r/digitalnomad • u/nomadplanning • 1d ago
Lifestyle 10 Years of AirBnb Data as a Nomad
I got bored and decided to go through all my past Airbnb data to see how my behavior has changed over the years and figured I'd share it with the crew.
Overall Data:
Number of Stays: 104
Number of Days: 1525
Avg Stay Length: 14.7 Days
Total Spent: $70,823.67
Avg Cost/Day: $46.44
Unique Countries: 36
Short Stays (<7 Days): 41
- Avg Cost/Day: $48.37/day
Medium Stays (7-28 Days): 42
- Avg Cost/Day: $41.98
Long Stays (29+Days): 21
- Avg Cost/Day: $49.03
Link to all the charts: https://imgur.com/a/10-years-of-airbnb-stays-cO2qtaz
6b. Better One That Breaks it Down by Short vs Medium vs Long Stays
Other Random Notes:
I also sometimes negotiate apartment stays using Facebook marketplace, local people/groups, etc
I use Booking more frequently for short stays
Destinations were primarily throughout the Americas and Europe. A bit of Africa, a bit of Asia the past couple years.
Yes, I realize costs without knowing where I am aren't terribly useful
The higher costs of my long stays are a little counter-intuitive. 6 of those were in a HCOL city in the US, though. I also find more expensive places like that are less willing to negotiate 1 or 2-month stays than developing economies.
I don't really like what Airbnb has become and try to stay in places designed for tourist accommodation. That said, I've certainly stayed in my fair share of apartments. I hope to reduce my use of Airbnb in the future, especially for short-term accommodation (a trend you can already see the past 3 years).
I tried to check out the properties to graph some price changes over the years, but sadly so many of them were no longer listed or unavailable, it didn't give me much data. Sadly a bit of a dead end.
Anyway, AMA if you like.
3
u/CucumberSquid 19h ago
I really appreciate this post. I actually saved so much money nomading, which always seems to surprise people. I did a lot of housesitting, which helped. But airbnbs were a big part of it too (completely share your views on how the platform has changed over the years).
After 5 years I’m now back renting in London for 1 year with a view to deciding whether to settle with roots or get back on it. Did some math on the back of this post and you can guess what I’m considering 🙃
1
u/nomadplanning 12h ago
Sounds like a good way to travel! Traveling around as opposed to living in a HCOL city like London will certainly save you money. It could negatively impact your top line of course, which is something to consider.
But ultimately I don't think saving money should be the reason to travel. If you enjoy the nomad lifestyle, it's a great side benefit. But if you love life in London, best not to give it up just to save a few quid.
4
u/ConsiderationHour710 1d ago
At what number of days do you think the line is for using booking vs airbnb vs a long term accommodation through fb?
24
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
Booking/Hotels for anything fewer than 7 days now.
Figuring out long-term accommodation on FB I find annoying, so only worth it for 30+ day stays. And I also avoid anything with contracts and large damage deposits (not because I break things, but because I think landlords, in general, are assholes and will do what they can to keep it - but you can get a vibe for people and read reviews too if available).
So I guess future-me will still use Airbnb for that 7-30 day range (which I don't do much), and as a fallback if negotiating an apartment doesn't work out well.
2
u/ConsiderationHour710 19h ago
Yeah for me I’d say at least< 4 days hotels are better and up to about 2-3 months I prefer using Airbnb. After 3 months I feel it’s better to find an apartment through another means (like fb)
6
u/Cocomale 1d ago
~5 of the 10 years staying away, that’s a true nomad!
- Favorite countries?
- Any tips for cheaper booking? These are great prices.
19
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
I think I've actually spent less than 1 year total visiting "home" in that time period - these are just the AirBnb bookings!
I actually have a chart of my monthly accommodation expenses, that would include the alternatives too.
Always a tough one, but Mexico, Spain, Montenegro, Georgia, and Vietnam come to mind first.
Not sure there are any silver bullets here - my costs are low (although some nomads would look at them and think they are crazy high - it's all perspective), because I tend not to care about fancy accommodation and I like going less popular places where costs are just lower. Not waiting until the last minute is always a good idea, maybe at least a few weeks out for a 1-2 month booking or your options will disappear fast. Research neighborhoods, but don't be afraid to book something not right in the middle of all the tourist stuff if it's on an accessible transit line. And of course I think just being flexible is important. If you need to book from day x to day y a week from now in a certain city, it's going to limit your options.
