Why Your Local Getaway Might Cost More Than You Think — Unless You Book a Hotel

Getaways don’t come cheap anymore. With the average vacation now hovering around $7,249 in 2025, many travelers are reconsidering their plans and opting for a staycation instead. However, here’s what often surprises people: staying at a local hotel for a staycation in Miami or your own city can actually be significantly more economical than alternatives like vacation rentals or remaining at home. We spoke with travel and financial experts to uncover six counterintuitive reasons why a hotel staycation might be your smartest budget move.

Transportation Adds Up Faster Than You’d Expect

One of the most overlooked expenses when people imagine a staycation is travel itself. Even if you’re staying relatively close to home — say, within a 30-mile radius in Miami or your local area — fuel costs, parking fees, and potential rental car charges can accumulate quickly. As one financial advisor noted, “I’ve worked with retirees and young professionals who were shocked by how much they spent on local transportation during their week off. A hotel-based staycation eliminates these hidden transport costs almost entirely, while still delivering that psychological sense of escape.”

Unexpected Home Operating Costs Drain Your Budget

Here’s what catches most people off guard: when you stay home, your everyday expenses don’t disappear — they accelerate. Your air conditioning runs longer during hot spells, water usage climbs, laundry piles up, and you’re paying for utilities across the board. A financial expert explained, “I’ve had clients experience sticker shock when their electric bill arrived after a summer staycation at home. They didn’t realize they were essentially paying premium rates for comfort. In contrast, a hotel absorbs all those operational costs into your nightly rate, making the total expense more predictable and often lower.”

Entertainment and Activity Expenses Spiral Unexpectedly

When you’re home, the temptation to “do something special” becomes irresistible. Movies, shows, local attractions, amusement parks, and day trips mount up as you try to make your time off feel genuinely different from a regular weekend. “All those attraction tickets and gasoline for excursions add up remarkably fast,” according to travel finance consultants. “Hotels typically feature built-in entertainment like pools, fitness centers, and often complimentary or discounted access to nearby attractions — so you get entertainment value without the constant outlay.”

Restaurant and Food Spending Becomes a Silent Budget Killer

Perhaps the most shocking expense during a home-based staycation is food. When families decide to treat themselves during their time off, ordering delivery and dining out becomes habitual — sometimes daily. One financial professional shared, “Families I’ve consulted have accumulated several hundred dollars in food expenses during what was supposed to be an affordable vacation week. It’s completely different at a hotel in Miami or elsewhere: complimentary breakfasts, included snacks, and sometimes evening happy hours can easily save guests $50 or more each day.”

Short-Term Rental Hidden Charges Keep Mounting

Vacation rentals appear affordable upfront, but the fine print reveals numerous additional costs. Cleaning fees, service charges, processing fees, and miscellaneous surcharges rapidly inflate the final bill. “The price you see listed online frequently bears little resemblance to what you actually pay,” as one financial planner explained. “Hotels provide far greater transparency. What you see is substantially what you pay, and you’re not facing surprise costs at checkout — plus you get amenities like complimentary breakfast, internet access, and parking built into your rate.”

Last-Minute Bookings Open Doors to Better Rates

Hotels have perfected the art of dynamic pricing and last-minute discounts. “The hotel industry has refined discount strategies over many years,” noted an industry expert from a major hotel collection. “They possess sophisticated data analytics that enable them to adjust pricing strategically, capitalize on low-demand periods, and provide meaningful discounts to drive bookings. While vacation rental companies are catching up in this area, traditional hotels still maintain a significant competitive advantage when it comes to flash sales and last-minute deals.”

Whether you’re planning a staycation in Miami or your own backyard, the numbers increasingly suggest that booking a hotel room might be the shrewder financial choice than the alternatives that seem budget-friendly on the surface.