If you’re hitting the road as a traveling nurse, you have a million and one things on your mind:
- Choosing where you will go for your next assignment.
- Figuring out your travel arrangements.
- Deciding where you will live.
You have so many balls in the air that you may be worried one of the most important balls might slip: housing.
Finding housing as a travel nurse can be intimidating and downright overwhelming.But it doesn’t have to be.
In this article, we will discuss how to find travel nurse housing while exploring travel nurse housing options.
Table of Contents
- How Do Traveling Nurses Find Housing?
- How Much Do Traveling Nurses Get for Housing?
- How Much Do Traveling Nurses Pay for Housing?
- 4 Popular Travel Nursing Housing Options
- How Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help You Secure Travel Nurse Housing
How Do Traveling Nurses Find Housing?
Traveling nurses can find housing in a number of ways, including:
- Utilizing a travel nurse housing website
- Choosing to live in travel nurse agency housing
- Getting temporary, furnished housing such as an Airbnb or extended-stay hotel; or
- Staying with friends or family
The important thing to remember is that you’re not alone in your travel nurse journey. A Trusted Nurse Staffing recruiter can help you navigate housing after you find your dream travel nurse assignment through Pronto.
Through Trusted Nurse Staffing and Pronto, you’ll be able to:
- Connect with other nurses to share housing with
- Choose from company housing options
- Receive stipends to cover housing, meals, and travel
- Select from a variety of flexible contracts
- And more
How Much Do Traveling Nurses Get for Housing?
There is no set stipend amount for travel nurse lodging.
While housing stipends differ between agencies, each agency must work within limits set by the Government Services Administration (GSA).
Additionally, the amount allotted for travel nurse housing is dependent upon:
- Location of the assignment; and
- Time of year
The GSA refers to these lodging rates as “per diem”, while travel nurse agencies refer to them as stipends. This is because the rates listed by the GSA are daily figures and travel nurse agencies convert them into monthly or weekly figures.
The rates are set at the beginning of each fiscal year and become effective on the first of October. You can find the per diem rate for anywhere in the U.S. by searching with a city, state, or zip code here.
How Much Do Traveling Nurses Pay for Housing?
The amount a travel nurse will pay for housing will depend on several factors:
- The location of their assignment: Assignments in some parts of the country pay more in stipends due to the elevated cost of living in the area. For example, the costs to live in a larger city such as New York City or Los Angeles are likely to be higher than the living expenses in a small town in Missouri or Iowa. Therefore, the GSA stipend limit is most likely going to be higher in those areas.
- The time of year: Let’s say you have dreamed of taking a winter assignment in Florida. Due to the increased winter population in the state, the GSA may raise the stipend limit for the winter months in order to accommodate the increase in the cost of living and the scarcity of available housing during that time of the year.
- The type of housing they select. Of course, a travel nurse staying in a two-bedroom apartment is going to pay considerably more for monthly housing than a nurse who chooses to reside in an Airbnb studio.
4 Popular Travel Nursing Housing Options
As a traveling nurse, your options for housing are endless, but it’s all about finding the right travel nurse housing option for you.
Here are a few of the more common options you can consider when determining how to find housing as a travel nurse.
Nurse Housing Option #1: Travel Nurse Housing Sites
Did you know that there are websites solely devoted to finding lodging for travel nurses?
They know just what you are looking for:
- Fully furnished
- Close to hospitals
- Short-term leasing options
Some traveling nurse housing sites even have a stipend calculator, so you can easily compare the housing costs in any city you may be considering for relocation.
You simply enter a city and state and the calculator provides you with a breakdown of the average rental prices for all the available housing options in your chosen area.
You will be able to view comparisons of the differences between a whole unit vs. a private room, and can easily find which accommodations offer additional perks, such as being pet-friendly or including the cost of utilities in the monthly rental price.
Just type a quick search for “furnished housing travel nurse” to start your housing search on a travel nurse housing site.
Nurse Housing Option #2: Travel Nursing Agency Housing Department
Some travel nursing agencies have an internal housing department specifically dedicated to helping their clients secure travel nurse housing.
The travel nursing agency housing department will be able to assist you in finding travel nurse apartments or homes that offer a short-term lease.
These agencies may also be able to assist by:
- Renting a furniture package
- Paying your utilities; or
- Helping you acquire necessary housewares, such as dishes and linens
If you are a first-time travel nurse, you may want to consider going with agency-placed nurse housing for your first travel nursing assignment.
Allowing the agency to secure your housing on your first go-around will give you one less thing to think about as you adjust to your new lifestyle. Once you are in the swing of travel nursing, you will have a better idea of exactly what you are looking for when it comes to travel nurse lodging.
With Pronto, you can manage every aspect of your travel nursing contract. From choosing your destination and assignment to connecting with housing options, Pronto makes it easy for travel nurses to find the right assignment and travel nurse housing option for them.
