Alternatives to Hotels in New York

As anyone who lives here can tell you, New York is expensive. Very, very expensive. The city of New York and its suburbs account for 4 of the top 10 most expensive places to live in the U.S., according to government-published cost of living indexes. While some swoon at a $10 cup of coffee or the $15 fee charged to drive across the mile-long bridge that connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island, it is living space that is most at a premium in the city of New York. For natives, that translates to one of the most expensive places in the world to rent or buy an apartment. For visitors to the city it also means high hotel rates, especially at peak tourist seasons.

If you are planning a trip with an entire family or group of people, you could easily wind up spending close to a thousand dollars per night on hotel rooms in New York. But for those willing to forgo some of the amenities that a hotel provides in favor of more room and a lower price, there are alternatives. The most popular in the New York City area is renting space in a native New Yorker's apartment. Dependi...