How We Choose Family Accommodation Abroad: Rentals, Costs and Checks

How We Actually Choose Where to Stay

When Marty and I travelled for two years as a couple, we didn’t think too hard about where we slept. We stayed everywhere from a fancy hotel on Sathorn Road in Bangkok to a calm little jungle spot outside Phuket.

Twelve years later, with Louie (9) and Leo (2), our list looks very different.

For our first month in Da Nang, we booked a hotel rather than an apartment. It simply felt easier to land that way. It wasn’t a typical hotel room, though. We had a kitchenette and a second room, so it felt more like a small, cosy apartment, with breakfast downstairs and a pool for hot afternoons.

The surprise? How much I love daily housekeeping. It’s been a huge help while we juggle work, schooling on the move and a toddler. Louie now thinks fresh towels every day is completely normal, which will be a shock when we’re back to doing our own washing. 😄

This Christmas we’re heading to Chiang Mai, and we’ve chosen differently again. During our month in Australia, my mum was nearby to help. In Thailand we’ll have no family around to share the load. So we looked for somewhere spacious with plenty for the boys to do, and I’m really happy with our choice.

That’s the real lesson. There’s no single best type of family accommodation. The right choice depends on where you are, how long you’re staying and how much support you have around you.

The Short Answer

For stays of a month or more, a furnished or serviced apartment on a monthly rate gives most families the best mix of space, routine and value.

A hotel or apartment hotel can make the first few weeks much easier, especially after a long flight with young kids. House sitting, home exchanges and volunteering stays can cut costs, but they need flexible dates and the right fit for your family.

Whatever you book, check three things first: the Wi-Fi, exactly what’s included in the price, and whether there’s enough space for working, sleeping and playing.

Still deciding whether this life could work for your family? Start with how we became a digital nomad family.

What Our Family Looks For

Every family’s list is different. Here’s ours with a nine-year-old and a two-year-old.

• Air conditioning. In Southeast Asia, it’s essential. Without it, naps and bedtimes fall apart fast.
• A washing machine. Honestly, a lifesaver. With a toddler, the laundry never stops.
• Daily housekeeping, when we can get it. Not essential, but a massive help when you’re parenting and working in the same space.
• A second room. Leo needs somewhere quiet to nap, and Louie needs his own space. One open room doesn’t work for long.
• A kitchen or kitchenette. We’re vegetarian, so cooking some meals ourselves makes life easier and cheaper.
• Something fun for the kids. A pool, a playground or a beach within walking distance can rescue a long afternoon.

Other things worth checking before you book:

• Wi-Fi speed (see our checks below)
• Safe windows, balconies and pool fencing
• A lift if you’re travelling with a pram
• Noise at night, from bars, traffic or building work
• Supermarkets, a pharmacy and a clinic nearby

Choose the street, not just the house

Where you stay matters as much as what you stay in. Two apartments in the same neighbourhood can feel completely different once you factor in traffic, noise and the distance to the nearest playground.

Before booking, look at the surrounding streets on a map. Check the walk to a supermarket, a park and a clinic, and whether the footpaths would actually work with a pram. If you’re still choosing a city, our guide to choosing the right destination helps narrow it down.

Types of Family Accommodation Compared

A quick comparison first, then the details.

An honest note: we haven’t tried house sitting, home exchange, co-living or volunteering stays as a family. They’re included because they work well for many families, but those sections draw on platform information and other families’ experiences, not our own.

Hotels and apartment hotels

For the first few weeks somewhere new, a hotel or apartment hotel takes a lot of pressure off. Someone else handles the cleaning, breakfast is often included, and you can explore neighbourhoods before committing to a lease.

Look for rooms with a kitchenette and a separate bedroom, like ours in Da Nang. A standard hotel room gets cramped fast with a toddler, and eating every meal out adds up.

Serviced apartments

Serviced apartments sit between a hotel and a rental. You get a proper home with a kitchen and laundry, plus regular cleaning.

