cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown© Unsplash
cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown

Queenstown: A Guide to Cheap Long-Term Accommodation [2024]

© Unsplash

A Guide to Cheap Weekly Accommodation in Queenstown

The adventure capital, the ski hub of New Zealand, mountains, a lake and endless activities… No wonder Queenstown is a tourist hotspot and a backpacker’s dream home. Whether you’re here for a week of play or as part of your working holiday, you’re probably going to need to find some cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown.

Queenstown is a fairly small town (if you have a car) made up of various housing areas, so we have put together a quick list of the suburbs where you are likely to find some cheap weekly accommodation, as well as outlining how far away they are to Queenstown’s city centre. This guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown is also split into accommodation types, so you can just skip straight to your preferred short-term or long-term accommodation style.

So find a place to stay in Queenstown using our nifty guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown.

Which Queenstown Suburb to Find Long-Term Accommodation?

There is cheap weekly accommodation found all over Queenstown. Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect in each Queenstown suburb in relation to Queenstown’s centre. For more about Queenstown, check out Queenstown – Guide for Backpackers.

  • Queenstown Central – Location: city centre. Distance from centre: you’re in it. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$220.
  • Fernhill – Location: west of city centre. Distance from centre: 6min drive/19min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Sunshine Bay – Location: west of city centre. Distance from centre: 6min drive/26min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$250.
  • Queenstown Hill – Location: north of city centre. Distance from centre: 6min drive/16min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$210.
  • Goldfield Heights – Location: east of the city centre along Frankton Road. Distance from centre: 7min drive/45min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$220.
  • Marina Heights – Location: east of the city centre along Frankton Road. Distance from centre: 10min drive/1h5min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Kelvin Heights – Location: south of city centre. Distance from centre: 22min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Arthurs Point – Location: north of city centre. Distance from centre: 7min drive/1h8min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Frankton – Location: east of the city centre. Distance from centre: 16min drive/1h30min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.

Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown© NZPocketGuide.com

Hostels in Queenstown

Hostels are a good place to start when looking for cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown. Not only do they provide an affordable base for rental-hunting but many also offer weekly rates.

Queenstown has 20+ hostels all within walking distance of the city centre, from Queenstown Hill to the lakeside leading to Fernhill. A range of hostels can be found across Queenstown, from purpose-built multi-storey backpackers to popular and charming hostels. A couple of “pod hostels” can be found in town too.

Prices typically start from NZ$25 to $30 even for an 8-bed dorm. At any time of the year, we recommend booking your hostel a couple of weeks in advance, especially for the popular ones we have listed in 10 Best Hostels in Queenstown. Queenstown is busy all year long thanks to its winter season and summer holiday season.

You can always keep the cost of living down along with an extended stay by working for accommodation in a Queenstown hostel. For tips, have a look at How to Find Work for Accommodation in New Zealand.

For a complete list of hostels in Queenstown, have a look at Queenstown – Guide for Backpackers.

NZPocketGuide.com© NZPocketGuide.com

Renting a Room in Queenstown

Renting a room is common practice in Queenstown to keep the price to a minimum when staying in Queenstown long-term, usually done if you have landed a job in Queenstown as part of a working holiday. Saying that, it is no secret that Queenstown has some of the highest rent prices in the country and is the most competitive.

Expect a room to rent in Queenstown to be around NZ$180-$250 per week. That’s a room to yourself in a flatshare or houseshare. You may find cheaper, around the NZ$130-$160 per week mark, for a shared room. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For advice on how to find a room to rent in Queenstown, have a look at our 6 Resources to Find a Room to Rent in New Zealand. Renting a room involves a more complicated process than staying in short-term accommodation, so get clued up by reading The Paperwork Process of Renting or Flatting in New Zealand.

cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown© Pexels

Airbnb in Queenstown

Stay with a local Queenstowner! (Oh wait, there’s no such thing!)

Airbnb, the online network of people’s spare rooms available for accommodation, is pretty popular in Queenstown. Like hostels, Airbnb stays can provide a cheap room while finding something long term. Alternatively, some Airbnb hosts offer weekly rates for cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown.

The average price for a room in Queenstown is NZ$400 per night. It is possible to find accommodation around the NZ$30-$50 price range, however, most of these listings are hostel dorms. The cheapest Airbnb listings with locals tend to cost around NZ$45-$120, found across the Queenstown suburbs, such as Frankton, Fernhill, Queenstown Hill, Marina Heights and Goldfield Heights. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For more information on Airbnb, check out Everything You Need to Know About Airbnb in New Zealand and 10 Tips to Make the Most of Airbnb in New Zealand.

pxhere© pxhere

Campgrounds and Holiday Parks in Queenstown

There are a number of holiday parks to plug in your campervan or pitch a tent within Queenstown city centre and its suburbs. There are three holiday parks with power sites and tent sites in the city centre with prices starting from NZ$55 per night for one/two people. Make sure you book as far in advance as possible. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

Cheaper power sites and camping options do exist just outside Queenstown, which you can read more about in Where to Camp in Queenstown.

Freedom camping is not allowed anywhere in Queenstown. Be warned, even if you park a self-contained campervan in a car parking area overnight without staying in it, it is likely that you will still get fined! For your freedom camping options in Queenstown, take a look at 6 Free Camping Spots in Queenstown.

For information about camping, check out our guide to Camping in New Zealand and Accommodation Guide to Holiday Parks in New Zealand.

Useful Information About Queenstown

That’s it for our guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Queenstown. Here’s everything else you need to know about staying in Queenstown:

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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