Jordan Trip Cost Calculator
Cost out a Jordan trip from Australia in 2026, including Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and the Jordan Pass that bundles your visa with site entry.
Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea works comfortably in eight to ten nights.
The Jordan Pass is the single best value decision in Jordanian travel and it must be bought online before you arrive, not at the airport. It costs roughly JOD 70 to JOD 80 depending on whether you want one, two or three days at Petra, waives the JOD 40 tourist visa fee entirely, and includes entry to over 40 sites including Jerash, Ajloun and the Amman Citadel. The visa waiver only applies if you stay in Jordan at least three consecutive nights, which almost every itinerary does.
Self driving Jordan is straightforward and the King's Highway from Madaba south through Kerak and Dana to Petra is one of the great drives in the Middle East. Two practical points: hire cars are not permitted into Wadi Rum protected area beyond the visitor centre so you park and transfer to a Bedouin 4WD, and the Dead Sea to Petra desert highway is fast but featureless, so drive the King's Highway one way and the highway the other.
Australian passport holders need a visa for Jordan. Buying the Jordan Pass online before departure waives the JOD 40 visa fee provided you stay a minimum of three consecutive nights, and this is how most visitors enter. Without the Pass, a single entry visa is available on arrival at Queen Alia International Airport for JOD 40 in local currency. Six months passport validity is required. Correct at time of writing, confirm with Smartraveller and the Jordanian embassy before booking.
Petra is far bigger than most people plan for. The walk from the visitor centre through the Siq to the Treasury is about two kilometres, and the Monastery is another 800 or so steps up beyond that, so a genuine visit is a full and demanding day, and two days is better. This is the main reason the two day Jordan Pass tier is usually the right one, since a single day forces you to choose between the Monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice.
💰 Ways to save
- Buy the Jordan Pass online before you fly. It costs roughly JOD 70 to JOD 80, waives the JOD 40 visa fee outright if you stay three or more consecutive nights, and bundles Petra entry along with more than 40 other sites including Jerash and the Amman Citadel. Buying Petra entry separately is JOD 50 for one day, so the Pass effectively hands you the visa and Jerash for free. It cannot be bought after arrival, which is the whole trap.
- Book the Wadi Rum camp directly with a Bedouin operator rather than through a hotel or an international agency. A night in a standard Bedouin camp with dinner, breakfast and a half day 4WD tour typically runs JOD 55 to JOD 90 booked direct, against considerably more through an intermediary. The bubble and luxury camps are a different product entirely at JOD 150 to JOD 350 a night, and worth it only if the accommodation itself is the point.
- Drive the King's Highway rather than paying for a private driver if you are two or more people. A hire car is $50 to $75 a day, roads are good, signage is adequate and the King's Highway route through Madaba, Kerak and Dana to Petra is one of the region's best drives. A private driver and guide for the same circuit is $120 to $180 a day, which makes sense for solo travellers or anyone who wants the interpretation but is poor value for a couple.
- Go in March, June, September or November rather than the April, May and October peak. Jordan's shoulder months still give you workable temperatures for a full day at Petra and comfortable Wadi Rum nights, without the peak pricing and the tour bus volume that April and October bring to the Siq. June is warmer but Petra in the early morning is still very manageable and the crowds thin noticeably.
or from $35/week over 5 years , indicative finance
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## What a Jordan trip costs from Australia in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding jordan trip costs in Australia
What a Jordan trip costs from Australia in 2026
Jordan is more expensive on the ground than most people expect from a Middle Eastern destination, largely because the dinar is pegged high against the Australian dollar and because the headline sites are priced accordingly. Return economy flights from the east coast through Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi typically run $1,800 to $2,700 with one connection and 20 to 26 hours total travel. On the ground, a mid range day with a three or four star hotel, a hire car, meals and site entries comes to roughly $210 to $260. A nine to eleven night trip therefore lands around $4,200 to $5,200 per person on a budget footing, $6,000 to $8,000 mid range, and $12,000 or more with Dead Sea resorts and luxury Wadi Rum camps. The country is compact enough that you are not losing days to transit, which helps the value equation considerably.
Flights and routing reality
Amman is a straightforward one stop destination from Australia through any of the Gulf hubs. Qatar Airways through Doha, Emirates through Dubai and Etihad through Abu Dhabi all connect to Queen Alia International, with total travel time of 20 to 24 hours from Sydney or Melbourne. Royal Jordanian also connects through the Gulf and through Bangkok on some schedules. Because you are transiting a Gulf hub anyway, Jordan pairs naturally with a Dubai or Doha stopover, and it also combines well with Egypt, since a short flight or the Aqaba to Nuweiba ferry connects the two. Aqaba has its own international airport in the far south, and flying into Amman and out of Aqaba, or vice versa, saves a long backtrack up the desert highway on a tight itinerary.
Daily budget tiers on the ground
The budget tier in Jordan works but is less generous than in Egypt or Morocco. Hostels in Amman and Wadi Musa run $25 to $50 a night, local food such as falafel, mansaf and shawarma is $4 to $12, and JETT buses and shared taxis connect the main centres cheaply, putting a budget day at roughly $100 to $130 before site entry. Mid range travel with a three or four star hotel at $90 to $160, a hire car, restaurant meals at $20 to $40 and a Bedouin camp night runs $210 to $270 a day. The luxury tier is anchored by the Dead Sea resort strip at $350 to $700 a night and the Wadi Rum bubble camps at $250 to $600, putting a per person day at $500 to $800. Site entry costs sit on top of every tier and are substantial, which is exactly why the Jordan Pass matters so much.
