Be prepared to spend twice as much as you think you would need.Be also prepared to get a return on that investment, though. 🙂
No, seriously, be prepared to go out of budget. Even for the best budgeters.
The final cost will come down to how many rooms that need to be furnished, what needs to be purchased or repurposed, but don't be surprised if it ends up costing a few hundred dollars at the bare minimum (which can be recouped in a few nights!).
It's possible to set up an Airbnb on a barebones budget, but remember, you're the one that has to live with it. So it is worth setting it up the way that you like it.
Being thoughtful about the purchases—shop around for the best price!—and making good use of a local T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and HomeGoods will go a long way.
This is not the time to splurging on a $2,000 bedframe!
Being thoughtful about purchases
The best tip we have is to make an Excel sheet of everything you need, and list the prices for an item between all the retailers that you're purchasing from.
This will help ensure you're getting the best price on most things, and at the very least, shopping with value in mind.
There are some purchases that are pretty nice to have (and can be worth providing like a portable crib), but are not essential. For these, consider buying these after a few reservations have been booked.1
Here's how it (actually) broke down:
| Merchant | Item | Cost |
| IKEA | Linens, household items and bedding accessories | $110.09 |
| Amazon | Bed frame | $102.12 |
| Linenspa | Twin mattress | 92.53 |
| Target | Bedsheets & lighting | 33.34 |
Total: $338.08
Truthfully, these were the basic costs, we realized.
It's pretty easy to stop there, but if you're looking to go above and beyond, realize there are endless opportunities for making it a kick-butt Airbnb.
Because there are the common areas...
Beyond private quarters. (Marco / Flickr)
Great homes have cohesive themes, like any great interior decorator can tell you.
In reality, upgrading the common areas can easily add additional costs.
In our case, taking the time to upgrade the common areas to make it an overall more comfortable experience cost an additional $372.
This brought the whopping total to $710, which isn't certainly anything to sneeze at.
In our case, here's how it broke down.
| Merchant | Item | Cost |
| IKEA | Linens, household items and bedding accessories | $110.09 |
| Amazon | Dining Table | $194 |
| Target | Dining chairs | $115 |
| Target | End table | $63 |
Total: $372
At least you are getting a nice home out of it, yes?
