There’s not a lot of content on the Internet about the cost of living in hotels full time. Most people who adopt a nomadic lifestyle opt for some combination of AirBnb, monthly leases, or extended stays in hostels.
The purpose of these updates is to provide a picture of what it actually costs to live in hotel rooms. These numbers aren’t hypothetical. All of these hotels were what I felt was the best available choice for a variety of reasons including cost, ongoing promotions, specific locations, etc. In all cases these are last minute bookings, two weeks or less from arrival.
Eventually I’d like to gather enough data to compare typical rooms across hotel chains or by continent. But this sample is fairly representative of what to expect for anyone contemplating the cost of living in hotels while traveling for an extended period.
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Cost of Living in Hotels Nightly Breakdown
From July 1 until the end of 2025 the breakdown of nights spent was as follows:
- 72 in hotels
- 102 at sea
- 9 visiting family
Out of the 72 nights in hotels, the breakdown was:
- 40 in Hilton hotels
- 17 in Regional Chains or Independents
- 11 in Choice hotels
- 4 in Wyndham hotels
Points earned and redeemed through hotel stays were:
- 165,910 Choice Privileges Points Earned/ 20,000 Redeemed
- 156,151 Hilton Honors Points earned/ 143,000 Redeemed
- 39,762 Capital One Miles Earned
- 15,000 Wyndham Points Redeemed
- 1,462 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Eaned
- 1,179 United Mileage Plus Miles Earned via Credit Card Spend
- 866 Citi Thank You Points Earned
- 1 Hilton Free Night Certificate Redeemed
Overview of the Numbers
Keeping the cost of living in hotels economical enough to make sense depends on my job as a merchant mariner. Spending a night at sea costs $0. Over time the cost of living in hotel rooms is averaged to about half when nights at sea are accounted for.
Total cost for that 183 day period was $5,518.92. Average total cost of a room in the first half of 2024 was $68.15 with the most expensive room coming in at $250.00 (A full waterfront cabin at Guatape). That average includes 15 nights of points redemptions. Average price for paid nights was $102.22.
At the most basic level The average cost per day over a 183 day period was $30.16. That’s equivalent to $904 in total monthly household expenses. It’s a significant savings over the cost of rent and bills, not to mention all the hotel rooms I booked in the past while paying rent.
Best and Worst Hotels
The best hotel I stayed in during this period was the previously mentioned cliffside waterfront cabin at Guatape. $250.00 per night. The view was phenomenal. This was a genuine luxury stay for the price of a fairly ordinary hotel in the US.
The worst was the DM Mossone at the Huacachina Oasis in Ica, Peru. This was a case of beggars can’t be choosers as there are very few hotel options there with hostels being the overwhelming choice. The property was historic and interesting but the room was not the most comfortable and not at all modern. I enjoyed the stay overall.
