How To Do New York On A Budget
Sharing my top tips for doing NYC on a budget (yes, it IS possible!).
PIN ME:
Having spent one month in New York I felt like I learnt to budget pretty well I’d say! If you’re heading there for a long weekend and want to have a blow out weekend then DO IT! New York is the perfect place if you’re looking to get spenny!
But if you want to splash on certain things, and save on others or are just looking to tackle the city on a budget, then this post is for you!
I’ve whipped up all of my top tips on how to budget whilst in the Big Apple!...
ACCOMMODATION:
Airbnb: My first tip for budgeting when it comes to accomadation has to be Airbnb! I spent the majority of my time in NYC in Airbnb’s as I was travelling solo and wanted to keep costs down. One week in an Airbnb would cost me around £500-£600, where as you could spend that in two nights on a hotel in New York! Airbnb is great for budgeting, especially if you’re travellng with others as you can get a lush apartment and split the cost! I spent my time in Airbnbs just renting a room in someones apartment as opposed to having the whole place to myself to save money!
Hotels: If you’d rather stay in a hotel, then I’d recommend checking out websites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Lastminute.com and Hotelstonight.com for good last minute deals (or if you’re booking quite far in advance you’ll be able to get a great price too!).
Where I stayed: Airbnb 1 | Airbnb 2 | Airbnb 3 (GET £15 OFF YOUR FIRST AIRBNB BOOKING HERE)
FLIGHTS:
Flights: As you guys know I flew to NYC with Norwegian, who are my favourite airline for flying to New York! My flight was kindly *gifted to me, but I’ve paid for my own flight to New York with Norwegian several times and have always been so impressed with the price & service!
One way flights to New York from London Gatwick start at just £139, and returns start from £245!!
CHECK OUT FLIGHTS TO NEW YORK WITH NORWEGIAN HERE!
Transport:
There are three affordable / free ways I LOVE travelling around New York City!
1.) The subway - for an authentic New York experience, hop on the subway for just $2.75 per ride, the subway is SUPER well connected and you can get pretty much just about anywhere!
2.) The NYC Ferry - I only discovered the NYC Ferry on this recent trip to New York and loved it! It's the same price as the subway so $2.75 per ride and is a much more scenic way to enjoy NYC! If you download the NYC Ferry app you can buy tickets through the app (and also check the ferry times / weather updates), or buy a ticket on the boat at the cashiers desk!
3.) WALK! - My most favourite way to travel around NYC is to walk (AND IT'S FREE WOO!), I was clocking up anything between 10-30,000 steps a day! It's honestly the best way to see the city as you stumble across so many cute cafes / land marks / picture spots / places you just wouldn't if you were on public transport / in a cab!
eating out:
Eating out in New York can be bloody expensive, but that being said - you CAN do it on the cheap too!
My favourite affordable way to eat in the city is at food markets, packed full with delicious food at reasonable prices - food markets are great weather you're looking to just grab a coffee and a bagel on the go, or sit down for lunch / dinner!
I wrote a blog post on my favourite six food markets in NYC HERE!
Another great affordable way to eat out is to grab a slice of pizza for lunch (VERY New York!), in Williamsburg Vinnie's Pizza and L'industrie are both great, in the city try Joe's Pizza or Bleeker Street Pizza!
tourist attractions:
Tourist attractions can be expensive in NYC, and if it's your first visit to the city, then you're going to probably want to do them!
BUT fear not, as you can save money on attractions!
The first way being purchasing a NYCgo pass - the pass will cost you $132 ($108 for children ages 6-17), and you'll save a whopping 41%! The pass includes access to the Top of the Rock, the 9/11 memorial museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Empire State Building and many more - check out the full list HERE! *I was kindly gifted a NYCgo pass for my trip to NYC and loved checking out the attractions with my pass!
If you're going to watch a show on broadway, don't forget to check out Today Tix for cheap offers on tickets!
Whatever attraction you're going to, always have a look on the website first as sometimes they have discounted evenings - the Whitney museum is usually $25 entry, but on a Friday night between 7-9.30pm you can donate whatever you'd like to so it's well worth checking in advance to save yourself some money!
I really hope this post helped! New York can be SO expensive if you let it, so hopefully this post on budgeting will give you some tips and ideas!
What are your top tips for doing NYC on a budget? Have you ever been able to or are you a big spender when it come to the Big Apple?