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

Should you visit Roatan or New York City?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Roatan and New York City. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: Roatan or New York City?

Roatan

Your next great vacation lies just thirty miles off the north coast of Honduras. Right above the world's largest coral reef is the island of Roatan. As a popular tourist attraction and standard cruise destination, it's not uncommon to see tons of Americans during your trip. In fact, the cruising industry has had huge impact on the island's culture. While ships are in port, traffic will be heavier and prices may go up. Because of the growth of tourism, most locals speak both Spanish and English.

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 Adventure Tours to Honduras, The Best Adventure Tours to Honduras, 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 Roatan?

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

  • Roatan Prices
    Honduras Prices
    New York City Prices
    USA Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Roatan $42
    New York City $363

The average daily cost (per person) in Roatan is $42, 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 Roatan and New York City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Roatan $11
    New York City $175
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Roatan $22
    New York City $350
Compare Hotels in Roatan and New York City

Looking for a hotel in Roatan 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 Roatan


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: Roatan Hotel Prices and New York City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Roatan $18
    New York City $49
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Roatan

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Roatan are as follows:


  • Water Taxi
    $4.00

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: $35
  • JFK to Manhattan: One Way Shared Arrival Transfer : $35
  • Manhattan to JFK: One Way Shared Departure Transfer : $35
  • Private Transfer from Manhattan to NYC Airports (JFK/EWR/LGA): $38
  • Shared transfer EWR: $39
  • Manhattan to EWR: One Way Shared Departure Transfer: $39
  • Private Arrival Transfer: NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR) to Brooklyn: $43
  • Private Departure Transfer Brooklyn to NYC Airports (JFK) (LGA) (EWR): $43
  • Private New York City Airport-to-Airport Transfer (JFK/LGA/EWR): $43
  • Private Transfer from Manhattan Port to New York Airport (LGA): $44
  • Private Transfer from Newark Airport (EWR) to Cape Liberty Port: $44
  • Private Transfer from New York to Cape Liberty Cruise Port: $44

Is it cheaper to fly into Roatan or New York City?

Prices for flights to both New York City and Roatan 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
    Roatan $15
    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:

  • East Village Noho Food Tour: $32
  • The Chinatown, Little Italy, Food Tour: $35
  • The Lower East Side Food Tour: $35
  • Sweets and Slices Greenwich Village Walking Food Tour: $49
  • New York City's Best Pizza tour: $59
  • Made in Brooklyn Food Tour: $65
  • Greenwich Village Pizza Walk: $75
  • Brooklyn Pizza Walk: $75
  • New York's Classic Eats West Village Food Tour: $75
  • New York's Classic Eats Lower East Side Food Tour: $75
  • Union Square Donut Adventure and Walking Food Tour: $75
  • East Village Pizza Walk: $75

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Roatan $26
    New York City $180

Tours and Activities in Roatan

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

  • Monkeys and sloths, private tour , and beach: $89

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: $3.56
  • Central Park Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.75
  • Self Guided Central Park Bike or Walking Tour Application: $5.00
  • Broadway: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of the World's Iconic Theatre District: $5.39
  • Private Audio Guided Walking Tour in New York: $5.94
  • Brooklyn, NY Street Art Puzzle Quest: Self-Guided Tour: $5.94
  • New York City Audio Tour: $6.41
  • Self Guided "Central Park Movie Tour" Solo Walking Tour in New York City: $6.75
  • Private Haunted and Historic Audio Tour in Greenwich Village: $6.95
  • Luxury Horse and Carriage Tours in Central Park: $6.99
  • Central Park Outdoor Escape Adventure: $7.00
  • Movie Magic in Central Park: Self-Guided Puzzle Adventure: $7.09

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
    Roatan $6.64
    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 Pub Crawl Experience: $24
  • Distillery Tour and Tasting: $25
  • NYC Pub Crawl Tour: $30
  • NYC Pub Crawl with Rooftop Clubbing Experience: $33
  • Top Shelf Distillery Tour: $33
  • New York Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl: $36
  • Cheers to Chinatown Tour and Bar Crawl: $40
  • Brooklyn Literary Pub Crawl: $49
  • Greenwich Village Piano Bar Crawl: $50
  • Broadway Prohibition Pub Crawl: $64
  • Little Italy Prohibition Pub Crawl: $64


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Roatan and New York City, we can see that New York City is more expensive. And not only is Roatan much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Roatan is in Central America 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 Roatan would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Roatan 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 Roatan.

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


Which is Bigger, Roatan or New York City?

New York City has a larger population, and is about 1070 times larger than the population of Roatan. When comparing the sizes of Roatan 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.