whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. We don't give an exact figure, because that would suggest a precision nobody has.
Looking for the whole route to Australia, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 9.100 – € 17.700
Where does that difference come from?
- The first months€ 4.000 – € 9.000
- Skills assessment€ 200 – € 2.100
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 4.400 – € 6.900
- De verhuizing
- € 700 – € 1.800
- De eerste maanden
- € 4.000 – € 9.000
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Skills assessment(estimate)€ 200 – € 2.100
A skills assessment is the check of whether your qualifications and work experience match your occupation. What it costs differs by occupation, because each occupation has its own assessing authority. We work with a range of AUD 300 to 3,500. So there is no official rate to measure against: this remains a range.
- Language test (IELTS or PTE)€ 200 – € 500
- Visa application charges€ 3.600 – € 3.900
- Documents, translations and medical examination(estimate)€ 350 – € 500
De verhuizing
- Travel(estimate)€ 700 – € 1.800
One way, outside the high season, including checked luggage.
De eerste maanden
- The first months(estimate)€ 4.000 – € 9.000
This item covers the first period: deposit and rent in advance, temporary furnished living while the household goods are in transit, transport, and living before any income comes in.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 5 to 15% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 12.500 to € 37.500.
The stamp duty, the Australian transfer tax, differs by state and lies around 4 to 6%. For foreign buyers a surcharge comes on top in most states. In New South Wales it is 9%, since 1 January 2025. Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania are in the same order. The ACT (the capital territory around Canberra) and the Northern Territory do not levy that surcharge. In New South Wales you are exempt from the surcharge if you are a permanent resident (a permanent residence status) and spent at least 200 days in Australia in the twelve months before the contract.
Note: buying isn't simply allowed here
Since 1 April 2025 foreigners may no longer buy established dwellings. That also applies to holders of a temporary visa. The measure ran until 31 March 2027 and has since been extended to 30 June 2029. New builds and building land are allowed, after approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board, the Australian regulator of foreign investment. So expect to rent or build new in the first years, unless you become a permanent resident.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 7 August 2026.
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One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with four questions, but the journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates with your real situation: how many children, which household contents, pet or not. It also watches the timing of every step. A one-off € 499, no subscription.
Leaving with AOW or a pension? Compare how countries tax your pension
Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Australia: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Australia change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
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