It is no secret that New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world to visit. If your trip is unplanned, you will definitely find yourself burning through a lot of cash, however if you spend a little time planning in advance, you can make New York a fun affordable city that you will never forget.
New York Hostels
Whenever I have gone to New York in the past, my number one largest expense has always been my accommodations. Your average hotel in Manhattan will run you around $400 a night. That is $2800 for a seven night trip, which in my opinion is absolutely outrageous. If you are willing to share a room at a New York Hostel, you can land a bed for as little as $20 a night. Seven nights at $20 a night is only $140 leaving you $2660 that you could spend on enjoying the city instead of sleeping in an average private hotel room. If privacy is important to you, most New York Hostels offer private rooms as well for less than $100 a night.
New York Subway
There is absolutely no point in renting a car while in NYC. The price to park anywhere is absolutely ludacris. By the time you consider parking passes, gas, mileage and the initial price to rent a car you will have been able to buy 50-100 subway passes. If the Subway isn’t your cup of tea, taking a taxi in New York is actually very reasonable.
New York Bus Tour
There are numerous Bus Tours in New York. I would suggest going to time square and purchasing a three day pass from one of the street sales men. Not only is the tour an amazing time, you can use the Bus to stop off in other places of New York such as Greenwich. You can hop back on any other tour bus at any time as it goes all over the city. The only down side to hopping on the tour bus is there is a pre-determined route that you have to stick to, so if you are in a rush you may want to just take a taxi.
Hole in the Wall Pubs
New York is well known for its intense night life. Unfortunately to enjoy the fancy night life means you are going to be spending big bucks. While the premium night clubs will cost you a fortune on cover and drinks there are hundreds of little pubs that won’t kill your pocket book. When you walk around take note of the different pubs and check if they have any specials; it is actually pretty fun to bounce between all the different pubs at night and it costs a LOT less than your average night club.
Street Vendors
If you love food, you probably couldn’t find a better city than New York City. New York is chalk full of fine dining restaurants. You can find fine dining restaurants catering to just about any form of ethnic food. Just like night clubs or hotels, eating at these restaurants daily can really add up. If you really love food, what I would recommend doing is booking a few reservations at some of the fine dining restaurants then laying low on your other days. There are hundreds of street vendors and delis that offer some absolutely amazing fast food at a fraction of the cost of the designer restaurants. 99 Cent slices of pizza are everywhere, giant pastrami sandwiches are overflowing into the streets; all you have to do is walk up to a street vendor and walk away with a huge meal for less than $5. While these meals might not be the healthiest, if your main goal is to save money, you will definitely be walking away with a bargain.
These are just a few of the things I like to do to help me save money when I go to New York City. If you are really smart you can get away with having a fantastic vacation while spending a lot less than most travelers. To save money, You just need to pre-plan your adventure!
