A lot of people stay in extended stay hotels for weeks at a time. So a common question that travelers have is how much does it cost to stay at an extended stay for a month? In this article, we broke down the costs at various popular hotel chains and brands in order to give you an accurate idea of what to expect when heading to an extended stay for a whole month.

How much are extended stay hotels per month?

The price for a month-long stay at an extended stay hotel can vary drastically based on location and the type of property that you are booking. However, based on our data points below you can expect to spend anywhere from around $1,163.12 to $4,359.60.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Factoring in savings and costs

Before jumping into the cost breakdown below, it’s important to consider all of the savings and costs that go into an extended stay. Some of these costs can be avoided by choosing the right extended stay. But other costs may be incurred that you don’t usually think about on shorter stays.

Breakfast

A good extended-stay brand should provide you with a free breakfast, even if you do not have elite status with that program.

In some cases, you might be limited to a traditional continental breakfast that does not provide any hot items. For example, you may only have a selection of cereals, bagels, and yogurt.

But some extended-stay properties such as the Residence Inn may provide you with some pretty decent options for breakfast including hot eggs, sausage/bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Sometimes these breakfast items aren’t bad at all but other times they are borderline inedible.

So try to do some research ahead of time (checking out reviews) so that you can choose a property that offers not just a free breakfast — but a quality breakfast each morning. That way you can truly save money each morning on breakfast.

Read more here on hotels that offer free breakfast.

Elite earnings and perks

You always have to consider all of the additional value you will earn from a hotel loyalty program when staying many nights.

If you have plans to repeatedly stay a lot of nights at an extended-stay property my advice would be to pick a hotel chain that will reward you with loyalty points each night you stay.

On top of that, to take your earnings to the next level you could open up a co-branded hotel credit card for that brand so that you can multiply your earnings and possibly take advantage of elite status better.

For example, you could get a Hilton Aspire credit card that comes with automatic Hilton Diamond status. Some of the benefits of that status such as free breakfast won’t be very useful since you’ll already be receiving that.

But you will be able to get a lot of value from the bonus earning rate. With Diamond elite status you’ll be able to earn 20X points on Hilton stays! That’s a 100% bonus compared to a standard member, which is pretty crazy.

At a WalletFlo valuation of .52 cents per point, this amounts to a 10.4% return which is pretty good. If you’re using the Aspire, you’ll earn an additional 14X which comes out to a total of 17% back! 

That means that every night you say you will be essentially getting 17% cashback. In addition to those earnings, hotel programs often offer promotions that allow you to earn even more points.

The terms of those promotions always differ but in a lot of cases you can end up earning somewhere between 20% and 35% back on your stays in the form of hotel points. That’s a huge rebate and it can allow you to use points to cover some of your nights in the future which will save you even more money.

Some programs like Hilton will offer you something like the fifth night free if you make consecutive bookings with points. If you are earning a ton of points and redeeming them for long stays you can repeatedly use these free nights.

The combination of the points earnings and the free nights can save you a lot of money over the long term.

Costs

You might also incur some small costs for things like laundry and necessities in the kitchen such as paper plates and lysol wipes. A lot of people prefer to purchase their own toilet paper since they will otherwise be stuck with low quality toilet paper for weeks at a time.

Some guests also consider bringing their own cookware such as plates and pots and pans. The same applies to towels and bedding (blankets, pillows, and sheets). Of course, if you don’t have the room in your luggage or vehicle to bring all of these things with you, you might just have to purchase them.

Tip: A lot of times you can find an extended stay property located very close to a Walmart or some other store which makes it easy to purchase those every day items that you may not realize you need until you arrive.

Related: What Hotels Have Kitchens?

Canceling your services

If you are going to stay at a hotel for a month or longer you might want to consider canceling some of your streaming services.

Typically, an extended stay hotel will provide you with cable television and an array of channels so that you would not need to stick with a streaming TV service. A lot of streaming subscriptions are month to month so there are often no consequences for canceling.

For some services such as your internet, you may be able to put your subscription on pause. There will often be a minimum timeframe for your suspension such as two months and often there is a cap on how many times you could do this per year.

You may not be able to cancel your utilities such as your water and electricity but you can still factor in the savings that you will have since those costs will be covered by your nightly room rate.

Discounted rates

Some extended stay hotels may provide you with a discounted rate if you plan on staying there for 30 days or longer. These rates may not be reflected when you search for your room online so it is best to call the property ahead of time and inquire about discounted long-term rates.

These type of discounted rates are often utilized by people who practically live in hotels.

