This post answers the question of when is it cheapest to visit NYC, including sections specific to hotels and airfares.
We will give context to the best time of year and the best times for different seasons, as well as discuss the benefits of low-season travel.
As local tour guides offering pay-what-you-wish walking tours, we know a thing or two about great deals in NYC.
As locals, we have the luxury of experiencing NYC any time of the year, and we know when the cheapest time for things is.
And, to craft this post, we've used our own local experiences, as well as those of the members of our popular NYC Travel Tips Facebook group.
You can find a link to the group in our Tips for Traveling Cheaply to NYC section.
- The Quick Answer
- Cheapest Times for Hotels
- Cheapest Times for Flights
- Pros and Cons of Off-Season Travel
- 7 Tips for Traveling Cheaply to NYC
- Other Important Questions When Planning Your Visit
- How Much Does It Cost To Visit NYC
THE CHEAPEST TIME TO VISIT NYC
As you might well have guessed, the cheapest months of the year to holiday in NYC are from January through March.
It's in these 3 months that the costs of both a flight and hotel are on average the lowest for the whole year.
Of course, there are several caveats.
For example, while hotels in NYC are on average cheaper during these months, some major hotel districts, particularly those that serve the business and convention areas are not necessarily great bargains during weekdays.
Also, if you will be flying into the Big Apple, the price you will pay for a flight may be dependent on several factors.
For example, your price could depend on the day of the week that you fly, the day of the week that you purchased your ticket, how far in advance you purchase, and which airport you fly into (NYC has 3).
Keep in mind that the cheapest time might not be the best time.
If you want to enjoy New York City's parks, for example, then winter is not the best time to visit.
We have a post that analyzes the best times to visit NYC.
On the other hand, if you are a museum lover, you will probably benefit from the smaller crowds and concessionary ticket prices.
We explore this more in our benefits of an off-season visit section.
TIP: Once you've chosen the best season for you, then you have to decide how long you want to visit NYC! Our post on How Many Days Is Enough For NYC? can help you make those choices.
You could also listen to our NYC Travel Tips podcast episode on the pros and cons of visiting NYC in each of the 4 seasons.
This podcast offers bite-sized audio clips with tips on how to plan your trip to NYC. You can get our podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
CHEAPEST TIME FOR HOTELS IN NYC
If you are talking about the cheapest months or season to book a hotel in New York City, the answer, unsurprisingly, is during the winter, just about any time between Jan 4th(ish) and the first half of March.
The charts below show the average daily rate of a 3-star hotel booked on Kayak.com.
However, during the winter months, the average price across the board dipped to just under $275. That means that 50% of NYC hotels cost less than $275/night.
According to NYC and Company, the city's tourism marketing organization, the average daily rate of all classes of hotels for 2022 was just over $400 per night.
You can set filters on sites like Kayak.com, that focus on inexpensive hotels.
Promo websites that offer deals, such as Hotwire.com, really have their best price cuts in the off-season.
If you avoid peak areas and get a moderately priced hotel, you should expect to pay between $100-$130/per night.
You can even pay less if you follow our tips for cheap accommodations.
Hotel Week, which runs for 5 weeks from January until February, is likely the cheapest period throughout the whole year.
Peak Season
There are two main reasons the winter is so inexpensive.
First, it's cold here and it can snow, which can cause the occasional unwanted flight delays and cancellations.
Second, most people can't travel at this time. Outside of the winter months, hotels are generally much more expensive.
According to the chart above, in 2022, only January saw average daily rates for 3-star hotels under $300.
However, from the end of July and through the whole of August, prices generally fall back below the average, but just not as low as the winter months.
Likewise, the second half of November and the first 2 weeks of December are also times when average hotel prices fall below the yearly average, even though the chart averages don't seem to show this.
Note that hotel prices may be higher around the New York City Marathon, the first Sunday in November, when tens of thousands of runners from around the world descend on Manhattan.
Additional Resources and Tips
Check out TripAdvisor's Top 30 Affordable Hotels, which has hundreds of reviews and is a go-to source for finding information before you book, and make sure to check out deal sights such as Groupony Living Social.
CHEAPEST TIME TO FLY TO NEW YORK
As with hotels, the cheapest time to purchase a flight to NYC is generally from Jan 4th(ish) until mid-March.
The most expensive months are June and July and the weeks leading up to and including Christmas and New Year's Eve.
According to Google Flights, the average 5-day round-trip, non-stop flight from London to NYC can reach £1200 during the peak holiday season rush.
However, if you wait until the 2nd week of January, these same round-trip flights can be as low as £260.
Skyscanner is a flight aggregator that collects data on prices and offers lots of price and departure flexibility.
It's a good service to use to understand how low prices can go.
With the exception of Easter Weekend and a few other U.S. national holidays, best-price round-trip tickets can be found for between £260-£330 all the way up till mid-June.
From roughly mid-June until the start of September, flights from London to NYC are their most expensive on average, with the best price round-trip tickets averaging around £520.
However, if you wait until the 1st week of September, the best price average sinks to just over £300.
While hotels are a relative bargain in August, flights are still pricey.
This may be due to the fact that many schools throughout the U.S. are back in session by early August or about to open, whereas the summer holiday for U.K. schools generally ends in early September.
Best price, non-stop tickets remain around £300 up until mid-December when the prices begin to climb rapidly.
While September to November is not technically the cheapest time to come, it is arguably the best time to visit, as the weather is great and the crowds are not overwhelming.
Flexibility is the key to getting the lowest-priced flight. This means flying during off-peak hours.
