New York City on a South African budget

New York City is ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world. That’s not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear if you are travelling to New York with South African Rands (ZAR) in your pocket. It also happened that my trip to the Big Apple coincided with the lowest exchange rate of ZAR to USD in the last 10 years. I wanted the full New York City experience without cutting items from my bucket list! What was a girl to do? Hours and hours of research that paid off! Here are my top tips for doing New York City on a South African budget.

Accommodation

Hotels and even hostels in NYC are very expensive. Use Airbnb instead! There are fantastic rooms/apartments available all over New York.

Booking tip: Contact the host and carefully read the past reviews before selecting a property.

Everything in Manhattan is pricey. Consider staying outside Manhattan. During my trip, I stayed in New Jersey. In hindsight though, I would rather have stayed in Brooklyn to cut down on transportation costs.

Transport

Even if you are only in New York City for a couple of days, I recommend that you purchase a 7 day metro card for $31. It’s more economical to purchase a pass than to pay for a single ride ($2.75) each time. Also, the subway isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be, so don’t be afraid to use it.

Food

Use daily deal websites like Groupon and Social Living to purchase your meals. I saved a ton of money and discovered great restaurants in the process. Check out my article here.

Tours and sightseeing

I highly recommend using the tour company Free tours by Foot. Here’s why:

• It’s a pay what you want company. This means you don’t pay a fixed price for the tour upfront. Rather, you tip the guide at the end of the tour according to the experience you had. It’s a win-win situation for both parties.
• Highly experienced and enthusiastic local tour guides with excellent suggestions and tips.
• Booking is easy. You must book your tours online ahead of time.
• Communication with the company is excellent! The night before your tour departs, you will receive an email with information about your tour: the meeting point, how to get there and a photo to easily identify your tour guide.
• An extensive selection of tours that covers all the neighbourhoods of NYC.

Some activities and attractions in NYC are completely free! For example, taking a stroll through Central Park or walking across The Brooklyn Bridge.

Other attractions are surprisingly affordable. For example, entry to The Natural Museum of History works on a donation basis. The suggested donation price is $32, but don’t feel bad if you only donate a couple of dollars.

Visit daily deal sites like Groupon, for promotions and great prices on attraction entry tickets. I was lucky enough to get tickets for Madame Tussauds at half the normal price!

For the other main attractions in NYC, The Statue of Liberty and The Empire State Building, I recommend you purchase tickets ahead of time directly from the official websites. For additional tips on visiting The Statue of Liberty, please read my article here.

Broadway shows

Don’t skip the broadway shows because you think it’s too expensive! Use Goldstar to purchase your tickets. It’s like Groupon but for broadway shows. I purchased tickets for the play Sylvia (starring broadway legend Matthew Broderick) for a third of the price!

Communication

If you are on a strict budget, don’t worry, there is free WiFi almost everywhere in NYC. But sometimes you need your own data and the packages in the USA are quite expensive. I purchased a data package at T-mobile for $52. Afterwards, I found an incredible deal at Walmart for $49 that included a new phone! So my advice to you is if you really need your own data, go to Walmart first.

Now that your budget has been taken care of, pack your bags and head to the Big Apple! What are you waiting for?