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Travel nursing has many benefits, including the opportunity to explore new cities and immerse yourself in their cultures. To ensure you have a positive experience, it’s essential to find travel nurse housing with all the amenities you need to relax at the end of your shift or enjoy a quiet day off. You must also feel safe in your temporary digs because it’s going to be your home for the next several weeks. Finding ideal temporary digs in the right location at the right price can be challenging but not impossible. Start with these five top travel nurse housing sites in 2023.
1. Furnished Finder
The most cited niche housing website specifically for travel nurses and other healthcare professionals is Furnished Finder. Since 2014, this site has specialized in finding short-term housing for travelers. It currently boasts over 150,000 fully furnished properties around the country that rent by the month without any commissions or booking fees.
One of the site’s best features is its travel nurse stipend calculator, which provides average rents and other information to help you estimate your housing costs before beginning a new assignment. For extra peace of mind, all property owners must pass a background check before posting a listing to help ensure traveler safety.
Booking with Furnished Finder
When you find a listing you like, click the Booking Request button to book directly with the property owner. If you can’t find a listing that meets your needs, click the Submit Housing Request button at the top of the search results page. Furnished Finder doesn’t get involved with any transactions, including lease agreements or rental payments, which cuts down on fees found on many housing sites.
| Pros of Furnished Finder | Cons of Furnished Finder |
| Doesn’t charge a fee to browse listings | Doesn’t verify the accuracy of listings |
| Book directly with the property owner/manager to eliminate extra costs | User interface isn’t completely intuitive |
| Has Android and iOS apps for easier booking |
2. ShortTermHousing.com
ShortTermHousing.com specializes in 30-day corporate housing rentals for traveling professionals, including all types of healthcare workers. It boasts more than 30,000 rentals in over 6,000 cities nationwide. ShortTermHousing has listings especially for healthcare professionals and states that it delivers housing regardless of location, duration or budget.
The site’s top feature is the ability to work with a rental expert to find listings near major medical centers, which may reduce your commute and make it more convenient to complete each travel assignment. Users can browse properties by city or submit a housing request to get started.
Booking with ShortTermHousing.com
ShortTermHousing.com is slightly different from other travel nurse housing sites. You can’t book a rental online. Instead, you must fill out the housing form and allow a rental expert to contact you. Once you select a place to stay, its staff handles the lease and deposit and schedules move-in and move-out dates, making the process as easy as possible.
| Pros of ShortTermHousing.com | Cons of ShortTermHousing.com |
| Every rental listed includes utilities | Must connect with one of the site’s rental experts because you can’t book a rental yourself |
| All listings include furnishings | Rental request forms take extra time to complete due to several questions about your budget and housing preferences |
| Has listings close to major medical centers |
3. Extended Stay America
When you think of travel nurse housing, you may not think of a hotel, but Extended Stay America is a viable option. This chain specializes in providing accommodations for several weeks or months at a time, making it an excellent resource for travel nurses and other medical professionals. Pets are welcome, usually with an additional fee, and parking is free and readily available.
One of the best reasons to use Extended Sreasonserica to book your travel housing is that the chain offers a 10% discount for healthcare professionals. It also has additional perks through a loyalty program and stays over 30 days. Another bonus of booking with Extended Stay America is that you enjoy all the benefits of staying at a hotel during your travel assignment. Depending on your chosen location, you may have access to housekeeping services, continental breakfast, afternoon refreshments or other amenities.
Booking with Extended Stay America
To book a suite, simply visit the Extended Stay America website, enter your travel dates and select your desired location.
| Pros of Extended Stay America | Cons of Extended Stay America |
| Access WiFi, gyms, pools, spas and other perks | Hotel rooms don’t have the same level of privacy as individual apartments or homes |
| Instant online booking with a secure payment portal | Hotel chains currently only available in 45 states |
| All locations are pet-friendly |
Pricing
As with all housing options, pricing varies by city. We calculated average rates per night in an Extended Stay America deluxe suite in several major cities. To arrive at this average, we searched for rooms in popular cities, added up the room rates for a specific location, then divided this total by the number of listings available in that city. However, these prices don’t include any discounts or special package offers.
