Airbnb is more expensive than a hotel in these cities, study reveals

A new study found Airbnb is not always the cheapest choice and in many cities, a hotel is cheaper.

The study from property management company, Deluxe Holiday Homes, finds  several European cities where hotel rooms are cheaper than Airbnb.

Many people choose Airbnb as a lower-cost option, particularly if you have a family or group of friends staying together.

Savvy travellers now tend to look carefully at all options. A June 2022 NerdWallet analysis looked at 1,000 U.S. Airbnb reservations across a range of locations and qualities with check-in dates in 2022 and 2023. That study found that in some cases, hotels were cheaper.

The Deluxe Holiday Homes study analyzed 23 most-searched European capitals on Google to uncover cities where hotel stays including breakfast are cheaper than renting an apartment or a room.

The study used data from Airbnb and local tourism and travel websites to calculate average room rates and hotel rates including breakfast. The objective was to highlight and rank the cities where staying at hotels is cheaper than renting a room or apartment, Deluxe Holiday Homes said.

Warsaw, Poland leads the list of cities where hotels cost less than Airbnb apartments averaging at $46 (U.S.) including breakfast. This rate is significantly cheaper than the combined costs of Airbnb room rentals and breakfast, which they found to be $76.

Overall, Warsaw, known for its history and resilience, is a good spot for a budget traveller as the average hotel price is approximately 64.89 per cent less than Amsterdam or Dublin’s most expensive rooms, according to the study.

Second on the list is Bucharest, Romania offering hotel stays at an average price of $48 including breakfast. This capital city is known for its historic buildings and energetic nightlife.

Budapest and Prague offer hotel accommodations at an identical average rate of $63 claiming the third spot.

Budapest’s average cost for room rental at $72 makes this rate a great deal. However, in Prague, the average cost for room and breakfast is the second-highest, just behind Amsterdam and Dublin.

Berlin’s hotel accommodations rank fourth on the list of cities where hotels cost less than Airbnb flats. At an average of $82 inclusive of breakfast, Berlin provides more value when compared to room rentals which are a bit more expensive.

Vienna ranks fifth with hotel stays averaging at $90, including breakfast. In contrast, the combined costs of room rentals and breakfast are almost twice as high. Vienna’s hotel prices are approximately 10 per cent more affordable than those in Brussels.

It’s also interesting to note cities where Airbnb is less expensive such as Riga, Latvia. This eastern European city, known for its museums and concert halls, has Airbnb rooms for as low as $49 and hotels are a bit pricer, but still very reasonable at $58.

See the full study here.

Main photo of Warsaw: Mohammed Ajwad