My New York City Trip Budget

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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