New York City may be listed as one of the Top Ten Most expensive cities to visit but there are ways to cut the cost and explore the big apple on a budget.
- Transportation: Skip the Taxis, Ubers, and Lyfts. The average cost of a ride share in New York is $33 that’s just way too much. Instead buy a MetroCard and hop on the NYC subway. The city’s subway system is the most comprehensive in the world. You can go from the Boogie Down Bronx to Crooklyn, NY, and even hop over to Staten Island if you want, all for $2.75. Plus, you can’t say that you have been to New York City if you haven’t ridden the subway.
2. Food: Skip the fancy overpriced restaurants and explore New York’s unlimited list of cheap eats! There are a lot of expensive eateries in New York but that isn’t 100% necessary when there are so many options for delicious cheap food. You can also save by skipping breakfast, grabbing a $1 pizza for lunch, and splurging a little on dinner. Check out NYC Cheap Eats for some suggestions.
3. Booze: Choose Happy Hour! This is probably the most obvious tip but seriously don’t get cocktails at expensive overpriced NYC bars. Drinks in the city can run from $13 to 17 dollars for a 2/3 ounce pour of liquor, OUCH! Just plan your day out wisely and stop by a bar during happy hour where drinks can be as low as $5 or BOGO. Check out Best NYC Happy Hour for some budget-friendly options.
4. Stay: You don’t have to stay in Manhattan! Yes, when you think of New York City, The Big Apple, Gotham’s Finest, you think of Manhattan, but the outer boroughs are just as good. The average hotel price in Manhattan is $250/night. If you stay in Brooklyn or Queens that drops down to only $120/night. Combining this tip with tip number one you can book a hotel in Boogie Down Bronx and take the train less than 30 minutes into Manhattan.
5. Play: Check out all the TONS of super cheap or free events in New York. The city that never sleeps didn’t get this reputation for no reason. Sure, you can go to an expensive Broadway play ($250), visit the Empire State Building Top Deck ($77), and eat at Eleven Madison Park ($$$) – but you can also go to an Off-Off-Broadway show ($25-150), walk the Brooklyn Bridge (free) and have a picnic in Central Park (free). There are tons of unique budget-friendly things to do in the city.
