The True Cost of Interborough Love

A less-discussed hurdle in the race to the altar (or the bedroom) is a problem unique to the five boroughs: the same-city long distance relationship.

Before you begin to consider the hardships of taking two trains and a bus to see your sweetheart, ask yourself if you have what it takes. Licensed clinical social worker and relationship expert Joshua Nelson says, “A long distance relationship makes it harder to communicate, and relationships are all about communication. [Travel] itself takes a physical toll, which makes it harder to tolerate the emotional connection, and ultimately, that’s what makes or breaks a relationship.”

What many non-New Yorkers don’t understand about same-city long distance relationships is that the cost of being hours away from your sweetheart while only miles apart isn’t just an emotional drag, it’s a financial one, too. It’s not just subway rides that rack up the bill, it’s new restaurants, bottles of wine and the steep tip you’ll have to shell out to the cabbie who takes you between boroughs and lets you make out a little on the way.

Here we break down the real cost of one date with someone who lives outside your borough:

Forest Hills to Prospect Heights

Appetizers and entrees at Dean Street (plus tip): $56
Two scoops of ice cream at Ample Hills: $8
One French Seventy-Five, One Fine and Dandy at Weather Up (plus tip): $32
Box of Trojan condoms from a bodega: $5
Subway fare to and from Penn Station: $4.50
Round-trip LIRR fare: $22

Total: $127.50

Roosevelt Island to Alphabet City

Round-trip tram pass: $4
Subway fare: $2.25
Two pizzas and a bottle of Nero Sardo at Bar Veloce (plus tip): $70
2 tickets to the Angelika: $26
Cab home: $30.85

Total: $113.10

Upper East Side to Williamsburg

Subway fare: $2.25
Two appetizers, entrees, and beer at Fatty ‘Cue: $80
One hour of bowling at Brooklyn Bowl: $25
Breakfast for two at Egg: $28
Car service home two days later: $55

Total: $195.25

While the financial burden of courting a love from a far away land, like the Bronx, may seem like an insurmountable obstacle, New York, in her infinite wisdom, still finds ways to let true love prosper. Besides, this place is flooded with cheap pizza and the subways run all night.