Melbourne Travel Money Guide

Melbourne runs on coffee, trams and contactless cards — but it hides one trap for visitors: unlike Sydney, you can't tap a bank card on public transport here. You need a Myki. Sort that out and the rest of the city is as cashless as they come.

How much cash to bring to Melbourne

A rough daily budget for a comfortable mid-range trip:

• Food — A$45–85/day (Melbourne's brunch and coffee scene is the city's sport)
• Local transport — A$5–15/day on a Myki (free inside the CBD)
• Culture & sport — A$20–60/day (galleries, the MCG, day trips to the coast)

Paying your way around Melbourne

• You need a Myki — Melbourne is the one Australian city where contactless bank cards don't work on public transport. Buy a Myki at any 7-Eleven or station and top it up.
• The Free Tram Zone is genuinely free — ride the trams anywhere inside the CBD without touching on. Great for getting between laneways.
• Cards for everything else — cafés, bars, shops and restaurants are all contactless, often card-only.
• A little cash — for Queen Victoria Market stalls and the occasional busker.

Neighbourhood cash notes

• CBD & laneways — card-only coffee and food; ride the Free Tram Zone between them.
• Fitzroy & Brunswick — hip cafés and vintage shops, all card.
• Queen Victoria Market — some produce and deli stalls prefer cash; bring a few notes.
• St Kilda — beachside cafés and the pier take cards.

One Melbourne habit

• Grab a Myki the moment you land — it's the one bit of cash-or-card admin the city forces on you. After that, tap your bank card for everything else and ride the CBD trams for free.