I've only been to New York City twice, so I'm no expert, but I want to share with you guys a few things I've learned about how to stick to a budget while in this iconic (and expensive) city.
I'm a college student who is also newly married, so I don't exactly have a ton of money rolling in at the moment. I'm gonna let you in on all the details of how I experienced New York City on a budget. The photo above is me in NYC just last week!
Where To Stay
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If you've ever planned a trip to New York City, you KNOW how expensive hotels are.
According to Trip Advisor, the average price for a hotel room in Manhattan is $450/night! Yikes!
My advice would be to check out Airbnb here: https://www.airbnb.com
A group of girlfriends and I stayed 4 nights in an Airbnb over in Brooklyn, and each of us paid less than $175 for that entire stay! And we all had beds, 2 bathrooms, and a nice living space with a kitchen. It's seriously the more economical way to go if you're trying to stick to a budget.
Transportation
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No matter where you end up staying, transportation around New York City should not be an expensive part of your trip. Even though I was traveling with some seriously directionally challenged women, we were able to figure out the NYC subway system, and used it all week! And guess what? It's less than $3 every time you use it, it's convenient AND economical.
We were able to get around the city with the combination of subway trains and walking on foot without ever paying for an overpriced taxi.
Another thing to keep in mind is Uber (https://uber.com).
I wouldn't recommend using Uber in your day to day transportation, because that could add up really fast. However, we used Uber to transport ourselves (and our luggage) to the airport at the end of our trip, and that was well worth the extra money so that we didn't have to handle our bags on the subway trains. Plus, Uber can get you exactly where you want to go more quickly than having to wait at every stop while you head to your desired destination.
One thing I love about Uber is that all the payment happens within the app. No hassle of digging through your purse for money, or worrying about tips, Uber does that payment transaction for you! Definitely puts a user, like myself, at ease.
Meals
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I will honestly say that one of the highlights of my trip to NYC was the food. I'm kind of a foodie, so I was all about finding the trendiest, yummiest, most affordable places to eat.
I used the Yelp app on my phone as a guide as a lot of the time, and that helped me to see ratings, price ranges, and pictures of the restaurants I was checking out. (https://www.yelp.com)
One way that we saved some serious money on food is that instead of eating out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we stuck to 2 big meals a day (brunch & dinner) and then brought snacks like granola bars and apples in case we got hungry in between. This helped so much because we could feel that we had a little more freedom with these 2 meals since we didn't have to worry about paying for a 3rd meal later in the day.
We also did a LOT of splitting dishes because portions in NYC are surprisingly large. I almost always split my meals with one of the girls I was traveling with, and it helped us to keep our food costs down a lot.
Attractions
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Unfortunately, most of the museums & things in New York City cost a bit of money. However, I would suggest checking out Groupon to get some group deals. (https://groupon.com)
Keep in mind that for most attractions like visiting the Statue of Liberty, going to the Top of the Rock, etc. you will need to schedule in advance. Don't expect to get tickets day-of otherwise you may be left without tickets, especially in the busy summer months.
In contrast, if you are set on seeing a Broadway Play (which I highly suggest), you can save some money by actually purchasing your tickets day-of. There is a ticket booth in Times Square that usually sells all the leftover tickets for cheap (Up to 50% off!).
There are also U.S. College student discounts and Senior discounts for a lot of the attractions in the city, so be sure to ask about those if you fall in to either of those categories.
I hope you guys gained a little insight on how to visit New York City on a Budget! If you guys have some more suggestions, leave me a comment, I'd love to get more ideas! I personally would love to read an article about tips on getting cheap flights! :) Maybe that will be a post for the future. Thanks for reading!
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