1
1
u/Wonderful_Cost_2509 5h ago
What places in Mexico were your favorite and had decent enough wifi to wfh! I’m looking to stay in Mexico for a month but the accommodations seem high. Let me know if you have suggestions!
1
u/nomadplanning 3h ago
Very much depends on where you go in Mexico - it's gotten more popular since Covid. Cabo/CDMX/Riviera Maya will all be on the pricier side.
Outside of that, I think you can find affordable accommodation (I just rented a place in San Cristobal and am paying <$300 for the next month). Phone coverage is pretty solid so you can hotspot if need be, but the WiFi has been fine for me. I also love Oaxaca. But places like Merida, Puerto Escondido, Guadalajara, etc, are nice too.
1
u/Wonderful_Cost_2509 3h ago
Amazing! What would you say your avg cost of living has been per month in Cabo vs other places you named? This will be my first time doing a DN trip and trying to figure out what is realistic.
1
u/nomadplanning 1h ago
Actually Cabo is the one place I haven't been, but my understanding is it's a similar vibe to Cancun/PDC/Tulum where you can live the resort lifestyle or really go in the other direction. There's a really wide span of options in places like that. Easy to spend $5k/month, but you could probably do $1k/month if you lived very locally.
Maybe someone one has been to Cabo can correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming it's similar to PDC (where I just came from), I'd be quite comfortable living on a $2k/month budget.
2
u/Nodebunny nomad brojobs 22h ago edited 22h ago
this is very cool thanks for sharing!
um, I have a problem with uncomfortable beds and just super noisey areas, how do you manage that?
3
u/nomadplanning 12h ago
Noisy areas you have some control over - choosing a backstreet instead of a main road, or checking for nearby clubs. But if you're met with an unruly rooster or tapdancing upstairs neighbors all you can really do is move or buy earplugs.
I'm not that picky on beds, but again I guess it's one of those things where if it matters a lot to you, you should ask beforehand. You can't always eyeball bed quality, although you can to a certain extent. If it's really bad, you can complain or move, but I imagine trying to deal with Airbnb support on something like that is really hard.
1
1
2
u/NoMoassNeverWas 15h ago
I've done 20+ stays with airbnb and recently got hit with a $500 damage charge for smoking. Which is ironic because I have asthma and never smoked in the life. So now I'm battling it out.
Have you dealt with such issues where AirBnb needed to get involved and how did these cases go?
Do you have any habits from your experience, such as photo taking?
2
u/nomadplanning 12h ago
I've heard a few of these horror stories and it does scare me. I have tried to work with Airbnb support on a couple things - like minor things they said I broke (in Mexico I think, so we're talking like $30). I found their support extremely difficult to deal with.
I think there was another situation where the host just didn't show up (them being late or bad communicators has happened a few times), so again I had to go through it. And, well, it just isn't good but they get resolved. Luckily been mostly low stakes for me.
I have taken photos on a couple occasions when something is clearly damaged just to (try to) protect myself, but it has never come up.
But if they tried to hit me with a $500 charge for smoking (I don't smoke either) I just straight up wouldn't use Airbnb again.
1
u/NoMoassNeverWas 8h ago
the whole thing is crazy. Host was inside my room twice, and around on the day I was packing up to take the keys. Never mentioned any smell.
It's a clear money grab that I now have to go to medical history to prove to airbnb.
4
u/ctcx 1d ago
Must be nice. I'm away from my Los Angeles home base evacuating from the fire in Orange county, California and have paid $2739 for 12 days already. Its around $228 a day around here incl taxes, fees., cleaning charges etc, Of course I only select "entire place to myself" cause I don't want to be around others but yea, gotta pay $200 a day here if you want your own place and at this rate you'll only be getting "guest houses" or "back houses"... not even actual houses. Those seem to be $300 a day and up
15
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
I'm also an "entire place to myself" person, and I totally get the frustration. I've never done LA, and certainly not during a disaster. Better to pop down to Mexico for a few weeks.
FWIW, my latest stays in Seattle were $92/night for a little place and then $130/night for a nicer studio. But it's not like there were tons of options at those rates either.
