How Much Does a NYC Trip Cost? What We Spent for 4 Days in New York City
New York City had been on my list to revisit for a while, and after spending almost four full days there, I can confidently say it still lives up to the hype.
I had been to NYC once before in high school on a family trip, but this was my first time going back as an adult and my first time visiting with my husband. It felt like a completely different experience, and I appreciated the city so much more this time around. My high school self definitely did not appreciate travel the way I do now, sorry Mom and Dad 😂.
We did not travel on a super strict budget, but we also were not splurging on fancy restaurants, Ubers, or shopping. We tried to find a good middle ground. We stayed in a really nice hotel using points, ate at mostly moderately priced places, and relied completely on public transportation, which was very easy to use.
In this post, I am breaking down exactly how much we spent in USD for our 3 night, 4 day trip to New York City for two people. This includes flights, transportation, food, coffee, activities, and everything else we spent money on.
If you are planning your own trip and wondering how much does a NYC trip cost, this should give you a realistic and helpful idea to plan your budget.
Quick NYC Trip Overview
- Trip Length: 3 nights and almost 4 full days
- We arrived early Wednesday morning at 9 AM and left Saturday evening at 5:40 PM, so it really felt like we had almost four full days to explore the city.
- Trip Dates: April 8th through April 11th
- Number of Travelers: 2 adults (my husband and I)
- Travel Style: Mid range We used points for our hotel, flew nonstop, ate mostly casual to moderately priced meals, drank a lot of coffee, and only used public transportation.
- Where We Stayed: Thompson Central Park New York
4-Day NYC Trip Cost Breakdown in USD
Here is a full breakdown of how much a NYC trip cost for two people.
Just keep in mind that our total cost is lower than normal since we used credit card points to cover our hotel instead of paying cash.
| Flights | $687.60 for 2 people |
| Accommodations | 83,000 credit card points |
| Public Transportation | $64 for 2 people |
| Food and Coffee | $630.11 for 2 people |
| Activities | $268.25 for 2 people |
- 💵 Total for 2 people: $1,653.96
- 💲Cost per person: $826.98
How Much Does a NYC Trip Cost? – My Breakdown
Flights: $687.60
Flights were our biggest expense, but overall I thought the price was pretty reasonable, especially for nonstop flights.
We flew on a non-stop flight round-trip from Indianapolis to New York City (LaGuardia Airport) on American Airlines.
We paid $343.80 per person and booked our flights about two months in advance.
This price includes an additional $60 per person to upgrade to Main Cabin tickets, which gave us free seat selection and the ability to make changes if needed.
If you are trying to save money, you could book Basic Economy instead, but just keep in mind that you typically cannot choose your seats and changes are more restricted.
For us, paying a little extra for flexibility and choosing our seats was worth it, but it really depends on your priorities.
💡 Tip: I recommend booking domestic flights about 1 to 3 months in advance for the best prices. I always use Google Flights to compare airlines, check different dates, and track price changes.
💡 Tip: If you are deciding which airport to fly into, I recommend LaGuardia Airport. It is the closest airport to Manhattan and very easy to get to using public transportation. We were able to get from our hotel to the airport in about 40 minutes using the subway and the free Q70 bus.
You can still fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport or Newark Liberty International Airport and use public transit to get into the city, but both will take longer and usually require more transfers. That said, if the price difference is significant, it can still be worth it!
➡️ If you want a full day-by-day breakdown of everything we did, you can check out my 3-Day NYC itinerary!
Accommodations: 83,000 Credit Card Points
We stayed at the Thompson Central Park New York and booked all three nights using credit card points.
In total, we used 83,000 points from our Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which transfers 1:1 to Hyatt. This is one of the main reasons I love this credit card since Hyatt redemptions can give you really good value, especially in expensive cities like New York.
This hotel is located just south of Central Park and within walking distance to places like Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, Broadway, and Times Square. It was a great area to stay and felt more quiet. We loved that we could easily walk to Central Park.
That said, it was not the most central location for everything we did, but it really did not matter since we relied on public transportation the entire time. Most places we went were about a 15 to 20 minute subway ride, which felt very manageable.
