Malta, Portugal and Switzerland offer the most underpriced airbnbs, with the average 3* hotel costing almost TWICE as much per night as a typical Airbnb. Average hotel and airbnb prices are almost identical in Romania, Sweden and interestingly, the UK, meaning you may as well book in a hotel stay. France, Spain, Denmark and Ireland are all in the top ten underpriced countries for airbnbs (or overpriced hotels…).
New research from money-saving website vouchercloud has revealed the best value airbnbs across Europe based on the price of an equivalent stay in a 3* hotel, with Malta, Portugal and the often-expensive Switzerland topping the tables.
The data – collected from airbnb and Google’s Hotel Partners (via their Hotel Prices API) – reveals the average price of a two-person stay in every European country’s capital city – either a two-person airbnb or a double room in a 3* hotel.
This revealed the best value locations for airbnbs, with Malta (£54 vs. £123), Portugal (£56 vs. £108) and Switzerland (£71 vs. £129) offering the most competitive prices compared to hotels.
On the flipside, Latvia (£46 vs. £30), Ukraine (£40 vs. £30) and Lithuania (£45 vs. £37) were among the few countries where a standard hotel is actually cheaper than an airbnb, with the UK (£92 vs. £95) close behind.
As has come to be expected of airbnb, the prices were cheaper than hotels in the vast majority of countries, with Germany (£49 vs. £75), Austria (£54 vs. £78), Greece (£43 vs. £62), Italy (£69 vs. £99) and Belgium (£55 vs. £79) also towards the top of the tables – all of which featured average hotel prices at least 40% more expensive than the typical airbnb.
Chris Johnson, Head of Operations, commented: “Staying in an airbnb is an attractive option before you even take price into account, so it’s really interesting to see there are savings to be made in many popular tourist traps across Europe.
“Of course, although price is important, it isn’t everything. Sometimes you want the flexibility of having your own space with an airbnb, or the simplicity and hassle-free experience common with hotels, so let this research be a guide to allow you make your holidays your own!”
The research also looked at the average price of 5* hotels in each country, with certain countries offering surprisingly cheap luxury stays. In fact, Iceland (£108 vs. £220) and Belgium (£55 vs. £124) were among the countries that, despite being more than double the price of the average airbnb, offering comparatively reasonable 5* hotel stays compared to the rest of Europe.
Best Value airbnbs (Top 20)
Country |
Average Airbnb Cost |
Average 3* Hotel Cost |
3* Hotel vs Airbnb |
Malta |
£54 |
£123 |
+127.04% |
Portugal |
£56 |
£108 |
+93.57% |
Switzerland |
£71 |
£129 |
+81.97% |
Slovenia |
£46 |
£77 |
+66.96% |
France |
£70 |
£116 |
+65.14% |
Luxembourg |
£75 |
£121 |
+61.87% |
Spain |
£58 |
£92 |
+59.31% |
Denmark |
£82 |
£130 |
+59.02% |
Liechtenstein |
£78 |
£124 |
+58.46% |
Ireland |
£84 |
£132 |
+57.62% |
Vatican City |
£72 |
£113 |
+57.50% |
Germany |
£49 |
£75 |
+52.24% |
Poland |
£37 |
£54 |
+44.86% |
Austria |
£54 |
£78 |
+44.81% |
Greece |
£43 |
£62 |
+44.19% |
Italy |
£69 |
£99 |
+43.48% |
Belgium |
£55 |
£79 |
+42.91% |
Finland |
£57 |
£81 |
+42.81% |
Cyprus |
£55 |
£78 |
+44.19% |
Norway |
£75 |
£104 |
+43.48% |
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.