Vacation Rental vs Hotel Calculator
Compares the true all-in cost of a vacation rental against a hotel stay, including cleaning fees, service fees, taxes, and grocery savings. Use it when deciding between Airbnb and a hotel for a multi-night trip.
About this calculator
Advertised nightly rates rarely reflect what you actually pay. This calculator finds the absolute cost difference using the formula: Difference = |(rentalNightly × nights + cleaningFee + serviceFee − grocerySavings × nights) − (hotelNightly × nights × (1 + hotelTax ÷ 100))|. The rental side adds up the nightly rate across all nights, then adds one-time fees (cleaning and service), and subtracts the daily grocery savings enabled by having a kitchen. The hotel side applies the nightly rate over the stay and then compounds it by the hotel tax rate, which commonly runs 10%–18% in US cities. Taking the absolute value of the difference shows which option is cheaper and by how much.
How to use
A 5-night trip: rental is $120/night, $80 cleaning fee, $60 service fee, grocery savings $20/night. Hotel is $150/night with 14% tax. Rental total: (120 × 5) + 80 + 60 − (20 × 5) = 600 + 80 + 60 − 100 = $640. Hotel total: 150 × 5 × (1 + 14/100) = 750 × 1.14 = $855. Difference: |640 − 855| = $215. The vacation rental saves $215 over 5 nights, or $43 per night after all fees. Shorter stays often reverse this result because the cleaning and service fees are spread over fewer nights.
Frequently asked questions
When does a vacation rental actually cost less than a hotel after all fees are included?
Vacation rentals tend to become cheaper than hotels on stays of four nights or longer, because the fixed cleaning and service fees get diluted across more nights. On a one- or two-night stay, those one-time fees frequently make the rental more expensive than a comparable hotel. The break-even point also shifts based on group size — rentals that sleep four or more people at a flat rate become dramatically cheaper per person than booking multiple hotel rooms. Use this calculator to find your personal break-even night count.
What fees should I include when calculating the real cost of an Airbnb or VRBO rental?
Beyond the nightly rate, always include the cleaning fee (set by the host, often $50–$300), the service fee charged by the platform (typically 10%–14% of the subtotal), and any local occupancy taxes the platform collects. Some listings also charge pet fees or extra-guest fees. On the savings side, factor in what you would spend on restaurant meals versus cooking in the unit's kitchen, as this can offset $15–$30 per person per day. This calculator captures all of these variables to give you an apples-to-apples comparison.
How much do hotel taxes add to the true cost of a hotel stay?
Hotel taxes — often called lodging taxes, occupancy taxes, or resort fees — typically range from 10% to 18% in major US cities, and can exceed 20% in high-tourism destinations like New York City or San Francisco. On a $200/night room for seven nights, a 15% tax adds $210 to your total bill. Resort fees, which are separate from tax, can add another $20–$50 per night at upscale properties. Always check whether the nightly rate shown includes or excludes these charges before comparing it to a rental listing.