- Miami: $102.12
- New York: $104.49
- San Diego: $98.95
- Denver: $53.54
- Las Vegas: $87.30
- Tampa: $90.78
- Houston: $51.17
- Dallas: $59.38
- Chicago: $61.08
4. Airbnb
Airbnb is known for vacation rentals, but it’s also an excellent place to find a short-term rental for travel assignments. With millions of listings in more than 100,000 cities worldwide, it’s the largest housing platform by far and potentially the most extensive source for travelers. The site’s best feature is the ability to browse listings by housing type. You can book everything from a mansion to a yurt or choose accommodations with beachside, countryside or other amazing views.
At the end of 2022, Airbnb introduced a total price display, making it easier to estimate your total housing costs. Previously, the site displayed the rental price without including cleaning costs and other fees. Unfortunately, one of the biggest drawbacks is the additional fees you might run into on many rentals. On the plus side, many properties include extras like washers and dryers, linens, dishes and common household items. You also usually get a homier abode for your money.
Booking with Airbnb
When you find a listing you like, click the red Reserve button. The next page offers a summary of your reservation details, including your travel dates and the total cost of the rental. If everything looks correct, choose a payment option and check out. In some cases, Airbnb allows you to make a partial payment when you book and a second payment a week later. Otherwise, you must pay in full.
| Pros of Airbnb | Cons of Airbnb |
| Access to a vast range of rental types | Must pay for your entire rental upfront, instead of paying by the week or month |
| Allows guests to publish reviews, potentially helping you avoid a bad experience | Possibility of host canceling with little notice, causing you to scramble to find alternate housing |
| Has hosts/rentals all over the U.S. | Often costs more than renting a hotel room |
5. Vrbo
Vrbo (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is similar to Airbnb, as it also specializes in connecting travelers with property owners. Although it’s also not a traditional travel nurse housing site, traveling healthcare professionals have found suitable accommodations through Vrbo. Its site boasts over 2 million bookable rentals, flexible cancellation policies if plans change and stays for every budget.
The site’s best feature is the ability to create a trip board for each destination. Once you create a board, you can save multiple listings, making it easier to compare amenities and plan your stay. If you have family members accompanying you on an assignment, invite them to view your trip boards and provide input. Vrbo also allows you to filter your search results by housing type and price, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other preferences.
Booking with Vrbo
Once you find the perfect listing, click the blue Book Now button on the right side of the page. Before checking out, review the breakdown to confirm the total cost of the rental. If everything looks correct, fill out the contact form and click Agree & Continue. The next page displays a list of policies, terms and conditions. Click Agree & Continue again to proceed to the checkout page.
| Pros of Vrbo | Cons of Vrbo |
| Wide range of housing types | Service fees can be high |
| Access to 24-hour customer service and emergency assistance when booking and paying on Vrbo | Allows host to set individual cancellation policies and some are strict, offering absolutely no refunds if you cancel |
| Allows partial payments at booking |
Tips for Making Housing Arrangements
Always make sure you understand the costs of the travel nurse rentals you’re comparing, including additional fees above rent and deposits. Nearly all travel nurse housing requires a security deposit, and these amounts widely vary. Some property owners may also charge a one-time cleaning fee, booking fee, guest fee, etc.
Average Housing Rates
The cost of travel nurse housing varies drastically based on location. Major cities usually have higher costs of living translating to higher rental rates. Proximity to medical centers, restaurants, shopping centers and other amenities can also affect how much you pay. For example, it typically costs more to stay in the city center than 10 or 15 miles away.
To help you budget accordingly, the table below shows the average price of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units in cities popular among travel nurses. All prices were current as of January 7, 2023, and sourced from Zumper.
| City | Average Price of 1BR Units | Average Price of 2BR Units |
| Chicago | $1,850 | $2,150 |
| Dallas | $1,450 | $1,995 |
| Denver | $1,705 | $2,295 |
| Houston | $1,303 | $1,639 |
| Las Vegas | $1,299 | $1,545 |
| Miami | $2,639 | $3,400 |
| New York | $3,680 | $4,095 |
| San Diego | $2,295 | $2,995 |
| Tampa | $1,602 | $1,889 |
Possible Red Flags
Agents from the FBI’s Boston office are warning consumers that rental scams are on the rise. Use caution when booking accommodations for your next travel assignment and watch out for these red flags:
- The property owner wants you to pay with cryptocurrency or a wire transfer.
- You message the property owner with questions or concerns and don’t receive a response.
- The property owner asks you to send your payment to an overseas account.
- You can’t access any photos or videos to show you what the rental looks like.
