Guides Prices checked August 17, 2026
Getting between JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, and into the city from each
Three airports, six directions, and one honest table for each. The airport-to-airport trip is the one everybody underestimates: JFK to Newark is a $160 cab.
The short answer
Between airports, the Port Authority's own estimated cab fares are $60 JFK to LaGuardia (30 to 60 minutes), $110 LaGuardia to Newark (60 to 90), and $160 JFK to Newark (60 to 100). There is no transit line between any two of them: every rail route goes through Jamaica or Manhattan. Into the city, LaGuardia is much the cheapest, because the Q70 bus to the subway is free and the subway is $3. Checked August 2026.
- JFK to LGA, cab About $60
- LGA to EWR, cab About $110
- JFK to EWR, cab About $160
- Cheapest into town LGA, $3
Airport to airport, which is the expensive one
If you are connecting between two New York airports, budget properly: these are three airports in two states with water and a whole city between them, and the Port Authority's own estimated cab fares say so. The figures below are its estimates, before tolls and surcharges, which it notes vary with the hour and the route.
| Trip | Estimated cab fare | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|
| JFK to or from LaGuardia | $60 | 30 to 60 min |
| LaGuardia to or from Newark | $110 | 60 to 90 min |
| JFK to or from Newark | $160 | 60 to 100 min |
There is no train between any two of them. This is the single most useful thing on this page and the thing most people find out too late. Every rail route between two New York airports doubles back through Jamaica or through Manhattan, because the airports were never connected to each other. The realistic public options, leg by leg:
| Trip | The route | Fares, leg by leg |
|---|---|---|
| JFK to LaGuardia | AirTrain JFK to Jamaica, subway to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Av, then the free Q70 LaGuardia Link | $8.75 + $3 + free = $11.75 |
| LaGuardia to Newark | Q70 to the subway, subway to Penn Station, NJ Transit to Newark Airport station, AirTrain Newark | free + $3 + $17.25 = $20.25 |
| JFK to Newark | AirTrain JFK to Jamaica, LIRR to Penn Station, NJ Transit to Newark Airport station, AirTrain Newark | $8.75 + $5.25 off-peak + $17.25 = $31.25 |
Into the city, and which airport wins
The honest ranking on price is not close. LaGuardia is the cheapest airport to reach by public transit in New York, because the Q70 LaGuardia Link is fare-free and the only thing you pay is the $3 subway fare. JFK costs $11.75 on the AirTrain and subway. Newark's rail ticket to Penn Station is $17.25, which already includes the AirTrain.
| From | Cheapest public route | Fare | By cab |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaGuardia | Free Q70 bus, then the subway | $3 | Metered, no flat fare. The airport's own examples run $30 to $52 for Times Square and $34 to $57 for Tribeca |
| JFK | AirTrain to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then the subway | $11.75 | $70 flat to anywhere in Manhattan, plus tolls, tip and $2.75 to $8.50 in fees |
| Newark | AirTrain, then NJ Transit to Penn Station, about 30 min | $17.25 | Zone fares from $60 for Battery to W 13th, rising to $80 above W 185th |
The cab columns are not comparable to each other, and that trips people up. JFK is the only one of the three with a genuine flat fare into Manhattan: $70 to any address in the borough, so a Wall Street trip and a Harlem trip cost the same. Newark charges by zone, $60 for Battery to W 13th Street, $65 to W 50th, $70 to W 96th, $75 to W 185th and $80 above that, plus a $2 airport access fee, plus a $10 surcharge at rush hour on trips into New York, plus $5 for East Side destinations between Battery Park and 145th. LaGuardia is simply metered, with a $2 access fee on pickups, $1 more on weekdays between 4pm and 8pm and 50 cents overnight.
If you are going to Wall Street, not Midtown
From JFK, take the AirTrain to Howard Beach and the A train, which runs straight down the west side to Fulton Street: $11.75, no change of system in Manhattan. From Newark, take the AirTrain and NJ Transit one stop to Newark Penn Station, $12.30, then PATH to the World Trade Center, which puts you in the Financial District without going near Midtown. From LaGuardia, the Q70 to the E train reaches the World Trade Center for the $3 subway fare. One warning on the Newark leg: buy the NJ Transit ticket before you board, because there is a $5 surcharge for buying it on the train.
The group rule
Rail beats a cab for one or two people almost always. For three or four it depends, and the thing that decides it is a discount the AirTrain barely advertises: on AirTrain JFK the first rider pays $8.75 and every additional rider $4.50, with the whole party capped at $26.75. Four people on the AirTrain and subway come to about $34 against a $70 flat cab fare before tolls and tip. With four suitcases, take the cab anyway.
The questions people actually ask
How do I get from JFK to Newark airport?
There is no direct link. By cab the Port Authority estimates $160 and 60 to 100 minutes. By rail, take the AirTrain to Jamaica, the LIRR to Penn Station and NJ Transit out to Newark Airport station, which comes to about $31 off-peak and takes roughly two hours. Checked August 2026.
How much is a taxi from LaGuardia to JFK?
The Port Authority's estimated fare between LaGuardia and JFK is $60, before tolls and surcharges, with an estimated 30 to 60 minutes' travel. Checked August 2026.
Is JFK or LaGuardia cheaper to get to Manhattan?
LaGuardia, clearly, on public transit: the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free and the connecting subway is $3, against $11.75 for JFK's AirTrain and subway. By cab it flips for some trips, because JFK's $70 flat fare covers the whole of Manhattan while LaGuardia runs on the meter. Checked August 2026.
What is the cheapest way from Newark airport to Manhattan?
AirTrain Newark plus NJ Transit to Penn Station, $17.25 for an adult and about 30 minutes for the rail leg. Buy the ticket before boarding: there is a $5 surcharge on board. Checked August 2026.
Is there a train between New York's airports?
No. Every rail route between two of the three doubles back through Jamaica or through Manhattan, because the airports were never connected to one another. Allow roughly two hours for JFK to Newark on public transit. Checked August 2026.
How far is Newark airport from JFK?
The Port Authority publishes estimated travel time rather than distance: 60 to 100 minutes by road between the two, and its estimated cab fare of $160 is the better guide to how far apart they really are. Checked August 2026.
The sources
Where the prices and rules above come from. Check them yourself:
- Port Authority — travel between JFK and the other airports — The estimated inter-airport cab fares and travel times, and the rail routings
- Port Authority — travel between LaGuardia and the other airports — The LaGuardia to Newark estimate and its routings
- Port Authority — AirTrain JFK — The $8.75 fare, the $43.50 rolling 30-day cap, and the group fare
- Port Authority — JFK taxi service — The $70 Manhattan flat fare and the $2.75 to $8.50 in additional fees
- Port Authority — Newark taxi service — The Manhattan zone fares and the access, rush-hour and East Side surcharges
- Port Authority — LaGuardia taxi service — The metered example fares and the time-of-day surcharges
- NJ Transit — Newark Liberty International Airport — The $17.25 fare to New York Penn Station, the $12.30 fare to Newark Penn, and the $5 on-board surcharge
- MTA — how to get to LaGuardia on public transit — The free Q70 LaGuardia Link, the $3 subway fare and the LIRR CityTicket fares
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