Musk Said He Lived on $1 Daily Food Budget After Arriving in Canada

Elon Musk said he tested living on roughly one dollar per day for food shortly after arriving in Canada at age 17. The experiment occurred before he attended the University of Pennsylvania. Musk stated the goal was to confirm he could survive even if business plans failed.

"I figured I could be in some dingy apartment with my computer and be okay and not starve," Musk told Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk Radio in 2015.

Musk said he bought food in bulk at supermarkets to stay within the limit. Items included hot dogs, oranges, pasta, green peppers, and sauce. "Yeah, I went more for the hot dogs," Musk said. "Hot dogs and oranges. But you do get really tired of hot dogs and oranges after a while." "You know, pasta and green pepper and a big thing of sauce, that can go pretty far too," Musk added.

The $1 daily amount equaled about $30 per month in the early 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, the same amount would equal slightly more than $2 per day in current dollars. Current retail prices show a pack of hot dogs often exceeds five dollars and a single orange can approach one dollar, depending on location and season.

Musk said the low budget reduced perceived risk for later business efforts because basic food costs could be covered with minimal earnings.