How Much It Costs To Be Belly From The Summer I Turned Pretty

The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty gives fans one last chance to spend their summer in Cousins Beach. Since the show’s premiere in 2022, fans have been able to travel to the fictional seaside town on the East Coast along with Isabel “Belly” Conklin, her family, and the Fishers.

During the months of June through August, these two families enjoy beach days, extravagant Fourth of July parties, and afternoons at the local country club. Even though Belly is not as rich as Conrad and Jeremiah, she’s definitely comfortable enjoying the luxe life amid her love triangle. There are moments from the show that prove she’s hyper-aware of money, though. In Season 3, Episode 3, Belly orders a tomato bisque because her mother is footing the bill for lunch, while Jeremiah, without any thought, happily orders the second most expensive thing on the menu, a $75 surf n’ turf.

Basically, Belly may get to spend her summers at Susannah’s beach house, but her expenses are much more attainable than other TV girlies like Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl or Marissa Cooper from The O.C.

To get an idea of how much it really costs to be Belly for a day, here is a breakdown of everything she’s spending money on, from her outfits to her skin care.

The Long-Term Expenses: Finch College Isn’t Cheap

In Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly is a junior at Finch College. When Adam Fisher finds out Jeremiah has to repeat another term as a super senior, he mentions that tuition costs $20,000 a semester. For a full year, Belly — or at least her parents — are spending $40,000 as well. Since two semesters are around 30 weeks or 210 days, that’s around $190 a day that Belly is spending on her college education.

Unlike Jeremiah and her brother, Steven, Belly doesn’t have her own car, so she’s at least saving money on auto insurance each month. That would be the only other long-term expense Belly would need to worry in her early 20s since she doesn’t own an apartment and still lives on her parents’ health insurance.

Total: $190

Belly’s Morning At The Beach House

9 a.m.: The perfect day for Belly would be at Susannah’s beach house. Since it’s summer vacay, she’d sleep in a bit before heading downstairs for breakfast. In Season 1, Conrad goes to the local bakery to pick up the “good muffins,” which Belly loves. Cousins Beach may be a fictional town, but it’s based on Northeastern seaside towns like Cape Cod.

In the Massachusetts summer destination, a similar spot would be Woolfie's Coffee and Breakfast Bakery, where a coffee cake muffin is $6 and iced coffee is $5.

9:30 a.m.: After a quick bite, Belly would jump in the shower and get dressed for the day. You can spot a few of her go-to products in Season 3, Episode 3, like Dove’s Daily Moisture Shampoo ($6) and a pink razor ($4). When she’s out of the shower, she also uses Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($24) and Evian’s Glow Facial Mist ($22).

A behind-the-scenes pic from creator Jenny Han’s Instagram shows that Belly’s skin care routine also includes Fresh’s Soy pH-Balanced Hydrating Face Wash ($39), Rose & Squalane Deep Hydration Oil-Infused Serum ($64), Rose Deep Hydration Cream ($46), and Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner ($48), along with Byoma’s Clarifying Serum With Tri-Ceramide Complex ($17) and Moisturizing Rich Cream ($17). Her vanity also holds Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment ($26), CoverGirl’s TruBlend Undercover Concealer ($11), and Kimberly Sweet Peach perfume ($13), which she probably applies right before heading out.

10:30 a.m.: After going through her morning routine, Belly would get dressed for the day. She’s always ready for the beach with a swimsuit ($88 top, $78 bottoms) underneath an oversize tee ($30) and jean shorts ($148). On the show, she accessorizes with pieces from Catbird’s The Summer I Turned Pretty collection like an infinity necklace from Conrad ($128), a gold bracelet ($378) and an initial ring ($298). The brand even has the simple engagement ring ($298) that Jeremiah gave to Belly in Episode 3.

For the beach, Belly would pack Supergoop’s Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50 ($36), her red cat-eye glasses ($16), and Glossier’s Ultralip High Shine Lipstick ($22), which she used in Season 3, along with a towel ($35).

Total: $1,903

Relaxing On The Beach

1 p.m.: If she didn’t have any debutante duties like in Season 1, Belly would spend most of her day at the house, swimming in the pool, or down on the beach, so the only time she might be pulling out some cash is for lunch.

In Season 3, the Conklins and Fishers go to Oceanic for lunch after the ceremony for Susannah’s memorial garden. Belly tries to keep it budget-friendly by just ordering a tomato bisque. A similar bowl of seafood gumbo at the IRL restaurant is $8.

2 p.m.: After lunch, Belly might head into town to walk around the shops and stop at the Whale of a Tale Bookshop. She’d either just browse or pick up something new to read, like Jenny Han’s other series, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ($8).

Total: $16

A Night Out With The Fishers

3-6 p.m.: For the rest of the day, Belly would keep it chill at home or go for an afternoon swim in the pool. She may even snack on her favorite candy, Sour Patch Kids ($1). Around dinnertime, she’d ditch her casual clothes for something nice like a summer dress ($178), similar to the Reformation one she wore at the party with Jeremiah in Season 3, and black leather sandals ($90).

7 p.m.: The crew had most dinners at the beach house when Susannah was around, so Belly wouldn’t need to worry about ordering something cheap because she’s not pulling out her wallet.

8:30 p.m.: Once Laurel and Susannah were settled in for the night, the kids would go off to either a house party or bonfire hang on the beach. The only time they ever spent money was on their own rager in Season 2 when they thought it was their last night in the beach house.

Since Conrad would be driving, Belly wouldn’t need to worry about spending any money on gas. Even without a ride, Belly didn’t bother using Uber or Lyft in Cousins and just walked places or rode her bike.

11 p.m.: Once the crew got back for the night, Belly would get ready for bed using the same skin care essentials as before. There were a few more products spotted on her vanity in Han’s IG post for Belly’s nighttime routine, like Acure’s Seriously Soothing Jelly Milk Makeup Remover ($8), The Ordinary serum ($20), and Grin’s Fine Floss Box ($3). You can also see a pink Wet Brush ($7) that Belly would use to untangle all her knots.

11:30 p.m.: In Episode 2 of the last season, Belly wore a red PJ set to bed while spending Christmas in Cousins with Conrad. She might wear something similar that’s more appropriate for the warm summer weather like this satin red set ($37).

Total: $344

TL;DR: The Fishers Spoil Belly

Sure, Belly gets a lot of financial help from her parents and even Susannah, but she’s also aware of her budget and tries not to go overboard. With pretty much everything she needs at the beach house, she doesn’t really need to be spending too much money anyway.

The most expensive items include her fashion and skin care, which she’s not buying every day. Even her jewelry, which comes with a surprising price tag, is mostly gifted to her from the Fishers, like her pearls, infinity necklace, and barely-there ring from Jeremiah. Overall, she’s not spending money like Serena van der Woodsen, but if you’re going to live like Belly for the day, you’ll need a love triangle footing the bill or at least a summer job at the country club like Steven and Jere.

Daily Total: $2,453