What it costs to go to Coachella for the first time: more than $ 2,000

I'll be honest – I never really thought about going to the Coachella Music & Arts festival. Living in New York, I never thought it was logical to go to Indio, California, for one of Coachella's two weekends dedicated to music and entertainment.

This year, the Governor's Ball, New York's local festival, had a disappointing schedule and the Coachella Festival Panorama Edition, Panorama Festival, was not held.

So when Business Insider asked me to cover the festival, I checked out the schedule: this year's edition features Childish Gambino, Anderson .Paak, Janelle Monae and Tame Impala, some of my favorite artists.

Read more: 15 amazing facts that show how much people are willing to spend for Coachella, from $ 430 to $ 9,500 for campsites

After scoring a few press passes at the last minute, I was all-in. Then I started to calculate the budget.

Coachella is famous for costing festival-goers an arm and a leg. Tickets cost $ 429 for general admission for the weekend, and that's just the beginning. Because Coachella is located at the Polo Club Empire within two hours of Los Angeles, you have a transportation factor, parking, lodging and more in your budget. Megan Leonhardt, of Money, estimated the typical cost at $ 2,347 in 2018.

I thought it was hype. I am a very economical traveler and I am proud to save as much as I can, but my budget for Coachella 2019 is already over $ 2,000 and I have not even paid for my ticket.

Here's how it breaks down.