You can also sometimes get discounted rates at hotels if you’re attending some type of event or center located nearby. For example, some extended stay properties will provide you with a discount if you are staying there to receive medical treatment at a specific facility.

Extended stay hotel prices for 30 day stays

Below are actual quotes for 30 days stays at various extended-stay properties. We chose different cities for each hotel brand since the price of a 30 day stay can fluctuate so widely based on geographic location.

The average cost for a 30 day extended stay hotel booking came out to: $2,681.39. That comes out to an average nightly rate of approximately $90.

Choice Hotels 

MainStay

• MainStay Suites Texas Medical Center/Reliant Park (Houston, TX): $2,179.62
• MainStay Suites Northbrook Wheeling (Wheeling, IL): $1,960.10
• MainStay Suites Orlando Altamonte Springs (Altamonte Springs, FL): $1,942.75

WoodSpring

• WoodSpring Suites Houston Westchase (Houston, TX): $1,123.20
• WoodSpring Suites Atlanta Stockbridge (Stockbridge, GA): $1,547.92
• WoodSpring Suites Elgin – Chicago (Elgin, IL): $1,465.47

Extended Stay America

• Extended Stay America Phoenix – Chandler – E. Chandler Blvd. (Phoenix, AZ): $2,093.46
• Extended Stay America Atlanta – Marietta – Powers Ferry Rd. (Marietta, GA): $2,120.66
• Extended Stay America Chicago – Schaumburg – I-90 (Schaumburg, IL): $1,725.00

Hilton

Home2 Suites

• Home2 Suites by Hilton Houston IAH Airport Beltway 8 (Houston, TX): $2,167.03
• Home2 Suites by Hilton Roswell, GA (Roswell, GA): $2,997.33
• Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Place (Chicago, IL): $4,382.85

Homewood Suites

• Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston West-Energy Corridor (Houston, TX): $2,505.63
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Atlanta – Buckhead (Atlanta, GA): $3,330.10
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile (Chicago, IL): $4,382.85

Hyatt

Hyatt House

• Hyatt House Houston/Energy Corridor (Houston, TX): $2,600.91
• Hyatt House Atlanta / Perimeter Center (Atlanta, GA): $3,213.83
• Hyatt House Cypress/Anaheim (Cypress, CA): $4,748.85

IHG

Candlewood Suites

• Candlewood Suites Houston Medical Center (Houston, TX): $1,930.50
• Candlewood Suites Atlanta West I-20 (Lithia Springs, GA): $2,703.00
• Candlewood Suites LAX Hawthorne (Los Angeles, CA): $3,326.40

Staybridge Suites

• Staybridge Suites Houston IAH – Beltway 8 (Houston, TX): $2,457.00
• Staybridge Suites Atlanta NE – Duluth (Duluth, GA): $3,399.00
• Staybridge Suites Anaheim At The Park (Anaheim, CA): $4,359.60

Marriott

Residence Inn (Marriott)

• Residence Inn Houston Westchase on Westheimer (Houston, TX): $2,913.30
• Residence Inn Atlanta Norcross/Peachtree Corners (Norcross, GA): $2,828.10
• Residence Inn Phoenix Airport (Phoenix, AZ): $3,268.98

TownePlace Suites (Marriott)

• TownePlace Suites Houston Northwest (Houston, TX): $2,725.50
• TownePlace Suites Atlanta Buckhead (Atlanta, GA): $3,271.23
• TownePlace Suites Phoenix North (Phoenix, AZ): $2,499.05

Element (Marriott)

• Element Houston Katy (Katy,TX): $2,898.00
• Element Atlanta Buckhead (Atlanta, GA): $4,276.57
• Element Scottsdale at SkySong (Scottsdale, AZ): $3,591.64

Motel 6

Studio Six 

• Studio 6 Houston, TX – Clear Lake (Houston, TX): $1,163.12 (Based on 28 days)
• Studio 6 Atlanta, GA – Chamblee (Chamblee, GA): $1,669.88 (Based on 28 days)
• Studio 6 Cypress, CA (Cypress, CA): $2,248.12 (Based on 28 days)

Wyndham

Hawthorn Suites

• Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Chandler/Phoenix Area (Chandler, AZ): $2,444.70
• Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham St. Louis Westport Plaza (Saint Louis, MO): $1,740.00
• Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dallas Love Field Airport (Dallas, TX): $2,373.00

Final word

As you can tell the price for an extended stay over a 30 day period varies based on your location and the type of hotel chain and brand you book with. If you are going with a budget extended-stay you can get your cost down to around $1,600 for a month but if you are going with a more premium hotel chain, expect to be closer to $2,800+ a month.

