Balling on a Budget: Granada Edition

Hola! This blog post is for everyone else like me who was worried about going abroad on a tight budget. Me and my friends have an expression: “balling on a budget.” It means we that we still want to “ball out”, which essentially means still having a good time and doing all the things we want and going on adventures and having fun, BUT, on a budget. I am keeping track of my budget diligently because I can’t blow through all my life savings, so I recommend using an app called TripCoin because it’s a huge life saver. Here’s how I split it up:

FOOD: It’s a little different for me than most students because I am living in my own apartment here when the majority of students live with host families. Living in the homestay you will be given breakfast and lunch, leaving you to buy dinner on your own. Since lunch is the biggest meal here, dinner will usually consist of a drink (soda, wine, or water) and tapas. You will typically spend no more than 8-10 euros a night on dinner. If you’re addicted to caffeine like me then you’ll probably spend under two euros on a coffee nearly every day also. To keep myself in check, I set a 10 euro/day budget while in Granada. It evens out relatively easily because some days I spend more and some I spend less. Granada is a VERY affordable city so 10 euros a day shouldn’t be a problem. And if you have the means to spend more, spend it on food because it’s very good here.

GOING OUT: Of course some of your money will be spent on night life. Granada is, again, a very affordable city and that extends to the night life, too. There are a few clubs, but Granada is more of a bar city (also great for the wallet). You can budget perhaps another 10 euros for the weekend, but it’s very dependent on what you like to do for fun. There are a lot of free concerts and art shows that go on every weekend, so there is no pressure to join any party culture. That’s actually one of the reasons I choose to study abroad here—there’s so much more to do here than party! There is so much culture and art and interactions with locals that it makes for a wonderfully quaint city to explore!

TRAVEL: This is what will get you. As I’ve stated, living in Granada on a budget is, as they say, no pasa nada. The thing that breaks the bank is traveling. You can expect to spend between 300-500 euros (depending on where you’re traveling because some cities are more expensive than others) during a weekend you travel. That includes things like transportation (flight or bus), lodging (usually AirBnB but also a hotel or hostel), any museum entry fees (hack: ALWAYS ask if there’s a student discount) along with all the food that you eat (since you’ll be eating every meal out). It’s tough because of course you’re going to want to travel and see a lot, but due to Granada’s sort of remote location, it definitely discourages excessive travel. I only traveled to places within Spain (and Portugal) because I didn’t feel the need to spend all my money traveling a ton. Granada is so rich with culture that many students want to stay on the weekends and be a part of the local life here. There is hiking and fine dining and museums and interesting locals—there’s so much! My recommendation is ask your other friends who are studying abroad to visit you!