Foreign accomodation

[thrifty++]

I have difficulty making decisions where choices are sub-optimal and imperfect so hoping to enlist some assistance here.

I am heading to another country as a sabbatical from work for 3.5 months. I have been looking at accommodation there. I have been offered a sub-let of someones apartment for the entire duration of my stay - dates perfectly aligned. It is a very nice apartment in a good location with high spec furnishings and fixtures and fittings. The cost is $1300 all up including wifi and utilities per month. It is basically equivalent to the cost of what a permanent place would be there, as the person sub-letting it needs to go away for 3.5 months. However my alternative is to stay in an airbnb room for a few days at maybe $40 per night and then find a room in a shared place for around $450/$600 per month.

Obviously I would much rather prefer to stay in my own nice one bedroom apartment. But it will cost alot more. It will also mean that I will begin to eat into my net worth while I am away as my remote consulting work wont be enough to cover my living costs. As opposed to finding a room in a shared flat I will likely not eat into net worth and will possibly actually increase my net worth while I am on my sabbatical. But this means I will have to interact with people at times when I dont want to.

Keen on any insights on dealing with this decision.

[George the original one]

Financially:
3.5 months at $1300 = 4550

4x$40 = $160, 3.5x$600 = $2100, estimated worse case total = $2260

Difference is $2290... So, how significant is $2290 compared to your net worth? If it's less than 1%, then I'd suggest it's just noise, like a down day in the stock market, since you're not making a routine of spending this amount (or are you? ).

[George the original one]

Emotionally:
Do you speak the language of this other country? Since it's summer, isn't finding a shared place going to be more difficult? Sabbatical implies rest & relaxation... if you don't want to deal with extra people, then you're not getting the benefit of the sabbatical. On the other hand, meeting new people can sometimes be a rejuvenating spark even for an introvert.

[Dream of Freedom]

So you want to experience another culture up close and personal? How is this not helped by sharing accommodations with a native?

[thrifty++]

@georgetheoriginal - thanks for your comments! Always love a number crunch. It amounts to 1.2% of my net worth so where does that leave me? lol

I speak some of the language of the other country. I think a lot of people speak English too. I can very easily meet people without depending on room-mates - just like it to be of my choosing. hmm decisions.

[thrifty++]

Im not making a routine of this spending - ideally. The reason I have explored getting my own place is because its so much cheaper than the city I live in. The city I live in would cost double for an equivalent apartment.

[Chris]

Would you save on any other costs (such as transportation) by staying at the swanky apartment?

[thrifty++]

@chris - no I wouldnt. I could easily find a room in a share place as close and closer. The location is not completely perfect. It is about 2kms from the perfect location. So I might spend slightly more than I otherwise would as I can probably have a much bigger selection of rooms 1 or 2kms closer to idea l. It might save me money on food though as I will probably eat more takeaways if I live in a place with other people.

[thegreatvoid]

To safe money, don´t book your accomondation through a website like airbnb or booking..com , but call or write them directley.
These website charge the hotel / apartment a 15-20 % commision. they are like a travel agency , not a travel hack site.

Also in most places , CASH IS KING. So if you tell the owner that you will be paying in cash and dont need a invoice, you should get a big discount.
This of cource only works with small places and not big chains .

[thrifty++]

@thegreatvoid - yep Im looking at local websites and am looking at local accommodation such as for people who live there not hotels.

[Sclass]

Sometimes it’s good to force yourself to do uncomfortable things. If you’re introverted I’d say get the roommates. There is the added advantage of maybe having a richer experience in a strange land mixing with locals.

The good news is it’s temporary.

[thrifty++]

Thanks Sclass. I am starting to lean towards that direction I think. I am so resistant to spending money these days - its almost painful lol

[thrifty++]

Ended up not going with the apartment. Will be nice to save some money and might be nice to live with some locals too.