They usually cost more than a plain monthly rental. For working parents, though, the housekeeping can be worth it.

Furnished monthly rentals

Once you know an area, a furnished home or apartment on a monthly rate is the most practical choice for many families. Here’s why it works:

• More control over your space, routines and meals, which helps with different schedules or dietary needs
• Privacy and quiet for remote work, schoolwork and proper rest
• Better value for longer stays, especially when you deal directly with a landlord
• A homely feel that helps children settle into a routine faster
• Room to spread out, with separate spaces for play, work and sleep

The trade-off is admin. Monthly rentals often come with deposits, contracts and utility bills, so read our checks in Before You Sign below.

Short-term rentals

Platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com are useful when you’re testing a place for a week or two. You get a kitchen and laundry, and you can move on easily if the area doesn’t suit you.

They’re usually the priciest option per month, though. If you decide to stay, ask the host for a monthly price and compare it with the nightly rate.

House sitting and home exchange

House sitting means staying in someone’s home for free while you look after it, and usually their pets. Platforms like TrustedHousesitters charge an annual membership, and popular sits can be competitive. Not every homeowner is comfortable with children, so mention yours upfront.

Home exchange works differently. You swap homes with another family, either at the same time or using a points system. HomeExchange is one of the best-known platforms. It suits families who still have a home base to offer.

If you try either, it helps to:

• Write a detailed profile, with clear photos and any child-friendly features of your own home
• Start planning a few months ahead for popular destinations
• Message the other family before confirming, because rapport matters as much as the listing
• Be specific about what you need, such as a cot, stair gates, pool fencing or Wi-Fi speeds

Co-living spaces

Co-living can work well for families, but only when the space is genuinely set up for children. Many are designed for solo remote workers. Ask these questions before booking:

• Are children actually welcome? Look for kid-friendly common areas, relaxed house rules and safe outdoor space.
• Is there enough privacy? Families need their own zone to rest and work without constant noise.
• Are other families there? Having other kids around makes a big difference.
• How’s the Wi-Fi in the rooms? Check your actual room, not just the coworking space.

When it fits, co-living gives you a ready-made community. When it doesn’t, it’s a noisy and expensive lesson.

Volunteering stays

Programmes like WWOOF, Workaway and HelpX match travellers with hosts who offer accommodation, and sometimes meals, in exchange for a few hours of help each day. Hosts range from organic farms to eco-lodges and community projects.

Before booking with children:

• Read reviews from other families, not just solo travellers
• Confirm the setup suits your children’s ages
• Clarify the daily work commitment
• Ask what safe space or childcare there is while parents are working

More ideas are in our guide to volunteering opportunities for families.

Camping and vanlife

Our own camping memory is more of a warning. Years before the boys, Marty and I camped in Croatia in a small pop-up tent, and our things didn’t even fit inside with us. With two kids, that tent wouldn’t stand a chance. ⛺

If you’re thinking about camping or vanlife as a family, size up. Storage matters as much as sleeping space.

• Check local rules before wild camping, because they vary widely between countries
• Read campground reviews for family facilities, such as playgrounds, showers and safe road access
• Don’t assume campground Wi-Fi will handle work calls. A local SIM or mobile hotspot is a must
• Glamping options, such as safari tents and cabins, give you the outdoors with more comfort

Accommodation at Worldschooling Hubs

For some families, the hardest part isn’t finding a bed. It’s finding other kids for yours to play with.

Worldschooling hubs help with that, but they handle accommodation in very different ways. That changes the real cost, so it’s worth understanding before you compare prices.

Most hubs in our worldschooling hubs directory fall into one of three models:

1. Accommodation included. You pay one price for housing, the kids’ program and often coworking. Boundless Life is the best-known example. It runs roughly three-month cohorts in eight locations, with furnished family homes near the education centre. Anahata in Mexico’s Yucatán is an all-inclusive co-living community, where monthly rooms include daily meals.
2. Help finding a place. Some organisers don’t house you, but they help you find somewhere nearby. Naturally Richer’s seasonal hub in Slovakia offers accommodation guidance rather than expecting you to sort it out in advance.
3. Book your own. Pop-up hubs and many programs leave housing to you. You join the activities and arrange accommodation separately, so book early if the dates fall in a busy season.

