Spending money for a week in New York?

[Feofjwonxoaks]

Well 6 days. My partner and I, no children. We'd like to book onto some tours etc. As well. Would need some sort of subway pass.
Want to try new places to eat but i don't think we'll be eating in restaurants for every meal, probably some quick takeaway stuff too.
Wondering if £300 each (obviously converted) would be enough?

"I really disagree with this, tipping is entirely optional."

Are you in cloud cuckoo land? They get taxed on the expectation of tips.

We were there in 2016 and found the cost of eating out absolutely staggering even then - and that was without the recent plummet in the value of the pound. We are one-course dinners in pubs that did food because we'd booked a series of shows in advance - these are, of course, VERY expensive.

Others have mentioned Ellen's Stardust diner - we went there and it was just 'meh', so don't bother is my advice.

No they aren’t, they’re taxed on declared tips but it’s impossible to tax on an unknown amount.

The OP seems to have fucked off in shame, but to get a sense of budget you'd have to say what kind of things you want to do there. Eg. I wouldn't be interested in expensive restuarants but many would.

It's the kind of place where even if you're not going to expensive restaurants you'll still spend a fortune. I pride myself on shoestring holidays and still couldn't manage a reasonable spend unfortunately.

Agree, I loved Bryant park & the central library - I spent a lovely afternoon there and only spent the money for a coffee to sit with in the park (didn’t have to buy that tbh!).

Agree on the cable car to Roosevelt island on the subway line too, I went early evening and the views were amazing.

You can visit the 911 memorial for free too, it costs to go into the museum but you could see the memorial and take a walk around the general area for nothing if you were on a budget.

"No they aren’t, they’re taxed on declared tips but it’s impossible to tax on an unknown amount."

Tell that to the IRS. There is an expectation of a tip of around 18% and should they investigate they will estimate the taxable tip amount based on a restaurants annual takings.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was true.

I was there for work for a week at the end of August and I definitely had at least one occasion where a simple wrap and a bottle of water was over $20. With crappy exchange rate via personal banks, it was over £20 on my account.

Actually, as I'm currently doing my expenses, here's a photo of a receipt ("chicken kebab pitta" is a gross exaggeration as it was simply some chicken and lettuce in a wrap, not even a bit of tomato or onion, or sauce!):

@Feofjwonxoaks

Not sure if this has been mentioned . I havent read the full thread

But this could save you some pennies

newyorkpass.com/en-us

There are ways to save money in Manhattan (one of my DC lived there). Ubers cost more than cabs for starters. A taxi from the airport will be at a fixed rate, think it's about $50+.

You can buy a dollar slice (of pizza) for a few meals, although inflation might mean you pay more like $1.50 now! If you have brunch, that'll cover breakfast and lunch, and some places offer unlimited coffee with it. At weekends, you might find unlimited cocktails too.

Also by avoiding the really touristy places (Times Square for example - which I don't really see the point of), you can eat better and much more cheaply.

Don't lose heart OP, you'll need more spending money than planned, but costs can be managed.

Times Square is definitely worth a visit. I know what you mean @ElusiveWhale about not seeing the point of it, I felt the same about it but when I went I actually really enjoyed it just for the pure spectacle, saw some amazing breakdancing and the feel is kinda exciting like NY you see in movies. You don't need to spend money there and I would highly recommend a quick visit for the spectacle (quick being the operative word - it is a bit hectic).

We'll have to agree to disagree on that

I mean it's better than when I first went in '91 but an M & Ms shop plus a load of billboards? Not for me.

Came on to suggest this too. It saved me a fortune when I was in New York

You can still have a great time on a budget!!

You can save money by choosing to do free or cheaper activities.
—I would add Central Park to list of free things. It is massive, so checkout on line what you want to see there. Take a photo of the map so you can find your way around. I used google maps to find some things there and also to find an exit 😂
-Get subway to different neighbours and walk around exploring. I love Greenwich Village and SoHo. Download free walking tours and explore on foot.

-Window shop on 5th Ave and call into St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Rockerfella Center is just across the road from it. Radio City also close by.
-Walk Brooklyn Bridge, there is lovely park area on the Brooklyn side.