Have a question or need assistance?
No worries. Just because Pronto makes it easy to captain your travel nursing journey on your own does not mean that you are alone. Our travel nurse professionals offer around-the-clock support to help keep your travel nursing experience nothing but smooth sailing.
Nurse Housing Option #3: Temporary Furnished Housing: Travel Nurse
Some travel nurses may find it is easiest to secure furnished nurse housing.
While this may look a bit different from agency to agency, typically, “furnished” means that you will be provided with the following:
- Bedroom – queen size bed, dresser, nightstand, and lamp
- Dining room – kitchen table and four chairs
- Living room – sofa, end table, coffee table, chair or loveseat, lamp, TV stand
You may also select extras, such as:
- Television
- Dishes
- Linens
- Bedding
- Cleaning supplies; and
- Kitchen and home appliances
If you decide to opt for the furnished housing route, below are some of the options you can choose from.
Airbnb
Airbnb (Air Bed and Breakfast) is an online marketplace whose purpose is to connect people who want to rent their homes (or a part of their homes) with people who need to find accommodations in that area.
Airbnbs can be found in more than 81,000 cities and over 191 countries around the world and can be the ideal option for travel nurse housing.
Want to live next to a park or biking trail? No problem. Would you feel more at home in an actual house as opposed to an apartment? Easy. Airbnb has a wide variety of housing options, so you will be sure to find accommodations that are perfect for you.
Since Airbnbs are typically rented on a per-night basis, many homeowners are thrilled to rent to a professional who is willing to commit to a three-month contract, so be sure to ask for a discounted rate for your stay.
Extended-Stay Hotels
You may not have considered an extended-stay hotel, but they can be a great travel nurse housing option.
Extended-stay hotels may even be considered one of the more ideal travel nurse housing options for nurses who are seeking shorter contracts. As opposed to leases, extended-stay hotels charge weekly or monthly and the process is much easier than signing lease after lease.
Hotels also come with extra amenities you would not get with other options, such as:
- Free continental breakfast
- Free Wi-Fi
- Fully-equipped kitchens or kitchenettes
- Bed and kitchen linens
- Swimming pool/hot tub
- Workout facilities
- Fun, scheduled activities for guests
Let’s not forget that when you stay at an extended-stay hotel, you don’t have to worry about cleaning. Most extended-stay hotels will provide turn-down service every several days, or sooner for a small fee.
Be sure to check in with your nursing recruiter to see if they have a list of hotels in the area that offer discounts to traveling nurses.
Transplant Housing
For years, Transplant Housing has dedicated their time and resources to helping healthcare professionals, such as travel nurses, find fully furnished and affordable housing.
With over 10,000 monthly users, Transplant Housing offers rental properties all across the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska.
If you don’t see a property nearby, Transplant Housing will contact prospective property owners to specifically help you find a property in your chosen city/state that meets your requirements.
Transplant Housing has fully furnished housing options in popular travel nursing cities, such as:
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Nashville, TN
- Seattle, WA
- Atlanta, GA
- Chicago, IL
- And more
Furnished Finder
Furnished Finder is a website created exclusively for finding furnished lodging for traveling healthcare professionals.
All of their properties, which number about 40,000 rentals, rent by the month, which is perfect for the traveling nurse.
Property owners who list accommodations on Furnished Finder cater specifically to traveling healthcare workers, so they have a good grasp of the needs and demands of the job.
Plus, you will be able to sleep soundly at night knowing that every Furnished Finder host is required to pass a background check before their listing is live on the Furnished Finder housing platform.
You can search for affordable housing through Furnished Finder by date and budget, making it easy to find a rental within your stipend budget. You can also book directly without incurring any fees.
Nurse Housing Option #4: Staying With Friends or Family
And finally, there is always the option of staying with friends or family during your travel nursing assignment.
- Would you like to spend time with that favorite niece or nephew?
- What about staying with your favorite college roommate who just moved to that city you have always wanted to explore?
- Maybe your parents just retired to a luxury condo on a sparkling Florida beach.
Spending your assignment in the home of your family or friends may be the perfect choice for you.
How Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help You Secure Travel Nurse Housing
Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry, so it only makes sense that they get all of the necessary support.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, our goal is to help travel nurses have the easiest time doing what they do best while having an experience that is more than worthwhile.
Along with being one of the highest-paying travel nurse agencies, we also offer the best benefits with five-star service and support.
While Pronto makes it easy to search and find your dream travel nursing assignment, you will still have access to a recruiter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach out anytime you have questions about your housing, benefits, or assignment.
Trusted Nurse Staffing is eager to help, whether you are in search of:
- A studio downtown
- A quaint little bungalow
- A bare-bones hotel room; or
- A basement apartment
Whatever you are looking for, we will help you find your dream housing to match your dream assignment. Simply sign up on Pronto to begin your journey today.