If we did not have points, we definitely would have stayed at a more budget friendly hotel. NYC hotels are expensive, and this is one of the categories where your costs can vary the most depending on your travel style.
💡 Tip: Expect to spend around $200 to $400 per night for a decent hotel in a good location in NYC. Prices can easily go higher depending on the time of year and how far in advance you book.
➡️ If you’re still deciding where to stay, check out my where to stay in NYC guide where I break down the best areas and hotel options.
Transportation: $64.00
We only used public transportation for this entire trip, and I would 100% recommend doing the same.
In total, we spent $32 per person and used public transit 11 times. Each ride cost $3 during the week and $2 on the weekend when we were there. It was a flat fee no matter how far you went.
Public transportation in NYC is very affordable, reliable, and honestly just as fast or faster than taking an Uber in most cases. Ubers can get expensive quickly, especially with traffic, so we never felt the need to use one.
If you are trying to save money, you can easily get everywhere using public transportation. Honestly, one Uber ride could cost close to what we spent over four days using public transit.
A few things I would recommend regarding the public transit in New York City:
- Use Google Maps for directions because it is very accurate for public transit and shows exactly which trains to take and when
- Add your credit card to your Apple Wallet and turn on express transit so you can just tap your phone to pay without unlocking it. You can pay for public transit with a credit card. You don’t need a specific transit card.
➡️ If you are planning what to pack for your trip, my What to Wear in NYC in Spring guide breaks down what I wore during my time in the city.
Food and Coffee: $630.11
Food ended up being one of our biggest expenses, which I expected going into NYC.
We did not drink alcohol at all, but I did get a lot of coffee. I usually got two coffees a day, and they were typically around $8 to $9 each since I tend to order more specialty drinks, which definitely adds up. But, I had a long list of coffee shops to try so I fully committed 😂.
For meals, we tried to stick to mostly casual and moderately priced spots with one nicer dinner on our first night.
- Breakfast was usually bagels and cost around $35 for both of us
- Lunch was something quick like tacos or sandwiches and cost around $40 to $45
- Dinner was usually moderate, with one nicer meal during the trip
Even though we were not going to super fancy restaurants, food in NYC adds up quickly, especially once you factor in coffee stops and snacks throughout the day.
Here is our exact food and drink breakdown so you can see exactly where we spent our money and what things actually cost in New York City:
- Blank Street Coffee: $14.14
- They are popular for their matcha drinks, but I loved their Blondie coffee.
- Hungry Llama Coffee: $8.17
- I tried the whipped honey coffee here. The honey cold foam was really good, but the latte itself was pretty basic.
- BonBon Candy: $7.45
- A fun self serve Swedish candy shop, and yes, the small amount of candy in that bag did indeed cost $7.45 😬.
- Hoexter’s: $145.02
- This was our nicest dinner of the trip and one of our favorite meal! I got the double smash cheeseburger and cookies and ice cream for dessert and loved both. I highly recommend going here!
- Apollo Bagels: $33.20
- This place definitely lives up to the hype. The tomato bagel was really good.
- Tompkins Square Bagels: $30.94
- Another great bagel spot with a ton of cream cheese options.
- Hani’s Bakery Cafe: $30.48
- One of my favorite stops of the trip. I got the sea salt maple latte, which was my favorite coffee in NYC, and their chocolate chip cookie which is known as one of the best in the city. My husband liked the walnut banana bread.
- The Elk Coffee: $7.62
- I got the maple latte here, and it was good but nothing special.
- Mama’s Too Pizza: $32.25
- Good spot to try different pizza slices. I got the House Pie which was solid, and my husband liked the Chicken Alla Vodka sandwich.
- Los Tacos No. 1: $40.45
- We went here twice during our trip since it is such a great casual spot for lunch or dinner. We got six tacos total. The chicken tacos were my favorite. The pork tacos were also good but spicy.
- Culture American Yogurt: $8.71
- I got Nutella frozen yogurt with strawberries, and it was really good.