Some hubs sit in between. iSlowCoLiving in Galicia, Spain, is a rural co-living house with family rooms. Rooms start from about €85 a day for stays of four weeks or more, and the summer kids’ camp is charged separately. Check current rates before you book.

Questions to ask before booking a hub:

• Is accommodation included? If so, is it a private apartment, a family room or shared spaces?
• How far is it from the kids’ program and coworking space? Walking distance makes daily life much easier.
• What’s the minimum stay, and can you extend?
• If you’re booking your own place, what are other families paying nearby?

Compare the total cost, not the headline price. A hub that looks cheap may not include housing. An expensive package may cover rent, schooling and coworking in one. Our directory notes what each hub includes, where we’ve been able to confirm it.

Booking Platforms for Families

No single platform suits every family or every length of stay. Here’s how the main ones compare, grouped by how long you’re staying.

The big platforms aren’t the only option, either. For our month in Australia, I found our apartment simply by searching Google for long-term apartments in the area. It’s worth trying, because not every place lists on Airbnb or Booking.com.

Finding Rentals Locally

For stays of one to three months, some of the best options never appear on the big booking sites. Local channels can also cut out platform fees.

• Facebook Marketplace is widely used for furnished monthly rentals in parts of Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
• Local expat and nomad groups on Facebook are full of sublets and recommendations. Search “[City] expat families”, “[City] accommodation” or “[City] digital nomads”.
• WhatsApp and Telegram groups for specific cities often share rental leads. You’ll usually find them through local Facebook groups or meetups.
• Furnished Finder is a well-known platform for furnished monthly rentals in the United States.
• Local property portals such as Idealista (Spain, Italy and Portugal), SeLoger (France) and Rightmove (UK) suit longer stays in one country.

Prices can differ a lot depending on where you look. In Da Nang, the same apartment can cost noticeably more through an English-language listing than through a local agent. Asking in local groups for a trusted agent can pay off.

Want honest recommendations from other travelling parents? Ask in our Worldly Tribe Facebook group.

Always verify before paying. Ask for a live video tour, check the landlord’s posting history, and ask other group members whether they know the property. Never send money without a written agreement.

Checking the Wi-Fi Before You Commit

When your income depends on the internet, “fast Wi-Fi” in a listing isn’t enough. Here’s how we’d check it properly.

Before booking

• Ask the host for a screenshot of a Speedtest result taken at the property. As a rough guide, around 25 Mbps handles basic remote work, and 50 Mbps or more is more comfortable for video calls with several people online.
• Look for listings that state measured speeds, not just “fast Wi-Fi”.
• Search recent reviews for “Wi-Fi”, “internet” or “connection”.
• Compare city-wide internet in our ranking of 50 family bases before choosing where to go.

After you arrive

• Run your own speed test straight away, before committing to a longer stay.
• Test from the room where you’ll actually work, not next to the router.
• Test at the times you’ll be working, because speeds can drop at busy times of day.
• If it doesn’t meet your needs, tell the host in writing straight away.

Backup options

• A local SIM with a generous data plan
• A pocket Wi-Fi device
• The address of the nearest coworking space or café with reliable Wi-Fi

Before You Sign a Rental Agreement

Many families sign rental agreements abroad without fully understanding them. A few checks can save a lot of money and stress.

