Italy Budget Breakdown: What 55 Days in Sicily, Puglia and Lake Garda Actually Cost Our Family of Four
Before we left Australia, we knew Europe was going to be the greatest test of our $10,000 AUD monthly family travel budget. Based on everything we’d researched, we genuinely believed Europe was possible within that number.
And honestly… it mostly was.
Italy didn’t completely blow the budget apart, but a few key outliers just stacked harder than expected.
Read our pre-travel budget breakdown here.
What We Actually Spent
Our total allowable budget for the 55 days in Italy was $18,186 AUD. This figure is a breakdown of our 12-month budget divided by 365 days.
Our Total Actual Spend: $19,596 AUD
Over Budget: $1,410 AUD
So yes, we went over… but not by a ridiculous amount.
If it weren’t for a handful of bigger surprises, we would’ve landed pretty close.
Where the Money Went
Sicily (14 Days)
Total Spend: $5,490 AUD
Over Budget: $980 AUD
Accommodation
$1,167 AUD (Giardini Naxos - 7 nights)
$774 AUD (Campofelice di Roccella - 7 nights)
$300 AUD (taxes)
We spent our first week in Giardini Naxos on the east coast, then moved to Campofelice di Roccella on the north coast.
Accommodation taxes were our first real outlier. In hindsight, this was something we should’ve planned for better, especially considering we stretched the accommodation budget slightly for better beach access.
Car Hire, Insurance & Fuel
$645 AUD (car hire)
$565 AUD (extra insurance)
$182 AUD (fuel)
Second outlier was the extra car insurance we needed to purchase when we picked up our car at the airport. If we didn’t pay the extra insurance, the hire company wanted to hold $7,200 AUD on our credit card for up to several weeks beyond hire completion. This wasn’t going to work as we no longer have a physical credit card after it was “borrowed” by someone in Vietnam and we had to cancel it. So extra insurance it was.
Fuel was also expensive. One fill-up for a small SUV at the airport was over €100.
Food & Daily Living
$1,751 AUD
Over Budget: $353 AUD
Food was another area that we went over budget. The weather during our time in Sicily was less than ideal and therefore we spent more time eating out than we should have, just so we had something to do.
Could we have stayed in more?
Definitely.
But we also would’ve been pretty bored.
Mt Etna Tour
$365 AUD
This was the highlight of Sicily and worth every dollar. It was one of those experiences that shaped the rest of our trip.
Sicily Takeaway
Sicily wasn’t outrageously expensive… it just had more hidden hits than expected. In hindsight, the extra car insurance wasn’t needed, but I’m sure glad we had it. Driving in Sicily is crazy. I swear road rules don’t exist.
Puglia Region (26 Days)
Total Spend: $8,315 AUD
Under Budget: $62 AUD
Accommodation
$173 AUD (Bari - 2 nights)
$233 AUD (Lecce - 2 nights)
$1,570 AUD (San Foca - 22 nights)
We broke up the travel from Bari to San Foca with short stays in Bari and Lecce.
Lecce was slightly over budget as we stayed in the old town in a traditional stone apartment. Bari and San Foca were both central and easy to get around.
Transport
$420 AUD (flight Sicily to Bari)
$104 AUD (trains – Bari Airport to Bari, Bari to Lecce)
$130 AUD (private transfers – Lecce to San Foca return)
Because there was no easy public transport option to San Foca, we needed to organise private transfers, which added a bit more than expected.
Local Car Hire (San Foca)
$1,400 AUD (20 days)
$100 AUD (fuel)
This was actually great value. Renting from a local gave us flexibility and worked out much cheaper than going through the major hire companies.
The Big Blowout: Cancelled Train
We had booked an overnight train from Lecce to Lake Garda.
When we arrived at the station, we found out it had been cancelled due to a landslide.
By the time we got to the counter, all suitable alternatives were gone. We were refunded, given a hotel for the night (including breakfast), and a taxi.
From there, we had to pivot.
Replacement Transport:
$680 AUD (car hire to Lake Garda)
$414 AUD (fuel + tolls)
That one disruption added a significant chunk to the budget.
Food & Entertainment
$3,312 AUD
We were slightly over budget here, but we offset that with cheaper accommodation. This allowed us to take advantage of the long weekend festival that happened while we were in San Foca. We also had a few day trips where we drove to Alborobello, Otranto and Castiglione where we bought meals out rather than packing food.
Puglia Takeaway
With everything that happened while we were in the Puglia region, we still managed to come under budget by $62 AUD. Longer stays definitely work out better in the long run as the day to day living costs are much lower, however, transport costs are always a large contributor, especially when they involve planes, cars, private transfers, trains, cancelled trains, last minute car hires, tolls and fuel.
Lake Garda (15 Days)
Total Spend: $5,278 AUD
Over Budget: $455 AUD
Accommodation
$1,445 AUD
$130 AUD (cleaning fee)
We stayed at Piani di Clodia, which was easily the best accommodation of the trip. It had: a waterpark, mini golf, playgrounds, restaurants, grocery store, gym, tennis, paddle courts, lake access, kids club, nightly shows… everything.
The cleaning fee came down to timing. We had an early airport transfer and didn’t have enough time to clean properly.
Transport
$545 AUD (bike hire - 10 days, 4 bikes)
$100 AUD (public transport)
$358 AUD (airport transfer)
Bike hire wasn’t cheap, but it gave us freedom.
The airport transfer was the real hit. Because of our early flight, public transport wasn’t practical, so private transfer was the only option.
Food & Entertainment
$2,662 AUD
This is where we could’ve done better. We were out exploring towns most days and ended up eating out more than planned, so packing lunches would’ve made a noticeable difference here.
We also visited Movieland which was $150 AUD and used the paddle court a few times at $41 AUD per hour.
Lake Garda Takeaway
We were in Lake Garda to be part of a small Worldschooling hub that we had heard about while we were in Austria. The 2 families that we were with there were both attending the hub and we were keen to hang out with them again. The complex provided so many free activities and the kids were able to roam freely with their new friends from sunup till sundown. Kia and I were finally able to relax a little and were able to get into a great routine. Take out the bike hire and the airport transfer and we were well and truly under budget.
What It Was Like Living There
Italy felt different to both Vietnam and Austria. Vietnam was easy saving. Austria was front-loaded with skiing cost and Italy was more reactive. The biggest thing we noticed was that Italy’s budget creep came from lifestyle and logistics rather than one huge category. But Italy also gave us some of our favourite family moments so far. We weren’t sitting around trying to survive Europe, we were out there living it.
The Real Takeaway
If we removed a few major outliers, we actually would’ve landed pretty close to budget and that feels important. Because Italy didn’t prove Europe was unaffordable, it proved that Europe is achievable… but flexibility matters.
We absolutely could’ve done Italy cheaper, but we also would’ve experienced less and for us, that balance matters. Italy pushed us over budget…
but it also gave us Mt Etna, Bari, Lecce, San Foca, Lake Garda bike rides, beach towns, better routines, and some seriously good memories. So, no regrets, just better planning required for the next chapter.