The least expensive flights tend to depart in the early morning or late evening.
Purchase Your Ticket During the Prime Time Frame
Keep in mind, that booking your flight too far in advance or too close to your travel dates may limit your ability to find cheap flight deals.
The prime time frame to purchase your ticket is no earlier than 4 months prior to your departure date and no later than 3 weeks.
Other factors, such as the days of the week that you are flying as well as the days of the week you are buying have an impact on the price that you will pay.
For example, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, while Friday and Sunday are the most expensive.
TIP: Airfares can vary depending on which airport you fly into, so be sure to check all three major airports for the best prices, John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark Liberty International (EWR) in New Jersey.
BENEFITS OF VISITING NYC IN THE LOW SEASON
OK. Before we start, let's just get the major disadvantage out of the way. The weather is often bad to terrible.
Although it's still unlikely, the best chances for travel delays occur in the winter.
January and February are the two coldest months in NYC, with afternoon high temperatures in the upper 30’s F to near 40 F (3-5 c). It's also most likely to snow during these two months.
Needless to say, not a great time to see Shakespeare in Central Park.
And July and August are the hottest months with temperatures into the 90's F (30-35 C) with humidity that could make you think that you are in the tropics.
However, if you think about it, the off-season is a great time for some. Let's take a look. You can also look at our things to do posts for January and February.
Great Time for Museums and Attractions
If you are a museum and/or attraction lover, then this may be the best time for you.
Not only is crowding not an issue (at least on weekdays), many attractions and museums offer price cuts at this time of year, not to mention that many are free or offer free days.
Several attractions with paid entry offer price cuts, either through websites such as Groupon and Living Social or through tourist passes, which also slash their prices during these slow days.
We detail this in our budget tips section.
Good Time for Dining Out
With fewer tourists, it's much easier to reserve tables at restaurants, particularly those in the tourist districts.
In late July and much of August, when many New Yorkers are out of town and there is a lull in tourism, restaurants in the residential areas are also easier to come by.
It's also no coincidence that Restaurant Week, which actually lasts for 2 weeks, takes place twice, once in late January and again in August.
More than 300 of New York City’s best restaurants offer a prix-fixe menu including 2 courses for lunch, and 3 courses for dinner at a very low price, relative to their regular prices.
Broadway Tickets for Cheap
The same goes for Broadway (and off-Broadway) shows. Fewer tourists mean that tickets are easier to come by and many shows offer concessions.
As with restaurants, there is also Broadway Week, which actually lasts for 2 weeks.
It takes place in late summer and again in late January when you can get 2-for-1 tickets to several popular shows.
There is even an off-Broadway Week in late September.
And as with museums and attractions in the slow season, concessions for Broadway shows can be had through Groupon and Living Social or through tourist passes.
We detail this in our budget tips section below.
Some of the Best Department Store Sales
Many of the major department stores in NYC will offer sales in lull seasons, particularly the November-December (pre-Christmas) and post-Christmas time periods.
These sales extend even to outlet centers like Woodbury Commons.
TIPS FOR BUDGET TRAVEL NYC
As we have alluded to already in this article, visiting NYC during the cheapest travel months has several benefits.
Below, we offer additional articles that we have created to help you save money in NYC whenever you travel.
Podcast Episode: Listen to tour guides Lori and Katherine discuss free things to do in NYC on an episode of our NYC Travel Tips podcast.
This podcast offers bite-sized audio clips with tips on how to plan your trip to NYC. You can get our podcasts on Apple, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts.
But first, we want you to consider our tours. We offer dozens of pay-what-you-wish walking tours throughout NYC, including food tours.
There is no cost to join and you only pay after the tour what you feel the tour was worth or what you could afford, even nothing.
Additionally, we offer GPS-enabled audio tours ($1.99/download) as well as free, self-guided tours.
And, be sure to check out what some of the roughly 250k members of our NYC Travel Tips Facebook group have to say.
Our group consists of locals, like our tour guides, expats, regular visitors, as well as newbies to NYC.
You don't need to be a member to search for and read the posts, comments, and recommendations.
Other Questions You May Have When Planning Your Trip
While cost is certainly one of the top considerations when planning a trip to New York City, you may be asking yourself things like, "How many days is enough to see NYC?" and "When is the best time to visit?"
Here are some quick answers. For more information, you can read our in-depth post on each of these topics.
How many days are enough to see NYC?
The answer will depend on what your expectations are. You can see quite a lot of the city in just four days.
But if you want to see what it is like to live like a local, you may want to spend at least a week.
Read more from our post How Many Days is Enough to Visit NYC? which has summaries of what you can do in NYC on trips of varying lengths from one day up to a week.
When is the best time to visit?
Again, while money may be a consideration for you, what good is a trip if you don't get to enjoy the things you had hoped to - the kinds of things that happen seasonally?
We covered that briefly above, but in our post, Best Times to Visit NYC, we look at this question from the perspective of what "best" means to you.
You may find reading our post helpful when clarifying what you want out of your time in NYC.
Money-Saving NYC Travel Tips:
- Save 50% on Tours + Attractions
- Free Museums Things to Do in NYC
- NYC on a Budget
- 3 Days in NYC on a Budget
- Free Things to Do with Kids
- Shop at an Outlet Center
- Tips for Pocket Friendly Shopping
- How to Get Cheap Broadway Tickets
- Affordable Accommodations in NYC
- 25 Cheapest Hotels in NYC
- Cheap Airfare to NYC
- Cheap Eats
- Learn how to use the NYC Subway and which MetroCard to buy.
