Guides Prices checked September 28, 2026
JFK, LaGuardia, Newark to Manhattan: every way in, priced honestly
Four real ways in from each airport, and the right one depends on exactly three things: your luggage, your group, and the hour.
The short answer
From JFK: AirTrain + subway ($11.75) is the budget route, AirTrain + LIRR ($14 off-peak, $16 peak) the fastest on rails, the yellow-cab flat fare ($70 before tolls, surcharges, and tip) the door-to-door play for groups. From LaGuardia, the free Q70 bus connects to the subway. From Newark, AirTrain + NJ Transit to Penn Station beats traffic. Checked September 2026 against the operators’ own fare pages.
- JFK cab flat fare $70 + extras
- AirTrain + subway $11.75
- Subway fare $3.00
- Q70 from LGA Free
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The honest math before the tables
Every airport-transfer guide buries the same three truths. One: the quoted price is never the paid price: a $70 cab flat fare becomes $90 to $115 after tolls, surcharges, and tip. Two: rail wins on reliability, not just money, because the AirTrain doesn't sit on the Van Wyck. Three: the right answer flips with your group size. One traveler with a carry-on should be on a train; four people with luggage often pay less per head in a cab than on four rail tickets. Every fare below was re-read from the operator's own page on 28 September 2026, and fares move, so the date matters as much as the number.
| Option | Real cost | Time to Midtown | Wins when |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTrain + subway (E at Sutphin Blvd or A at Howard Beach) | $11.75 ($8.75 AirTrain + $3 subway) | 60–75 min | You're solo, light, and not in a hurry — runs 24/7 |
| AirTrain + LIRR (Jamaica to Penn or Grand Central) | $14.00 off-peak, $16.00 peak ($8.75 AirTrain + LIRR CityTicket) | As little as 35 min on the rail leg | Speed matters and your hotel is near Penn or Grand Central |
| Yellow cab, flat fare | $70 + $5 weekday 4–8pm peak + tolls, surcharges, tip (plan $90–115) | 45–90 min, traffic decides | 3–4 people with luggage, door-to-door |
| Uber/Lyft | Roughly $45–90+, surge decides | Same traffic as the cab | Off-peak hours when the app quotes below the flat fare |
| Option | Real cost | Time to Midtown | Wins when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q70 LaGuardia Link + subway (E/F/M/R/7 at Jackson Heights–74 St) | $3 total — the Q70 itself is free | 45–60 min | Budget, no checked-bag mountain |
| M60 SBS to upper Manhattan | $3 | 40–60 min | You're headed to Harlem or the Upper West Side, or connecting to the 1/2/3/4/5/6/A/B/C/D |
| Yellow cab (metered) | Metered: the airport’s own examples run $30 to $52 to Times Square, plus tolls and tip | 30–60 min | Groups; LGA is the closest airport to most of Manhattan |
| Uber/Lyft | Roughly $35–70, surge decides | Same | Off-peak, or when the cab line snakes |
| Option | Real cost | Time to Midtown | Wins when |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTrain + NJ Transit to Penn Station | $17.25, AirTrain fee included | About 45 min, rail leg ~30 min | Almost always — it beats the tunnels at rush hour |
| Airport bus (Newark Airport Express) | $23.50 one way | About 50 min, traffic decides | You're near Grand Central, Bryant Park, or Port Authority stops |
| Cab | Zone fare $60 to $80 by destination, plus $2 access, $10 at rush hour, $1 a bag, tolls and tip | 40–80 min | Groups with luggage, off-peak, and a tolerance for the Lincoln Tunnel |
Between the airports: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark
No train links any two of the three airports; every rail route doubles back through Jamaica or Manhattan. By cab, the Port Authority's own estimated fares are $60 between JFK and LaGuardia (30 to 60 minutes), $110 between LaGuardia and Newark (60 to 90) and $160 between JFK and Newark (60 to 100). On transit, JFK to LaGuardia is $11.75 (AirTrain, subway, then the free Q70) and JFK to Newark about $31 off-peak, roughly two hours. Every route leg by leg is in the airport-to-airport transfer guide.
So which one are you?
Solo with a carry-on: rail, always — the airport ends when you step on the train. Two people: rail still wins on money; a cab wins after midnight or on a brutal jet-lag day. Three or four with luggage: price the cab flat fare per head before defaulting to four rail fares and a schlep. Landing after 1 a.m.: the subway runs all night from JFK's AirTrain and the fare math doesn't change; the LIRR thins out, and cabs at the official stand are the safe fallback. And from any airport, ignore anyone inside the terminal offering you a 'car' — licensed cabs and the app pickups have marked, signed locations.
-
From JFK with bags: a shared shuttle to your hotel
For one or two people with a suitcase each, going to a Manhattan hotel. A shared van is about $28 a person on GetYourGuide, with tolls, fees and the congestion surcharge included, against a $70 cab before its extras and the AirTrain-and-subway haul with luggage.
-
From Newark with bags: a shared shuttle
About $30 a person on GetYourGuide against a $60-to-$80 zone fare plus fees for a cab, so for one or two people with luggage it sits between NJ Transit and a cab, and it takes you to the hotel door.
