Let's talk cost of living...

This may be the only time in my life that I live in a city center. Unless I miraculously get myself a high paying job (With a Liberal Arts Degree? Who am I kidding?), there is no way I would ever be able to pay rent in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, DC, any major city in the US without scrounging my pennies.

This doesn't bother me. I mean, right now I'm working a full time co-op for going out money, basically, and I love my job. As long as I'm a single girl not wondering where my next meal is coming from (and with enough money to buy myself a cute pair of shoes and a new purse every now and then), money has no meaning to me.

I am both frugal and spendy. By that I mean, I'm always looking for deals. Coupons, sales, comparing prices. I can't think of a single instance in which I would ever choose to buy name-brand if there was a store-brand alternative (I'm looking at you, Spanish store-brand "ketchup"). But I also like to go out with friends, and I have a scarf/purse buying problem (hello, Shopper's Anonymous? I need you), and especially while I'm in Europe I will spend whatever it takes to travel.

So to live, practically, in the middle of a major Spanish city, in a studio apartment for $450 a month? That's insane.

Now that I've been here for 2 and a half months, let's break down the cost of living that I've experienced:*

Rent: $450/month (including utilities)
Groceries: $20-25/week
Going Out: $30-50/week (hey, I'm a college kid.)
Internet: $20/month
Spanish Mobile phone: $30/month

*keeping in mind that as a 20 year old, I'm going for cheapest possible, not quality

Now, there may be incidentals from time to time (hello, one-time service charge for Wifi. Here's looking at you, fee to open a spanish bank account) but for the most part, this total comes to just about $800 a month, or $9600 a year.

Unfortunately, Spanish minimum wage is much lower than in the US and other countries, so the average minimum wage salary wouldn't support my "lifestyle" here, falling short at about 750 euro a month. Plus, jobs in Sevilla are scarce (read: impossible to find).

But let me put it this way:

Cost of Living in Sevilla: $800/month
Living in Sevilla: Priceless