New York City is notoriously expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stick to a budget. There are plenty of free things to do in NYC and other ways you can save money during your trip.
We’ve put together our best money-saving tips for traveling in NYC so you don’t come home from vacation completely broke!
Whether this is your first time visiting New York City or The Big Apple feels like your second home, these tips will help you travel NYC for cheap!
1. Visit NYC at the Right Time
New York City is busy year-round, but during peak tourist times, like the summer months and during the holidays, hotel prices will be ultra-high. If you visit during a less busy season for out of town travelers, you’ll find much better rates.
Cheapest times to visit NYC:
- January – early April
- September – November (excluding holidays)
2. Find a cheap flight to NYC
Getting there doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are often times great flight deals to NYC because it is a major hub. Be sure to include both JFK and La Guardia, or even Newark, in your search.
Try searching with Google Flights to come up with the best deal that suits your needs.
3. Take the train to and from the airport
Whether you fly into JFK or La Guardia, you will be pretty far from the city when you land. Instead of hailing a taxi or Uber, which will cost you at least $40 – $50 (maybe even $65), take the shuttle to the metro. It is super easy to do and will save you a lot of money.
Here’s how to do it:
For us, it was easiest to buy the 7-day metro pass which allowed us to use the bus and metro unlimited times for our entire time in NYC. You can purchase the pass from the Metro Card vending machines which have very simple instructions to follow.
Once you have your card, simply use Google Maps and direct yourself to your hotel via public transportation.
4. Find Cheap Accommodation
Hotels in New York City are notoriously expensive, even for low-quality digs. So when we say “cheap accommodation”, we mean relatively cheap.
Basically you have 2-ish options when it comes to finding cheap accommodation:
1) Go super cheap-o
Find the absolutely cheapest room you can find and be prepared for the worst. We paid $100 a night for the sh!ttiest hostel we’ve ever stayed at (pardon my language, but it has to be said). It was basically a closet with a window looking out to a wall and a dirty shared bathroom.
2) Pay a little more than you’d like
Alternatively, we stayed at a hotel for the last 2 nights of our trip that was a little more than double the price of the aforementioned hostel (so it ain’t cheap!), but it was 1,000 times better. It was more than we’d typically spend anywhere else, but hey, it’s NYC.
5. Get the Metro Pass
Getting an unlimited Metro pass saved us a ton of money during our trip to NYC. You can either get a 7-day unlimited pass or a 30-day unlimited pass. We were only in the city for 4 full days, but even so, the week-long pass was a great deal.
It costs $32 (plus $1 for the reusable card itself), but if you use the metro 11 times (which we definitely did in 4 days), it will pay for itself.
Taking an Uber is another option in NYC (cheaper than taxis!) depending on where you want to go.
Insider Tip: If you do want to take an Uber, the Uber Pool option is the cheapest. This means the driver might pick up another passenger going on a similar route, but your total cost will be less expensive.
We would NOT recommend renting a car in NYC, as traffic is ugly and the cost of parking garages is insane!
6. See the Statue of Liberty for Free!
If your budget is tight, skip the Statue of Liberty tour altogether. Instead, take the Staten Island Ferry (which is free!) and bring you right past the statue. Just check out the picture above to see the sweet view you’ll get — right next to the sightseeing cruises!
Insider Tip: Be sure to grab a spot on the upper deck on the right side (west side) of the vessel as you leave Manhattan.
You can either get right back on the return ferry once you arrive in Staten Island or wander around a bit and grab lunch at one of the affordable Sri Lankan restaurants in the area. The ferries depart every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour and are 100% free.
And even if your budget isn’t super tight, this is a good, less-touristy option.
