How to Save Money Living in NYC
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New York City is known for many things, an expensive city to live in or visit is one of them. If my last post on the truth about moving to NYC alone didn’t scare you away, you are probably concerned about the cost of living in New York. I admit the city is more expensive than other US cities, but there are many ways to save money in NYC. In some respects I think it is easier to save money here than other places. From someone who lived in the city for several years I will share my secrets on how to save money living in NYC. Even if you are not planning on moving to NYC many of these ideas will help you visit New York on a budget.
Living in New York on a budget doesn’t mean you have to stay home every night and eat ramen like in your college days either. You don’t move to the big apple to sit in your apartment and watch TV! You can enjoy all the city offers while saving money in NYC if you follow these tips!
1. Get a NYC Based Job
To afford living in NYC you ideally want to move to the city with a job already locked in. Hopefully this job pays you well. Even if it doesn’t remember that most of the time the same job in NYC pays significantly higher than in other cities. While teachers aren’t known for their high salaries, I was making almost double what I would have been making if I stayed to teach in my home state of Wisconsin. You can complain about how much more expensive rent is in the big apple, but also realize that your salary is most likely higher too. Being a freelancer here is great in all other respects, but not for your income.
2. Learn to Love the MTA
Living cheap in NYC means not owning a car. Really not owning a car is one of the best reasons to live in NYC too. In addition to not having to drive yourself, you also save a lot of money. The table below breaks down the average costs of owning a car vs getting a monthly MTA subway/bus pass and taking public transportation.
*Car using & owning expenses vary greatly. The above is averages based on estimates from friends/family with cars and online research.
3. Avoid Taxis
I took a taxi about twice a year when I lived in NYC. Unless you have mobility issues or have a lot of stuff to carry (luggage from the airport, buying a new sofa), you don’t need to pay for a taxi or ride service. The city is safe to get around at night with public transport and you can get anywhere you want by bus or subway.
4. Bring Your Lunch from Home
I worked at a school in Brooklyn that didn’t have a lot of lunch options nearby, nothing like all the healthy fast-food spots in Midtown. This really ended up being a blessing for me. I found this awesome bread bakery (Baked in Brooklyn) that sells four large sandwich rolls for $1 (eight for a $1 at the end of the day). Then I bought some deli meat and lettuce and made sandwiches every day for work. My daily lunch came to less than $5 a day. It’s unlikely, unless you buy a $1 slice of pizza every day, that you can beat that price when buying your lunch out.
5. Buy Your Produce at Markets
Once I discovered Rossman Farms on 26th St in Sunset Park, Brooklyn it became my go to spot. The produce is so much cheaper than it is in grocery stores. I used to play this game with my parents where I would tell them everything I bought and have them guess how much I spent. They were just as shocked as I was about how cheap the fruits and vegetables were. Find a local market in your area that has good deals.
As you can tell I made several stops for groceries. Every Sunday was a time consuming task of shopping at different places. Was it a hassle? Yes! But I can’t tell you the times I look back on these years and thank myself for all the money I saved!
6. Book Restaurant Reservations with Open Table
Do you like to go out to eat? Of course you do, who doesn’t? Every time you have eating plans check to see if the restaurant is on OpenTable. If it is, make a reservation, even if you don’t think you will need one. You will earn points. Once you receive 1,000 points you will be able to cash them in for rewards such as restaurant gift cards. If you are meeting a friend for dinner and you are in charge of choosing where to eat search the site for 1,000 point table reservations. In just one reservation you can earn enough points to pay for your next meal!
7. Visit Museums on Free Days
Looking for cheap things to do in New York? Visit all the world-class museums for free, or at least at a low cost. Almost all the museums have a free or a pay-what-you-wish day. Why pay $25 for MoMa when you can go for free on a Friday night? Check out all the NYC museums to visit and find out when their free and/or pay-what-you-wish days are.
