Temporary Housing While Apartment Hunting in a New City

On this page

1. Why bother with temporary housing?
2. Temporary housing options compared
3. Staying with your partner
4. Monthly vacation rentals
5. Furnished mid-term rentals
6. Sublets
7. Extended-stay hotels
8. Corporate housing
9. Short-term leases
10. Which option is right for you?
11. What to do with your stuff in the meantime
12. Budget for the hidden costs
13. Make the most of your temporary stay
14. Alternatives to temporary housing
15. FAQ

If you’re moving to your partner’s city and they already have a place, the decision might be simple: you move in with them, maybe temporarily, while you look for something together. But plenty of couples don’t want to cram into a studio, or want to choose a new home together rather than one person moving into the other’s space. And if you’re both moving to a new city, neither of you has a place yet.

Temporary housing buys you time to see neighborhoods at night and on weekends, test the commute, and sign a lease with your eyes open. It costs more per month than a normal lease, but far less than a year stuck in the wrong apartment.

Why bother with temporary housing?

• See it before you sign. Photos hide noise, smells, damp, and what the street feels like at 11 p.m.
• Pick the right neighborhood. A month of living somewhere teaches you more than a weekend of touring.
• Job flexibility. If you don’t know where you’ll work yet, you don’t want to lock in a commute.
• Better applications. Being local lets you tour the day a listing goes up and apply on the spot, which matters in competitive markets.
• A softer landing. For couples, it can double as a trial run of living together before you commit to a joint lease.

Temporary housing options compared

Costs vary hugely by city and season. The ranges below are rough, US-centric monthly figures to help you compare options against each other, not quotes.

Staying with your partner

For most people closing the distance, this is option one. It’s free or cheap, you’re finally together, and you can apartment-hunt as a team. It also comes with its own rules.

Check the lease

Many leases limit how long a guest can stay before they count as an occupant, often a couple of weeks in a row or a set number of days a year. If you’re staying longer, ask the landlord to add you to the lease or as an approved occupant. It protects your partner’s tenancy and gives you a rental history in the new city.

Make it feel like both of yours

Moving into a place that is fully set up as someone else’s can leave you feeling like a long-term guest. Clear real space for your things (a drawer is not enough), agree on how you’ll split costs from day one, and talk about how you each want the place to feel while you search. Our guide to setting expectations before living together covers the conversations; decorating together helps when you make the permanent place yours.

Set an end date, or decide not to

If the plan is to stay only until you find a bigger place, set a target month. If you discover their place works fine, that’s a real option too. Just decide it together rather than drifting.

Monthly vacation rentals

Airbnb, Vrbo and similar sites let you book a furnished place for a month or more, often with weekly or monthly discounts.

Tips: use the monthly-stay filter, message hosts to ask about discounts before booking, choose hosts with long histories of good reviews, ask about a desk and internet speed if you work remotely, and read the cancellation policy closely.

Furnished mid-term rentals

Sites aimed at traveling professionals, such as Furnished Finder, list furnished apartments and rooms for stays of a month or more. They’re popular with traveling nurses, so they cluster near hospitals, but listings exist across many cities. Prices are often lower than vacation rentals for the same length of stay, and arrangements are closer to a normal lease. Expect background checks and to sign an agreement directly with the owner.

Sublets

Renting someone’s apartment or room while they’re away can be the best value: real apartment living at normal local rent, sometimes furnished. Find them through local Facebook groups, Craigslist, university housing boards and word of mouth.

Extended-stay hotels

Hotel brands built for longer stays offer rooms with kitchenettes, weekly rates and housekeeping. They’re the easiest option to book at short notice and the least likely to fall through.

• Good for: the first week or two while you line up something better, or a short gap between leases.
• Less good for: two months of cooking real meals, working from a tiny desk, or bringing a pet (check each property’s policy).

Corporate housing

Professionally managed furnished apartments with everything included, usually in well-located buildings. It’s the most comfortable option and also the most expensive, typically with a 30-day minimum. If you’re relocating for a job, ask whether temporary housing is part of the relocation package before booking anything yourself.

Short-term leases

Some apartment buildings offer 3-, 6- or 9-month leases, usually at a premium over a 12-month rate. You get stability and tenant protections, and a base from which to find the long-term place. The trade-off is that the apartment is usually unfurnished, so you’ll need your things or a furniture rental.

Which option is right for you?

What to do with your stuff in the meantime

• Bring a suitcase life: two weeks of clothes, work gear, documents, medications, a few comfort items.
• Store the rest in a self-storage unit near the new city, or in a moving container that can be held in storage and delivered when you have an address.
• Ship to your partner if they have space, or ask family to hold items.
• Sell more than you planned. Storage fees for things you don’t really want add up fast; see selling your stuff before a move.

Budget for the hidden costs

The nightly or monthly rate is only part of it. Add:

• Platform service fees, cleaning fees and taxes on short stays.
• Eating out more if the kitchen is basic.
• Parking, laundry and transport.
• Storage for your belongings.
• Pet fees or deposits.
• Overlap: a few days of paying for both temporary housing and your new lease.

Put all of it into your moving budget and your savings plan.

Make the most of your temporary stay

1. Start before you arrive. Shortlist neighborhoods, set up listing alerts, and book viewings for your first week.
2. Have documents ready: ID, proof of income or job offer, references, and recent bank statements, so you can apply on the spot.
3. Visit shortlisted areas at different times: weekday morning, Friday night, Sunday afternoon.
4. Test the commute at rush hour, for both of you.
5. Live like a local: find the grocery store, gym, laundry and coffee shop you’d actually use.
6. Time the lease. Many apartments have move-in dates a few weeks out, so overlap your temporary stay slightly rather than leaving a gap.

For the hunt itself, follow our guide on finding an apartment in another city.

Alternatives to temporary housing

A scouting trip

Fly in for a long weekend, pack 10 to 15 viewings into three days, sign a lease, and fly home to pack. It’s cheaper than weeks of temporary housing, but you’ll be choosing faster with less information. It works best if your partner already lives there and can pre-screen places.

Let your partner find the place

If your partner lives in the city, they can tour on your behalf, video-calling you from each apartment. It requires trust and a shared list of must-haves, but plenty of couples do it successfully.

Temporary housing is a bridge, not a destination. Keep the stay short, use every week of it, and you’ll sign your next lease knowing exactly what you’re getting, and who you’re getting it with.

Frequently asked questions

How long should temporary housing be when moving to a new city?

For most people, four to eight weeks is enough to tour neighborhoods, apply for a place and wait for the move-in date. If you also need to find a job first, plan for two to three months. Book an initial period with the option to extend rather than committing to the longest stay up front.

What is the cheapest temporary housing option?

Staying with your partner, family or friends is cheapest. After that, a room in a shared sublet or a furnished room rental usually costs least. Monthly stays on vacation-rental sites and extended-stay hotels cost more, and corporate housing is usually the most expensive unless an employer is paying.

Can I stay at my partner’s apartment if I’m not on the lease?

Usually for a limited time. Many leases cap how long a guest can stay before they must be added as an occupant or tenant. Read the guest clause, then ask the landlord to add you if the stay will be long. Living there unofficially for months can put your partner’s lease at risk.

How do I avoid scams when booking a sublet or short-term rental?

See the place in person or on a live video tour, confirm the person has the right to rent it, get a written agreement, and pay through a traceable method or a platform with protections. Walk away from anyone who asks for a wire transfer, gift cards or crypto, or who can’t show the unit before taking a deposit.