LaGuardia to Midtown, Brooklyn, Queens: $2.90 Bus vs $55 Cab by Neighborhood

From Harlem to Park Slope, LaGuardia (LGA) is either a $2.90 commute or a $55 mistake. The ceiling art does not matter. Your terminal, your bus, and your neighborhood do.

This is the piece I wish I had handed friends in Brooklyn years ago instead of listening to another “LaGuardia is a mess” monologue on a Sunday. The airport is three terminals, 10 catalogued parking lots from $15 to $30 a day, 12 lounges, and ground transport that swings from MTA bus fare to Midtown taxi money.[4][9] That plays very differently for Midtown than it does for Williamsburg.

I lived through eight years of airline spreadsheets. The airport side is simple. The city side is where people blow it.

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The LGA basics you actually need

You do not need a full terminal love letter. You need the few structural facts that shape your neighborhood choices.

Terminals and lounges

• 3 terminals, no train, no airside connectors. There is an All Terminals Shuttle that takes roughly 10–20 minutes between terminals per traveler reports and every hop means re-clearing security.[1][2]
• Terminal B is the lounge hub:
  • Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club (Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve, The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, 04:30–21:30)
  • Centurion Lounge American Express (Amex Platinum and Centurion)
  • American Airlines Admirals Club, Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, United Club, all in B[3][5][6][13]
• Terminal C/D is Delta territory:
  • Delta Sky Club in C plus another Sky Club in D and an Outdoor Terrace[5][6][13]
• Terminal A is separate, smaller, and the dataset lists no lounges tied to it.[3][5][6][13]

If lounge access is part of your value equation, this is binary. You are picking B or C/D, not some vague “LaGuardia.”

Ground transport bands

From airport transport data and rider reports:[4][9][14]

• MTA Bus + Subway
  • Cheapest way into the city at $2.90 with OMNY or MetroCard, with free transfers
  • Typical 45–70 minutes LGA–Midtown with bus plus subway depending on traffic and transfers[4][9]
• NYC Yellow Cabs
  • Metered, many reports land around $35–$55 plus tolls/tip LGA–Midtown
  • 30–60+ minutes depending on traffic[14]
• Uber / Lyft
  • Rider reports cluster around $35–$45 off peak on LGA–Midtown, higher with surge
  • Similar 30–60+ minute timing[4][9]
• Authorized Shuttles
  • Commonly $20–$30 per person to Manhattan
  • 60–90+ minutes thanks to multiple stops and traffic[4][9]

Parking structure

This is where LaGuardia differs from what people assume from JFK. Here the data is clean:[4][9]

• On-airport, short walk:
  • Terminal A Parking: $30/day, 2 minute walk
  • Terminal B Parking: $30/day, 3 minute walk
  • Terminal C Parking: $30/day, 3 minute walk
  • Terminal D Parking: $30/day, 3 minute walk
  • Valet Parking: $25/day, about a 10 minute walk in the dataset
• Off-airport, cheaper, shuttle:
  • SmartPark LGA: $15/day, the cheapest daily parking in the catalog
  • Economy Parking Lot: $15/day
  • Park Plus LaGuardia: $16/day
  • Plus other catalogued off-airport options in that mid-teens band

So: three terminals, 10 lots, 12 lounges, and ground modes that split sharply between $2.90 and ~$40.

Everything below is how that actually plays out by neighborhood.

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LGA to Midtown: $2.90 vs $55 from 34th–59th

This is the clearest use case. It is also where LGA shines compared to JFK or Newark.

Midtown at a glance

Priority	Best terminal	Best MTA pattern	Taxi / rideshare band	Lounge angle
Money-first	B or C	Q70 SBS → E/F/M/R/7 into Midtown	Avoid unless late / heavy bags	B for Chase/Amex, C/D for DL
Time-first	B or C	Taxi or Uber / Lyft	~$35–$55 taxi, $35–$45 TNC[4][9][14]	As above
Lounge-first	B or C/D	Q70 + subway or taxi depending on day	Same bands as time-first	Choose B vs C/D by ecosystem

Money-first Midtown

• Terminal: B or C
• Mode:
  • From B or C, take Q70 SBS “LaGuardia Link” to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue
  • Transfer to E/F/M/R or 7 into Midtown
• Cost: $2.90 with OMNY or MetroCard, transfers included[4][9]
• Time: The airport data pegs bus+subway at about 45–70 minutes LGA–Midtown, depending on traffic and transfer waits[4][9]

Rule: if your day is not packed and you are anywhere near a Midtown subway stop, this is the value move.

