How Much Does a Trip to New York Cost? A Budget Guide for Australians
- rowofthree
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Last updated: June 2026
Planning your first trip to New York? One of the biggest questions you'll ask is how much a trip to New York really costs.
After visiting ourselves, I realised there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Your budget depends on where you stay, what you want to see and whether you're happy grabbing pizza by the slice or ticking Broadway off your bucket list.
This guide shares our real costs, realistic daily budgets and the money-saving tips that helped us make the most of our trip.
Contents
New York Budget at a Glance
Planning a 5–7 day trip to New York? Here's what I'd budget before diving into the detailed breakdown.
Ideal trip length: 5–7 days
Budget level: Moderate to expensive
Daily spending money: Around AU$350–500 per family, per day (excluding flights and accommodation)
Biggest expenses: Flights, accommodation and attractions
Best ways to save: Stay near a subway station, use public transport, mix casual meals with a few special dining experiences, and prioritise the attractions that matter most.
Example 5 -7 Day New York Holiday Budget
Everyone travels differently, so there's no single "correct" amount to budget. These figures are designed to give you a realistic starting point.
Expense | Approximate Cost (AUD) |
Return flights | $5,500–7,500 |
Accommodation | $3,500–5,500 |
Food & drinks | $2,000–2,800 |
Attractions | $1,200–1,500 |
Transport | $180–250 |
Shopping & extras | Variable |
Estimated total | $12,500–17,500+ |
These figures aren't exact, but they're a realistic starting point when planning your own New York holiday.
As a general rule, I budget around AU$10,000 per week for our family when travelling in the United States. New York City is one of the few exceptions. Accommodation, Broadway shows and attractions are significantly more expensive than many other US destinations, so I'd allow closer to AU$12,500–17,500 for a typical family holiday here.
Destinations like Arizona, Utah or parts of Florida can often come in well under that figure, but New York is a city where it's worth budgeting a little extra so you're not constantly watching every dollar.
✈️ Need to budget for flights too? Check out my guide: When Is the Best Time to Book Flights from Australia? I explain when I book, airline sales worth watching and how I use frequent flyer points to save thousands.
My First Impression of New York
What surprised me most about New York wasn't the cost—it was the energy.
I loved the constant buzz, the lights reflecting off the skyscrapers at night and the feeling that something was always happening. After growing up seeing New York in movies, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty and looking up at the Empire State Building almost felt surreal.
It's one of the few cities that's even better in real life than it is on screen.
Before we dive into the numbers, here's a quick snapshot of our trip.
🗓️ When we visited: Before we became parents
✈️ Trip length: 6 days (I'd recommend allowing 5–7 days for most first-time visitors.)
❤️ Would we go back? Absolutely.
🏛️ Favourite experience: United Nations Headquarters Tour
🎭 Most surprising cost: Broadway tickets
💰 Best money-saving tip: Prioritise location over luxury. Staying near a subway station was worth every dollar.
New York Trip Budget: How Much Spending Money Do You Need?
If you're still wondering how much a trip to New York costs, these example budgets should give you a realistic starting point before booking your holiday.
Excluding flights and accommodation.
Travel Style | Daily Spending Money (AUD) | Best For |
Budget | $250–350 per person, per day | Free attractions, walking, subway travel, pizza, delis, food courts and one or two paid attractions. |
Comfortable ⭐ | $350–500 per person, per day | A mix of attractions, observation decks, museums, Broadway, sit-down restaurants and a few treats. |
Bucket List | $500–700+ per person, per day | Fine dining, Broadway, sporting events, rooftop bars, shopping and premium experiences. |
Most Australian families will probably fall somewhere in the Comfortable category.
New York isn't a cheap destination, but you can keep costs under control by mixing free attractions with a handful of paid experiences, choosing your splurges carefully and using the subway to get around.
One thing I love about New York is that you can decide how expensive each day will be. One day we grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor and wandered through Central Park. The next, we enjoyed one of the best meals of our trip at Daniel. Neither day felt better than the other.
These days, travelling with Henry, our priorities have changed. We'd rather spend a little more on a well-located hotel than eat at expensive restaurants every night. That's the same approach we've taken with our Disney World holiday—convenience often adds more value than another fancy dinner.
The key is deciding what matters most to your family and spending your money there.
Accommodation in New York
For most travellers, accommodation will be the biggest expense of a New York holiday. The biggest surprise for many Australians isn't just the price—it's how small many Manhattan hotel rooms are. Paying more often buys you a better location rather than a larger room.
Typical hotel prices (AUD per night)
💰 Budget: $250–400 Pod hotels, basic hotels or staying outside Midtown/Lower Manhattan.
🏨 Comfortable (most families): $450–700 Well-located 3–4 star hotels close to subway stations.
