Costs

This entire entry will be in cedis using the conversion rate of 1cedi = 1.35 US dollars. :)


With my estimates, I spent about....

100-150 cedi on food per month.
- You can live off 3 cedi a day if you eat frugally.
- I usually ate an egg sandwich for breakfast (1 cedi), red-red and plantains for lunch (1 cedi) and shared a meal with someone for dinner (1 cedi).
- okay.. maybe 5-7 cedi is a more realistic expectation. It was weird eating out all the time, but then again, it was so cheap and much more easy than cooking, especially since cooking required purchasing all that cookware.
- If I cooked, I would spend less than that on cumulative groceries. and if I splurged and got fruit, or if I wanted a coke, or went to a nice restaurant, I could spend more. With all this included, I could comfortably live off 100-150 cedi a month.
- I rarely splurged on food. :)

30-50 cedi on phone credit and internet use.
- I would call my boyfriend and parents regularly (3-4 times a week) They would call me too, but receiving calls on a phone is free. :)
- Initial investment for a phone will be at least 35 cedi, so that take into account to.

anywhere from 1-20 cedi on gifts per person.
- earrings are as cheap as 1 cedi per pair.
- getting a shirt made for someone can be as much as 20 cedi
- I bought a drum for myself for 35 cedi, but it was from a really good friend who carved it himself. most people got from for 40-80 cedis.

I spent about 20 cedi on school supplies for the entire trip.
- you will need to buy course readers or packets of reading that are charged at 5 cents per page.
- you won’t need to buy any books.
- I brought my own school supplies so I saved money in that aspect, but you can buy notebooks and school supplies for cheap at the bookstore.

Most of my money was invested into traveling. I can’t quite remember how much money I spent traveling, but although hotels can be cheap (as low as 4 cedi for a tent on the beach to 20 cedi for a room and bathroom), it can add up pretty quickly. EAP takes you on a couple trips, so take advantage of those free car rides. :)

Other expenses
- laundry (soap, washing powder, buckets, or paying others to do it)
- health expenses (a doctor’s visit at a private hospital can be about, 50 cedi for check in, lab test, and medication)
- nights out in the town to see shows, visit clubs. This is a real money sucker. Taxi drivers know that they can get more money from you at night, especially since there are less taxis. And since its not as safe to take a Tro-Tro at night, it’s probably worth bargaining it down. Going out and paying for entrance fees, bar tabs, club admissions and still are significantly cheaper than US covers, but will add up if you go out a lot.

I probably spent about.... 2,500 cedi on the entire trip, not including what I paid to UC EAP for tuition and housing.