Travel Therapist Housing Guide 2025: Stipend and Math
-
- •July 21, 2025
Find the safest rental, stretch your stipend, and travel with confidence.
Safe, affordable housing
This is still the top pain point for millennial women travel therapists on assignment. Inventory is tight, scams are real, and rents in major hubs keep climbing. This guide compares the two biggest clinician-first rental platforms, breaks down stipend math for three pricey cities, and shows how to build a portable safety toolkit that works in any apartment or hotel.
2025 housing snapshot
- Median U S asking rent: $1,633 per month (May 2025) (redfin.com)
- Travel therapists generally pay a 20–40 percent premium for furnished, mid-term leases.
- Set your target rent at or below your weekly stipend so any surplus turns into take-home pay.
Platform face-off: Furnished Finder vs Travel Nurse Housing
Feature | Furnished Finder | Travel Nurse Housing |
|---|---|---|
Listings (paid, furnished) | 300 k-plus nationwide (furnishedfinder.com) | 300 k-plus nationwide (sister site) (travelnursehousing.com) |
Minimum stay | 30 days | 30 days |
Host screening | Owner Verification Report, background checks | Same verification system (shared database) |
Fees | No booking fee; travelers pay hosts directly | No booking fee; travelers pay hosts directly |
Stand-out perk | Built-in stipend calculator and demand heatmap | Mobile app with in-thread message encryption |
Bottom line: Both sites pull from the same verified database, so choose the interface you like best, then run a side-by-side search before every assignment.
Real-world stipend math
City | Median monthly rent (all beds) | Sample weekly stipend | Monthly stipend (× 4.33) | Left after rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New York City | $4,575 (zumper.com) | $1,600 | $6,928 | $2,353 |
San Francisco | $3,430 (zumper.com) | $1,400 | $6,062 | $2,632 |
Boston | $3,300 (zumper.com) | $1,300 | $5,629 | $2,329 |
Pro tip: Multiply your weekly housing stipend by 4.33 to see the true monthly value, then aim to keep rent below that figure.
Safety toolkit for 2025 assignments
What to pack | Why therapists love it | 2025 highlight |
|---|---|---|
Noonlight app | One-tap SOS that silently shares your GPS with 911 | Trusted by millions of users nationwide (businesswire.com) |
SwitchBot Lock Pro | Retrofit smart lock, no drilling required | Works with 99.9 percent of deadbolts, Matter-ready (works with Apple home) (techradar.com) |
Wyze Battery Cam Pro | Wire-free 2 K indoor/outdoor camera | Spotlight, siren, AI alerts under $100 (theverge.com) |
Portable doorstop alarm | Blocks inward-opening doors, 120 dB siren | Editor’s pick for hotel safety (travelandleisure.com) |
Pack everything in a single tech pouch so you can install or remove it in minutes without damaging the rental.
Quick-scan housing checklist
- Run your chosen platform’s verification report and request a live video walk-through.
- Google Street View the block at night and during the day.
- Confirm smoke and CO alarms work; test GFCI outlets on day one.
- Photograph every room before unpacking.
- Share the address and emergency contacts with a trusted colleague.
Download and print this checklist so it lives in your travel binder.
Key takeaway
Smart prep turns housing from a stressor into an advantage. Compare Furnished Finder and Travel Nurse Housing for the deepest verified inventory, crunch the stipend math before you bid, and layer on renter-friendly safety tech. You will arrive, lock in savings, and focus on patient care instead of worrying about your living space. Check out our article on the most common questions asked about housing
Need help locating verified listings? Connect with your FlexCare recruiter for city-specific recommendations and insider intel.