New York City vacation costs: stay, eat, get around (2026)

Budget

• Pod 39 a compact room on a train you will ride, often about $180–280 a night before New York’s 14.75% lodging tax.
• citizenM Bowery same idea downtown, often about $200–320. The F or the 6 is the commute.
• Motto by Hilton Chelsea the 1 or the A/C/E, often about $200–300. You are paying for the station, not for neon.
• Hampton Inn Times Square Central often about $220–340, and only if you want the subway downstairs. The view of the billboards is not the product.

Mid-range

• Ace Hotel NoMad the neighborhood over a convention tower, often about $300–450 a night before the 14.75% lodging tax.
• Hyatt Grand Central or The Westin New York Grand Central you arrived on a train, often about $320–480.
• The Hoxton Williamsburg one river, often about $280–420, which is a lower night than a Times Square resort fee.
• New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, often about $350–500. You came for the trains, not the lobby.

Splurge

• Park Hyatt New York Midtown flagship, often about $800–1,400 a night. The subway is still $3.
• Conrad New York Downtown Battery Park, often about $500–900, not a Times Square tower.
• 1 Hotel Central Park the park address, often about $700–1,200.
• The St. Regis New York Fifth Avenue, often about $800–1,500. Breakfast is still not included in that rate.

Budget

• A bodega egg-and-cheese about $5–7. That is breakfast. The hotel dining room is not.
• A slice often about $3–5 now, not the old dollar. Three of them are still cheaper than a Midtown salad.
• Xi'an Famous Foods a noodle plate often about $12–16, in a neighborhood you can reach on the train.
• A Chinatown or Flushing plate often about $12–20. Dinner stays on the side of the city where you slept.

Mid-range

• Russ & Daughters Cafe a downtown breakfast or lunch, often about $20–35 a person.
• Katz's a pastrami sandwich often about $25–30. Share it if you also want a slice.
• Via Carota or L'Artusi one Village reservation, often about $40–70 a person before wine.
• Lilia a Williamsburg reservation if you slept at The Hoxton, often about $40–80 a person. Do not add a Midtown lunch the same day.

Splurge

• Le Bernardin a prix fixe that often starts around $200 a person. One reservation, then a bodega the next morning.
• Carbone a red-sauce Splurge, often about $100–150 a person if you can get the table. Book before you fly.
• Grand Central Oyster Bar a sit-down lunch, often about $40–70, under the trains you are already using.
• Balthazar a SoHo breakfast, often about $25–40. It is still cheaper than a hotel dining room at the St. Regis.

Budget

• The Staten Island Ferry $0, and it is the skyline.
• A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge $0. Start from the borough where you slept.
• OMNY at $3 a ride. After 12 local rides on the same card in seven days, the cap is $35.
• A pay-what-you-wish hour only if you qualify. Visitors should budget about $30 at MoMA or the Met instead of hoping.

Mid-range

• MoMA general admission about $30. Pick this or the Met, not both the same afternoon.
• The Met about $30 for visitors who do not live in New York. Residents have a different policy.
• Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo the view is free. The train to get there is $3.
• A TKTS or rush Broadway seat often about $80–120. A full-price orchestra seat is often $150–250 and is a different tier.

Splurge

• One observation deck Summit, Edge, or Top of the Rock is often about $40. Three of them is three tickets.
• A reserved Broadway orchestra seat often $150–250 plus fees. That is the Splurge, not the default.
• A guided harbor cruise often about $30–40, which buys a seat for a view the ferry already gave you.
• A Manhattan garage often $50–80 a night — plus a tunnel. The subway under the hotel was $3.