"On December 31, 2025, New York's MTA system said "so long" to its iconic yellow MetroCards. Tap-and-go fare technology is usurping paper cards - the fiercely protected wallet fixture and symbol of the "I am a New Yorker" title that millions of stubborn passengers protect just as fiercely. Now, instead of singing "My, My MetroCard," New Yorkers are (apparently) singing "My, my $3 single-ride subway fare." NYC subway fare jumped up to a record-high $3 on January 4, and it's a grim figure for pizza-lovers."
"The "Pizza Principle" is an unofficial, decades-old metric for gauging the cost of living in New York City. Per the principle, a slice and a single ride on public transit clock in around the same price. But, in recent years, breakneck inflation has outpaced even America's most hustle-and-bustle metropolis. Woe to foodies in all five boroughs, as the average price-per-slice has disproportionately surpassed subway fare."
The MTA retired the iconic yellow MetroCard on December 31, 2025, replacing it with tap-and-go fare technology. New York City single-ride subway fare rose to a record $3 on January 4, 2026. The Pizza Principle holds that a slice and a single transit ride cost roughly the same, and recent inflation has pushed the average slice to about $3.81, outpacing subway fare. A prior fare increase raised the price from $2.75 to $2.90 in 2023. The narrowing gap between pizza and fare prices signals broader upward pressure on the city’s cost of living.
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