How much to spend on Christmas gifts in Australia
How much should you spend on Christmas gifts in Australia? Real survey figures, a budget by relationship, and a plan that keeps January debt-free.
Every December the same question lands in the group chat: how much are we spending on each other this year? Nobody wants to be the person who turns up with a A$200 hamper when everyone else agreed on a candle. Nobody wants to be the candle person either. This guide gives you the real numbers Australians spend, a budget by relationship, and a plan for keeping the whole thing out of your January credit card statement.
Before you set a budget, ask everyone in your family or gift group to create a free wishlist. It is much easier to spend the right amount when you know what people want, instead of guessing and buying a second slow cooker.
What Australians really spend on Christmas gifts
The big surveys do not agree, and that tells you something. The Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan forecast an average gift spend of A$757 per shopper for Christmas 2025, with total gift spending of A$12 billion. Finder's own survey of 1,011 people, run in October 2025, put the average gift spend at A$438 per person. Same country, same Christmas, a gap of more than A$300.
The lesson is simple. There is no "normal" amount. One survey counts people buying for a whole extended family; the other counts people buying for two mates and a dog. Your number depends on your list and your budget, not on what the neighbours are doing.
The government's money advice service has a useful figure too. ASIC's Moneysmart found that 74% of Australians set a Christmas budget, but 45% of them say they often overspend it anyway, and 31% planned to put some of Christmas on a credit card. The survey was run in November 2024, so treat the exact numbers as a guide, but the pattern is the same every year: most people have a budget, and most people wave at it as they walk past.
Rule one: start with the total, not the gift
Most people budget backwards. They pick a present for each person, add it all up, and then feel ill. Do it the other way round. Decide the total you can spend on gifts this year without borrowing, then split that total across your list. If the total is A$600 and you have 12 people to buy for, that is A$50 a head on average. Some people will get more, some less, and that is fine.
A quick way to find your total: count the pays between now and Christmas and work out what each one can spare after the bills. That is your gift budget. If it is smaller than you hoped, the list gets shorter or the gifts get cheaper. It does not get paid by Future You at 20% interest.
How much to spend by relationship
These are starting points, not laws. They are built on what Australians say they spend and what feels normal in most families. Scale every figure up or down to fit your total.
| Who | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Partner or spouse | A$100 to A$300 | Agree a cap together. The cap is the gift. |
| Your own kids | A$80 to A$200 each | One main present plus a few small things usually lands better than ten medium ones. |
| Parents and in-laws | A$50 to A$150 | Often split between siblings. A joint gift can be bigger and better. |
| Adult siblings | A$30 to A$100 | Or agree on a Kris Kringle and buy for one person only. |
| Close friends | A$30 to A$60 | Mates who do not swap gifts are not bad mates. They are organised mates. |
| Extended family | A$20 to A$40 | Small and thoughtful beats big and random. |
| Coworkers and Secret Santa | A$15 to A$30 | Stick to the office cap, whatever it is. |
| Teachers, coaches, neighbours | A$10 to A$30 | A card with a real message counts for a lot here. |
A few of these have their own guides. For the office, see our Christmas gifts for coworkers guide, which has prices checked at Australian shops. For a family swap, how to organise a family Kris Kringle covers the budget conversation nobody wants to start. For mum, who insists she wants nothing and means the opposite, there is our Christmas gift ideas for mum.
Rule two: the same amount is not the same gift
Spending A$50 on everyone sounds fair and often feels unfair. A A$50 gift for a ten-year-old is a big deal. A A$50 gift for your partner can look like a shrug in wrapping paper. Fairness is about effort and fit, not the receipt.
This is where a wishlist earns its keep. When someone has made a list of things they want, you can spend A$30 on exactly the right thing instead of A$60 on something safe and forgettable. If you are browsing shops online and spot something for your own list, the List of Wishes Chrome extension saves it in one click, so the people buying for you can spend their money well too.
