The easiest way to get from JFK to Great Kills, NY is a pre-booked private car: about 33 miles over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and down the Staten Island Expressway, roughly an hour on a clear road, with the price agreed in writing before the car moves. The cheapest way is the transit chain — AirTrain, subway, the free Staten Island Ferry, and the Staten Island Railway to Great Kills station — about 2 hours and $14.75, which is the right call for a solo traveler with one bag and the wrong call for a family landing late.
Picture a rider landing at JFK after a long flight, heading for a house near Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island’s South Shore. The island is New York City, but it does not feel like it from the arrivals curb: one bridge, one expressway, and a local road stand between the terminal and the front door. This page gives the miles, the meter, the toll, and the ferry chain, so the choice is made before the plane lands.
Written by David Williams · Fact-checked by Alex Freeman, Editor-in-Chief · Last verified November 2026
The drive: about 33 miles over the Verrazzano
Great Kills is a South Shore neighborhood on Staten Island, served by its own Staten Island Railway station and close to Great Kills Park and the harbor. From the middle of Staten Island, JFK is about 29 miles and 44 to 51 minutes with a clear road; Great Kills sits farther south, and the South Shore adds fifteen to twenty minutes to every island number, so plan on about 33 miles and roughly an hour off-peak. The route is the Belt Parkway west, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Staten Island, the Staten Island Expressway, then Richmond Avenue or Hylan Boulevard to Great Kills. At rush hour the Belt Parkway is the variable — the off-peak hour is a rumor once the evening peak starts — so allow longer and do not plan a tight connection on the other end.
- About 33 miles over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
- About an hour off-peak, longer at rush hour
- Standard meter taxi, about $118 before surcharges, tolls, and tip
- Cheapest chain is $14.75 and about 2 hours
- Newark is the closer airport, but JFK is the run when your flight lands there
The island pattern is the same wherever you are headed: a car service from JFK to St. George is about 29 miles, a stretch limo from JFK to Richmond Valley is about 38 miles at the island’s southern tip, and Great Kills sits between the two. The closest airport to Staten Island is Newark, not JFK, and the airport closest to Staten Island guide lays out the same three-airport comparison with tolls. A car service from JFK to Flushing is the short Queens-side comparison if you want to see what the same airport run looks like without a bridge in it.
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What a yellow taxi charges to Great Kills
Great Kills is inside New York City, so the taxi runs on the standard meter, Rate #01: $3.00 to start, then $3.50 a mile. Over about 33 miles that is about $118.50 before surcharges — plus the $0.50 MTA surcharge, which applies to trips ending in New York City, and the Verrazzano toll, which the passenger pays. The $70 JFK flat fare does not apply: it covers Manhattan only. A 20% tip is the usual suggestion and is not included. JetBlack quotes this trip per trip, in writing, with no surge, and cancellation is free before confirmation and $31 in total after: $25 plus $5 in fees plus a $1 technology fee.
The cheapest way: AirTrain, subway, ferry, and railway
The transit chain costs $14.75 and takes about 2 hours. Ride the AirTrain from your terminal to Jamaica Station for $8.75, take the subway to Whitehall Street–South Ferry for $3.00, cross on the Staten Island Ferry — free, about 25 minutes, running around the clock — then ride the Staten Island Railway from St. George to Great Kills station, where the $3.00 fare is collected at St. George and the ride takes about 30 minutes. Great Kills station is step-free, which matters with a suitcase. The chain is the cheapest honest way to Great Kills; with two suitcases and a child in tow, the car earns its price.
The same airport-to-neighborhood choices repeat across the city: a car service from JFK to Kingsbridge and a car service from JFK to Pearl River are the Bronx and Rockland versions of the same trade-off, a stretch limo from JFK to Franklin Square is the Nassau version, and a taxi from JFK to Ithaca shows what the same question looks like at upstate distance. If your party is split across airports, the transfer time from LaGuardia to JFK is the number to check first, and a limo from JFK to Albany is the long-run version of this same page.
One honest trade-off: Newark is closer
Newark Liberty is the closest airport to Staten Island — about 13 to 14 miles and 24 to 29 minutes from the middle of the island over the Goethals Bridge — against about 29 miles to JFK. If your flight exists at Newark, fly there. If it lands at JFK, the Verrazzano run is the trip, and the only decision left is car or ferry chain.
Questions travelers ask
How long does it take to drive from JFK to Great Kills?
About an hour on a clear road, over roughly 33 miles via the Belt Parkway, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and the Staten Island Expressway. Great Kills is on the South Shore, farther from JFK than the middle of the island, so add fifteen to twenty minutes to the mid-island figure, and allow more at rush hour when the Belt Parkway slows.
What is the cheapest way to get from JFK to Great Kills?
The transit chain: AirTrain to Jamaica for $8.75, subway to Whitehall Street–South Ferry for $3.00, the free Staten Island Ferry to St. George, and the Staten Island Railway to Great Kills station for $3.00 — $14.75 in total and about 2 hours. It is the cheapest way for a solo traveler with light luggage.
How much is a taxi from JFK to Great Kills?
About $118.50 on the meter before surcharges, tolls, and tip: $3.00 to start plus $3.50 a mile over about 33 miles, at the standard Rate #01. Add the $0.50 MTA surcharge and the Verrazzano toll, which the passenger pays. The $70 JFK flat fare covers Manhattan only and does not apply.
Is there a train from JFK to Great Kills?
There is no direct train, but the Staten Island Railway serves Great Kills station from St. George, where the free ferry lands from Manhattan. The full chain is AirTrain to Jamaica, subway to Whitehall Street–South Ferry, ferry to St. George, and the railway south to Great Kills — about 2 hours door to door.
Sources
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission — Taxi Fare: standard metered fare $3.00 plus $3.50 per mile, $0.50 MTA State Surcharge for trips ending in New York City, $70 JFK–Manhattan flat fare, passenger pays Verrazzano tolls, accessed 2026-11-10
- JFK Airport — AirTrain JFK: $8.75 one-way fare to Jamaica or Howard Beach, subway and LIRR connections at Jamaica Station, accessed 2026-11-10
- JetBlack — Closest Airport to Staten Island, verified October 4, 2026: JFK about 29 miles and 44 to 51 minutes from the middle of the island, Newark about 13 to 14 miles, South Shore adds fifteen to twenty minutes, accessed 2026-11-10
- JetBlack — Cheapest Car Service JFK to St. George, verified October 2026: about 29 miles, 45 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes, transit about $11.75 and 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, accessed 2026-11-10
- JetBlack — Stretch Limo JFK to Richmond Valley, verified October 2026: about 38 miles, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes via the Verrazzano and West Shore Expressway, accessed 2026-11-10
- InfoForNYC — Staten Island Railway: $3.00 fare collected only at St. George and Tompkinsville, St. George to Great Kills about 30 minutes, ferry free and about 25 minutes, Great Kills station step-free, accessed 2026-11-10
- JetBlack Transportation — owner-confirmed service facts (written per-trip quotes, no surge, 24/7 dispatch, cancellation free before confirmation and $31 total after, 20% suggested tip, child seats about $35 per seat for a fee), confirmed 2026-10-26, accessed 2026-11-10
JetBlack Transportation · 34 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001 · +1-646-214-4828 · Prices verified November 2026 and subject to change — confirm your fixed quote in writing before you travel
