How much cash should you take overseas?

It depends entirely on the country, and the spread is enormous.

How much cash you need depends entirely on the country, and across the 36 destinations researched here the range runs from almost nothing in the United Kingdom to enough to cover a whole island stay in Vanuatu.

What holds everywhere is the method: arrive with about a day of spending and withdraw the rest from a local bank ATM. Airport exchange desks are consistently the worst rate an Australian traveller is offered.

Should you buy currency before you leave Australia?

Buy a small amount for the first day if it makes you comfortable, and no more. The ACCC’s inquiry into foreign currency services found the big four banks were rarely the cheapest for the most commonly bought currencies, and airport exchange desks are worse again. A withdrawal from a local bank ATM on a fee-free card almost always beats both, even after the ATM fee.

The exception is a destination where you genuinely cannot rely on finding a working ATM in the first few hours - some Pacific islands, and remote arrivals generally. The tables below say which those are.

How much cash each destination needs

Every destination on this site is researched for how much its everyday economy actually runs on cash. 14 of 36 are close to cashless, 17 need cash the moment you leave the tourist centre, 4 run on cash outright, and one - China - runs on a mobile wallet that barely accepts foreign cards at all.

Cash-first (4 destinations)

Card acceptance is the exception. Plan cash as your default and withdraw before you leave the main towns.

Destination	Currency	Cash to have access to
Cambodia	KHR	Carry USD $100-$200 in clean, small notes. This is a cash economy that happens to use someone else's currency.
Laos	LAK	Carry substantial cash. Laos is the most cash-dependent country in the region and running short in a small town is a real problem.
Nepal	NPR	Carry substantial cash, particularly for trekking - there are no ATMs on the trails.
Vanuatu	VUV	Withdraw enough before leaving Port Vila. Running out of vatu on Tanna is a real and common problem.

Mobile wallet first (1 destination)

Foreign cards are barely accepted. The everyday payment method is an app you should set up before you fly.

Destination	Currency	Cash to have access to
China	CNY	Carry a few hundred yuan in small notes. Change for a large bill can be hard to come by, so break them where you can.

Cards in cities, cash outside them (17 destinations)

Cards work in the places tourists spend most, but a day out of the centre needs notes.

Destination	Currency	Cash to have access to
Croatia	EUR	Carry €60-€100, particularly for island travel.
Fiji	FJD	Take enough cash for your whole island stay before you leave the main island.
Germany	EUR	Carry €100-€150. This is the one Western European country where running out of cash is a real inconvenience.
Greece	EUR	Carry €80-€150, more if you are island-hopping. Ferry ticket offices and small tavernas are the usual cash-only points.
Hong Kong	HKD	Carry HKD $500-$1,000. Hong Kong is more cash-dependent at street level than its skyline suggests.
India	INR	Substantial - carry small notes for tips, autos and markets.
Indonesia	IDR	Plan for cash as your default. Withdraw the maximum per transaction to spread the fee.
Japan	JPY	Carry ¥10,000-¥20,000 (roughly AUD $100-$200) at any time.
Malaysia	MYR	Moderate - hawker food and markets are the main cash uses.
Maldives	MVR	Almost none if you are resort-based. Carry USD $100-$200 in small notes for tips and for local island guesthouses.
Netherlands	EUR	Carry €40-€60 as a fallback. The real fallback is a debit card, not cash.
Philippines	PHP	Take plenty of cash before heading to islands like Siargao or El Nido.
Sri Lanka	LKR	Carry the equivalent of AUD $100-$200 in rupees. Sri Lanka is a cash economy outside the capital.
Taiwan	TWD	Carry NT$2,000-NT$4,000. Taiwan is more cash-based at street level than its infrastructure suggests.
Thailand	THB	Cash is still king for day-to-day spending.
Türkiye	TRY	Carry the equivalent of AUD $80-$150 in lira for markets, taxis and minibuses.
Vietnam	VND	Cash for most day-to-day spending. Watch the zeros.

Close to cashless (14 destinations)

You can get by on tap alone. Carry a small amount for markets and the occasional holdout.

