Should you visit Dayton or New York City?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Dayton or New York City, this travel cost comparison can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Dayton
Located in southwest Ohio, Dayton is known as the "Gem City." It's the original home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who designed the first airplane. You'll also find the Dayton Aviation Heritage Park here, which is one of the only multi-site National Parks in the United States. The cities climate has four different seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall. The winter months are quite cold and you can expect a decent amount of snow in the area. Spring remains cool and there are infrequent showers. This is also the peak time for tornadoes in the area. Summer is hot and humid and can be unpleasant at times, but fall is crisp and refreshing with occasional storms and infrequent tornadoes.
New York City
The most populated city in the United States, New York City, sits at the mouth of the Hudson River and encompasses both the island of Manhattan as well as the surrounding land on Long Island, most of which is known as Brooklyn. It's a cultural, culinary, theatrical, and art center that has much to offer domestic and international travelers alike. The city covers an area of 305 square miles and has a population of about 8.2 million people in the city proper with 18.7 million in the metropolitan area.
Which city is cheaper, New York City or Dayton?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Dayton is $259, while the average daily cost in New York City is $194. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Dayton and New York City in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in Dayton is about $400 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
For a normal double-occupancy room in New York City, $274 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in New York City, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $137, such as in a hostel.
Food
The average traveler spends about $49 per day in Dayton for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
New York City food costs typically run travelers around $37 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Dayton $49
New York City $37
Typical Food prices in Dayton
Some typical examples of dining costs in Dayton are as follows:
Typical Food prices in New York City
For New York City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in New York City
For New York City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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New York: Dumbo Food Tour:
$13
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SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Lunch or Dinner Tour:
$48
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Chinatown Food Tour:
$50
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Brooklyn: 3-Hour Williamsburg Bites Food Tour:
$56
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New York Pizza, Beer, and History Tour:
$69
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Midtown Manhattan: Sights & Bites Food Tour:
$69
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New York Lower East Side Food Tour:
$75
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Lonely Planet Experiences: Brooklyn Small-Group Food Tour:
$79
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Brooklyn: 4.5-Hour Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour:
$82
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Food Tour of Chinatown New York:
$89
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New York City Food Tour:
$89
-
New York Chinatown and Downtown Walking and Food Tour:
$114
Local Transportation
While taxis and private drivers typically cost much more than public transportation, people usually spend around $20 per day to get around in Dayton.
To get around in New York City, the average visitor spends $39 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dayton
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Dayton:
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James M. Cox Dayton Airport (DAY) to Dayton - Round-Trip Private Transfer:
$266
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James M. Cox Dayton Airport (DAY) to Dayton - Departure Private Transfer:
$133
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James M. Cox Dayton Airport (DAY) to Dayton - Arrival Private Transfer:
$133
Typical Local Transportation prices in New York City
Some typical examples of transportation costs in New York City are as follows:
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Subway
$4.50
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Taxi Ride
$8.00
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Subway
$2.50
Hired Cars and Shuttles in New York City
Also for New York City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Departure Transfer Manhattan to NYC Airports JFK EWR LGA:
$22
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Private Departure Transfer Brooklyn to NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR):
$29
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New York City Shared Shuttle Departure Transfer: Hotel to NYC Airports:
$30
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Private All Inclusive New York Transfer: Airport or Manhattan to Cruise Port:
$71
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Manhattan Island-Manhattan Cruise Port Private Transfer:
$82
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Private New York airport transfer: New York airport to Manhattan and Brooklyn:
$83
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Private Transfer from New York City to LaGuardia Airport:
$85
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Private transfer: New York to New York Airport (LGA):
$86
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Private All Inclusive New York City Airport Arrival Transfer:
$90
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Private All Inclusive New York City Airport Departure Transfer:
$90
-
New York: Private Transfer to/from LaGuardia Airport (LGA):
$92
-
LaGuardia Airport-Brooklyn Cruise Port Private Transfer:
$96
Is it cheaper to fly into Dayton or New York City?
Prices for flights to both New York City and Dayton change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Typical Entertainment prices in New York City
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for New York City's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Comedy Show Tickets
$56
-
City Map
$8.00
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Broadway Musical
$111
-
Broadway Show Program
$10
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Magazine
$6.99
Tours and Activities in New York City
For New York City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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New York: Brooklyn Heights & DUMBO Self-Guided Walking Tour:
$6.00
-
NYC: Battery Park and Statue of Liberty Self-Guided Tour:
$6.00
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Grand Central Terminal Self-Guided Audio Tour:
$9.00
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9/11 Tribute Museum Admission Ticket:
$12
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Central Park Zoo General Admission Ticket:
$14
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New York Self-Guided Audio Tour:
$14
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Brooklyn Museum General Admission Ticket:
$14
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NYC: 9/11 Tribute Museum & Optional Memorial Walking Tour:
$15
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9/11 Tribute Museum Ticket:
$15
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New York: 2-Hour Superhero Walking Tour:
$18
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New York: The Rubin Museum of Art Admission Ticket:
$19
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New York Aquarium Admission Tickets:
$20
Alcohol
Sample the Local Flavors in New York City
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in New York City:
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Greenwich Village Pub Crawl:
$20
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Pub Crawl Tour of Historic Stone Street:
$40
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New York Hell's Kitchen 3-Hour Pub Crawl:
$75
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Wine Tasting Sail Aboard The Classic Schooner Shearwater:
$101
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Long Island Wine Tour:
$105
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Dayton and New York City, we can see that Dayton is more expensive. And not only is New York City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to New York City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in New York City and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Dayton would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dayton than you might in New York City.
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