There are a lot of different types of lodging options out there. You’ve got luxury hotels, lodges, resorts, motels, and everything in between. One type of property that a lot of people ask about is an extended stay hotel. But what exactly makes an extended stay hotel different from a normal hotel?

In this article, I will break down everything you need to know about extended stay hotels and provide you some insight into what you can expect to experience when you stay at one.

What is an extended stay hotel?

An extended stay hotel is a type of hotel that caters to guests who plan on staying at the hotel for a long duration. In some cases this “long duration” is a week but others may stay weeks or even months at an extended stay hotel. Regardless of the length of stay, the guest does not have to enter into a lease and simply makes a reservation in the same way he or she would when staying at a normal hotel.

Hotel chains have specific brands that offer extended stay experiences. For example, Marriott offers the Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites, Hilton offers Home2 Suites and Homewood Suites, Hyatt offers Hyatt House, etc.

In some cities it’s not uncommon to find extended-stay brands located near each other in clusters, especially if the surrounding area has a lot to offer extended stay guests in terms of dining or entertainment.

Some examples of extended stay hotel brands include:

• MainStay Suites (Choice Hotels)
• WoodSpring Suites (Choice Hotels)
• Extended Stay America
• Hilton Home2 Suites
• Hilton Homewood Suites
• Hyatt House
• IHG Candlewood Suites
• IHG Staybridge Suites
• Marriott Residence Inn
• Marriott TownePlace Suites
• Marriott Element
• Motel 6 Studio Six 
• Wyndham Hawthorn Suites

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Who are extended stay hotels for?

Extended stay hotels can be for anyone who might be in the same location for a week or longer. Common guests who use these properties are business travelers, digital nomads, people relocating to a different area, and perhaps those affected by things like natural disasters.

There are some brands such as Studio Six that are geared towards those looking for the cheapest type of extended-stay properties and then there are brands offered by major chains that offer a more premium experience.

You should note that the quality of an extended stay property can vary a lot based on the specific location, even when we are talking about the same type of hotel brand. For example, a Residence Inn in one city may be vastly superior to another in a different city. This is why it is really important to do property-specific research before booking an extended stay.

Related: Sharing Hotel Rooms: Do’s and Don’ts for Business & Couples

Extended stay hotel characteristics

You are probably wondering what distinguishes an extended stay hotel from a normal hotel. Below is a breakdown of the type of hotel characteristics you can expect during an extended stay.

Room

When it comes to booking and staying in your room, you can expect a few things from an extended stay experience.

Rates

Extended-stay properties are known to offer discounts on the room rate for longer stays. This is why people tend to stay at these properties for a minimum of five nights or so.

Sometimes your stay might need to be at least one week long to unlock the discount but you can also get discounts for much longer stays such as those over one month.

Sometimes these discounts are published in the online search results but other times you have to call the hotel and inquire about them (usually only the case for the extra long discounts).

You can always play around with your booking dates online to see when the extended-stay discount applies. In some instances there may be multiple stay thresholds for different discount levels. So if you are staying seven nights you might activate the first discount level but if you are staying ten nights you might activate an even cheaper rate.

Related: Are Last Minute Hotel Bookings Cheaper?

Features

One of the main features of an extended stay hotel is that they have some sort of kitchen. The size and layout of the kitchen could vary a lot but typically you can expect to find the following:

• Sink
• Garbage disposal
• Refrigerator
• Microwave or microwave oven
• Dishwasher
• Stove top
• Oven (can be hit or miss)
• Toaster

The appliances such as the refrigerator are typically going to be much larger than a mini fridge but may not be the same size as a standard refrigerator. (This can be a little deceiving because extended stay hotels publish photos that don’t always accurately portray the size of the appliances to an untrained eye.)

Sometimes you may have to do a bit of shopping around to find an extended stay with an oven since a lot of them only provide you with a stove top. The same thing sometimes applies to dishwashers.

Related: What Hotels Have Kitchens?

Extended stay hotels may also supply you with basic supplies like paper towels, dish washer soap, cutlery, bowls, plates, cups, mugs, and basic cookware.

However, you don’t always get all of these items so you should be prepared to head to the store like Walmart to pick up some of these items or to bring them with you in some cases. My advice would be to call ahead and inquire with the hotel before you arrive.

Layout

A lot of your standard extended-stay properties are relatively compact. You don’t usually see a huge high-rise extended-stay property like you would at a luxury resort, for example.

