1 day · budget-travelers · New York City
New York has a reputation for being unaffordable. It doesn't have to be. Here's a full day of great experiences that will cost you less than $50 total (not counting your hotel and subway card).
**Morning — Free & Magnificent**
$0 — Start at the Staten Island Ferry (Whitehall Terminal, Manhattan). Free, runs every 30 minutes, 25-minute ride past the Statue of Liberty. Grab a coffee from the terminal vending machine.
$0 — Walk around the St. George neighborhood on Staten Island for 30 minutes, then ride back.
$0 — Wall Street and the Financial District walking tour. Use a self-guided PDF tour (available free online) or just wander. Charging Bull, Fearless Girl, Trinity Church graveyard, Federal Hall — all free.
**Lunch — Under $15**
$4 — Joe's Pizza slice (Carmine Street). A New York institution, the best $4 slice in the city. Add a soda from a bodega for $2. Eat on a bench in Washington Square Park.
$8 — Alternative: Xi'an Famous Foods cumin lamb biang-biang noodles. Hot, spicy, authentic, and enough food.
**Afternoon — Free Culture**
$0 — The Met ("pay what you wish" for NY/NJ/CT residents with ID; for out-of-towners, suggested donation but tickets must be purchased). Whitney Museum Friday 7-10 PM is pay-what-you-wish. MoMA on UNIQLO Free Fridays 4-8 PM is free. The New York Public Library (main branch) is always free.
$0 — Central Park. The Ramble, the Reservoir, the Mall. Free forever.
$0 — The High Line. Elevated park, public art, Hudson River views. Free, open 7 AM to 10 PM.
$0 — Grand Central Terminal. Free to visit. The Whispering Gallery and main concourse ceiling are free to enjoy.
**Afternoon snack — $5**
$5 — Levain Bakery cookie. Monumental, worth every calorie, requires no meal afterwards.
**Dinner — Under $20**
$13 — Veselka pierogies (East Village). Ukrainian comfort food, basket of 7 pierogies with sour cream and onions.
$15 — Katz's deli half-sandwich (they don't officially sell halves but you can split one). Or just get a hot dog for $6 and a knish for $4.
**Evening — Free fun**
$0 — Brooklyn Bridge walk at sunset. Free, photographic, essential.
$0 — Bryant Park free events (summer: movies, winter: ice skating spectators). Tompkins Square Park for free live music.
$0 — Walk Times Square once for the spectacle (free, loud, memorable).
**Total for the day:** About $35-45 (plus subway fare, which is $2.90 per ride or $34 weekly unlimited MetroCard).
**Cheats to know:** - Museum of the Moving Image Friday 4-8 PM is free. - Brooklyn Museum first Saturday of every month is free 5-11 PM. - American Museum of Natural History is "suggested donation" — pay what you want. - Public libraries are incredibly well-funded and always free. - Governors Island is free (just the ferry ride to get there is the cost — $4).