Should you visit Gainesville or New York City?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Gainesville 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.
Gainesville
Home to the University of Florida as well as Santa Fe College, the town of Gainesville has all of the shopping, entertainment, and restaurants that you could want in a college town - plus easy access to a number of outdoor adventures from canoeing, diving, and kayaking to birding, fishing, hiking, and biking. Some of the top features include the Butterfly Rainforest, the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, and Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park.
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 Gainesville?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Gainesville is $135, while the average daily cost in New York City is $238. 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 Gainesville and New York City in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in Gainesville is about $138 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
While meal prices in Gainesville can vary, the average travelers spends about $46 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Gainesville should cost around $18 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Gainesville is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
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
Gainesville $46
New York City $37
Typical Food prices in Gainesville
Some typical examples of dining costs in Gainesville 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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Greenwich Village History, Culture, and Food Tour with Local Expert:
$129
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JAPANESE guided tour! Bateaux Dinner Cruise tour with hotel transportation. The best way to enjoy the Manhattan night view from the river & sea. Full course French dinner, live band music included.:
$333
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Limo trip Hotel to Dinner round trip in NEW MKT Limousine:
$481
Local Transportation
The cost of a taxi ride in Gainesville is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $33 per person, per day, on local transportation in Gainesville.
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 Gainesville
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Gainesville:
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Port Canaveral:
$658
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Orlando-Sanford (SFB) Airport:
$676
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Private Transfer from Gainesville to Orlando (MCO) Airport:
$453
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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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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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 All Inclusive New York City Airport Arrival Transfer:
$90
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Private All Inclusive New York City Airport Departure Transfer:
$90
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Manhattan Private Luxury Transfer to NYC Airports:
$98
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New York Airport Luxury Departure Transfer via Stretch Limousine, SUV, Sedan:
$100
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Private Transfer from Manhattan to John F Kennedy Airport JFK by Luxury Car:
$111
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Private Sedan New York City Airport Departure Transfer:
$115
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Private Minivan Transfer from New York to JFK Airport:
$120
Is it cheaper to fly into Gainesville or New York City?
Prices for flights to both New York City and Gainesville 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
Entertainment and activities in Gainesville typically cost an average of $14 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
In New York City, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $77 per person, per day.
Typical Entertainment prices in Gainesville
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Gainesville are as follows:
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Manatee Tour for Two
$98
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Tour Guide Tip
$5.00
Tours and Activities in Gainesville
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Gainesville are as follows:
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Butterfly Rainforest at Florida Museum of Natural History Ticket:
$14
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
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City Map
$8.00
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Broadway Musical
$111
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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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9/11 Tribute Museum Admission Ticket:
$12
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Central Park Zoo General Admission Ticket:
$14
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Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ticket:
$21
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Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island: Ticket Options with Ferry:
$21
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American Museum of Natural History Tickets:
$23
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American Museum of Natural History Admission Ticket:
$23
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St Patrick's Cathedral Official Tour- NOW OPEN:
$24
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Skip the Line: Shake, Rattle and Roll Dueling Pianos Show Ticket:
$25
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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Ticket:
$25
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The Museum of Modern Art Admission Ticket:
$25
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Whitney Museum of American Art Admission Ticket:
$25
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NOW OPEN: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry Ticket optional Upgrade:
$28
Alcohol
The average person spends about $39 on alcoholic beverages in Gainesville per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting New York City spend on average $23 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Gainesville and New York City, we can see that New York City is more expensive. And not only is Gainesville much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Gainesville would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Gainesville 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 New York City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in New York City than you might in Gainesville.
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