The real number
What a New York Trip Actually Costs
We are not going to tell you a total. Rates move with the season, the dates and the exchange rate, so any figure we printed would be wrong by the time you read it. What we can do is far more useful: set out every cost that is fixed, explain the ones that catch British visitors out, and give you a way to turn the rate you are looking at into the number you will actually pay.
Compare live New York ratesStart here
Add about 15 per cent and $4 a night to any rate you see.
That single adjustment turns a New York room rate into a New York room cost, and it is the thing most UK travellers discover at checkout rather than at booking. Everything below explains where it comes from and what else to expect.
Line by line
Where the money actually goes.
The room rate is not the room cost
This is the single biggest surprise for UK travellers. In Britain the price you are shown is the price you pay. In New York, hotel taxes are added at checkout, and they are not small.
New York City charges a 5.875 per cent hotel room occupancy tax on top of the 8.875 per cent combined sales tax, plus a state unit fee and a Javits Center charge that together come to roughly $3.50 to $4 per room per night. All in, expect about 14.75 per cent plus a flat nightly amount.
The practical effect: a room advertised at $300 a night clears roughly $350 by the time you check out. On a four-night stay that is about $200 you had not budgeted for.
Then there are the fees that are not taxes
Separately from tax, some hotels add a compulsory nightly destination, facility or resort fee. It is charged whether or not you use what it covers, and it is a property charge rather than anything the city imposes.
SIXTY LES on the Lower East Side is a clear example: around $40 plus tax a night, covering wifi, the gym, the pool, bicycles and neighbourhood walking tours. Over four nights that is $160 on top of the room and the taxes.
These fees are the main reason two hotels showing the same nightly rate can differ by hundreds of pounds over a stay. Always compare the final total on the booking page, not the headline.
What you spend before leaving the UK
A short list, but it catches families out because most of it is charged per person rather than per booking.
Getting from the airport
The three airports differ more than most people expect, and Newark is the most expensive to reach on public transport despite often showing the cheaper fare.
Getting around, and the change that catches returning visitors
The subway fare rose from $2.90 to $3.00 on 4 January 2026. More importantly for anyone who has visited before: the MetroCard is being phased out in favour of OMNY contactless payment, so an old MetroCard in a drawer is not the plan it once was.
The useful part is the weekly cap. Tap the same contactless card or device for every journey and your subway and local bus fares are capped at $35 across a rolling seven days; after that you ride free for the rest of the period. There is no sign-up and nothing to buy in advance, but it only works if you use the same card every time.
For a couple, that means tapping your own separate cards rather than one person paying for both, or the cap never triggers.
Tipping is a line item, not a rounding error
Budget 18 to 20 per cent on every restaurant and bar bill. Over a week of eating out that is a meaningful sum, and it is not optional in the way it is in Britain.
The quickest way to get it right: New York sales tax of 8.875 per cent is printed on every bill, so doubling it gives 17.75 per cent. Round up from there and you have tipped correctly without doing arithmetic at the table.
Elsewhere: one to two dollars a drink at a bar, 15 to 20 per cent in a taxi, and two to five dollars a night for hotel housekeeping, left in the room.
Build your own estimate
Four buckets, and the order to fill them in.
Work these out for your own dates and party size. It takes ten minutes and it is far more accurate than any average someone else publishes.
Per person, once
ESTA at $40 each, travel insurance, and any airport parking or transfers at the UK end. For a family of four the ESTA alone is $160.
Per night
Your room rate, plus about 15 per cent, plus roughly $4 in flat fees, plus any destination or facility fee the hotel charges. Work this out before comparing two hotels.
Per day
Food and drink with 18 to 20 per cent tips on top, plus transport. Two people using the subway will hit the $35 weekly cap each on a busy week.
One-offs
Broadway tickets, observation decks, museums and any airport transfers. These are the easiest line to control and the easiest to underestimate.
The biggest lever
Where you stay moves the total more than anything else.
Accommodation is the largest line by a distance, so the neighbourhood decision is also a budget decision. Crossing the river to Long Island City or Greenpoint buys noticeably more space for the money, and a hotel with a kitchenette changes what a week of breakfasts costs. Our value shortlist and the taxes and fees guide go further on both.
Fast answers
Cost questions UK travellers ask.
How much tax is added to a New York hotel bill?
About 14.75 per cent, made up of a 5.875 per cent city hotel occupancy tax and 8.875 per cent combined sales tax, plus roughly $3.50 to $4 a night in flat state and Javits Center fees. A $300 room clears around $350.
What is a destination fee and do I have to pay it?
It is a compulsory nightly charge set by the hotel, not a tax, and it is payable whether or not you use what it covers. Fees of $25 to $40 a night are common. Always compare the final booking total rather than the nightly rate.
How much is the subway in New York?
$3.00 per journey since 4 January 2026, up from $2.90. Tap the same contactless card for every trip and your fares are capped at $35 over a rolling seven days, after which you ride free.
Can I still use a MetroCard?
It is being withdrawn in favour of OMNY contactless payment. If you have an old MetroCard from a previous trip, do not plan around it; use a contactless card or phone instead.
How much should I budget for tipping in New York?
Between 18 and 20 per cent on restaurant and bar bills, one to two dollars a drink at a bar, 15 to 20 per cent in taxis and two to five dollars a night for housekeeping. Doubling the 8.875 per cent sales tax on your bill gives 17.75 per cent, which is the fastest way to get it right.
What is the biggest cost of a New York trip?
Accommodation, by a wide margin, which is why the hotel and the neighbourhood you choose move the total more than anything else you decide. Crossing the river to Long Island City or Greenpoint, or choosing a hotel with a kitchenette, changes the figure more than cutting back on meals.
Keep planning
Shortlists and guides.
Guides
Read before you book.
Sources and update notes
Last updated: 17 August 2026. Hotel rates, fees, rules and transport details can change.