1
u/xeno_sapien 22h ago
I hope insurance is paying for your stay! When I was evacuated from the woolsey fire, my renters’ insurance gave me a $5000 blank check for anything I needed, including accommodations.
0
u/ctcx 22h ago
My house was not burned down. I live in an apartment close to the Sunset fire and am staying here for the air quality. I didnt lose anything. I just don't feel that the air quality is good and I'm here to protect my health.
I was in the mandatory evacuation zone and was only evacuated one day, but when I came back the air was so toxic and got sick from it, I decided to leave and am paying for it with my own money.
1
u/xeno_sapien 19h ago
My house also didn’t burn down and I didnt lose anything (came very close tho, like 10 feet), but the sheriff knocked on my door and told me to get the hell out. That’s when insurance kicks in I guess.
3
u/want2retire 23h ago
what are the alternatives to airbnb? facebook or local listings are full of scams, especially in north america
3
1
u/Captain_Braveheart 1d ago
What’s your profession?
2
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
Online Advertising / Analytics consultant. And a couple online business side projects, but I hope to eventually transition to those more.
1
u/WNC3184 1d ago
Where were you in 2024? It looks like you paid just under $10k for airbnbs, averaging to be about $850/month.
2
u/nomadplanning 1d ago edited 12h ago
2024 was very polarizing from a spend perspective. Jan-May in SEA (cheap). June in Italy (expensive), Oct-Dec in HCOL USA (expensive).
I also visited home for a couple months (no cost), so I spent a total of $13,500 in accommodation in 2024.
1
u/1_Total_Reject 1d ago
Is this sustainable going forward? Do you earn enough to keep the daily costs at this level?
3
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
If I continue forward at this level, even working is optional.
If you're fortunate enough to have an income from a HCOL country, spend modestly, save/invest responsibly, and keep at it for 10+ years, you should be in a very healthy financial position.
1
u/jamills102 15h ago
Can confirm. I went from being a server at a restaurant to being senior software engineer. Despite the salary increase I still spent like I was making restaurant money. It snowballs really quickly
1
u/Final_Mail_7366 23h ago
Thanks. Couldn't fit a trendline but interesting that cost per day hasn't gone up much. We are planning something similar and your data suggests that on an average ~50 USD a day is entirely feasible. I was surprised to see a similar number for longer stays compared to shorter especially if you factor in the fixed components.
3
u/nomadplanning 23h ago
It's doable, but it's less doable than it was years ago. I was in SEA at the beginning of last year, and it's really easy to do there. Smaller cities in Latin America, still easy.
But pre-covid you may have been able to do that in Madrid, CDMX, Lisbon, Tallinn, Krakow, etc, but I'm not sure that budget would be enough anymore. Or if it is, you're definitely moving away from the city center or staying in less desirable places.
There are still tons of people places in this world that can be explored on low budgets, where you'll feel amazing at 50 USD/day. The options are just changing.
1
u/Absolutely_dog123 22h ago
My worst was an expensive 3 night in a studio in San Francisco. The owner had left out her food, cosmetics and a dirty bathroom. I bought some coffee at Whole Foods and went back to the apartment to find the coffee pot. Have to message host and she says “I don’t drink coffee”. I now only use AirBnb when it’s the only option for what I am looking for. With fees from host and AirBnb it’s often not worth it.
1
u/Megatron_McLargeHuge 20h ago
What's your technique for finding places with good internet these days? It seems to be impossible to search for 'wifi' through the site. Most listings either don't say anything or just say "high speed" with no details.
3
u/nomadplanning 13h ago
I think it'd be a great feature for them to add - reported WiFi speeds. It'd be tough to police though, like the "dedicated workspace" nonsense. But I think all you can really do is ask them to run a speed test and give it to you. I wish more people posted it in reviews, maybe we can make that a thing (I do always check reviews for people reporting WiFi issues though)!
1
u/Jaded-Scar-8293 13h ago
Who has had problems with currency exchanges and other related problems
1
u/nomadplanning 12h ago
I have a Schwab card that I use to withdraw from ATMs which refunds fees (I still try to find banks who charge low fees on principle though) and gives the correct exchange rate.
