TIL my 14 day trip to Spain cost less than my last month of rent in Phoenix.

I kept seeing posts about how Europe is too pricey for budget travel, but by staying in small towns like Girona and using regional trains, I spent $1,200 total, which felt impossible until I added it all up and compared it to my $1,450 rent bill back home.

4 comments

4 Comments

paul_taylor213mo ago

Forget the flight cost and look at the daily math. My rent got me a view of a parking lot and the sound of my neighbor's bass. That $1,200 got me actual Spanish coffee, a bed in Girona, and the profound joy of not being in Phoenix for two weeks. The hidden cost was coming back to that rent bill.

wesleyb201mo ago

...and honestly this whole thing shows how we've totally lost the plot on what stuff should actually cost. Like, your rent is over a thousand bucks for a box in Phoenix where you probably can't even open the windows in summer without melting, but somehow paying for a whole different country is where people draw the line. We've normalized housing being this insane expense that eats up half your paycheck for nothing special, meanwhile actual experiences are treated like luxuries we have to justify. It's backwards when a month of surviving costs more than two weeks of actually living.

evan_green523mo agoMost Upvoted

Forget comparing apples to oranges. You're ignoring the cost of getting to Spain in the first place, which likely doubles your total. That rent bill is a fixed monthly expense, while your trip was a one-off splurge with many hidden costs. Calling it cheaper is a real stretch.

mary_west3mo ago

Look at the total cost, not just the flight. The trip gave me real memories, while my rent just buys me a roof.