If you’re thinking about visiting Malta, Portugal, or Switzerland for a quick getaway anytime soon, then you’re probably better off opting for an Airbnb than a hotel as your accommodation of choice.
This is because across Europe, these three countries have the biggest price jumps from an Airbnb to a standard hotel...
Airbnbs are fast becoming the go-to choice for weekend city breaks, with competitive prices and the comfort of a home away from home. On the other hand, hotels offer extra customer service, catering options, and often a touch of luxury.
However, if you’re the type of traveller who’s not too fussed about luxury and are considering a stay in either a standard hotel and an Airbnb, but aren’t sure exactly which, then take a look at our chart below for some guidance on where you could be saving or splurging out on your accommodation choices. After all, savings on lodging mean you can be spending your cash elsewhere, (i.e visiting attractions, eating local delicacies and drinking booze!)
Graphic available in Euro format (€) here.
The above chart displays the top 20 countries (from a total 48 researched), where the average cost of an Airbnb vs. a three-star hotel has the highest percentage increase. Each country’s price data is based on prices drawn from the capital city of each country.
The data highlights that the location with the biggest increase in price from Airbnb to hotel is Valletta, Malta, with a whopping 227% jump from its average Airbnb price at £54 to hotels at £123. Coming in as the second country with the highest price gap is Portugal, where the capital city of Lisbon features a huge 194% price difference (Airbnb - £56 and hotel - £108). Bern, Switzerland has Airbnbs averaging at around £71, while hotels are £129, meaning there’s a hefty 182% price difference.
From the top 20 list, the location with the cheapest accommodation on offer is Warsaw in Poland, offering Airbnbs at around £37 a night, and hotels for £54, but still featuring a 145% price difference. On the other end of the scale, Dublin, Ireland, tops the list with an average of £84 for an Airbnb, which is 184% cheaper than £132 for a hotel.
The Airbnb vs hotel comparison research into the full 48 countries shows us that the cheapest European city to visit is Tirana in Albania, costing a minor £27 for an Airbnb and £36 for a hotel. This is followed closely by Skopje in Macedonia, with Airbnbs available for roughly £28 and hotels for £33 (just a £5 difference!). Ankara, Turkey is also among the three cheapest capital cities to visit; with hotels priced at around £37 and Airbnbs at a slightly cheaper £30.
Montenegro (Podgorica), Moldova (Chisinau), Serbia (Belgrade), Bulgaria (Sofia) were on the cheaper end of the scale and all four countries came in at £31 for the cost of an average Airbnb, with hotel prices between £36 and £42.
Topping the list as the most expensive destinations to take a trip in Europe are Icelands’ Reykjavik at £108 per night for an Airbnb, and hotels for £135. Not far behind in the pricy list is Amsterdam, Netherlands, where an Airbnb will set you back £102 a night, vs. £137 for a hotel. Both London, UK, and Stockholm in Sweden are priced at an average of £92 for each night of a trip, with hotels at £95 and £105 respectively.
There were only seven locations in Europe where it actually works out cheaper to stay in a hotel than an Airbnb. In Andorra, hotel prices average at around £43, while Airbnb pricing sits at roughly £79 a night. Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Estonia all cost between £40 - £46 to stay in an Airbnb, with their marginally cheaper comparison hotels ranging from £30 - £44.
Astana, Kazakhstan is the only city from the countries researched that has both identical hotel and Airbnb pricing, coming out at £37 for either option.
The data was collected from the Airbnb website (the average price per night of a two person Airbnb in each country’s capital city) and using Google’s Hotel Prices Application Programming Interface - where five consecutive days of data was averaged to draw an average hotel price for a night’s stay in each country’s capital city. The data ignored peak prices, price fluctuations based on the date and season of booking and general availability - so actual prices may vary. The full methodology can be found via url.com.
Countries that were not included in the dataset were City of San Marino (San Marino), Moscow (Russia), and Pristina (Kosovo). This is because their 3-star hotel price data was not available on Google at the time of research.
You can also discover just how cheap an Airbnb is your country of choice, by taking a look at our guide to Airbnb prices across Europe - or figure out how much you can save by booking in advance with our guide to how hotel prices change over time - and the cheapest time to book hotels. Or even head to our travel and accommodation vouchers page to save on your next holiday!