- The name of the person who posted the listing doesn’t match the property owner’s name found in public records.
Resources for Travel Nurses
- Zumper: Offers rent research reports for 100s of cities, making it easier to estimate your potential travel costs.
- Rakuten: Some companies, including VRBO and Extended Stay America, offer cash back when you book online through Rakuten, but you must sign up before booking.
- Vivian Health: Access 1,000s of job listings across the nation, transparent salary information, helpful articles aimed at travel nursing professionals and the ability to create a universal profile and apply for multiple jobs with one application.
Housing is one of the most crucial elements of your compensation package. The rising number of traveling nurses, combined with their reputation for being such good tenants, has led more property owners to cater to travelers specifically. Most owners offer similar perks to entice travel nurses and other medical professionals to their properties. They’ve done their homework, know what makes their properties more attractive and want their guests to feel safe and comfortable. Happy guests leave good reviews, which helps attract future guests.
Ready to see what opportunities await you nationwide? Browse our travel nursing jobs and sort by location, pay and speciality to find the perfect next step in your healthcare career.
Feel like now covid has passed sometimes they increase rates for nurses at Extended Stay.
Thanks for visiting Cherie, and sharing your insight with other travel nurses about some Extended Stay locations.
Love it. I agree on Furnished Finder, Airbnb & Vrbo. I’m a short-term and mid-term rental host . . . and those are my go-to websites to list. Makes the process of finding great candidates for your home easier.
Are there housing agencies/companies that will pay rent directly to the landlord?
Hello Everett and thanks for reaching out! If you rent a house/apartment from a property management company, this company would pay the rent directly to the landlord after you paid the money to them. If you rent through Airbnb or Vrbo, you pay for your rental through the platform, not directly to the homeowner. If you take agency-provided housing, the agency handles finding and paying for the rental. Besides these options, many short-term housing sites act as a go-between, and you typically pay the landlord directly yourself. However, there are many housing companies and options nationwide, so we suggest contacting those in the areas you need housing to see if having them pay the landlord directly is an option.
Is furnished finder trusted?
Very few reviews. Site mot so responsive vs bnb. Would prefer hospital’s agency.
Hello Jay and thanks for reaching out! Furnished Finder has been a popular website for travel nurses for some time, but we always suggest doing a thorough check before renting housing from anyone. If it helps with your research, Furnished Finder has over 500 reviews on Trustpilot – https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.furnishedfinder.com. Many are good, but there are also bad ones, and some are from those renting their homes, not from travelers. AirBnb is also very popular and taking agency housing is always an option. We wish you the best of luck finding the accommodation you need!
How does a realtor help with some information and if rented does realtor get a commission to helping renters out.
Hello Katherine and thanks for reaching out. If you use a realtor to find a rental, they charge a commission for providing this service. As the renter, you’re usually responsible for the entire fee if you hire the realtor. In some cases, you may work out a deal with the landlord to cover part of the fee, but landlords usually only do this if they hire the realtor to fill their property. Realtors typically ask questions about what you’re looking for in a rental, then find and suggest properties that meet your needs. Not all realtors may specialize in short-term rentals, so ensure they fully understand your needs before agreeing on a commission (which is usually negotiable).
Do you employ CNA?
Yes, Vivian currently has permanent CNA jobs posted here https://www.vivian.com/cna/ and travel CNA jobs posted here https://www.vivian.com/cna/travel/. We hope one matches your current needs and career goals. If you have any questions about our website, don’t hesitate to use the “Contact Vivian” option under the Resources tab to speak with our 24/7 help desk. We wish you the best of luck securing your next job and hope Vivian can be of assistance!
This is a great article. Thanks!
Trying to get educated on best way to travel with big dog. I have a 90 lb labrador. Is it possible to fly with him?
Thanks for reaching out, Elizabeth. Traveling with pets definitely presents several unique challenges, including possible issues with housing, documentation, medical records, pet checkpoints when you cross into certain states and other factors. However, many travelers successfully bring their four-legged friends with them. The size of your furbaby could potentially pose additional challenges, and we suggest researching carefully to ensure you understand everything required. As far as flying with a dog that size, it’s going to depend on the individual airlines as they all have their own pet rules and restrictions. Most airlines have size, weight and/or breed restrictions and it could be difficult to find one to accommodate you. We wish you the best of luck in finding the ideal way to bring your dog on your travels with you!