✨ Luxury: $800–1,500+ Premium Manhattan hotels with larger rooms and luxury facilities.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Midtown, and the location was excellent. We could easily walk to Rockefeller Center, St Patrick's Cathedral, Central Park and Times Square, making it incredibly easy to explore the city.
The room itself was much smaller than we expected—opening two large suitcases felt like playing Tetris! As a couple it was perfectly manageable, but if we were travelling today with Henry, I'd probably book a room with a little more space.
My biggest takeaway? Prioritise location over luxury.
I'd much rather spend a little more on a hotel that's close to the attractions than spend that money on taxis or lose hours commuting each day.
We booked our accommodation through Booking.com. You can compare prices here.
Attractions: What Should You Budget?
After accommodation, attractions are usually where your New York budget starts to climb.
For a family of four, I'd typically allow:
💰 Budget ($600–800 AUD) Focus on New York's incredible free experiences, with one or two paid attractions. Think Central Park, the Staten Island Ferry for Statue of Liberty views, the High Line, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge and perhaps one observation deck or museum.
⭐ Comfortable ($1,200–1,600 AUD) (where I think most Australian families will sit) A mix of observation decks, museums, a sightseeing pass, Broadway or a sporting event, while still enjoying plenty of New York's free attractions.
✨ Bucket List ($2,000+ AUD) Everything in the Comfortable budget, plus premium experiences such as a helicopter flight over Manhattan, courtside or premium sporting tickets, multiple Broadway shows or private tours.
My biggest tip? Don't try to see everything. Choose the experiences your family will remember in ten years' time and build your budget around those.
Typical Food Prices in New York
Food in New York can be as affordable—or as expensive—as you want it to be. The key is mixing iconic cheap eats with the occasional special meal.
Typical prices (AUD):
☕ Bagel & coffee: $15–25 per person
🍕 Pizza slice, hot dog or deli lunch: $20–35 per person
🍔 Casual family dinner: $180–300 for a family of four (including tax and tip)
🍷 Nice sit-down dinner: $300–500+ for a family of four (including tax and tip)
For most families, I'd allow around $2,000–2,800 AUD for food and drinks over a 5–7 day New York holiday. Some days you'll spend very little, while others can easily exceed $400 if you choose a nice restaurant.
One day we grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor. Another day we enjoyed dinner at Daniel.
Both meals were memorable for completely different reasons.
That's what I love about New York—you don't need every meal to be extraordinary. Some of the city's most iconic food is also some of its cheapest.
Before you travel, check restaurant menus online and convert the prices into Australian dollars. Just remember that sales tax and tipping are added on top of the menu price, so the final bill will almost always be higher than you expect.
Family tip
One tradition we've kept on nearly every trip is visiting Hard Rock Cafe. It might not be the most authentic New York meal, but when you're travelling with kids there's something reassuring about knowing everyone will find something they enjoy. Sometimes familiarity is worth paying for.
Hidden Costs Australians Often Forget
One of the biggest culture shocks for Australians is that the advertised price is rarely the final price.
⚠️ Sales Tax Unlike Australia, prices usually don't include tax.
💰 Tipping Budget around 18–22% for table service unless gratuity has already been added.
✈️ ESTA Don't forget to include your ESTA when budgeting before you leave Australia.
📱 Phone & Internet We've started using an eSIM for our overseas trips because it's simple to set up before you leave Australia and can save you a lot compared with roaming charges. This is the one we use → Holafly
🛡️ Travel Insurance We budget for travel insurance from the start rather than treating it as an optional extra. We've used Cover-More for most of our overseas holidays and it's become part of our travel planning every time we book.
The biggest thing that caught us out wasn't tipping—we expected that. It was sales tax.
We'd mentally converted menu prices into Australian dollars and forgotten tax would be added afterwards.
Another lesson we learnt was to always check whether gratuity had already been included before adding another tip.
Final Thoughts
When I think back on New York, I don't remember how much we spent.
I remember the sound of the traffic echoing between the skyscrapers.
The lights of Times Square.
Walking through Central Park with a slice of pizza in hand.
Standing in front of landmarks I'd seen in movies my entire life and thinking, "I can't believe we're actually here."
The biggest lesson New York taught me is that you don't have to spend money on everything—you just have to spend it on the right things.
New York isn't a cheap destination, but it's one of the few places where you can genuinely choose where your money goes. Whether that's Broadway, incredible food, iconic attractions or simply soaking up the atmosphere, build your budget around the experiences that matter most to you.
I hope this guide helps you budget with confidence—and shows that experiencing one of the world's greatest cities doesn't have to mean spending a fortune.
Have you been to New York? I'd love to hear your favourite budget tips or unforgettable experiences in the comments below.
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