Is Airbnb cheaper than a hotel in San Luis Obispo (CA)?
No: in San Luis Obispo (CA), Airbnb homes asked a median $192 a night against $143 for hotels on Agoda, 34% more (latest scan 25 October 2026; priced on a typical night: Airbnb homes 94, hotels on Agoda 35). 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 43 places checked, read 25 October 2026 21:19 UTC.
Updated
Hotels and apartments side by side
On a typical night in San Luis Obispo (CA), the middle half of asking prices ran from $84 to $202 for hotels on Agoda and from $133 to $298 for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Median asking price | Lower quarter (p25) | Upper quarter (p75) | With a price, typical night | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | $143 | $84 | $202 | 35 | 71 |
| Airbnb homes | $192 | $133 | $298 | 94 | 71 |
| All places pooled | $172 | $120 | $279 | 129 | 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 San Luis Obispo (CA) against Monday to Thursday: +30% for hotels on Agoda and +14% for Airbnb homes.
| Places | Friday + Saturday | Monday – Thursday | Weekend against Mon–Thu | Fri + Sat nights | Mon–Thu nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels on Agoda | $180 | $139 | +30% | 21 | 40 |
| Airbnb homes | $209 | $183 | +14% | 21 | 40 |
Medians of the nightly medians; Sunday nights sit in neither group.
Month by month
The gap in San Luis Obispo (CA) was widest in November 2026: $184 for Airbnb homes against $130 for hotels on Agoda, 42% more.
| Month | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | Nights | Latest scan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | $130 | $184 | +42% | 28 | 25 October 2026 |
| December 2026 | $133 | $187 | +41% | 31 | 25 October 2026 |
| January 2027 | $149 | $196 | +32% | 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 26 November 2026 in San Luis Obispo (CA) (Thanksgiving Day), Airbnb homes asked a median $213 against $202 for hotels on Agoda, 6% more.
| Night | Event or holiday | Hotels on Agoda | Airbnb homes | Difference | With a price: hotels / Airbnb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 November 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | $202 | $213 | +6% | 35 / 93 |
| 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day | $167 | $229 | +37% | 33 / 96 |
| 1 January 2027 | New Year's Day | $166 | $192 | +16% | 31 / 100 |
| 18 January 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | $142 | $181 | +27% | 33 / 98 |
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 San Luis Obispo (CA): 129 in all, 35 on Agoda and 94 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 San Luis Obispo (CA) 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 43 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 →