Top 5 Housing Websites for Travel Nurses

When it comes to finding housing as a travel nurse, it can be very overwhelming. Where do you start? What if you’re bringing a pet? Typical housing red flags? Craigslist often comes to mind first, but we’ve all heard the horror stories. So, if not here then where? Where can you find short term, affordable housing? Well, we polled our Rock Star Recruiters and Travel Nurses to come up with this list of reliable and affordable travel nurse housing options.

Furnished Finder

Temporary housing portal specially created for travel nurses

Furnished Finder is a great website that was launched at the Traveler’s Conference in 2014. Currently, there are over 50,000 listings in their database! Our Rock Stars travel nurses highly recommend this option because the website was specifically designed with travel nurses in mind. Travel nurse housing is ideally furnished, close to hospitals and comes with short term leasing options. The properties on Furnished Finder hit all of these points and even list their distance to nearby hospitals so you get a sense of your commute with each option. In addition, Furnished Finder doesn’t charge any booking fees like vacation rentals, or markup rent like traditional corporate housing, making them one of the more affordable options on the market.

Pro tip: Take advantage of their stipend calculator to compare housing costs in any city you’re relocating to on your travel nurse assignment. Just search the city and state you’re traveling to, and Furnished Finder breaks down the average rental prices of various housing options in your area. You can see the difference between private rooms and whole units, and it even shows you the percentages of housing units that offer different perks like utilities included, or pets allowed.

Airbnb/VRBO

Vacation rental websites with the possibility of long-term stay savings

If you’ve taken a vacation at any time in the past decade you’ve probably used or browsed Airbnb or VRBO. Airbnb and VRBO specialize in vacation rentals, but did you know some hosts offer specials for monthly rentals? You can enter the dates of your entire travel nurse contract to compare price, see what your savings are, and view an organized list of the property’s amenities.

Pro tip: Reach out to your Airbnb or VRBO host to see if they would be willing to negotiate special long term rates. In our experience, VRBO hosts tend to be more flexible, but it never hurts to ask anyone. You may even be able to book with the property owner directly, so you can avoid any third party fees!

Extended Stay America

Corporate housing options for traveling nurses

Corporate housing hotels such as Extended Stay America or Travelodge cater to traveling professionals by offering daily, weekly and monthly rates. Extended Stay America boasts that its rates are 25%-35% cheaper than typical corporate housing options, and they are even cheaper if you book directly through their medical professionals discount program. Typically, with these suites, you’ll receive free daily breakfast, a full kitchen, cable TV, WIFI, and on-site laundry. If you join the Extended Perks loyalty program, you’ll receive weekly hotel deals and savings on dining, rental cars, entertainment, and more! Furthermore, your recruiter or staffing company may be able to obtain special corporate discounts if you don’t qualify for one on your own.

Looking for your next gig? Search our available travel nursing jobs here!

Facebook Housing Groups

Direct connection to landlords with available rentals

Facebook housing groups like Travel Nursing: Places/Rooms For Rent, Furnished Finder, and Gypsy Nurse Housing allow you to connect directly with a landlord without the interference of a third party entity. There are also other Travelers on these sites who can provide immediate feedback about the area. Ask about safer neighborhoods, affordable areas, commutable cities/towns nearby, etc. However, like Craigslist, you’ll have to really dig to find the gems. Often, the property managers and landlords posting in the groups have not been vetted or verified. Agreeing to a rental on Facebook can come with great risks. To minimize the risk, involve your recruiter in the vetting process, ask the right questions and compare the price of the listing to other housing in the area. You’ll be on your way soon enough!

Hotpads/Padmapper

Organized versions of Craigslist housing listings

Hotpads and Padmapper pull listings from Craigslist, but organize the listings in a much more user-friendly fashion. You can use their interactive housing map to view the properties, and each site has the amenities clearly organized on one page. Apartment Home Living is another fantastic resource. They market themselves as an apartment lifestyle brand, and they’re more geared towards helping you connect with the community you’re joining in addition to offering some great housing options.

Wherever you choose to start looking for your next home away from home for your next travel nursing contact, be safe, find your community and as always, live your best Rock Star life! Adventure is waiting.

Want to get connected with one of our Rock Star Recruiters? Apply for a travel nurse job today!