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 January 2024 until the end of June the nightly breakdown was as follows:
- 81 in hotels
- 78 at sea
- 21 visiting family
- 2 lodging at a union training facility
- 1 on a redeye flight
Out of the 81 nights in hotels, the breakdown was as follows:
- 24 in Hilton hotels
- 23 in Accor hotels
- 12 in Wyndham hotels
- 10 in independent hotels
- 5 at MGM hotels
- 4 in IHG hotels
Points earned through hotel stays were:
- 46,922 Hilton Honors Points
- 28,806 Wyndham Rewards Points
- 21,337 Citi Thank You Points
- 7,108 Capital One Miles
- 4,419 IHG One Rewards Points
- 816 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
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 $7,703.47. Average total cost of a room in the first half of 2024 was $89.58 with the most expensive room coming in at $144.59 (Hampton Inn Downtown Fort Lauderdale). That average includes 4 nights paid for with points. (49,000 IHG Points redeemed.)
At the most basic level The average cost per day over a 183 day period was $42.10. That’s equivalent to $1263 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 last year while paying rent.
Best and Worst Hotels
The best hotel I stayed in during this period was probably the Novotel Santiago Providencia in Chile. $101.29 per night. Location was ideal and the view was phenomenal. It had a real luxury feel for a very average price.
I was surprised after that at how bad the Novotel was in Buenos Aires. It would have been the worst property I stayed in at $122.80 except that I was compelled to stay 3 nights at the Days Inn in Lake Charles, LA for $60.82 per night.
That one was chosen mostly for its proximity to the train station, which doesn’t feature trains running daily. The Days Inn was “fine” but pretty musty with the AC putting Louisiana humidity directly into the room.That 3 day stay earned a whopping 16,821 Wyndham points. If you value those at a penny each that’s nearly as much as the $182.46 I paid for the 3 night stay.