Entry requirements for an Australian passport
Australians require a visa for Jordan and there are two sensible routes. The dominant option is the Jordan Pass, bought online before departure at roughly JOD 70, JOD 75 or JOD 80 depending on whether it includes one, two or three days at Petra. It waives the JOD 40 tourist visa fee entirely, on the condition that you stay in Jordan for at least three consecutive nights, and includes admission to more than 40 archaeological and tourist sites. The alternative is a single entry visa on arrival at Queen Alia International Airport for JOD 40 payable in local currency, which makes sense only for a very short visit. The critical detail is that the Jordan Pass must be purchased before you arrive, since the visa waiver is applied at immigration and cannot be claimed retrospectively. Six months passport validity is required. Correct at time of writing, confirm with Smartraveller and the Jordanian embassy before booking.
Best and worst times to go
Jordan's shoulder seasons are its best seasons and the peak is narrow. April, May and October are the classic months, with mild daytime temperatures across the whole country, comfortable evenings in Wadi Rum and the desert wildflowers in spring, and they carry the highest prices and the heaviest tour bus traffic through the Siq. March, June, September and November are only slightly less pleasant and noticeably cheaper and quieter. July and August are hard: Wadi Rum, Aqaba and particularly the Dead Sea, which sits roughly 430 metres below sea level and is the hottest place in the country, regularly exceed 40C, and midday activity at Petra becomes a genuine health question rather than a comfort one. December through February brings the opposite problem, with cold wet weather in Amman and Petra, occasional snow that can close the Petra site outright, flash flood risk in the Siq and the wadis, and hotel heating that is often inadequate by Australian expectations.
The costs that dominate a Jordan budget
Petra is the single largest site cost anywhere in this cluster. A one day ticket is JOD 50, roughly $105, rising for two and three day tickets, and the Jordan Pass exists precisely because that number alarmed enough visitors. Wadi Rum is the second: entry to the protected area plus an overnight Bedouin camp with dinner, breakfast and a half day 4WD tour runs JOD 55 to JOD 90 booked direct, while the bubble and luxury camps that dominate social media are JOD 150 to JOD 350 a night. Dead Sea access is a third, since most of the northern shoreline is controlled by resorts and a day pass at one is $50 to $90 if you are not staying. Transport is the fourth, with hire cars at $50 to $75 a day or a private driver and guide at $120 to $180. Restaurant meals are more expensive than neighbouring countries at $20 to $40 for a main in Amman, and alcohol is available but heavily taxed.
Health, safety and currency
No vaccinations are required for entry to Jordan from Australia, and the country has good medical facilities in Amman, but routine immunisations should be current and a travel doctor may discuss hepatitis A and typhoid given the food and water environment. The practical risks are heat, particularly at the Dead Sea and in Wadi Rum in summer, and the physical demands of Petra, where the walk to the Monastery involves around 800 uneven rock cut steps and people regularly underestimate it. Flash flooding in the Siq and desert wadis is a real seasonal hazard in the winter rain months and the site is closed when it threatens. On safety, Jordan is generally stable and well set up for tourism, but it borders a volatile region and advisory levels vary significantly by area, particularly near the Syrian and Iraqi borders, so the current Smartraveller advisory should be read carefully and rechecked close to departure. The currency is the Jordanian dinar, pegged to the US dollar and worth roughly $2.10 to $2.20 Australian, which means dinar prices feel deceptively small and should be roughly doubled in your head.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Jordan trip cost from Australia in 2026?
A nine to eleven night trip runs about $4,200 to $5,200 per person on a budget footing, $6,000 to $8,000 mid range with a hire car and a Bedouin camp, and $12,000 or more with Dead Sea resorts and luxury Wadi Rum camps. Return economy flights through Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi are typically $1,800 to $2,700 with one connection and 20 to 26 hours travel.
Do Australians need a visa for Jordan?
Yes. Most visitors buy the Jordan Pass online before departure at roughly JOD 70 to JOD 80, which waives the JOD 40 tourist visa fee entirely provided you stay at least three consecutive nights, and bundles Petra entry plus over 40 other sites. Otherwise a single entry visa is available on arrival for JOD 40 in local currency. The Pass cannot be bought after you arrive. Confirm with Smartraveller and the Jordanian embassy.
How much does it cost to visit Petra?
A one day Petra ticket is JOD 50, around $105, with two and three day tickets costing more. This is why the Jordan Pass, at JOD 70 to JOD 80, is such strong value: it covers Petra, waives the JOD 40 visa fee and includes Jerash, Ajloun and the Amman Citadel. Petra genuinely needs two days if you want both the Monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice without rushing.
How much is a Wadi Rum desert camp?
A standard Bedouin camp with dinner, breakfast and a half day 4WD tour runs JOD 55 to JOD 90 per person booked directly with a local operator, and noticeably more through a hotel or international agency. The bubble and luxury camps that dominate social media are a different product at JOD 150 to JOD 350 a night. Hire cars cannot enter the protected area beyond the visitor centre, so you park and transfer to a Bedouin 4WD.
When is the worst time to visit Jordan?
July and August, when Wadi Rum, Aqaba and especially the Dead Sea, which sits around 430 metres below sea level, regularly exceed 40C and midday activity becomes a health question. December to February is the opposite problem, with cold wet weather, occasional snow that can close Petra, flash flood risk in the Siq and often inadequate hotel heating. April, May and October are peak, and March, June, September and November are the value sweet spot.
How much spending money do you need per day in Jordan?
About $100 to $130 a day for hostels, local food at $4 to $12 and JETT buses, before site entry. A mid range day with a three or four star hotel, hire car and restaurant meals at $20 to $40 runs $210 to $270. Jordan is dearer than Egypt or Morocco because the dinar is pegged high, worth roughly $2.10 to $2.20 Australian, so dinar prices should be doubled in your head.
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