Guides Prices checked September 4, 2026
LaGuardia to Manhattan: the $3 airport run
LaGuardia is the cheapest airport run in New York, because the bus that gets you out of it is free.
The short answer
$3.00 total. The Q70 LGA Link bus is free from Terminals B and C to the subway at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av and 74 St-Broadway, and the subway fare from there is $3.00. LaGuardia has no flat taxi fare: the meter runs, plus a $5.00 airport surcharge. Checked September 2026.
- Q70 LGA Link Free
- Subway from there $3.00
- Taxi surcharge $5.00, no flat fare
- Airport access fee $2.00 on pickup
Free, every morning. Unsubscribe in one click.
The free bus is the whole guide
LaGuardia has no train, and for once that works in your favour. The Q70 LGA Link runs free from Terminals B and C to two subway hubs in Queens, Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av and 74 St-Broadway, where you pick up the E, F, M, R and 7. Because the bus costs nothing, the entire trip is one $3.00 subway fare, which makes LaGuardia the cheapest airport arrival in the city by a wide margin. There is no ticket to buy for the Q70 and nothing to tap; you board and sit down.
| Route | What you pay | Time to Midtown | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q70 LGA Link, then the E, F, M, R or 7 | $3.00 total, the bus is free | 45 to 60 minutes | Almost everyone without a mountain of luggage |
| M60 SBS to upper Manhattan | $3.00 | 40 to 60 minutes | Harlem, the Upper West Side, and connections to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, A, B, C and D |
| Yellow cab, metered | Meter plus a $5.00 airport surcharge and the usual stack; commonly $40 to $60 with tolls and tip | 30 to 60 minutes | Groups, and LaGuardia is the closest airport to most of Manhattan |
| Uber or Lyft | Whatever the app quotes | The same traffic as the cab | Off-peak, or when the taxi line is long |
There is no flat fare from LaGuardia, and that surprises people
JFK has a $70 flat fare to Manhattan. LaGuardia does not. A cab from LaGuardia runs on the standard meter, which starts at $3.00 and adds 70 cents per fifth of a mile above 12mph or per minute in slow traffic, and then a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge on top. The rest of the usual stack applies: 50 cents MTA, $1.00 improvement, $1.00 overnight between 8pm and 6am, $2.50 between 4pm and 8pm on weekdays, $2.50 congestion below 96th Street and 75 cents below 60th, plus tolls and tip. There is also a $2.00 airport access fee when the cab picks you up at LaGuardia. Because it is metered, traffic decides the bill in a way it never does from JFK.
LaGuardia to JFK, and LaGuardia to Newark
LaGuardia to JFK is the Q70 to Jackson Heights, the E or F toward Jamaica, then the AirTrain: $11.75 all in, since the free bus does the first leg. LaGuardia to Newark is the one people search for, and the honest answer is that it is long whichever way you go. The cheapest is the Q70 and subway into Manhattan, then NJ Transit from Penn Station to the Newark Liberty airport station and the Newark AirTrain, which is roughly two hours door to door. A car between the two crosses into New Jersey and picks up the $20.00 Newark surcharge plus tolls in both directions, because you pay the driver's return tolls too. If you are connecting between the two airports on the same day, build in more time than any map app suggests.
All three airports side by side are in our airport to Manhattan guide, and the transfers themselves in airport transfers.
The questions people actually ask
Is the Q70 bus really free?
Yes. The Q70 LGA Link runs free between LaGuardia Terminals B and C and the subway at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av and 74 St-Broadway. Nothing to buy, nothing to tap. Your only cost is the $3.00 subway fare after it.
What is the cheapest way from LaGuardia to Manhattan?
$3.00, using the free Q70 to the subway. That is the cheapest airport-to-Manhattan trip in New York, because every other airport charges you to get out of it before you reach a train.
How much is a taxi from LaGuardia to Manhattan?
There is no flat fare. The meter runs, plus a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge and the standard surcharge stack, so the bill moves with traffic. Commonly $40 to $60 with tolls and tip, more in the weekday evening peak.
What is the cheapest way to get from LaGuardia to Newark Airport?
The Q70 and subway into Manhattan, then NJ Transit from Penn Station to the Newark Liberty airport station and the Newark AirTrain. It is cheap and slow, roughly two hours. A car adds a $20.00 Newark surcharge plus tolls in both directions.
Does the Q70 serve every terminal?
The Port Authority lists it as serving Terminals B and C. From Terminal A, use the All Terminals Shuttle first, or one of the other MTA bus routes that stop at every terminal.
The sources
Where the prices and rules above come from. Check them yourself:
- 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
- NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, taxi fare — read 4 September 2026
- MTA, subway and bus fares — read 4 September 2026: $3.00 base fare, one free transfer within two hours
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.
Free, every morning. Unsubscribe in one click.