Time-first Midtown

• Terminal: Any works, but B and C line up best with Q70 and taxi infrastructure
• Mode:
  • NYC Yellow Cab, or
  • Uber / Lyft when surge is not punishing
• Cost:
  • Taxis generally around $35–$55 plus tolls/tip LGA–Midtown[14]
  • Uber / Lyft $35–$45 off peak on the same route, higher with surge[4][9]
• Time: 30–60+ minutes, Van Wyck vibes without the Van Wyck[14]

Rule: if you have a Midtown meeting within an hour of landing, pay for a car and assume traffic will eat the rest.

Lounge-first Midtown

• Terminal:
  • Terminal B if you hold Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve, The Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, or Amex Platinum / Centurion
  • Terminal C/D if you are deep in the Delta world
• Mode:
  • Use Q70 + subway when your calendar has slack
  • Default to taxi or rideshare when your day runs tight

If you are the person who insists on “getting value” from a premium card, this is the rare case where the Centurion or Sapphire lounge time in B can offset the taxi line pain.

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LGA to FiDi / Lower Manhattan: the point where cabs start to win

Once you are south of Canal, the $2.90 argument gets weaker. I say this as someone who has tried to beat the meter with clever transfers.

FiDi at a glance

Priority	Best terminal	Best MTA pattern	Taxi / rideshare band	Lounge angle
Money-first	B or C	Q70 → E train all the way downtown	Only when late / bulk luggage	B for Chase/Amex
Time-first	B or C	Taxi or Uber / Lyft	Toward top of $35–$55 band[14]	B or C/D, airline-driven
Lounge-first	B or C/D	Cab after lounge if schedule tight	Same band as time-first	Pick B vs C/D by status

Money-first FiDi

• Terminal: B or C
• Mode:
  • Q70 SBS from B or C to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue
  • Transfer to E train and ride it all the way to Lower Manhattan
• Cost: $2.90, standard MTA rules with free transfers[4][9]
• Time: You are stacking Q70 plus a long E ride. Realistically 60–80+ minutes when you factor bus traffic and Queens + Manhattan on the E

Rule: if you are staying near a direct E stop and you are not on a clock, this is viable. Otherwise you are stretching the definition of “savings.”

Time-first FiDi

• Terminal: Any, but B and C again match the heavier taxi flows
• Mode: Taxi or rideshare straight downtown
• Cost:
  • Within the official LaGuardia–Manhattan estimates around $34–57 for Civic Center / Tribeca and similar[14]
  • Functionally, expect toward the upper half of the $35–$55 plus tolls/tip band because of distance[14]
• Time: Often 40–70+ minutes, heavily traffic-dependent

Rule: if you are going straight into a meeting downtown or landing late, the car is the rational choice even if the spreadsheet says “bus.”

Lounge-first FiDi

• Terminal:
  • Terminal B for Chase / Amex Platinum / United / AA / Air Canada
  • Terminal C/D if you are Delta and want the Sky Club
• Mode:
  • If you leave yourself a cushion, Q70 → E works
  • If you are walking out of the lounge close to boarding or appointment time, go straight to the taxi queue

I spent a year advising a carrier on New York schedule reliability and the pattern was simple. The folks who tried to stack lounge time, a Q70, and a cross-Manhattan subway leg were the ones sprinting later.

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LGA to Harlem: M60 is your friend

If you live near 125th or depend on the West Side uptown lines, LaGuardia is finally the obvious airport.

