How I Spent 17 Days in New York for Less Than $23 a Day

For my very first blog post, I’m taking a look back at my 17 days in New York and sharing exactly how I managed to stay there without leaving myself with no money.

New York was the very first stop on my round the world trip and before that the furthest I had travelled on my own was from Essex to Great Yarmouth so it felt like a huge step. I knew it would be expensive and I really wanted my accommodation sorted so I could just enjoy exploring without worrying. That is when I discovered Couchsurfing and honestly it changed everything.

I connected with a lady who was going away for a month and needed someone to look after her plants. She arranged for me and another girl to overlap so we could exchange keys, and one Skype call later, I had a place to stay in Brooklyn for 16 days completely free. It was such an amazing experience, and I was so grateful.

And the best part? This lady I would now consider a friend, and I have since been back for her to meet my little family.

How I Did New York On A Budget

1. I <3 Water
   It's true, if there was one drink I had to have for the rest of my life, it's water, gosh, just the thought of it makes me thirsty! I found water re-fill taps in a lot of places, but restaurants and McDonalds give it for free too.

2. Avoid Yellow Cabs
   Don't get me wrong, I went in one cab and it was exciting, but I only did that because someone wanted to go to the movies and offered to pay for the cab instead of walking to the subway.

3. What I ate while in New York is no-ones business!
   Yep, I could eat a pizza slice the size of my face, but I was in New York and it was $1, so I just enjoyed the experience. I found cheap hotdog stands and made a note of where they were for next time. Chinatown was amazingly cheap for food, and with the MetroCard I could easily take little detours to grab meals.

4. Buy a NYC MetroCard
   Buying a MetroCard was the best thing I did. I explored so much of New York with it. I travelled all the way up to the Bronx, around Manhattan, out to Coney Island, and even over to Roosevelt Island. I also took the free Staten Island Ferry to see a different side of the city. New York is full of parks and you can rack up thousands of steps in a day (to work off all that pizza, obvs).

5. Check out flea markets
   They are fun, quirky, and much cheaper.

6. Go to Couchsurfing or Facebook group meetups
   A great way to meet people, and sometimes there is even food and happy hours!

7. Make friends and split the costs
   Things like petrol, food, and day trips become so much cheaper. I wouldn't have seen half as much as I did without them.

8. Use supermarkets
   When we go on holiday it's like we forget that supermarkets exist, they have sandwiches, salads and hot food counters. I bought simple meals and big bottles of water that I could refill before heading out.

9. Is It FOMO???
   I frequently asked myself, "Do I want to do this for me, or because everyone else is?" This stopped me from taking a helicopter ride that I convinced myself I needed to do, and I skipped a lot of the typical paid tourist spots because they were so busy and overrated. Places like The High Line is completely free and just as amazing.
   I wanted to go up one tall building but waited until the end of my trip to see what money I had left. I chose Top of The Rock as it was slightly cheaper and had better views of the Empire State Building!

10. Each day, do a Google search "Free things to do in New York today/tomorrow".
    One day I was there, Alicia Keys was performing for FREE in Central Park! They also had free open cinema nights along the East River.

When I fancied some company, I jumped back onto Couchsurfing and joined a day trip to Long Beach with a lovely group of people. I also managed to visit New Jersey and Philadelphia during my stay.

What I Actually Spent

I kept track of everything I spent, you lucky duckies:

• 16 Aug: $13.50 Transport from JFK, $5 Supermarket food

• 17 Aug: $30 MetroCard*, $2 Water, $3 Hotdog, $10 Mexican meal

• 18 Aug: $1 Photo, $1 Sweets, $5.40 Pizza and drink deal, $2 Supermarket food, $3 Souvenirs

• 19 Aug: $1 Water, $1 Subway performer tip, $5 Subway meal deal

• 20 Aug: $1.50 Drink, $1 Water, $1 Croissant, $17 Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, $1 Pizza, $3.50 McD

• 21 Aug: $3 Donuts, $5.50 Ice cream

• 22 Aug: $3.50 Breakfast and water, $10 Petrol contribution, $8 Lunch, $14 Supermarket shop

• 23 Aug: $3 9/11 Museum, $12 Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives food, $11 Chocolates at Yankee Stadium

• 24 Aug: $1 Drink, $3 Pizza and drink, $11 Pancakes, $3 Bus, $2 Metro

• 25 Aug: $30 MetroCard, $5 Lunch, $5 Dinner, $1 Drink, $2 Bookmark, $6 Beer, $2 Snacks

• 26 Aug: $4 Bracelet, $4 Dress, $1 Donut

• 27 Aug: $1 Snack, $4 Dinner, $10 Drinks, $1 Donut

• 28 Aug: $2 Lunch, $2 Chocolate, $3 Dinner, $8 Lobster meal in Chinatown, $2 Croissants

• 29 Aug: $2.50 Bookmark, $1.50 Dinner, $1 Pizza, $10 Supermarket, $15 Souvenirs

• 30 Aug: $0.50 Donation, $1 Hotdog, $2 Drink, $2 Dumplings

• 31 Aug: $27 Top of The Rock, $3 Dumplings, $9 Cafe, $4 Cupcakes, $1 Snacks

• 1 Sep: $10 Airport train

Total Spend: $380.40

This trip showed me that travel does not have to be expensive to be incredible. Some of my best memories came from the simplest moments, meeting people, exploring new places, and just saying yes to opportunities.

This was just the beginning… want to see how I stayed at a 4 star beachfront hotel in the Cook Islands for free?

Follow my Viaja Facebook page for all the updates. ✈︎

*Prices may have increased slightly since my trip - for example, a 7 day MetroCard now costs $34.