Destination	Currency	Cash to have access to
Canada	CAD	Carry CAD $50-$100. Very little needs cash beyond small-town parking and tips.
France	EUR	Carry €50-€100 for markets, small villages and the occasional card-machine outage.
Ireland	EUR	Carry €50-€80. More if you are crossing into Northern Ireland, where you will need sterling instead.
Italy	EUR	€50-€100 for markets, coperto and small towns.
New Zealand	NZD	Very little. Carry NZD $50-$100 for rural markets and small-town parking.
Portugal	EUR	Carry €50-€80 for markets, small tascas and tram tickets.
Singapore	SGD	Small amounts for hawker centres, though most now take PayNow or cards.
South Africa	ZAR	Carry R500-R1,000 for tips, car guards, markets and roadside stalls.
South Korea	KRW	Small amounts for traditional markets and street food.
Spain	EUR	Carry €50-€100. Spain is closer to cashless than Germany but not as far along as the Netherlands.
Switzerland	CHF	Carry CHF 50 at most. There is very little you cannot pay for by card.
United Arab Emirates	AED	Very little - mostly for souks and taxis in older areas.
United Kingdom	GBP	Almost none.
United States	USD	Very little - mostly for tips at hotels and small vendors.

How to carry cash safely overseas

Withdraw larger amounts, less often. Where the local ATM fee is a flat charge - Thailand’s is a fixed 220 baht regardless of amount - four small withdrawals cost four times what one larger one does. More on ATM fees.
Split what you carry. The figures above are what to have access to, not what to walk around with. Day money on you, the rest in the safe, an emergency note somewhere separate.
Small notes matter more than you expect. In several of these countries a large note is genuinely hard to break, and in a few - Cambodia among them - a torn or marked note will be refused outright.
Declare AUD $10,000 or more. In either direction, in any currency. There is no limit and no tax, only a declaration. Taking cash in and out of Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Where do Australians get the best exchange rate before flying?

Generally not the airport and generally not a big four bank. The ACCC's inquiry into foreign currency services found the big four were rarely the cheapest supplier for the most commonly bought currencies, and airport exchange desks are worse again. If you want physical currency before you go, compare a specialist provider - and only buy the first day's worth, because a local ATM withdrawal usually beats all of them.

Should I take US dollars as a backup currency?

In a few places, yes. Cambodia is effectively a US dollar economy and its ATMs dispense dollars, and the Maldives runs on dollars outside the resorts. Elsewhere it is not the universal fallback people imagine, and changing dollars into local currency means paying a spread twice. Where it does help, take clean, unmarked, small notes - torn or written-on notes are refused outright in parts of Asia.

Do I have to declare cash when leaving or returning to Australia?

Yes, if you are carrying AUD $10,000 or more, or the equivalent in any foreign currency, in either direction. There is no limit on how much you can carry and no tax on it - the requirement is only to declare it. Splitting the amount between travelling companions to stay under the threshold is an offence in itself.

Is it safe to use ATMs overseas?

Generally yes, with the usual precautions: use a machine attached to a bank branch during opening hours rather than a standalone one in a lobby or arrivals hall, cover the keypad, and check the card slot for anything that looks added on. If a machine retains your card, a branch machine means someone can retrieve it. This is a second reason bank ATMs beat the independents, on top of the lower fees.

More on travel money

Should you pay in AUD or the local currency? Always choose the local currency. Travel card, debit card or credit card? A low-fee debit card wins on cost for most trips. What is a foreign transaction fee? A charge from your own bank, not the overseas merchant. How to avoid ATM fees overseas Three fees stack, and two are avoidable. Why you were charged more than the exchange rate Four usual suspects, and they stack.

Start from the top: travel money cards by destination, or read the overview in travel money for Australians.

Last reviewed 3 September 2026. Account fees and conditions change without notice, and the accounts that waive a fee today may not tomorrow. Confirm anything that matters against the product disclosure statement and the sources below.

New destination guides and side-by-side comparisons for Australian travellers - which eSIM, which travel card, which insurance is worth paying for, and what to sort before you go. Prices in Australian dollars, a few emails a year.