Budgeting in the city might be the ultimate challenge – at least so you think. With never-ending amounts of shopping, tempting restaurants, bars, and tourist-centric attractions, a day in the city can drain your wallet. However, if you plan right and stay loyal to your budget plan, you can enjoy your trip without feeling the monetary pain!

Grocery stores are your best friend

The expense that adds up the most during any type of vacation is eating out. Restaurants, especially those in the city, are notorious for their inflation rates. An appetizer can cost more than a meal you cooked yourself, and a glass of wine that would normally be $7 can be $15. While you should reserve times to indulge, you’ll be shocked about how much you could save by grocery store shopping.

Try eating like a local as well

For times when you do eat out, steer clear of fancy, touristy restaurants. There are tons of fan-favorite hubs that locals love in every city that you’ll need to check out.

Rely on the subway

The subway may not be the most fun to use, but the reward of spending $3 a trip instead of $30 feels pretty good. Taxis and Ubers actually may not even be a quicker or simpler option than the subway, so once if you haven’t learned the trades of public transportation it’s widely recommended!

Or, resort to walking and biking

It’s no wonder you see bikes everywhere in the city! Locals don’t like to spend money on transportation either, so depending on where you stay, walking and biking from Point A to Point B may be a smart choice. It’s also a great exercise and quicker way to see the sites up close. Some cities like NYC have local bikes with super cheap memberships ($15/month or so), so you don’t have to spend a crazy amount on a bike rental.

Consider a winter trip

When tourist season starts to decline, so do cities’ prices. Flights, hotels, and certain attractions drop in price when travel traffic begins to go down. Plus, most cities are absolutely breathtaking in the winter!

Use a bundle tool

Use sites like Expedia to compare rates and save money on excursions. You can also check out Expedia’s hotel and flight bundle package which has saved travelers hundreds of dollars per vacation. It’s a pretty amazing tool, so even if you’re skeptical, we encourage you take a look!