Are you a travel nurse looking for the perfect place to stay during your assignments? Look no further! Our guide to the 10 Best Websites for Travel Nurse Housing in 2024 will help you find comfortable, convenient, and affordable accommodations tailored to your needs. Explore our top picks and make your travel nursing experience a breeze!

How Much Do Travel Nurses Get for Housing?

Determining the compensation you may receive for housing is a multifaceted process that varies based on location, employer policies, and individual preferences. Generally, travel nurses can opt for employer-provided housing or a housing stipend, and the value of these offerings can significantly differ.

  • Employer-Provided Housing


Some travel nursing assignments come with the perk of employer-provided housing. In this scenario, healthcare facilities or staffing agencies secure accommodation for the nurse, often in the form of furnished apartments or temporary housing. The advantage of this arrangement is the convenience of having housing arrangements taken care of, though it may limit the nurse’s ability to choose specific accommodations.

  • Housing Stipend

Alternatively, travel nurses may opt for a housing stipend, which provides financial assistance to cover housing costs. The stipend is usually a fixed amount determined by the employer and can vary based on factors such as the cost of living in the assignment location. Travel nurses receiving a stipend can find their own housing arrangements, allowing for personal preferences regarding location, amenities, and housing type.

  • Factors Influencing Housing Compensation

In the landscape of travel nursing, housing compensation is intricately influenced, encompassing factors such as location, individual preferences, agency policies, and negotiation dynamics, as outlined below:

  • Location: The cost of living in different regions greatly influences housing compensation. High-cost areas typically come with higher stipends or more valuable employer-provided housing.
  • Individual Preferences: Travel nurses who prioritize having control over their living situation may opt for a housing stipend to choose accommodations that suit their needs and lifestyle.
  • Agency Policies: Staffing agencies play a crucial role in determining housing compensation. Some agencies offer higher stipends, while others prioritize providing furnished housing options.
  • Negotiation and Transparency: Travel nurses often have the opportunity to negotiate their housing package. Open communication with staffing agencies or employers about housing needs and preferences is encouraged, fostering a transparent and collaborative approach to securing suitable accommodation.

7 Best Websites to Find Travel Nurse Housing Options

If you are the type of person who wants to take control of your travel nurse housing, these websites are great places to start researching where to stay.

Airbnb

Airbnb is a popular vacation rental company, we are sure you have heard of it! They have thousands of furnished housing options to choose from all across the country. Airbnb is great for longer stays like travel contracts because oftentimes they are cheaper than hotels with more amenities and space. For longer stays, hosts will often give a discounted rate. According to Nerd Wallet, on average, the nightly rate for a seven-night Airbnb stay turns out to be 32% cheaper than the nightly rate for a one-night stay. The options are endless with Airbnb! You can stay in an A-frame cabin, a condo right downtown, a spacious home, or a cozy apartment. Some listings are even pet-friendly for your furry companion.

Vrbo

Vrbo is like the sister to Airbnb. The great thing about these apps are you can read reviews from past people who have stayed with them. This can give you great insight into the cleanliness, neighborhood, and overall experience! They are very similar when it comes to functionality and price. With over 2 million vacation rentals nationwide, Vrbo has some great short-term rental options for travel nurses who are looking for more than just a hotel room. You can filter down to furnished rentals that are pet-friendly, have swimming pools, are on the beach, and much more. Are you an avid Pinterest pinner? Spend some time creating a trip board where you can browse and save future vacation rentals based on location.

ShortTermHousing.com

Short Term Housing was created specifically for travel nurses. All rentals come furnished with full utilities, (electric, Wi-Fi, television). Their properties are in favorable locations close to medical facilities and in safe and quiet areas. This makes for the perfect location to recuperate after a long shift and you won’t have to worry about long commutes. Short Term Housing offers well-vetted quality rentals for sensible prices. This is a great option to look into while travel nursing.

Extended Stay America

With more than 760+ locations nationwide and a variety of hotels, staying with Extended Stay America is a great option while traveling for a travel contract. Staying here will give you a hotel feel but with accommodating suites, free wifi, on-site guest laundry, and fully equipped kitchens. The best part? Continental breakfast! Most Extended Stays also have a pool, hot tub, and gym for guest use.

