What is the cheapest way to travel from Melbourne to Sydney?
FlyUnless the journey is the point — then drive the coast.
Fly. It is usually the cheapest and always the quickest. Melbourne to Sydney is one of the busiest air routes in the world, which keeps fares low and departures frequent — about an hour and a half gate to gate. The overnight coach is sometimes cheaper but takes around twelve hours. The XPT train takes about eleven and is scenic rather than fast. Driving is only worth it if the journey is the point — and if it is, take the coast road rather than the Hume.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
It is about 880km between the two cities, and because so many people make the trip there are four genuine ways to do it. Three of them are about saving money and one is about the drive.
The four ways
| How | Time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Fly | About 1h30 in the air | Usually the cheapest and always the quickest. One of the world's busiest routes, so there are departures all day and fares move a lot — book ahead and avoid Friday evenings. |
| Overnight coach | Around 12 hours | Sometimes undercuts a flight. You save a night's accommodation, which is the real saving. You arrive tired. |
| The XPT train | Around 11 hours | Scenic through the southern highlands, and more comfortable than the coach. Rarely the cheapest. |
| Drive | About 9 hours on the Hume | Only worth it if you are stopping. A one-way hire car carries a drop fee that can cost more than a flight. |
If you drive, take the coast
- The Hume Highway is the fast way and there is nothing on it.Nine hours of inland motorway.
- The coast road through Lakes Entrance, Eden and Batemans Bayis far longer and the only version worth the car.
- Give it three daysif you go that way. Two means driving through the good bits.
- Watch the one-way drop fee.On a Melbourne pick-up and Sydney drop-off it is often the largest line on the bill.
The cheapest option nobody mentions
Do not travel between them at all — travel through them. If Sydney and Melbourne are both on your list and you are heading north afterwards anyway, the 21 day Melbourne to Cairns run includes a Sydney stop with the bus passes and every night booked before you leave home. The leg you were going to pay for separately is already in it.
21 Days Melbourne to Cairnsfrom $274921 days, 20 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping21 days — Melbourne to Cairns, via SydneyView trip21 Days Cairns to Melbournefrom $274921 days, 20 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping21 days — the same run southboundView trip
42 Days Melbourne to Cairns Ultimatefrom $554942 days, 41 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping42 days — the whole east coast, slowlyView tripWhat to do at each end
Both cities have their day trips, and they are the same price. From Melbourne the Great Ocean Road is $139; from Sydney the Blue Mountains is $139. Both pick up from your accommodation, so neither needs a car.
| Trip | From where | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road + Rainforest Tour | Melbourne / Melbourne | — | $139 |
| 1 Day Blue Mountains Tour | Sydney / Sydney | — | $139 |
| 1 Day Phillip Island and Penguins | Melbourne / Melbourne | — | $149 |
| 1 Day Hunter Valley Wine Tour | Sydney / Sydney | — | $164 |
How many days for both cities
Six at a minimum, eight is better — three days each plus the travel between. They are an hour and a half apart by air, which is the one pairing in Australia where two cities genuinely do fit inside a week. There is more on the arithmetic on our how many days do you need in Australia page.
Where this comes from. Trip lengths, effort ratings, pick-up arrangements and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. Distances are road distances and journey times are the published schedules for the coach, rail and air services between the two cities.