Rule three: cut the list before you cut the budget
If the numbers do not fit, the fastest fix is fewer gifts, not cheaper ones. Three ways to shorten a list without upsetting anyone:
- Switch the adults to a Kris Kringle. Everyone buys one good gift instead of eight small ones. Our Kris Kringle ideas post has the rules and gift ideas, and the free Secret Santa generator draws the names so nobody has to.
- Agree on "kids only" with friends. Most parents are relieved when someone says it first.
- Give experiences or time instead. Babysitting, a home-cooked dinner or a day out costs less than a gift and gets remembered longer than a gift.
A timeline that stops the December panic
- 1Early November: set the total and the list. Write down every person you plan to buy for and the amount next to each name. Add it up. If it is more than your total, go back to rule three.
- 2Mid November: have the budget conversations. Message the siblings about a cap. Ask the friend group whether you are doing gifts this year. Awkward for one minute, pleasant for one month.
- 3Late November: shop the sales with a list in hand. Sale weekends are for buying things already on your list at a lower price, not for buying things you never planned to buy. Our guide to Secret Santa gifts under A$50 is handy here.
- 4Early December: check the running total. Add up what you have spent. If you are over, the last few people on the list get a card and a small, thoughtful gift.
- 5Mid December: stop. Anything bought after this point is usually bought out of panic. Panic shopping is where budgets go to die.
Gift etiquette for the tricky cases
When one side of the family spends much more than the other. Say something early and kindly: "We are keeping gifts to about A$30 each this year." Most people are relieved. The ones who are not were going to be difficult anyway.
When you get a gift you did not expect. You do not owe a return gift of equal value. A warm thank-you message within a day or two is the correct response. A rushed A$40 gift card two days later reads as what it is.
When someone spends far more on you than you did on them. Thank them properly and move on. Trying to "even up" the score is how gift budgets double every year.
When money is tight. Say so, in plain words, to the people who matter. A homemade gift, a shared meal or a handwritten letter is not a lesser gift. Christmas on a credit card is the thing worth avoiding. Moneysmart's advice is to pay with cash or debit where you can and use credit only if you can clear it in full.
How to make the budget stick
Keep one running list of everyone, what you planned to spend, and what you actually spent. A note on your phone works. Look at the total before every shop. Knowing what people want ahead of time is the other half; our guide to how to make a Christmas wishlist shows the family how to do their part.
Make your own list. Start a free wishlist, add a few things at different prices, and share one link with the family. Gift-givers can claim items without you seeing, so nobody doubles up, nobody overspends, and nobody has to pretend to love a second slow cooker. Start your wishlist and give everyone a chance to spend the right amount on you.
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions answered
It depends which survey you read. The Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan forecast about A$757 per shopper for Christmas 2025. Finder's October 2025 survey put it at about A$438 per person. The honest answer is somewhere between A$400 and A$800 for most people, and your own number should come from your budget, not the average.
Most couples land between A$100 and A$300, but the right answer is the number you both agree on. Set a cap together before either of you starts shopping. A cap only works if both people respect it, so no sneaky extra gift "that does not count".
A common range in Australia is A$80 to A$200 per child, with one main present and a few small things. Younger kids do not notice the price tag at all. Older kids notice it more, which is a good reason to ask for a list and buy one thing they truly want rather than several things they sort of want.
No. It is one of the kindest things you can do, since it takes the pressure off everyone at once. Say it early, keep it friendly, and suggest a number rather than asking an open question. "Can we keep it to A$30 each?" gets a yes far faster than "What do you all want to do about gifts?"
Tell the people close to you, and do it before December so nobody is caught out. Offer time, food or a handmade gift instead. Most families will happily agree to cut back when one person says it first. If money is a real worry, the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free and confidential.
Holly writes about gift-giving, wishlists and stress-free group gift exchanges for List of Wishes. She has organised more Secret Santas and Kris Kringles than she cares to admit, and has strong opinions about novelty socks.
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