I’d heard New York City is one of the most expensive places in the world to visit for years, and to be honest that kept me from seriously considering a trip there until I started blogging about travel. As a point of reference it felt important to check it off. I felt pulled to see the 9/11 museum, which I’ll share about in the future and I needed that “New York” experience to put other cities into perspective. When an Expedia deal showed up in my inbox, I decided to just grab on and go for it. I traveled to Manhattan by myself for 5 days. How expensive was it? Let’s take a look:

Airfare and Hotel (Expedia Package)             855.00

Travel Insurance                                               59.00

Santa Barbara Airbus RT                                  88.00

Go Link New Jersey Airport Shuttle  RT           37.00

Uber                                                                  22.00

NYC Metro Card (7 day unlimited )                   32.00

9/11 Museum                                                    24.00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art                      25.00

Central Park Photo Safari                               100.00

Meals and Cocktails (5 days)                          340.00

Mementos                                                         70.00

*Gift (Einstein bobble head NY Public Library) 22.00 

Total                                                              1674.00

It averaged out to $335 a day, which does feel pretty pricey. For reference, our Denmark, Sweden and Germany trip averaged $206 per person, per day and our Japan trip averaged $148 per person, per day. Of course splitting costs is a great money saver(unless you’re the mom). So was it worth it? Absolutely! Was there a cheaper way to go? I’m not so sure about that. My hotel (The Jane, review coming) was definitely budget for Manhattan. My expenditures feel fairly modest. I passed on most entrance fees, tickets, cab rides and gourmet meals. In the end, the value of the trip felt balanced and I wouldn’t have missed those glorious Central Park days for anything.

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