8. Sign up for the NYC ID card
Better yet sign up for the free NYC ID card online. You will need to go to an in-person appointment to show proof that you are a NYC resident. Once you receive your free ID card you can sign up for memberships at museums and other cultural sites throughout the five boroughs of the city. As a member you receive free admission as well as access to discounts, free events and guest passes.
I saw a rehearsal at the New York City Ballet, I visited the NY Botanical Gardens several times, I went to the New York Aquarium, I attended an Italian festival at Historic Richmond Town, and I went to the Museum of Chinese in America. All of these places and more were free for me to visit with the card.
9. Do Free Activities
Museums aren’t the only free places to go in New York City. Free Tours by Foot offers interesting walking tours and food tours. Visit Central Park, Prospect Park, Bryant Park and all the other parks within the city. Throughout the year they have free movies, performances, festivals and other events. You can go kayaking for free at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 40 (Houston Street), Pier 96 (56thStreet) and Riverside Park near 72nd Street.
Meet-ups are a great way to do something free and meet people. You can find a board game group, a book club, free festivals and more. It’s a good way to get ideas of what is going on in the city too. The New York Public Library has a calendar full of free events. What better way to save money than by volunteering your time? It doesn’t cost you anything and helps the community. NY Cares has a wide selection of opportunities.
This is just skimming the surface of all the free places to go and things to do. Pick up the free TimeOut NY magazine around the city every Thursday for more ideas. Also check Eventbrite for free events.
If you can’t find any activity or event when you are available (unlikely) then take walks through the different neighborhoods. Visit the Russian neighborhood of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, Queen’s Chinatown in Flushing or the Bronx’s Little Italy on Arthur Avenue. There is so much variety and diversity in NYC. I never get bored wandering the streets and neighborhoods.
10. Use Tourist Passes
New York City has so much to offer and many of the biggest attractions unfortunately aren’t free. You will most likely have friends and family from back ‘home’ come to visit you. It’s a great opportunity to explore the major sites of the city at one time and be a tourist in your own city. Your best way to save money is to buy a sightseeing pass. Below is an example of the attractions some friends and I visited when using the two day NY Pass and what we saved. When using the pass make sure to do the most expensive activities and ones that don’t have free or discount days.
There’s also the New York Freestyle Pass, the New York City Explorer Pass and the Sightseeing Flex Pass.
11. Purchase Discount Broadway Tickets
If you are saving money in NYC you might think you can’t afford to go to Broadway shows. That’s not true! There are so many different ways to get cheap Broadway tickets. I saw My Fair Lady for $35 and Groundhog Day for $40.
12. Use Your Local Library
Do you buy books? Why? You most likely will have a small apartment, so don’t take up more space than you need with books you are only going to read once. Brooklyn and Queens each have their own library system. Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island are on one library system together. Sign up in the borough you live. You can reserve books online and they are delivered to the library of your choice. It’s almost as easy as Amazon. All you need to do is pick up your ordered books within 7 days of their arrival.
13. Take Free Fitness Classes & Gym Trials
Before deciding on a gym or workout place, do as many free trials as possible. There are thousands of gyms and fitness studios in the five boroughs. Almost every gym has a free trial. All you need to do is google places and check their website to see what they offer. Here’s a few with multiple locations to get you started: Crunch, 24 hour Fitness, YMCA, NYSC, YogaWorks, and Pure Barre.
After I did almost a year of free trials and discount deals I signed up for Classpass. It has changed since I began and isn’t quite the deal it used to be. I made use of the $99 unlimited membership which was a steal. Now it is a credit system. It still gives you the opportunity to try the majority of fitness places and book in one spot. Do the one-week free trial and see what you think. Make sure to sign up with this link, because if you decide to stay you will get $40 off!!
Some people might think doing free trials is cheating the system. It’s not because if a gym is great you will remember it and go back and buy classes or a membership. But if you don’t want to spend the time researching places just for a free pass there are classes in NYC that are always free. Many Lululemon stores offer regular yoga or other fitness classes. Check the community section of the website for upcoming classes. ShapeUp NYC offers free fitness classes at community centers, parks and other locations around the city.