Furnished Finder

Furnished Finder is used by over 100,000 traveling nurses! The website boasts over 150,000 affordable furnished short-term rentals. You can search their map by location, date of stay, and price to find a curated list of rentals that fits your needs. You can book hotel rooms, apartments, condos, and homes without additional fees like you might see booking through a third-party site.

HomeStay.com

Home Stay is a unique service that pairs travelers with host families. This is the ultimate opportunity to live with local experts. You share a home with families who are willing to welcome you with open arms. This could mean you rent a room or a level of the family’s home. The best part is Home Stay is easy on the wallet, and you get a built-in friend to spend time with if you choose to do so.

Apartments.com

Apartments.com is a great resource with over 1 million listings for short-term rentals for apartments, condos, townhomes, and houses! Whatever kind of stay you are looking for, they have it. This includes pet-friendly options. You can browse listings, submit an application, and sign a lease from anywhere in the world thanks to their mobile-friendly app.

Why Use Travel Nurse Housing Sites?

Travel nurse housing sites offer a range of benefits for travel nurses seeking accommodation during their assignments. Here are some key advantages of using these platforms:

  • Convenience: Travel nurse housing sites provide a centralized platform where nurses can search for and compare various housing options, making finding accommodation more straightforward and efficient.
  • Variety of Options: These sites offer a wide range of housing options, from furnished apartments to shared housing, allowing travel nurses to choose accommodations that best fit their needs and preferences.
  • Cost-Effective: Many travel nurse housing sites offer competitive pricing and special deals for travel nurses, helping them find affordable housing options within their budget.
  • Location-Specific Listings: These platforms often provide listings specifically tailored to the locations of travel nursing assignments, ensuring that nurses can find housing conveniently located near their work sites.
  • Safety and Security: Reputable travel nurse housing sites vet their listings and hosts to ensure that travel nurses’ accommodations are safe and secure.
  • Community Support: Some platforms offer community forums or support groups where travel nurses can connect, share experiences, and offer advice on housing and other aspects of travel nursing.
  • Flexibility: Travel nurse housing sites often provide flexible lease options, catering to the short-term nature of travel nursing assignments and allowing nurses to move between assignments without long-term commitments easily.
  • Time-Saving: Using a dedicated housing site allows travel nurses to save time and effort in searching for accommodations, allowing them to focus more on their assignments and less on logistical concerns.

Types of Travel Nurse Housing

Types of houses for travel nurses

Short-term housing is something new travelers find daunting. When in reality, finding short-term housing is a lot more manageable than expected! Many staffing agencies have a housing coordinator on staff which makes finding housing for 13-week contracts effortless. These housing coordinators have great recommendations wherever you decide to travel next. Make sure to disclose exactly what you are looking for in housing so your housing coordinator can make the perfect match! Below are some of the most popular travel nurse housing options.

The awesome part of these travel nurse housing options? Many of them are fully furnished and have great amenities! Be sure to document what is included so you don’t over pack or under pack for your trip.

Rent a Vacation Rental

If a nurse is looking for a home away from home, this is a great option. You can rent a fully furnished studio, apartment, condo, or house. This is one of the most popular options for travel nurses; it can also be the most spendy depending on where you decide to stay. Remember travel stipends go towards housing, so you have to determine how much of it you want to spend on rent. Apps make the browsing process so much easier. Check out the apps below to start looking for your next vacation rental.

The great thing about Vrbo and Airbnb is all the rentals are certified. Furnished Finder is a travel nurse housing-specific app and website geared towards travel nurses and their needs!

Pro Tip: Look for vacation rentals that lower the price when you stay for multiple weeks in a row!

Rent From a Private Owner

Similar to vacation rentals, you can rent studios, apartments, condos, and houses from private owners on the same Airbnb and Vrbo apps. You can sometimes find cheaper options if you are open to sharing space. Some private owners open up their basements or guesthouses to visitors. HomeStay.com is a great resource to use if you are open to home sharing. You can also pursue Craigslist for posts from landlords or individuals subletting their apartments.