What to confirm in any agreement

• Length and notice period. How much notice do you need to give before leaving? In some countries it’s 30 days or more, even for shorter rentals.
• What’s included in the rent. Electricity, water, gas, Wi-Fi and cleaning can add a noticeable amount each month, especially if you’re running air conditioning.
• The deposit. How much is it, when will you get it back, and under what conditions can it be kept?
• Leaving early. Can you break the lease if plans change, and what’s the penalty?
• Children and pets. Some landlords restrict occupancy or need to approve pets.
• Inventory. For furnished homes, a signed list of contents protects you from damage claims later.
• Upfront rent. In some places, long leases are paid months or even a year in advance. Our Bali family accommodation guide explains how that works there.

How renting differs between countries

• South Korea: under the jeonse system, tenants pay a very large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent, returned at the end of the lease. Most short-stay families use monthly rentals (wolse) or furnished short stays instead. Know which one you’re signing.
• Japan: standard leases are long, involve upfront fees and usually require a guarantor company. Furnished monthly apartments avoid most of this for shorter stays.
• Southeast Asia: verbal agreements are common but hard to rely on. Always get something in writing, even for informal arrangements.
• France: rental law strongly protects tenants, so landlords tend to be selective. Standard leases usually require a full rental file and a guarantor, which is hard for nomads. Furnished short lets are more realistic for most families.
• Latin America: furnished monthly rentals aimed at foreigners are common in cities like Medellín and Mexico City. Get deposit return terms in writing, because currency swings can complicate refunds.

Our rule: never send a deposit without a signed agreement. Even a simple one-page document is far better than nothing. If a landlord won’t put anything in writing, treat that as a red flag.

What Family Accommodation Costs

Rent is usually the biggest single cost in our monthly budget, so it’s worth getting right.

These figures come from our 50-destination cost comparison. They’re monthly rents for a three-bedroom home outside the most expensive central areas, checked in September 2026. Prices in A$ use €1 = A$1.62.

Numbeo figures are crowdsourced averages, not guaranteed prices. They’re useful for comparing cities, but always check current listings for the neighbourhood you want on Numbeo and local rental sites.

Not included: utilities (unless your rental bundles them), deposits, agency fees and any rent paid upfront.

For a real-world comparison, our first month in Da Nang cost about €2,265 for everything, not just rent. That included a serviced stay with breakfast and eating out most nights. The full breakdown is in our Da Nang family guide.

Ways to bring the cost down

• Stay longer. Many hosts discount monthly stays, but the discount varies, so compare the monthly price with the nightly rate.
• Compare what’s included. A higher rent with electricity, water and Wi-Fi included can work out cheaper than a lower rent plus bills.
• Book a few weeks first, then look locally. In some cities, English-language listings cost noticeably more than local ones.
• Cook at home more often. Shopping at local markets and supermarkets keeps daily costs down.
• Choose your base carefully. On the figures above, a three-bedroom in Tbilisi costs roughly a quarter of one in Barcelona.

For the full picture beyond rent, see our guide to budgeting and financial planning for nomad families.

Avoiding Rental Scams

Rental scams aimed at travellers are common. Families can be easy targets, because they often book bigger places for longer, from abroad and under time pressure.

Fake listings

These are attractive homes at surprisingly low prices, often using photos copied from real listings. The scammer tries to move the conversation off the platform and asks for a bank transfer before you arrive.

Watch for:

• Pressure to switch to WhatsApp or email
• Prices well below similar homes in the same area
• Vague descriptions with very polished photos
• Claims that the platform’s payment system “isn’t working”

Protect yourself:

• Pay only through the booking platform
• Keep all messages on the platform, so there’s a record
• Run a reverse image search on the listing photos
• Be cautious with listings that have no reviews

“It looked different in the photos”

Sometimes the problem isn’t a scam, just a listing that doesn’t match reality. The Wi-Fi can’t handle a video call. The “second bedroom” is a sofa bed. The quiet street is next to a building site.

• Ask for a live video tour before booking a longer stay
• Ask specific questions in writing, such as “Is the second bedroom a separate room with a door?”
• Keep all communication on the platform

Deposit theft

This is when you pay a deposit to a private landlord who then disappears.

