5 months of student exchange in Lima, what does that cost?
One of the great benefits of studying in Peru is that the country is relatively cheap, especially compared to the rest of South America (and Europe, which will be a disappointment when going home) A few euros get you really far in Lima! Still, you will have to eat, sleep and do the occasional activity and what does this cost approximately?
In my case around €6000 for 5 months of studying, including trips, food, drinks, surfing etc… Not too bad right? How much one spends in Lima is in truth really personal of course as it depends on where you want to live and your spending style… What I can present you though, is a table with my spending’s for the semester and some notes to help you estimate your own budget!
My Spendings
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Item | More specific | Monthly | Semester total (x 5 months) | Total |
Flight ticket | Luft Hansa AMS-Lima with a layover on 4th of July, Lima-AMS with two layovers on the 30th of December | – | €800 | €800 |
Visa | The useless ES1 visa* | – | €25 | €25 |
Vaccines | Malaria pills and yellow fever vaccination in Europe | – | €80 | €80 |
Rent | Room in Casa Yllika near UP. 6 m2, including cleaner | €250 (for 2 months) | €500 |
|
Long stay Airbnb (arranged in person) in Miraflores near Kennedy Park. 12 m2, including cleaner | €330 (for 3 months) | €990 | ||
total |
| €1490 | ||
Transport | from UP to beach (first 2 months) and from the beach to UP (next 3 months) | €10 (€0,30 one way to UP, around 4 times a week) | €50 |
|
To Social Activities – UBER | €20 (about €3 per drive) | €100 | ||
To Social Activities – bus | €5 (€0,30 one way) | €25 | ||
total |
| €175 | ||
Mobile | Claro pre-paid 3GB for 30 days | €7,50 | €37,50 | €37,50 |
Spanish courses | Intensive Spanish course July. 60 hours of instruction | x | €450 | €450 |
Food and Drinks | Going out for dinner | €80 | €400 |
|
Lunch | €60 | €225 | ||
Other groceries | €60 | €225 | ||
Coffee | €50 | €250 | ||
Drinks (clubs, pre-drinks, bars) | €60 | €300 | ||
total |
| €1400 | ||
Sports | 12 Private Surf lessons | – | €150 |
|
Unlimited board rent for 2 months | €25 | €50 | ||
3 months of unlimited boxing at Fight and Fit | €25 | €75 | ||
Own Wetsuit and Surfboard | – | €300 | ||
Total |
| €275 | ||
Traveling | During Semester | €250 | €1250 | €1000 |
After Semester in December (Ecuador and Galapagos Islands) | Too much… | – | x | |
SUPER TOTAL |
|
|
| €5732,5 + Surf Board + December Travels |
Conclusion: around €6000 for 5 months of Lima.
Notes w.r.t. to table
Some things you need to know about me to make an estimation of your own costs. I arrived in Peru at the beginning of July because I joined the intensive (non-compulsory, but highly recommended) Spanish course offered by UP. In total, I was in Lima for 5 months, of which I lived for 2 months near UP and 3 months in Miraflores.
Whenever possible I took the bus instead of an UBER. The bus is safe and much cheaper (around €0,30 for a 40 min trip instead of €3,50 for a taxi). Living in Miraflores made food and living more expensive, as not only restaurants but the supermarkets as well have higher prices than near UP.
TIP: do your shopping for fruit and vegetables at the market. This makes a significant difference in your budget.
Breakfast I would always make at home. Lunch, on the other hand, I almost always bought at UP, because you get either a great Menu or Salad for only 15 soles (€3,75). Considering dinner, I cooked for about half of the week because going out for dinner was still very cheap.
With respect to sports, I surfed, and I boxed. After 2 months I bought my own board for $250 dollars including fins, a bag, and a leash. Accordingly, I no longer paid surfboard rent. However, this costs only 20 soles (€5) per time.