The surcharges, in full, so the cab number stops being a surprise. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission publishes them, and they stack. On a JFK trip the $70 flat fare is joined by a 50 cent MTA state surcharge, a $1.00 improvement surcharge, $5.00 more between 4pm and 8pm on weekdays, a $2.50 New York State congestion surcharge on any trip touching Manhattan below 96th Street, and a 75 cent congestion pricing toll below 60th Street, before tolls and tip. LaGuardia has no flat fare at all: it is the standard meter plus a $5.00 airport surcharge plus the same stack. Both airports also add a $2.00 access fee when the cab picks you up there. Newark is the one that catches people out, and it depends on the direction. Out of Newark, the cab charges a Port Authority zone fare by destination, $60 to $80, with its own fees on top. Into Newark, a New York yellow cab runs the meter, adds a $20.00 Newark surcharge, and bills you its tolls both ways, because the Taxi and Limousine Commission charges the driver's return tolls to the passenger. The deeper mechanics of who runs what (and why the AirTrain isn't the MTA) live in our explainer on who runs the subway, buses, and LIRR.
Each airport has its own page with the terminal-level detail this table leaves out: JFK to Manhattan (Jamaica or Howard Beach, and the group fare), LaGuardia to Manhattan (the free Q70, and why there is no flat fare), and Newark to Manhattan (the AirTrain fee you can avoid, and the return tolls).
The questions people actually ask
What is the cheapest way from JFK to Manhattan?
AirTrain plus subway: $11.75 total ($8.75 AirTrain plus the $3 subway fare). It runs 24/7 and takes 60–75 minutes to Midtown. If there are two or more of you, ask for the AirTrain group fare: the first rider pays $8.75 and everyone after that pays $4.50. Checked September 2026.
Is the JFK taxi flat fare per person or per cab?
Per cab — which is why it gets competitive for groups of three or four. The $70 covers the ride; tolls, the $5 weekday 4–8pm surcharge, small state surcharges, and tip are added on top.
Does the LaGuardia Q70 bus really cost nothing?
Yes: the Q70 LaGuardia Link is fare-free (checked September 2026). You pay only the $3 subway fare when you transfer at Jackson Heights–74 St.
LIRR or subway from Jamaica — how do I choose?
The LIRR is a commuter train: roughly 20 minutes to Penn Station or Grand Central, a few dollars more, big luggage racks. The subway is $3, stops everywhere, and takes three times as long. If your hotel is near Penn or Grand Central, the LIRR is worth every cent.
How do I get from JFK to Newark Airport?
There is no direct train. By cab the Port Authority estimates $160 and 60 to 100 minutes. By rail it is the AirTrain to Jamaica, the LIRR to Penn Station, NJ Transit to the Newark airport station and the Newark AirTrain: about $31 off-peak and roughly two hours. Checked September 2026.
How much is a taxi from LaGuardia to JFK?
About $60 by the Port Authority’s estimate, 30 to 60 minutes, before tolls and surcharges. The cheap alternative is the free Q70 bus, the subway toward Jamaica and the AirTrain: $11.75. Checked September 2026.
Is JFK or LaGuardia cheaper to get to Manhattan?
LaGuardia on transit: the Q70 bus is free, so the whole trip is the $3 subway fare, against $11.75 from JFK. By cab it can flip, because JFK’s $70 flat fare covers all of Manhattan while LaGuardia runs the meter; the airport’s own examples run $30 to $52 to Times Square before tolls and tip. Checked September 2026.
How far is Newark Airport from Manhattan?
The Port Authority gives times rather than miles: NJ Transit reaches Penn Station in about 30 minutes, and the Newark Airport Express bus takes about 50 minutes to Midtown. By cab, the zone fare into Manhattan runs $60 to $80 depending on how far uptown you go. Checked September 2026.
The sources
Where the prices and rules above come from. Check them yourself:
- JFK Airport — public transportation options — AirTrain fares and connections
- MTA — subway and bus fares — read 4 September 2026: the base subway and local bus fare is $3.00, one free transfer within two hours, and MetroCard sales ended 1 January 2026
- NYC TLC — taxi fares — the JFK flat fare and surcharges
- AirTrain JFK, Port Authority — read 4 September 2026: $8.75 single ride, $4.50 for additional riders up to five and a $26.75 party cap, a $43.50 rolling 30-day cap, under-fives free
- AirTrain Newark, Port Authority — read 4 September 2026: $8.75 to reach the airport rail station unless you already hold an NJ Transit or Amtrak ticket
- LaGuardia Airport, public transportation — read 4 September 2026: the Q70 LGA Link is free, from Terminals B and C to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av and 74 St-Broadway
- Port Authority — travel between JFK and the other airports
- Port Authority — Newark public transportation — Newark Airport Express fare, NJ Transit to Penn Station
- Port Authority — Newark taxi service — zone fares and fees into Manhattan
- MTA — LIRR and Metro-North fares — CityTicket $5.25 off-peak, $7.25 peak
The prices on this page change.
When one moves, this guide is corrected and the morning brief says so. Get the brief and you get the update the day it lands, with the rest of New York explained alongside.
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