What I Spend in a Week at NYU Florence

Nov 14

BY iris ZHao

Studying abroad has provided me with countless experiences and opportunities to see new things, try new food, and visit new places. As much fun as it’s been, traveling can be expensive. I normally work part-time during the school year in NYC, but since I haven’t been working while in Florence, I’ve learned to be more aware of my spending habits so that I can make sure I am able to enjoy the rest of my time abroad. While every week’s spending can vary greatly, here is one week of my spending!

Monday

Monday total: €11.40

I took the bus to school, which I do almost everyday; bus tickets are €1.40.

I only have one class on Mondays, so I walked back to my apartment after class. I made lunch with groceries that I had bought a few days prior. A week’s worth of groceries normally costs me around €20, but to keep things simple, I’m not going to include previous grocery spending as part of this week’s expenses.

One of my suitemates loves to cook. On most Monday evenings, she will host a “Family Dinner” with our suitemates, some other students in our apartment building, and anyone who wants to join! This day we had a taco night, and everyone chipped in €10 for groceries.

Tuesday

Tuesday total: €3.20

I took the bus to campus: €1.40.

I spent €1.80 on a cappuccino and croissant at Cafe Ulivi, the cafe on campus, and studied for my first midterm that was that afternoon.

Wednesday

Wednesday total: €19.14

I took the bus to campus, another €1.40.

After class, I grabbed lunch at the cafeteria on campus, which was €6.34.

I stayed on campus all day studying for my next midterm, which finished at 6:15 PM. After class, I stopped by the Cooking Club, a club that my suitemates founded on campus! We made pico de gallo and guacamole and got to use ingredients that were grown in the gardens on campus.

After Cooking Club, we took the bus home: €1.40.

We ended the night at the cafe that sits on the corner of our street and shared some pasta, which ended up being €10.00 each.

Thursday

Thursday total: €31.60

On Thursday, I again took the bus to campus: €1.40.

After my first class, I grabbed a coffee and croissant from Cafe Ulivi: €1.80.

During lunch, the Asian Heritage Association Club on campus held a spicy noodle tasting.

I got a Coke before my last final of the week later in the afternoon, which was €1.00.

After class, I took the bus home: €1.40.

My roommate and I made some pasta at home, then we went out with some friends to celebrate the end of the first midterm week! I ended up spending €26.00.

Friday

Our hostel room! We stayed at Hostel Ruthensteiner.

Friday total: €186.46

We don’t have class on Friday’s, so we got to sleep in. My roommate and I ordered food off Deliveroo, which is basically Ubereats: I spent €19.90 on lunch.

I spent the day relaxing at home before packing and heading to the airport for a weekend trip to Vienna! The tram to the airport cost €1.40.

My round trip flight from Florence to Vienna was 208.87, so I’m recording €104.44 for the flight to Vienna. (While these flights were a little more pricey, depending on your destination, you can definitely find flights on RyanAir or other low-cost airlines that can be less than €50!)

The flight was only a little over an hour. Once I landed, I waited at the airport for my friend, who was flying in from NYU Paris. I was pretty tired, so I just grabbed some food at the airport while I waited, for €10.90.

Once my friend arrived, we took the tram from the airport into Vienna, which cost €14.40.

We checked into our hostel around midnight. We booked a private room, which was perfect for us. The hostel was €35.42 per person for each night.

Saturday

Saturday total: €229.54

On Saturday morning we made our way into the city center. We bought a 48-hour unlimited subway pass, which cost €14.10 each. The subways were extremely convenient and easy to navigate.

We walked around for a bit before heading to Cafe Central for lunch, where I spent €35.09.

After lunch we walked over to the Freud Museum. Admission was €8.50.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city, where I spent €2.00 on souvenirs and €5.43 on coffee.

That evening, we had tickets that included a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, dinner, and a symphony. The tickets were €99 each.

After the symphony, we headed back to the hostel to rest for a bit before deciding to head back into the city center. We went to the Bermuda Triangle, a part of the city center that was very lively and filled with other young people. I spent about €22.00 out, and another €8.00 on some food before heading back to the hostel, where another night cost €35.42.

(L-R) Cafe Central, Freud Museum, Schönbrunn Palace

Sunday

Sunday total: 144.26

On Sunday morning, we checked out of the hostel and got coffee and breakfast downstairs in their dining area, which cost €16.48.

We took the subway back into the city center and decided to stop by Cafe Sacher and try the famous Sacher torte, which was super good, and I spent €11.35.

We continued to walk around for a bit, until it was time to head back to the airport. It cost €12.00 to take the tram back to the airport.

My flight home cost €104.43, and the tram back from the Florence airport cost €1.40.

Week total: €625.60

Every week’s spending can look very different based on how expensive the cities I travel to are. I make an effort to minimize my spending during the week because I know I’ll be spending a lot more on the weekends. I’m so grateful to be abroad and having amazing new experiences, and paying attention to what I’m spending my money on has helped me make the most of my time in Europe!

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