How much does a night out cost in NYC? Drinks, tickets, tax and tip
About $48 per person for two happy-hour drinks and a club ticket, using the typical prices on our list: the typical cheapest happy-hour drink is $7 ($8 with 8.875% tax, plus a dollar or more tip) and the typical lowest club ticket is $31 with fees. Drinks inside the club are extra, and 48% of club nights cost $30 or less to get in.
What a night out in New York costs depends on three numbers: what you drink before, what you pay at the door, and what you drink inside. We track the first two every day, from the happy hours bars publish on their own sites and the ticket prices on the sellers' pages. The third we do not hold, so we do not guess it.
All prices below are computed from our data on Oct 30, 2026 and change daily.
Nights for $30 or less
Fri, Oct 30 · 5pm
1 Hotel Rooftop Halloween 10/30
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge · Brooklyn Heights
Fri, Oct 30 · 6pm
MIDNIGHTS - TAYLOR SWIFT DANCE PARTY - EARLY VERSION
DROM · East Village
Fri, Oct 30 · 8pm
Open Air Club at Sixty LES Hotel
Open Air Club · Lower East Side
Fri, Oct 30 · 8pm
VAMPIRE SALOON HALLOWEEN (FRIDAY OCT 30)
Desert 5 Spot NY · Williamsburg
Fri, Oct 30 · 9pm
GLORP
Acoustik Garden Lounge · Bed-Stuy
Fri, Oct 30 · 9pm
Halloweekend 10/30 @ Common Country
Common Country Bar · Gramercy
Before the party: happy hour
Across the 407 happy hours with a drink price on our list, the typical cheapest drink is $7 and the cheapest is $3; 44% have a drink at $6 or less (drinks $6 and under).
Menu prices do not include the 8.875% sales tax, and the custom is to tip a dollar or more a drink (how much to tip). Two drinks at $7 come to about $17 with tax and tip.
At the door: club tickets
For the 449 nights on our list in the next 60 days, the cheapest ticket is $2 and the typical lowest price is $31, with fees; 48% cost $30 or less and 21 nights are free. The price on the seller's page usually rises as tiers sell out, so the earlier you buy, the closer you pay to the lowest price.
Fridays and Saturdays typically start at $32; Monday to Thursday at $27. Midweek is the cheaper night out.
By borough: Brooklyn typically $28, Manhattan typically $40 and Queens typically $23.
By sound
Some sounds cost more than others to see: a touring headliner sells at a higher price than a local residency. The table below has the cheapest and typical ticket for every sound with at least five nights.
Ways to spend less
Go midweek, buy early, and drink at happy hour near the venue: every party page lists the closest happy hours, and the cheapest happy hours are by neighborhood. Free parties and free things to do at night cost nothing at the door.
The subway is the cheapest way home and runs all night.
Club ticket prices by sound
| Sound | Nights | Cheapest | Typical (median) | Share $30 or less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | 119 | $11 | $28 | 64% |
| Latin | 59 | $2 | $20 | 88% |
| Reggaeton | 56 | $2 | $17 | 85% |
| Techno | 38 | $11 | $28 | 56% |
| Pop | 34 | $2 | $24 | 56% |
| Funk & soul | 26 | $11 | $28 | 53% |
| Disco | 25 | $11 | $39 | 25% |
| Hip-hop | 24 | $12 | $31 | 50% |
| EDM | 23 | $15 | $43 | 18% |
| Trance | 13 | $24 | $35 | 33% |
| Experimental | 11 | $13 | $29 | 70% |
| Dancehall | 10 | $12 | $17 | 80% |
| Afro house | 9 | $11 | $25 | 75% |
| Electro | 8 | $13 | $28 | 60% |
Lowest price listed per night, with fees, counted on Oct 30, 2026. Sounds with at least five nights; a night with several genres counts under each.
Questions
How much is a drink at a bar in NYC?
At happy hour, the typical cheapest drink on our list is $7 before 8.875% tax and tip; the cheapest is $3. Regular menu prices are higher and not something we track.
How much are club tickets in NYC?
The typical lowest price is $31 with fees; the cheapest night on our list is $2, and 48% cost $30 or less.
Is it cheaper to go out midweek?
On our list, Friday and Saturday tickets typically start at $32 and Monday to Thursday at $27.
Do NYC prices include tax?
No. Menu prices in New York City do not include the 8.875% sales tax. Ticket prices on DICE are shown with fees.
How much should I tip?
A dollar or more per drink, or 18 to 20 percent on a tab. Tip on the regular price, not the happy-hour price.
How we put this together
Computed on Oct 30, 2026 from the cheapest drink each bar's own site lists at happy hour (407 bars) and the lowest ticket price on the seller's page for each of the 449 nights in the next 60 days, recomputed daily. The budget counts two happy-hour drinks at the typical price, 8.875% tax, a dollar tip per drink and the typical ticket; it leaves out drinks inside the venue and the ride home.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will check it.