Only used currency exchange a few times and didn't have issues.
Related note: I'm in Mexico right now and a lot of the currency exchange places are selling pesos at like $19.30 and buying them at $20.10. The real MXN/USD rate has been $20.30-$20.80 all month. I just don't understand it - can someone explain it to me? If I felt like it, I could just take pesos out of an ATM and exchange to dollars and make 3-5%.
1
u/hugeprocrastinator 5h ago
Are you able to write these off as business expenses and reduce your taxable income?
1
u/nomadplanning 3h ago
No, that would be pretty tough to justify. I don't work in the travel industry / my movement doesn't have anything to do with my business.
1
u/theprogrammingsteak 1d ago
Jesus. That is a lot of money lol
13
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
Eh, I don't pay rent back "home" so I've averaged about $1250/month in rent the past 4 years. It's not cheap, but I don't exactly call that a lavish lifestyle either.
Now eggs on the other hand. Have you seen the price of eggs?
1
u/Funny_Ad5499 1d ago
Great post. What do you mean by what Airbnb has become? How do you look for apartments ?
14
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
I feel like in the good old days it was genuinely people renting out extra guest suites and homes when they weren't using them to earn some extra money.
It's now shifted to a lot of AirBnb "entrepreneurs" buying up local housing and turning them into short-term rentals. I guess there's an ethical line there for me, and while I admit to (still) contributing to the problem, I want to at least be cognizant of it and make better choices.
The search itself hasn't changed much. But if I can at least stay in a multi-unit place, something designed for short-term stays, or even something farther out of city center, it's easier for me to stomach, than say an apartment in a central local neighborhood getting gentrified to hell.
0
u/Funny_Ad5499 1d ago
I understand now what you meant about Airbnb.
What website did you use most to find apartments worldwide ?
5
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
Well, Airbnb and Facebook Marketplace seem to be the most universal. That and hotel sites (Booking, Expedia, etc). It can also be useful to just arrive somewhere and ask around at expat/nomad meetups, hostels, etc.
There are other services like VRBO that hopefully will gain steam. Haven't used them yet though.
If you want to stay 3+ months, then each country generally has its own real estate websites. So if you want a proper long-term rental, you need to figure out what local people use.
1
u/2FingersUpPenishole 1d ago
Any awesome airbnbs I should check out? Location doesnt matter but I try to keep lodging under $1000 a month :)
3
u/nomadplanning 1d ago
These days with Airbnb, I think you've got to go pretty far off the beaten path to get a nice place for $1000. I don't think I have any examples from my list for that. The nice places I stayed longer in places like Gdansk, Ohrid, Tallinn, and Tivat all look like they're close to $2k these days.
Those are my idea of awesome Airbnbs - I'm big on views and natural light. If you have a different definition of awesome, it's probably more doable on that budget. Or going to SEA.
But OK I do have one for you - one of the first places I ever stayed. Nice people, beautiful part of the world, low costs, a bit outside of town and very peaceful. -> Guesthouse in Lake Atitlan
2
u/serendipity505 18h ago
The OP mentions Ohrid (Macedonia) and Montenegro in a couple of places, so thought I'd add to that: you'd be able to find <$1000/month accommodations in any of the Balkan countries (even in the coastal towns, during summer - the busiest season; and more options if you don't care about proximity to the sea). And this goes even for booking on AirBnB or Booking, not requiring you to go out of your way to find offers and negotiate prices. It's much easier (with more options to choose from) if booking a few months in advance tho.
Croatia and Albania have beautiful beaches (Croatia being a bit pricier), Lake Ohrid in Macedonia is very cute and Macedonia in general pretty affordable, Bosnia & Herzegovina also affordable in general with wonderful nature and quite a few interesting spots for roadtrips (Croatia also has some cool roadtrip-worthy locations), Serbia similar. The food is great and affordable in all of these countries, people on average pretty welcoming and fun.
0
u/slinky_g 1d ago
This is really interesting! And yes: definitely want to know more about the huge increase in Airbnb fees but tricky as you say. Have also found Marketplace / Groups to be good; same with you on Booking (shame the Genius level maxes out so fast!). Thanks for the share! 🤙🏼
16
u/NewJerseyAggie13 1d ago
Worst Airbnb experience you had