Coachella is over and all that’s left of the music festival are the memories Instagram’s and, well, credit card bills. With tickets costing $429 at facevaule and oftentimes selling for much higher, attendees are also dishing out hundreds of dollars on hospitality expenses, clothing, and food. Here, four college students share how much they really spent on Coachella this year, how they were able to afford it, and if they’d do it again.
Image by Ysabel Chavez
1. Ysabel, a 21-year-old UCLA student: $849
Tickets: $509
Housing: $100
Transportation: $30
Food: $70
Clothes: $140
Total: $849
How she saved: Ysabel saved money from her internship last summer and her school-year job at a computer lab. She went to Coachella last year and had such a good time she wanted to save up to go again.
Purchasing decisions: She bought a general admission ticket with a shuttle pass. She only had to pay for cleaning fees because her friend’s aunt owns a place in La Quinta Legacy Villa, which is a popular spot to stay during the festival. This saved her $300, which is what she paid last year for housing. Ysabel drove up to Coachella with her friends and split gas. For food, she spent $50 at Trader Joes and only $20 at the venue. She spent $140 on new clothes for Coachella.
Afterthoughts: “I think overall it was so much fun and I honestly think it was worth every penny.”
Related Article: How to Recover After Festival Weekend At Coachella
2. Sienna, a 21-year-old student at UCLA: $565
Tickets: $450
Housing: $25
Transportation: $0
Food: $90
Clothes: $0
Total: $565
How she saved: Sienna worked at a research institution and had help from her parents.
Purchasing decisions: She bought a general admission ticket and split the camping cost with her friends. She drove up to Coachella with her friends and didn’t buy any new clothes for the festival or pay for gas. She ended up spending $20 just on water and $70 on food to eat throughout the weekend.
Afterthoughts: “It is only worth it if your in the right mindset. If you are like I don’t like the line up and you are only there for the clout then you won’t have a good time. But the music was good and this year was really fun for me.”
Image by Caroline Moshos
3. Caroline, a 22-year-old student at UCLA: $680
Tickets: $540
Housing: $50
Transportation: $40
Food: $50
Clothes: $0
Total: $680
How she saved: Caroline worked as a nanny to save up for Coachella. She bought her ticket with her credit card and spent about a months worth of wages to pay for Coachella.
Purchasing decisions: She says she spent $540 on general admission tickets with a shuttle pass because the website was sold out of normal general admission tickets. She split the cost of camping and gas with her friends and spent $90 on transportation and housing. For food, she ate food she bought She saved money on Coachella outfits and borrowed all of her clothes from friends.
Afterthoughts: “Seeing Weezer was worth $500! And seeing Rüfüs Du Sol with my friends. I would definitely do it again.”
Image by Ameer Khan
4. Ameer, a 21-year-old UCLA student: $690
Tickets: $500
Housing: $15
Transportation: $20
Food: $95
Clothes: $60
Total: $690
How he saved: Ameer took a year off of school and worked last year, so he paid for Coachella using money he saved from last year.
Purchasing decisions: He bought a general admission ticket with a shuttle pass through the Coachella website. He only had to pay $15 for a cleaning fee for housing because a friend had a family guest house near La Quinta. He split the cost of gas with his friends. He cooked in the mornings and spent $43 on food at the guest house. At the venue, he bought a beer a day which each cost $12 and spent $16 on a Shake Shack burger. For clothes, he spent $60 on a pair of jeans a pair of sunglasses.
Afterthoughts: “I think the experience is what you make of it, as long as you are with the right people. It’s about being with people you love and vibe with and that will make or break your Coachella.”