Housing is the biggest expense on most contracts and the easiest place to lose money, either by overpaying or by sending a deposit to someone who doesn't own the place. Sort it out as soon as you accept the contract. Good places near hospitals go fast.
Stipend or agency housing?
Most agencies let you choose: they find and pay for housing, or they pay you a weekly housing stipend and you find your own.
| Take the stipend | Agency housing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who finds it | You | The agency |
| Money left over | Yours to keep | None |
| Choice of place | Full | Little or none |
| If the contract ends early | You may be stuck with rent | Usually the agency's problem |
| Work for you | More | Less |
Most experienced travelers take the stipend, because what they don't spend is tax-free money in their pocket (if they have a real tax home; see Reading a pay package). Agency housing makes sense for a first contract when you don't know the area, for very short or uncertain contracts, and in places where there's almost nothing to rent.
If you take agency housing, ask exactly what it is before you sign: a private apartment or a shared one, furnished or not, how far from the hospital, and whether utilities and internet are included.
Where to look
- Furnished Finder. Built for travel nurses. Furnished places, usually 30 days and up, listed by owners.
- Airbnb and Vrbo monthly stays. Many hosts give big discounts for stays of 28 days or more. Message the host and ask for a better monthly rate.
- Extended-stay hotels. Weekly rates, no lease, no deposit. Good for the first week or two while you look in person.
- Travel nurse housing groups on Facebook for the city or hospital. Useful for leads, but this is also where most scams start. Use the checklist below.
- Other travelers and the unit. Ask your recruiter to connect you with a traveler who's there now. Staff nurses often know someone with a room or an in-law apartment.
- Hospital-owned housing. Some hospitals, especially rural ones, keep apartments for travelers. Ask.
Picking the place
- Close to the hospital. After a 12-hour shift, 15 minutes beats 45. Drive the commute at the hours you'll actually drive it.
- Safe to come home to at night. Look up the neighborhood, check the parking and lighting, and ask the staff nurses where travelers live.
- Working nights? You need blackout curtains, a quiet street, and no roommates with a day schedule.
- Internet, laundry, and parking included, or what they cost.
- Pets, if you bring one. Get the pet fee in writing.
- Who else lives there. A room in someone's house is cheaper, but you'll live by their rules.
Try to keep housing under your weekly housing stipend so the rest is yours. In expensive cities that isn't always possible, and paying a little more for a safe place close to work is worth it.
Rental scams
Scammers target travel nurses because they know you're renting sight unseen, from far away, on a deadline. The usual signs:
- The price is well below everything else in the area.
- The "owner" is out of the country, in the military, or on a mission trip, and can't show it in person.
- They won't do a live video tour, or the video is clearly recorded.
- They want payment by wire transfer, Zelle, Cash App, gift cards, or crypto.
- They push you to pay today because "several nurses are interested."
- The listing photos show up on another listing with a different address or name. Do a reverse image search.
Before you pay anything, check that the person really owns or manages the place. County property records are public and searchable online; the owner's name should match the person you're talking to, or they should be able to show you a management agreement.
Never send money by a method you can't get back. Pay through the listing platform or by credit card. If it's a scam, wire transfers, Zelle, and gift cards are gone for good.
The lease
- Get a written lease, even for a room in someone's house.
- Ask for an early-out clause. Contracts get cancelled. Try for 14 or 30 days' notice with no penalty if your contract ends early, and attach the contract cancellation as proof.
- Match the dates to your contract, plus a few days on each end for moving.
- Know what's included: utilities, internet, cleaning, parking.
- Get the deposit terms in writing: how much, and when and how it comes back.
- Take dated photos of every room when you move in and when you move out.
Staying 30 days or more often avoids hotel taxes that apply to shorter stays in many places, so it's worth booking monthly even if a weekly rate looks close.
Remote and rural assignments
In remote places, especially villages and hub towns in Alaska like Bethel and Nome, there may be almost nothing to rent. The hospital or agency usually arranges housing because there's no other way.
- Ask whether it's private or shared, and who you'd share with.
- Ask what's in it: kitchen basics, linens, a washer and dryer, internet.
- Ask whether you still get any housing stipend, and what the meal stipend is. Groceries in remote areas can cost two or three times what you're used to.
- Ask how you get from the airport to the housing and to the hospital, and whether you need a car.
- Ask a traveler who's there now what to bring. Some things you can't buy locally, or only at a big markup.
From a nurse who worked in Nome, 2020 to 2025: Norton Sound provided housing for travelers. For years it was very limited. Some places we stayed should have been condemned, and some were amazing. The hospital has since built new apartment-style housing, which should be enough for every traveler. Roommates are common there, but it never hurts to ask for a private house or apartment.
What to bring
"Furnished" can mean anything from a fully stocked home to a bed and a couch. Ask for a list. These are worth bringing either way:
- Your own pillow, sheets, and a good mattress topper
- Blackout curtains or an eye mask, and a white noise machine for nights
- A sharp knife, a skillet, and a slow cooker or air fryer for meal prep
- An extension cord, a power strip, and phone chargers
- A small first aid kit and your own medications for the whole contract
- A door wedge or portable door lock for extra security
Before you pay anything
- Toured it live on video, or someone you trust saw it in person
- Checked the owner's name against county property records
- Reverse image searched the listing photos
- Looked up the neighborhood and drove or mapped the commute
- Have a written lease with the dates, total cost, deposit terms, and what's included
- Asked for an early-out clause in case the contract is cancelled
- Paying through a platform or credit card, not wire, Zelle, or gift cards