There may not be a lot of room options either. For example, you may have to choose from a studio or a one bedroom or two bedroom suite.

Every room should come equipped with a workstation and often a little seating area and a small dining table (usually for two). If you have a suite you should have a television in both the seating area and in the bedroom.

Your TV should come equipped with cable and may even have a few movie channels. Also, your Wi-Fi is typically included in your room rates and you may have the ability to upgrade to a more premium Wi-Fi speed.

Related: Do You Have to Check Out of Your Hotel?

Facilities

A good extended-stay property should offer you amenities suitable for an extended stay.

Laundry room

One of the most common amenities you should find is a self-service laundry room. These laundry rooms should take quarters but now you can also often utilize an app and purchase credits to use for the washer and dryer. Some of the more premium brands may offer a service to take care of your laundry.

Related: Where & How to Get Quarters

Library

I have seen a few extended-stay properties that have a library.

These are little areas where you can get some work done and perhaps hop on a computer or check out some random book collections. Sometimes you can also rent these out for meetings or events. (Some extended-stay properties will also have traditional conference rooms available.)

Theater room

Sometimes an extended stay property might even have a special room such as a theater room.

Typically, you would need to pay to rent out these rooms but if you get management on your good side you might be able to utilize amenities like these for free.

And that is yet another distinguishing factor for extended stays. You often can develop a good relationship with the staff since you are seeing them every day for so long.

That relationship can sometimes come in handy when you have special requests. So my advice would be to go out of your way to be extra friendly with all the staff when on an extended stay.

Activities

Extended-stay properties will often have a pool area. In some cases you’ll be dealing with a very basic motel style outdoor pool but others may have a bit of an upgraded pool area with grills, fire pits, and outdoor lounging areas. The hotel may or may not have a hot tub.

They should have a pretty equipped fitness center with cardio machines and weights, and I’ve also seen quite a few with half-court basketball courts. Some properties might even have special activities to offer like tennis.

You don’t typically see certain types of amenities offered that you find at other standard hotels. For example, you may not have any on-site restaurants, room service, or concierge services.

Breakfast

A good extended stay hotel should offer you a free breakfast even if you do not have elite status with that program. The breakfast could just be a continental breakfast that offers things like cereal, yogurt, bagels, etc.

But you might be surprised that other properties will offer a decent breakfast with hot items like eggs, sausage/bacon, waffles, etc. At your basic extended stay hotel I’ve found the breakfast to be underwhelming most of the time (powdery eggs, bland sausage, etc.) but there are a few occasions where it’s not so bad.

Related: What Hotels Have Free Breakfast?

Location

It’s not always the case but I often find extended-stay properties located near a lot of restaurants or shopping centers. In the suburbs of big cities, it’s not very hard to find a cluster of hotels located within short walking distance of many of your standard chain restaurants.

Some extended-stay properties may provide a shuttle or some other form of transportation to help you get from the airport to the hotel. If there are a lot of attractions nearby, the shuttle might even take you to some of those nearby locations.

Extended stay hotel cost (monthly rates)

A lot of people wonder how much it will cost to stay at an extended stay hotel for a while. We did research on a lot of different hotel chains and brands and we found the average cost for a 30 day monthly rate to be about: $2,700

However, there is a wide range in prices and quality when it comes to extended stays. You could be paying as little as $1,300 for an entire month at a lower end motel or you could be paying much more for a luxury extended stay.

Living in one

It’s very possible to live in a hotel and extended-stay properties are probably the easiest type of hotels to live in. That is because they offer the most “home like” experience with a kitchen and amenities like a laundry room. As long as you are paying your hotel bill, you should be able to stay in your hotel room as long as you would like.

Related: Can You Live in a Hotel? Or Better Yet, Should You?

Pets

A lot of extended-stay properties are pet friendly and some might even have a small dog park on site.

Typically, you will have to pay some sort of pet fee which could be up to $100 for your stay. Some properties might charge you a fee per night but that is usually pretty rare.

Like other hotels, don’t be surprised if you are put in a specific wing of the hotel or on a specific floor because of your pet.

And finally, some brands may actually allow your pet to stay for free although I find these to be the properties on the cheaper end of the spectrum.

Final word

And extended-stay property can help make your steak feel a little bit more like home by offering amenities like a kitchen and laundry rooms. The price and quality of these type of properties can vary dramatically so they serve a pretty wide target demographic. So make sure that you research on the specific property — and not just the brand — you plan on staying out to make sure it offers all of the amenities that you will need.