Quick answer: New York City runs about EUR 250 per day mid-range - noticeably less if you eat local and walk. Cheapest window: April-June and September-early November - mild temperatures and long daylight; December is festive but cold and crowded.
What things actually cost
| subway ride (OMNY tap) | 2.70 EUR |
| pizza slice | 3.50 EUR |
| flat white at a cafe | 5 EUR |
| pint of beer at a bar | 8 EUR |
| Broadway rush or lottery ticket | 40 EUR |
| mid-range hotel double per night | 220 EUR |
Eat well for little
- Pastrami on rye at Katz's Delicatessenenormous and worth it once, about 24 EUR
- Classic slice at Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Villagethe benchmark New York slice, about 3.50 EUR
- Bagel with lox and cream cheese at Russ & Daughtersabout 14 EUR
- Soup dumplings in Chinatown at Joe's Shanghaiabout 10 EUR a basket
- Halal cart chicken over rice near 53rd and 6ththe late-night classic, about 10 EUR
Money mistakes to avoid
- Booking a hotel on Times Square for the 'real New York'you pay a premium to sleep in the most touristy block of the city
- Paying 40+ EUR for a Statue of Liberty cruise when the Staten Island Ferry passes her for free
- Taking a taxi from JFK by defaultthe AirTrain plus subway costs about 10 EUR versus a 65 EUR flat-rate cab
- Buying full-price Broadway ticketsuse the TKTS booth, digital lotteries or rush tickets and pay half or less
Transport without the tourist tax
From JFK take the AirTrain plus subway for about 10 EUR, or a flat-rate taxi around 65 EUR; from Newark use the AirTrain plus NJ Transit for about 15 EUR. In the city just tap a contactless card or phone on the subway - rides are about 2.70 EUR and it runs 24 hours.
Planning the full trip? Start with the 5-day New York City itinerary.