How To Save Money On Accommodation As A Digital Nomad

One of the biggest expenses as a digital nomad is your accommodation. Even if you’re visiting some of the cheaper destinations around the world, accommodation will be your biggest monthly expense.

Despite this, there are a number of tips and tricks that you can use to save money on your accommodation and bring those costs even lower.

For long term digital nomads, the tips in this list shouldn’t come as a massive shock, but for those just starting out this could be a lifesaver 

The 10 Tips to Save Money on Accommodation

1. Stay for longer

The longer you stay in one place, the cheaper it normally is. Whilst this doesn’t always apply in hotels, travelling slowly, or slowmading, means that you spend a considerable amount of time in one place. often 3-6 months if not more.

Normally with Airbnb you get weekly and then monthly discounts on your stay. If you decide to rent a place longer term, it will be cheaper still (think of renting somewhere in your home country compared to paying a hotel or AirBnB every night?)

The longer you stay, the cheaper it will be.

2. Ask for discounts

You don’t ask you don’t get.

Simple as that. Even though it goes against the terms of service, you can reach out to accommodation providers on AirBnB and ask for a discount on the price they are offering. You have to be careful how you do this, but if you are sly, if can definitely be done. I have known many that have reached out to landlords, especially in low season, for long stay discounts.

3. Housesitting

Housesitting has become more and more popular in recent years with websites like Trusted House Sitters and Nomador being good resources to stay in other peoples houses for free. Housesitting involves looking after people’s pets whilst they are on holiday.

There is no payment but you get to stay in their house for free whilst feeding their pets, walking their dog or playing with their ferrets (yes I have had friends look after ferrets!). Being a competent animal lover obviously helps for this but it is a great way to stay in very local areas without paying a penny.

4. Booking local

Renting a room from someone local is always cheaper than with an online platform. With companies like AirBnB taking 15% of the money in fees, just turning up and paying someone cash is always a cheaper deal.

Similar to asking for discounts above, when booking direct or renting from a local, there is often room to negotiate the price. I know of people renting from a local person in Bulgaria for €250 per month and I have negotiated a deal when I stayed in a cabin in the woods in Estonia.

5. Travel in off season

Travelling in off season not only makes your accommodation cheaper, it makes your entire experience cheaper.  When I stayed in Ohrid, I paid £400 for a month in March but that went up to £1000 per month for August.

I’ve seen similar price hikes in Saranda and other cities I have stayed in.

6. Go to similar countries

Instead of visiting Croatia, consider Albania.

Instead of Dubai, consider Oman.

Instead of Costa Rica, consider Nicaragua.

For most places that you want to go, there will often be a cheaper version that is very similar. Even staying in the same country but out of the city centre, in a smaller city or even staying more rural will allow you to save money compared to staying

7. Networking

If you really like somewhere you’ve stayed, keep the contact details of the landlord or host so that you can reach out to them in future. I have done this and now have a small list of phone numbers for a few landlords and hosts around the world that I can go back to in future.

Another tip would be to speak to people that have already been to the destination you want to travel to. They may have their own list of hosts and accommodation providers that you can use and get some discounts with.

Now I am a digital nomad based in Chiang Mai, I know many people and different condos if others wanted to visit.

8. Know of discounts

There are always discounts available when booking accommodation as a digital nomad. From taking advantage of long stay discounts on AirBnB (which can save you over 80%), knowing where to stay in low season or booking somewhere for a long time (e.g. a one year lease).

A great way of looking for discounts is to sign up to something like RemoteBase where my friend Chris sends out offer with discounts of up to 80% on accommodation 

9. Subletting

Subletting from a friend or friend of a friend is a great way to get cheap stays. I have done this in Copenhagen when a friend of a friend travelled for a month. I paid most of her rent which acts as a bargain for me, she gets some money back which she would otherwise would have had to pay anyway and she also knows that someone is looking after her house, watering her plants and having a lived in place.

10. House sharing

As a solo traveller, paying for accommodation is the most expensive thing you will do. People that travel as a couple will automatically halve their costs by splitting their rent! It is definitely one of the downsides of solo travel.

Even if you are single, getting a two bedroom apartment with a friend may still be cheaper than both of you getting a place to yourself.

Summing up how to save money on accommodation as a digital nomad

There are many ways of saving money on accommodation as a digital nomad, of which I’ve ten after travelling in this style for a number of years. 

There are so many ways to save money, and not all of them are the best ways for everyone, but there are always some ways to do so.

Re-read this article once you are on the road and you may find that some of these will become more prominent to you over time. There are so many ways to save money and not all of them will suit you at this time or place.

I hope this guide will save you a lot when you decide to stay somewhere when you start travelling as a digital nomad!

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.