On this page (5 sections)
The short answer
Without luggage pressure or a tight clock, take the transit route and enjoy the absurdity of a $11.75 transfer whose final leg costs nothing. With bags, a group, or a connection that leaves no slack, the road is short enough that even the $48 to $65 ride is money well spent, and it is the fastest door-to-door option at about 30 minutes in normal traffic. Whichever way, the airport's transfer rule stands: plan at least 2 hours when a departure depends on it.
By transit: $11.75, free bus included
The route is three legs long. Ride the JFK AirTrain to Jamaica Station, $8.75 at the exit. Take the E train four stops to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Av, $3.00 tapped at the turnstile. Then board the LGA Link Q70 bus, which is free and reaches LaGuardia in about 10 minutes, per the airport. Total: $11.75, and the bus leg needs no ticket at all.
The honest caveats are the ordinary transit ones: three legs mean two transfers with bags, the E is a working subway line rather than a luggage train, and the end-to-end time depends on the waits, so give it the better part of an hour and the 2-hour planning envelope around that. As inter-airport bargains go, nothing else in New York comes close. Step-by-step subway mechanics live on the subway guide.
By taxi and rideshare: half an hour, honestly priced
The road trip is a ride across Queens on the Van Wyck and Grand Central Parkway, and it is short enough that the meter stays civilized. Taxis run the standard meter plus a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge and the $2.00 airport pickup fee, per the TLC. Two official pages disagree gently, $48 to $53 on one and $60 on the other, around 30 minutes in normal traffic; Uber's published average for the route is $65 and 31 minutes. Call the road option $50 to $70 before the tip and take whichever of the cab line or the app quote treats you better that hour.
Rideshare pickup carries the standing caveat: Terminals 5 and 7 currently send app pickups out to the Howard Beach AirTrain station, which would add a leg to your transfer before it starts. The taxi line at the curb has no such detour. Details on the taxi guide and the rideshare guide.
By shuttle: booked, boarded, 30 to 60 minutes
Pre-booked shuttles run the transfer at a booked price, with the airport quoting 30 to 60 minutes and naming ETS Air Shuttle and Airlink New York among the operators, plus Carmel as its authorized car service. For a group with bags, one booked van beats shepherding everyone through two transfers, and the reservation removes the surge-pricing variable. The shuttle guide covers how the operators and booking work.
The two-hour rule, even for the short hop
The distance fools people; the process does not care. Transferring between JFK and LaGuardia means collecting your checked bags, crossing Queens, rechecking the bags with the departing airline, and clearing TSA again, and the airport's guidance is to plan at least 2 hours plus margin for traffic and lines. A same-day pair of bookings on separate tickets carries all the risk yourself, so pad it or avoid it.
The reverse trip works identically, with the Q70 delivering you to the subway for the same free fare. Transferring to Newark instead is a different animal entirely, much farther, far dearer by road, and with a rail chain of its own; that route has its own page, and the transport hub holds the full picture.