I have lived on that before in the US and it’s not that hard. You just need to buy macro-nutritionally dense food at super markets - rice, chicken, beans, cooking oil, butter, oatmeal, noodles, etc.

Of course the problem is that you don’t get a super varied diet which can be problematic both mentally and nutritionally. It can also become a bit harder to incorporate fruits and veggies into your diet when they’re not on sale. And you also need to cook a decent amount

When I was in Rome I found that I could eat on less than $20 a day extremely easily so unless you’re going to restaurants every day I’m not sure how you spent so much

That's what I actually said: here in Italy I'm spending about 20usd per day.

Thank you for your reply and your insights!

> I’m not sure how you spent so much

There are 7 days in each week.

At least in the US, you can make vegetarian Indian dal for seven days' dinner for about $20, probably less. Lentils are incredibly cheap at the Indian store, and onions, garlic and chiles are also very cheap. Vegetarian Indian food is not expensive to make, it's just somewhat difficult and time consuming. The most expensive thing you'll have to buy is the bread. If you try and get your spices at <Insert popular grocery store>, you will get scammed (small McCormick cumin ~ $5+). You can buy spices in bulk for an order of magnitude less money at the Indian store.

For me it involves shopping at Costco, but you'll be spending $120+ upfront and you will need freezer space.

Google Calories Per Dollar, Protein Per Dollar, or Nutrients Per Dollar.

That should show you how to eat for close to that price.