Getting Curious About Daily Costs
Lived near Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU) for a couple years now, kept hearing classmates stressing about money. Honestly, I was like, “How bad can it really be?” Figured I should finally track every yuan myself, pretend I’m a fresh student again.
Grabbed my trusty old notebook and phone. Mission: Log every single spend for one month inside the campus bubble. No fancy tricks, just me paying attention.
First Shock? The Room Fee
Went straight to the housing office, acted like a parent helping a newbie. Asked point-blank: what’s the cheapest bed on campus? The lady looked me over. “Shared dorm, small room, four bunks,” she says, 1200 yuan a month. Blew my mind. That’s just for sleeping basically!
She showed me a list – prices jumped crazy for anything better. Single room? Forget it. New building? Higher floors? Way pricier. That initial 1200 stung deep.
Canteen Crawl & Food Hunt
Next week, became a canteen nomad. Ate breakfast, lunch, dinner at different halls, plus off-campus spots near the dorms.
- Breakfast: Stuck with basics. Bun, boiled egg, soy milk – 5 yuan max. Skipped the nice coffee places instantly.
- Lunch: Biggest battle. Canteen line A, rice + two veggie dishes? 12-15 yuan. Line B with meat? 18-25 yuan easy. Felt like highway robbery sometimes.
- Dinner: Cheated sometimes – instant noodles in the dorm (5 yuan). Other times, local joint near east gate – simple noodle soup, 18 yuan. Felt guilty every time.
Learned fast: stray too far, prices bite hard. Monthly food bill averaged 1000 yuan, trying really hard not to splurge.
Moving Around on a Budget
Classmates swore by bikes. Found the campus share-bikes – looked beat up but only 1.5 yuan per half-hour. Perfect for dashing between buildings. For weekends downtown?
Sucked it up for the subway. Did the math – metro card gives discounts after a few trips per month. Stuck to Line 6 mostly, round trip under 10 yuan. No taxis. Ever. Monthly transport stayed under 180 yuan.
Surprise Expenses – Ouch!
Totally forgot school isn’t just food and a bed.
- Printer Fees: Printing notes and essays? Found out the hard way – 0.5 yuan per black & white page. Easily spent 50 yuan a month.
- WiFi/Data: Campus WiFi sucked in my building. Had to boost my phone data plan – extra 30 yuan/month.
- Basic Stuff: Toothpaste, soap, laundry detergent. Hit the tiny shop by the dorms. Bare minimum add-on? 80 yuan. Their prices felt steep.
Adding Up the Damage
Sat down after 30 days, all my scribbles and app entries in front of me. Added them line by line:
- Sleeping Spot: 1200
- Eating (Strict Mode): 1000
- Getting Places: 180
- School Paperwork: 50
- Connectivity Tax: 30
- Survival Supplies: 80
Grand Total: 2540 yuan. Just to exist and go to class. Felt heavy. Spoke with classmates – some managed on less (2200!), some hit 3000+. No fancy drinks, no parties, zero shopping trips. This is the baseline reality.
Final Thoughts – It’s Doable, But Bare Bones
Living at BTBU costs more than folks back home imagine. Dorm beds shock you first. Food adds up scary fast if you blink. Little nickel-and-dime charges pop up everywhere.
You can scrape by near 2500 yuan/month if you squeeze every yuan, cook absolutely nothing (no stove access), skip all fun, and walk most places. Zero buffer for emergencies. Frankly, it’s tight. 3000-3500 yuan feels like breathing room territory based on talking to others.