Where to Stay in New York on a Budget
Apartment hunting is a process in New York. If you don’t have an apartment right away or are visiting the city stay at the Grandview Hotel. It’s one of the most reasonably priced places you can find in the city that also has nice, clean accommodations. Read my full review on the hotel to learn more.
There you have it, the best ways to save money in NYC on transportation, food, entertainment and exercise! It’s really the little ways that add up to make a big difference.
More About NYC
BOOKS
BROADWAY
CHRISTMAS
ITINERARIES
LIFE IN NYC
MUSEUMS
TOURS
WHERE TO STAY
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15 Comments
Danik
I wish I knew about the NYC ID card before I went on my last visit. That would have saved me a lot of money. I spent so much money eating out there as well. Next time I am over the pond (I am from London, UK), I am going to try and do it budget style (and hopefully stay away from the tourist traps!)
admin
You won’t be able to get the NYC ID card unless you are a local. You can get one of the tourist passes and save money on many of the attractions. Also for eating give OpenTable a try! It works in London too.
Indrani
Good to know about the NY card, it really saves us a lot! Picking up a job there may not be easy for me.The MTA metro pass and Discount Broadway Tickets are such excellent ways to save money. Other suggestions are good and practical.
Linda (LD Holland)
Public transit is generally a great way to save money as a local. Or as a visitor. Even when we travel we visit the local markets and eat a meal a day as a picnic. Saving money of some things lets us splurge on others. Always great to find free activities and free days to visit attractions. Great tips for NYC.
Amar Singh
Living in any of the large famous cities around the world could be expensive but as you have stated in this post, with a few little changes life becomes easier and not that expensive. I have travelled to NYC a few times and yes it is expensive but if you are wise and looking for a longer stay then these points will surely help. Avoid taxis and love the MTA would be topping my list. Not just saving money it saves time as well. Getting a little money from a job as you enjoy the great apple will help you through. Thanks for sharing this interesting post.
admin
Yes, taking public transportation saves a lot of money!
sherianne
Man, I can’t imagine driving in NYC! And that’s just considering the traffic, the cost is also crazy. I used the taxi several times while visiting my sister and the price was shocking to me, it didn’t seem to even phase her. Great tip to visit the museums on free days, NYC has the best museums! Also great information about the NYC Id Card and Open Table, rewards are my favorite thing!
admin
Taxi prices are so high in NYC. I’m always shocked by the number of people who take them often. Yes, I would never drive in NYC either!
Yukti Agrawal
Thanks for listing some great tips on saving money while living in NYC as sometimes living in such a big city is an expensive affair. Buying own food and traveling through MTA is the big money saving tip. Also visiting museum on free days is another good tip. Will now take care and look out for free days of NYC museums. Purchasing city passes also saves a lot which I too notice in my travels.
admin
Hope the tips help you save money the next time you are in NYC!
Bhushavali N
That’s definitely awesome. I have to agree about using public transport. We primarily get around on public transport and its not only cheaper than car but also more eco-friendly than car! Getting the NYC ID card is a great idea. In the 2 bigcities that I’ve lived in, I’ve always bought the annual passes which allow me free/discounted entry in local museums. Saves a lot of money! Even with friends/family come over, my entrance is always free!
The amount of money you save by cooking is significant in a long term. We too try our best to cook and pack even when we are out of day-trips .
admin
That’s a good point, using public transportation not only saves money, but is also good for the environment.
Fae Celine
These are great tips to save money while living in NYC. Taking the public transportations is really one of the best ways to save more money than owning a car.
Jas
I’m from Vancouver, which is quite pricey to live in too. I recently just visited NY for the first time in almost ten years and it’s so much more expensive than I remembered! Brooklyn Bridge Park was one of my faves and my local friend told me about the lottery system for broadway shows. I’d love to live in New York just for that privilege!
admin
I love the Broadway lottery system! I have won tickets to many shows using it 🙂