Minimum wage workers in Australia spend half their wages on transportation

3 June 2021 – The weekly national minimum wage in Australia is $753.80. In comparison, based on data collected by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), an average Australian household spent $354 weekly on transportation in early 2021. Therefore, a worker earning minimum wage spends approximately half their wages on travelling costs alone. These costs include roads tolls, fuel, car loan repayments, insurance and more.

Additionally, according to Globehunters, Australia has the second most expensive public transportation system, with a monthly expense of $195.47. Now, if this makes you consider buying a car, you may have to save for quite a while. On average, an Australian household saves $717 per month and to buy a car would need roughly $30,000. This means it would take approximately 42 months or 3.5 years for an average Australian household to afford a new car. Learn more about Minimum Wages in Australia