A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Johor Bahru vs. New York City for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Johor Bahru or New York City?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Johor Bahru or New York City? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Johor Bahru or New York City?

Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru is the capital of the state of Johor in Southern Malaysia. Though it is largely industrial and does not typically cater to tourists, especially compared to the grandeur of neighboring Singapore, the city does have some opportunities for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

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.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Malaysia, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Malaysia, The Best 2-Week Tours from New York City, and The Best 2-Week Tours from Anchorage.


Which place is cheaper, New York City or Johor Bahru?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Johor Bahru Prices
    Malaysia Prices
    New York City Prices
    USA Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Johor Bahru $66
    New York City $363

The average daily cost (per person) in Johor Bahru is $66, while the average daily cost in New York City is $363. 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 destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Johor Bahru and New York City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Johor Bahru $41
    New York City $175
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Johor Bahru $82
    New York City $350
Compare Hotels in Johor Bahru and New York City

Looking for a hotel in Johor Bahru or New York City? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Johor Bahru


Hotels in New York City


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Johor Bahru Hotel Prices and New York City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Johor Bahru $13
    New York City $49

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Johor Bahru

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Johor Bahru:

  • ~Chauffeur: Johor Bahru to Singapore MPV Transfer: $100
  • Universal Studios Singapore Tickets with Round-trip Transfers: $116
  • Singapore Universal Studio & S.E.A Aquarium-COMBO One-Day Pass(Shared transfer): $210
  • Private Transfer from Johor Bahru City Center to Singapore Hotels: $102
  • Private Transfer : Johor Bharu (JB) to Kuala Lumpur (KL): $136
  • Malaysia:Senai International Airport(JHB)One-Way Transfer: $80
  • LEGOLAND Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur International Airport One-way Transfer: $105
  • LEGOLAND Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur City One-way Transfer: $105
  • LEGOLAND Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur Airport One-way Transfer: $105
  • LEGOLAND Malaysia Admission Ticket with Return Transfer from Kuala Lumpur: $188
  • Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur City 1-way Transfer: $103
  • Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur City 1-way Transfer: $125

Typical Local Transportation Prices in New York City

Some typical examples of transportation costs in New York City are as follows:


  • Subway
    $4.50
  • Taxi Ride
    $8.00
  • 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:

  • Manhattan to LGA One Way Shared Departure Transfer: $25
  • JFK to Manhattan: One Way Shared Arrival Transfer: $28
  • Manhattan to JFK One Way Shared Departure Transfer: $28
  • Manhattan to Newark Airport: Shared Departure Transfer: $30
  • Shared transfer Newark Airport to Manhattan: $30
  • Private Transfer from Manhattan to NYC Airports (JFK/EWR/LGA): $37
  • Private Departure Transfer Brooklyn to NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR): $41
  • Private Transfer from Cape Liberty Cruise Port to New York City: $44
  • Private Transfer from New York Airport (LGA) to Manhattan Port: $44
  • Private Transfer from Newark Airport (EWR) to Cape Liberty Port: $44
  • LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Cape Cruise Port - Arrival Transfer: $44
  • Cape Cruise Port to J.F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)-Departure Transfer: $44

Is it cheaper to fly into Johor Bahru or New York City?

Prices for flights to both New York City and Johor Bahru 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Johor Bahru $16
    New York City $87

Typical Food Prices in New York City

For New York City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Gelato
    $7.50
  • Snacks for Two at Yankees Game
    $34
  • Coffee
    $6.53
  • Smoothie
    $6.95

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:

  • The Lower East Side Food Tour: $34
  • New York Union Square Sweetest Food Tour: Choose Your Own Donuts: $35
  • The Greenwich Village Food Tour: $39
  • Private Pizza Experience (5 tastings) in Manhattan: $45
  • Brooklyn's must-try Pizza Crawl experience (5 top rated slices!): $46
  • Lower East Side Food Tour: Iconic Eats & NYC History Walking Tour: $51
  • Homemade Pizza Party: $63
  • New York City's Best Pizza tour - You be the judge!: $65
  • East Village Food Tour | Tasty Tours NYC: $68
  • Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO Food Tour: Local Eats & Iconic Views: $70
  • New York Union Square Food Tour: Delicious Donuts & Sweet Treats: $70
  • East Village Food Tour: $70

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Johor Bahru $8.04
    New York City $180

Tours and Activities in Johor Bahru

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Johor Bahru are as follows:

  • Adventure Cove WaterPark Sentosa Island Singpore: $34
  • Adventure Cove Waterpark Tickets: $49
  • Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast Admission Ticket in Johor: $29
  • Adventure Waterpark Ticket Desaru Coast: $19
  • Buggy Tour Tourism Johor: $59
  • Causeway Tour: $20
  • DaVinci & The Wheel of Time - Cinematic Walkthrough VR Experience: $19
  • Firefly Tour Johor Bahru@Kota Tinggi Firefly Park: $6.53
  • Harry Potter Visions of Magic Singapore Entry Ticket with Voucher: $74
  • HydroDash Singapore Ticket: $45
  • Johor Bahru : Seadoo JetSki 30mins Self Ride Tour (Double): $86
  • Johor Bahru : Seadoo JetSki 30mins Self Ride Tour(Single): $62

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:


  • Comedy Show Tickets
    $56
  • City Map
    $8.00
  • Broadway Musical
    $111
  • Broadway Show Program
    $10
  • 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:

  • New York's Hidden Gems: Self-Guided City Tour: $3.52
  • New York Walking Tour: Self-Guided City Game: $4.98
  • Central Park Stolen Archives: NY Exploration Game and Tour: $4.98
  • The Battery: A Self-Guided Audio Tour from Bowling Green Park to Stone St: $5.00
  • Broadway: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of the World's Iconic Theatre District: $5.00
  • A New York Date Night Personalized Self-Guided App Tour: $5.00
  • New York: Central Park Walking Personalized Self-Guided App Tour: $5.00
  • New York City Self Guided Audio Experience: $6.00
  • New York Celebrity Chef Self Guided Tour and Exploration Game: $6.34
  • New York West Village Audio Tour: $6.58
  • New York City Greenwich Village Haunted Self Guided Walking Tour: $6.95
  • NYC Superhero Academy: Self-Guided Comic Adventure: $7.04

For more ideas for your next trip, check out The Best Things to do in New York City with Kids, Things to Do in Central Park in NYC, and The Best Museums in New York City.


Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Johor Bahru $5.25
    New York City $29

Sample the Local Flavors in New York City

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in New York City:

  • Brooklyn Distillery Tour: $22
  • NYC Bar Crawl: Games, Live Music & Underground Nightlife: $28
  • New York Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl: $29
  • NYC Pub Crawl Tour: $30
  • Top Shelf Distillery Tour: $33
  • NYC Pub Crawl & Rooftop Clubbing Experience: $34
  • Cheers to Chinatown Tour and Bar Crawl: $40
  • NYC Pub Crawl: Midtown/Times Square VIP Access & Prof Photos: $45
  • Brooklyn Literary Pub Crawl: $49
  • Best of NYC Drag - Drag Bar Crawl with Drink: $49
  • Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl: $49
  • Greenwich Village Piano Bar Crawl: $50


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Johor Bahru and New York City, we can see that New York City is more expensive. And not only is Johor Bahru much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Johor Bahru is in Asia and New York City is in North America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Johor Bahru would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Johor Bahru 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 Johor Bahru.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Johor Bahru Expensive? and Is New York City Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Johor Bahru or New York City?

New York City has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Johor Bahru. When comparing the sizes of Johor Bahru and New York City, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.