Is Airbnb cheaper than a hotel in Charleston (SC)?
No: in Charleston (SC), Airbnb homes asked a median $203 a night against $182 for hotels on Agoda, 12% more (latest scan 25 October 2026; priced on a typical night: Airbnb homes 92, hotels on Agoda 168). Nights measured on both sides: 71, from 13 November 2026 to 22 January 2027, read on 25 October 2026.
Measured by Bed&Market (bedandmarket.com) from 208 places checked, read 25 October 2026 15:36 UTC.
Updated
Hotels and apartments side by side
On a typical night in Charleston (SC), the middle half of asking prices ran from $123 to $338 for hotels on Agoda and from $143 to $279 for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Median asking price | Lower quarter (p25) | Upper quarter (p75) | With a price, typical night | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | $182 | $123 | $338 | 168 | 71 |
| Airbnb homes | $203 | $143 | $279 | 92 | 71 |
| All places pooled | $193 | $128 | $300 | 260 | 71 |
Each night's figure is the median (or quarter) of that night's asking prices for one night; each figure here is the median of those nights. The pooled row puts every asking price of a night into one list.
Friday and Saturday nights on each side
Friday and Saturday nights in Charleston (SC) against Monday to Thursday: -7% for hotels on Agoda and +10% for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Friday + Saturday | Monday – Thursday | Weekend against Mon–Thu | Fri + Sat nights | Mon–Thu nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | $178 | $192 | -7% | 21 | 40 |
| Airbnb homes | $214 | $194 | +10% | 21 | 40 |
Medians of the nightly medians; Sunday nights sit in neither group.
Month by month
The gap in Charleston (SC) was widest in November 2026: $230 for Airbnb homes against $193 for hotels on Agoda, 19% more.
| Month | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | Nights | Latest scan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | $193 | $230 | +19% | 30 | 25 October 2026 |
| December 2026 | $182 | $201 | +10% | 31 | 25 October 2026 |
| January 2027 | $182 | $193 | +6% | 22 | 25 October 2026 |
Each month is the median of its nightly medians over the nights read on both sides; the month links to its own page.
On event and holiday nights
On 18 January 2027 in Charleston (SC) (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Airbnb homes asked a median $203 against $195 for hotels on Agoda, 4% more.
| Night | Event or holiday | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | With a price: hotels / Airbnb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 November 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | $157 | $196 | +25% | 144 / 88 |
| 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day | $152 | $232 | +52% | 141 / 96 |
| 1 January 2027 | New Year's Day | $170 | $193 | +14% | 140 / 93 |
| 18 January 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | $195 | $203 | +4% | 199 / 90 |
Each event is printed beside the night it fell on; the prices are that night's asking prices and do not say what moved them.
What counts as a hotel and an apartment here
Places with a price on a typical night in Charleston (SC): 260 in all, 168 on Agoda and 92 on Airbnb.
- Airbnb homes: the listings Airbnb's search showed with a price for one night for 2 guests, whole apartments, B&Bs and private rooms alike.
- Hotels on Agoda: every place Agoda's search showed with a price for one night for 2 adults: hotels, guesthouses, hostels and the apartments Agoda itself lists.
- A listing missing from a night's Airbnb search is unknown that night, not sold out.
- The two sites may count fees and taxes differently; each figure is the price its search showed.
What was measured
Nights measured in Charleston (SC) on both sides: 71, from 13 November 2026 to 22 January 2027; each with at least 30 places showing a price on Agoda.
- Up to 208 places checked per night on Agoda; a place with no price that night (sold out or closed) is counted but carries no price.
- Prices in USD, as shown on the day each night was read on Agoda, on 25 October 2026.
- Asking prices seen while searching for one night: not prices paid, and not a forecast.
- Airbnb nights read on 25 October 2026.
Source: asking prices for one night, read from public search results on the scan date; not prices paid, and not a forecast. How we measure →