I am planning a budget 10-day trip this fall, and was looking either London or New York. I have always heard that London was one of the most expensive cities to vacation in, and that NY was a a cheaper option.
However, after doing research - it appears this information is backward for a budget traveler...
Even with the exchange rate, everything appears at least the same price or cheaper in London - and in some cases in a major way.
For example, the cheapest hotels in NYC along the subway route - that I can find - is at least $150 a night for a badly furnished room in an old building, with the average being more along the line of $200 or more a night. Meanwhile, in London, I can stay in a travelodge or IBIS budget right next to a tube station for less than $70 USD a night - and while the hotels might not be expensive, they don't appear to be overly run-down like a lot of the Manhattan hotels do.
There's also the difference in cost of attractions once there. In NYC, all the museums cost at least $25 a person, where in London most are free. London has almost all the major attractions on 2for1 offers with a train ticket, NYC doesn't. West end tickets are also much cheaper than NY - using Wicked as an example, the cheapest Broadway seats are $110 with fees, while the cheapest west end ticket is about £15, or about $23 - fees included.
Even with the airfare there and back, a 10-day London trip, at least on the surface, appears much cheaper than a similar NYC trip.
So with all this in mind, why does the whole 'London is most expensive than NYC' thing come from? Am I missing something here?