Stay at an Extended Stay Hotel

Extended stays at hotels are a great, cost-effective option! These are sometimes referred to as aparthotel. Why? Because if you marry an apartment living with a hotel stay, you get the extended-stay experience. Extended stays have everything you need for a short-term stay, with great amenities like in-suite laundry and a full kitchen. Some extended stays are even dog-friendly! Be sure to read the reviews and talk with your housing coordinator before making a decision!

Stay With Friends or Family

The joy of travel nursing is you can go anywhere in the country to work. Some travelers opt to stay with friends and family when they travel. This is a great option for saving money! It also guarantees you have a built-in tour guide to the new city you are in. One of the challenging parts of travel nursing can be getting lonely and finding friends. Staying with loved ones is like a safety net and is a great option when you are starting out as a travel nurse!

Park Your RV

There are a handful of s’more-loving travel nurses who cruise the nation in their RVs! Parking at a campground or RV park is a great option for adventurous folks who say, “home is where you park it”. Make sure to look for sites that have full hook-ups with sewage, electricity, water, and Wi-Fi! Here are more tips on full-time RVing as a travel nurse!

Don’t own a van or RV but are interested in trying it? At some campgrounds, you can rent fully furnished RVs, and they will set them up at a site for you. You can also rent a van or RV on sites like Outdoorsy.

Tips to Find The Best Travel Nurse Housing

looking at travel nurse housing on laptop

There are so many great housing options when travel nursing! Locking in your travel nurse housing for the next 13 weeks can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. You could find yourself in a sky-high studio apartment in the middle of the city or in a cottage out in the country, whatever your speed there are some steps you’ll want to take to ensure the best experience!

Get Social

You aren’t in this alone! There are tons of great travel nursing social groups to join on Facebook. Once in these groups, see what others are talking about and ask questions of your own. The groups are made up of a combination of new travelers and veteran travelers. These groups are a great source of support. See what other nurses are doing for their housing and what they recommend. Who knows, you might even meet someone who is going to be in the same city as you!

Have Realistic Expectations With Travel Nurse Housing

As cool as living in a tree house for the next 13 weeks would be, or in a fancy condo in the middle of the city, be realistic with yourself. For three or four days out of the week, your home away from home will only be used for sleeping before you return to your next shift. To save some of your tax-free stipend, cut costs for luxury where necessary. On the other side of the coin, it’s true you pay for what you get. So don’t skimp too much on the necessities you need to be happy, like a full kitchen or in-suite laundry! Once you have a true idea of your needs and wants, be sure to let your Housing Coordinator know.

It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

If you see a listing that is out of your price range but you adore it, don’t be afraid to ask the house owner if they can lower the price since you will be staying for over three months. Some landlords and houseowners are thrilled to accommodate one traveler instead of having multiple people come and go through their doors. The same goes if the website says the property is unavailable for your chosen dates; always call to ask. Cancellations happen all the time. Even if they are fully booked, they often give great recommendations for other local accommodations. What is the moral of the story? Always ask for what you want.

Things to Discuss With Your Housing Coordinator

Your Housing Coordinator will act as your housing matchmaker. Make sure you cover all your bases when discussing short-term travel nurse housing options. Here is a list of questions you should be answering and discussing before choosing your next home away from home.

  • Do you prefer to live in the middle of the action or on the outskirts?
  • Would you like to live alone? Do you want roommates?
  • How far would you commute for work?
  • What are your non-negotiables when it comes to travel nurse housing?
  • Do you like to cook for yourself and meal prep, or do you prefer to order to-go meals?
  • Will you be bringing any pets on the assignment with you?

These are all topics of conversation you should be chatting about with your Housing Coordinator.

Finding short-term and fully furnished travel nurse housing is an enjoyable experience when approached with the right tools in your toolbox. Firstly, you’ll want to form a great working relationship with your agency’s Housing Coordinator. Secondly, you’ll want to establish realistic expectations of what you are looking for in your price range. Lastly, get looking for your new 13-week home, or leave it up to your Housing Coordinator! Now, you can focus on exciting things like packing for your adventure and researching the things you want to do in your new location!