- Enly Coffee: $14.15
- I saw this place on Instagram and wanted to try it, but the prices were honestly shocking. My blueberry latte with cold foam was $14. It was good, but I would not say it was worth the price.
- La Colombe Coffee: $5.44
- My husband liked their cold brew.
- Taku Sando: $59.33
- This spot sells delicious Japanese-style chicken sandwiches. We actually went to their location in Kyoto while visiting Japan and learned they had a location in NYC so we knew we had to visit on our trip. It was just as good as the one in Kyoto! I got the Wagyu sandwich which is only sold during certain times, and it was delicious.
- Rhythm Zero Coffee: $8.17
- A great coffee shop right near Taku Sando. This was my second favorite coffee of the trip. I loved the iced pear brown sugar latte.
- Los Tacos No. 1: $37.24
- Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt: $8.97
- A good frozen yogurt chain in NYC for a quick sweet treat.
- Krispy Kreme: $18.58
- We of course had to get a 1/2 dozen donuts after seeing a Broadway show!
- Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company: $20.25
- Another great spot for bagels in NYC. I loved the cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese.
- Buddy Buddy Coffee: $16.33
- One of the more unique coffee shops we tried. I got a latte flavored like a PB and J, which was actually really good.
- Blank Street Coffee: $7.29
- Leon’s Bagels: $38.65
- A popular walk up bagel spot. I got a sausage and egg bagel with cream cheese and hot honey which I would definitely recommend.
- Airport Drinks: $7.81
- Shake Shack Airport: $29.47
➡️ For a different side of New York City, check out my One Day in Brooklyn guide where I share my favorite places to visit, eat, and explore.
Activities: $268.25
We only did a couple paid activities while in NYC, but both ended up being highlights of our trip and were 100% worth it.
We saw the Broadway show The Fear of 13 and paid $185.92 total for two tickets. We also spent $17 there on one drink and candy which is not ideal 😂.
This show is based on the true story of Nick Yarris, a man who spent over 20 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. The entire performance is essentially him telling his story, and it focuses on his time in prison, his wrongful conviction, and what happened after he was finally exonerated.
We honestly were not sure what to expect going in, but it ended up being very moving and completely held our attention the entire time. I am really glad we chose to see this show while we were in NYC!
We also went to a comedy show at Comedy Cellar at the Fat Black Pussycat location.
This was such a fun experience and something I would highly recommend adding to your NYC itinerary. It felt very intimate, and the comedians were really good. We sat in the second row and somehow did not get called on which felt like a win 😂.
This cost $65.33 total, which included the cover charge plus their required two item minimum per person. We ended up ordering four drinks (non-alcoholic) and a side of fries to meet the minimum.
We booked both of these about 1.5 weeks in advance, which worked well for us. For more popular shows or if you are visiting during a busy time, I would recommend booking earlier just to be safe.
One thing I really liked about NYC is that a lot of the best things to do are actually free. Walking through neighborhoods like SoHo, the West Village, and Brooklyn, spending time in Central Park, or just exploring different streets ended up being some of our favorite parts of the trip.
You really do not need to spend a lot on activities to have a great time in NYC, which helps balance out the higher costs in other areas like food and hotels.
Shopping: $0
We did not do any shopping on this trip, which definitely helped keep our total lower.
If you plan to shop, especially in areas like SoHo or 5th Avenue, your total will probably be higher than ours.
Final Cost Per Person for Our NYC Trip
In total, we spent $826.98 per person for almost four full days in New York City. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include accommodations since we paid for our hotel with credit card points.
That comes out to about $103 per day per person, which I think is a pretty realistic number if you are wondering how much does a NYC trip cost for a mid-range travel style.
This was not a budget trip, but it also was not luxury. It felt like a really good middle ground for us. We stayed in a nice hotel using points, ate good food, drank a lot of coffee, and did a couple activities.
I hope sharing exactly how much our NYC trip cost gives you a helpful and realistic idea of what to expect when planning your own trip.
If you have any questions about our trip, budget, or itinerary, feel free to leave a comment. I am happy to help!
Check out my other NYC blog posts to help you plan your NYC itinerary!
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