-Check out the park at Washington square, often seen on TV, it’s the one with the chess players.
-Checkout the farmers market at Union Square.
-So many neighbourhoods to choose from to explore
-You get a good’ish view /photo of Statue of Liberty from Staten Island ferry, which is free. Ferries go about every 30 mins.

If you like art, definitely check out The Met.
You could spend a full day there!! It is magnificent. Entry fee is $30.

If you are buying groceries for breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc, buy from Target and Trader Joes. If you like a drink, buy alcohol for your room at liquor stores, or bring duty free with you.

There are often free events going on. Google and see what is on while you are there.

Use the subway whenever possible. Google maps is brilliant, gives you all your public transport options.

Lastly, turn off roaming on your phone and use Wi-Fi as much as possible, only use roaming when you must.

Download off line google map of New York to your phone.

Have a brilliant time, it’s a fantastic city!!

Really great tips from the poster above! Of course you can make it work - but you will need to be careful. I was there a few weeks ago and spent a lot, but wasn’t trying particularly hard to save. I second Trader Joe’s for cheap food! There’s one on the Lower East Side. Cheap pizza slices for dinner are good too.

I love the free walking tour company (you do need to tip, though - but $20/30 dollars between the pair of you would be ok): freetoursbyfoot.com/new-york-tours/

I also read a good blog post on free NY things recently: www.adventurouskate.com/free-things-to-do-in-nyc/

The Bronx Zoo is free on Wednesdays! And Brooklyn Botantical Gardens free on Sat/ Sun mornings before 10am (double check this though). The Met is also possible to get in for free as the price is a ‘suggested donation’. It just says that part in tiny, tiny font. Depends how brazen you feel - you just have to say, ‘one adult, $5 donation’.

Ahh it’s my favourite place in the world! And of course you can do it cheaply - lots of people live there with much less disposable cash per week. Just do a bit of planning to make sure you’re savvy. Have the best time!!!

Literally the only thing cheaper still out there is trainers, bought my daughter some AF1's in Nike NY.

We were there in July California, Arizona then NYC. Cali and NYC were really expensive.

We did a lot of walking (two teens with us too) which is the best way to see it. Take 200 a day each and comfortable shoes.

When you say £300 converted…. So you mean $300 then 😬 Have you seen the exchange rate?

I've just come back from NY and it was very, very expensive. A bowl of pasta and glass of wine (and similar small lunches and dinners) often came to £70 or £80. And the most basic Macdonald's meal was £16!

To the PP who said they never left tips and no one said anything.... sometimes people live in their own little worlds. Think what they are doing is fine and no one complained or said anything. They truly dont notice the daggers been given out.

Its rather like those people who suddenly stop at the top of the esclator and wonder why people are asking them to move away from the top. They really dont have an idea and in their own little worlds.

£300 each - no way! Maybe £700 each!

But there is free stuff.
Bryant Park is great
The Highline
(I went in 2018)
it is v expensive to eat out and paid for tourist stuff is too if you are doing tours it’ll be where your dollar goes

We had the New York Pass too and its expensive upfront. Circa $400 dollars for 3 days for 2 people.

However it does get you numerous walking tours, Empire State Building, The Edge, boat trips etc. The subway pass is $33 dollars each.

My idea of a NY holiday is not having dollar pizza slices and eating them on the sidewalk. What if it is raining or cold?

I was in NYC last month and like everyone else says, it was crazy pricey. A coffee in Starbucks is about $6, for example, and all the museums were about $30 a head. They now have the same sort of payment system for the subway as we have in London where you can just use your contactless card to pay, and you can swipe up to five times to allow kids through too. You're meant to only pay for 12 rides in a week and the rest are free but that doesn't seem to count if you're with kids... Each ride is $2.50, fine, but when I checked my bank statement of course there was a card fee and a currency conversion fee for each transaction so each ride cost £3. So the subway pass might still be a better idea!

Oh OP. You probably could make that last a few days each (maybe two), if you are VERY cheaply (food carts/pretzels etc) but you will ultimately need MUCH more.

At least £1k each. And that’s bare minimum. NY is super ex.