• Use platforms with payment protection where possible
• For direct rentals, keep the first payment small
• Get a signed agreement before sending any money
• Check the landlord’s identity with a video call or ID
• Ask in local expat groups whether anyone knows the landlord or property

Social media rental scams

Fake posts in expat groups often create urgency, such as “Two other families are interested, I need an answer today.”

• Never send money based on a message alone
• Do a live video walkthrough before paying anything
• Check the poster’s history in the group
• Treat any pressure to decide quickly as a red flag

Seasons and Safety

Timing your stay

When you book can matter as much as where.

• Off-peak months usually mean lower prices and more room to negotiate with landlords.
• Weather affects comfort and cost. Tropical wet seasons, European summers and southern hemisphere winters all change the picture.
• Local festivals and holidays can be wonderful to experience, but they can also bring price spikes and fully booked towns.
• Shoulder seasons, such as spring and autumn in Europe, often balance good weather with lower prices.
• School calendars matter if you’re enrolling in a local or international school, so check start dates early.

Our month-by-month guide to family travel helps with timing.

Safety checks in the home

Look beyond the photos before you book.

• Secure locks, gates and windows, especially with an active toddler
• Child-safe features, such as pool fencing, stair gates and no glass tables at child height
• Balconies with railings high enough and gaps narrow enough for small children

Health and peace of mind

• Medical care: know where the nearest clinic, hospital and pharmacy are before you need them.
• Ventilation and cleanliness: in humid climates, check for damp and mould, which can affect health.
• Emergency numbers: save local numbers and share them with older children.

If a place doesn’t feel right when you arrive, trust that feeling. Finding somewhere else is a hassle, but staying somewhere that doesn’t feel safe is harder on everyone.

Useful Apps and Sites

A few tools that make finding and checking accommodation easier.

More ideas are in our list of travel apps for nomad families.

Family Accommodation FAQs

What’s the best type of accommodation for digital nomad families?

For stays of a month or longer, a furnished or serviced apartment usually works best. It gives you a kitchen, space to spread out and a routine. For the first few weeks somewhere new, a hotel or apartment hotel can make the landing easier.

Should we book a hotel or an apartment when we first arrive?

We chose a hotel with a kitchenette and second room for our first month in Da Nang, because it made arriving simpler. Once you know a city, a monthly rental usually gives more space for the money.

How much does family accommodation cost per month?

It varies hugely. On our comparison figures, a three-bedroom rents for around €460 a month in Tbilisi and about €1,550 in Lisbon. Check current listings, because prices shift with seasons and demand.

Are monthly rentals cheaper than nightly rates?

Usually, yes. Many hosts and platforms offer monthly discounts, but the size of the discount varies a lot. Always compare the total monthly price, including bills and fees.

Does renting a home let us stay longer in a country?

No. A rental agreement doesn’t give you permission to stay, work or study. Your visa decides how long you can stay. Our visas guide for nomad families explains the options.

How do we check the Wi-Fi before booking?

Ask the host for a screenshot of a speed test taken at the property, and read recent reviews for comments about the internet. Run your own test as soon as you arrive, from the room where you’ll actually work.

How do we avoid rental scams?

Keep payments and messages on the booking platform. Never send a deposit without a written agreement. Be wary of anyone who pushes for a quick decision or a bank transfer.

Is house sitting realistic with kids?

It can be, but not every homeowner is comfortable with children, and popular sits are competitive. Check each listing carefully and mention your kids upfront. We haven’t tried it ourselves yet.

Our Takeaways

Twelve years ago, I’d never have guessed that daily housekeeping and a washing machine would top my wish list. But that’s family travel. Your needs change, and your accommodation should change with them.

Our advice is simple. Book somewhere easy for the first few weeks. Stay longer once you know the area. And be honest about what your family needs to feel settled.

For us, that’s a second room, air con and something fun for the boys nearby. Yours might be a garden, a quiet desk or a school down the road. Work that out first, and the right place gets much easier to find. 🏡