Harlem at a glance

Priority	Best terminal	Best MTA pattern	Taxi / rideshare band	Lounge angle
Money-first	Any	M60 SBS → 125th St	Use car only off-hours or baggage	B for Chase/Amex, C/D for DL
Time-first	Any	Taxi or Uber / Lyft	Within $35–$55 band[14]	Same as above
Lounge-first	B or C/D	Lounge, then M60 or taxi depending	Same bands as time-first	Choose by alliance

Money-first Harlem

• Terminal: All terminals are served by M60 SBS
• Mode:
  • M60 SBS from LGA to 125th Street in Harlem
  • Transfer as needed to 1/2/3 or A/B/C/D for your exact address
• Cost: $2.90 with standard MTA transfer rules[4][9]
• Time: Transport data and rider reports give 40–60+ minutes LGA to 125th Street depending on traffic[4][9]

Rule: Harlem is where the M60 was built to work. If your home base is near 125th, using a car is about preference, not necessity.

Time-first Harlem

• Terminal: Any
• Mode: Taxi or rideshare
• Cost: Inside that familiar $35–$55 plus tolls/tip LGA–Manhattan band[14]
• Time: 30–60+ minutes, heavily dependent on how the Triboro and local streets behave[14]

Rule: you pay for the door-to-door piece and the luggage handling. The raw time gain over M60 is modest outside of late night.

Lounge-first Harlem

• Terminal:
  • Terminal B if your cards and status are Chase / Amex / UA / AA / AC
  • Terminal C/D if you are committed to Delta
• Mode:
  • If you have daylight and slack, lounge then M60
  • If you land late into C/D, a taxi into Harlem is often the cleanest choice

This is where living in uptown Manhattan actually makes LaGuardia feel like “your” airport.

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LGA to Long Island City: treat Q70 as your private shuttle

LIC is closer than most people internalize. The game here is to treat Q70 like a free connector into Queens rail.

LIC at a glance

Priority	Best terminal	Best MTA pattern	Taxi / rideshare band	Lounge angle
Money-first	B or C	Q70 → 7/E/M/R to LIC stops	Only if late / heavy bags	B for Chase/Amex, C/D for DL
Time-first	B or C	Taxi / Uber / Lyft	Often on lower half of $35–$55[14]	Same
Lounge-first	B or C/D	Lounge then Q70/subway or taxi	Same bands as time-first	Choose B vs C/D by status

Money-first LIC

• Terminal: B or C
• Mode:
  • Q70 SBS to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue
  • Transfer to 7, E, M, or R one or two stops into LIC
• Cost: $2.90 total with free transfer[4][9]
• Time: Q70 plus a short subway hop keeps you inside the lower half of that 45–70 minute LGA–Midtown listed band; for LIC, expect on the quicker side in typical conditions[4][9]

Rule: if you can handle one transfer, buses win almost every time for LIC.

Time-first LIC

• Terminal: B or C
• Mode: Taxi or Uber / Lyft
• Cost: Within the LaGuardia–Manhattan general estimate, but LIC is closer, so real-world fares often sit in the lower half of the $35–$55 band absent heavy traffic[14]
• Time: Often closer to the 30–45 minute side of the 30–60+ window, depending on bridge and local street conditions[14]

Rule: if you are landing late at night or hauling gear to a studio, this is where a taxi makes sense even in Queens.

Lounge-first LIC

• Terminal: B or C/D, same lounge logic as Midtown
• Mode:
  • Lounge time, then Q70 + short subway hop when on leisure or with slack
  • Lounge, then taxi when you care more about doorstep arrival than $30 saved

This is one of the cleaner LaGuardia outcomes. LIC plus Q70 behaves like a sensible mini-hub.

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LGA to Williamsburg: the Brooklyn tradeoff starts here

Now we are in my part of the world. Brooklyn adds friction. Williamsburg is the least painful version of that story.

Williamsburg at a glance

Priority	Best terminal	Best MTA pattern	Taxi / rideshare band	Lounge angle
Money-first	B or C	Q70 → 7/E/M/R, then G or L depending on address	Use car when late-night or heavy bags	B for Chase/Amex, C/D for DL
Time-first	B or C	Taxi / Uber / Lyft	Often near $45–$55 with traffic[14]	Same
Lounge-first	B or C/D	Lounge then Q70/subway or taxi	Same bands as