Home Swap vs Hotel in Provence: The Real Cost Comparison That Changed How I Travel

Last June, I did something a little obsessive. I spent two weeks in Provence twice—once staying exclusively in hotels, and six months later, doing the exact same itinerary using home swaps. Same villages, same restaurants, same lavender field photo ops. The only difference? Where I slept and cooked my morning eggs.

The home swap vs hotel in Provence comparison I'm about to share isn't theoretical. I have receipts. Literal receipts, actually—I kept every single one in a folder labeled "Provence Experiment" that my partner found both endearing and slightly unhinged.

Here's what I discovered: the cost difference wasn't just significant. It fundamentally changed what kind of trip I could afford to take.

Why Provence Makes the Perfect Cost Comparison Test

Provence isn't a budget destination. Let's just get that out of the way.

We're talking about a region where a simple hotel room in high season runs €180-350 per night. Where a mediocre lunch costs €25 before wine. Where the charming village guesthouses you see on Instagram charge premium prices because—well, they know you'll pay them.

I chose Provence specifically because the hotel vs home swap cost difference would be dramatic enough to actually matter. In a cheap destination, saving €50 a night is nice but not life-changing. In Provence? Those savings compound into something real.

Morning light streaming through shutters of a traditional Provenal stone house, with a rustic wooden

My test itinerary covered the greatest hits: three nights in Aix-en-Provence, four nights in the Luberon (based in Gordes), three nights in the Alpilles near Saint-Rémy, and four nights in the Var countryside. Fourteen nights total, spanning late June when lavender blooms and prices peak.

The Hotel Stay: What I Actually Spent

Let me walk you through the damage.

In Aix-en-Provence, I stayed at a well-reviewed three-star hotel near Cours Mirabeau. Not fancy, not a dump—the kind of place most travelers book. Three nights cost €567, which included a breakfast I ate once and skipped twice because I'd rather get croissants from the bakery across the street.

The Luberon portion hurt the most. Gordes is one of those villages that knows exactly how pretty it is, and the hotels price accordingly. Four nights in a "charming" room with exposed beams and a view of the valley: €1,240. The room was genuinely lovely. The bathroom was the size of an airplane lavatory. The breakfast buffet featured the same rubbery scrambled eggs you find in hotels worldwide.

Saint-Rémy was slightly more reasonable—€420 for three nights at a family-run hotel with a small pool. The pool was the highlight, honestly. The room had that particular hotel smell, you know the one, like industrial cleaner trying very hard to smell like lavender.

The Var was where I splurged on a boutique guesthouse because I was tired of generic rooms. Four nights: €880. Beautiful property, excellent hosts, but I found myself eating breakfast in my room because the communal dining situation felt awkward.

Total accommodation for 14 nights: €3,107 (approximately $3,400 USD at current rates).

The Hidden Hotel Costs Nobody Mentions

But here's the thing about hotels in Provence that the booking sites don't emphasize: you're going to eat out for every single meal.

Breakfast at a café when you skip the hotel buffet: €8-12. Lunch at a village restaurant: €18-35. Dinner: €40-80 per person if you want anything beyond pizza.

Over 14 days, my food spending looked like this:

• Breakfasts (mix of hotel and café): €89
• Lunches: €312
• Dinners: €687
• Snacks, coffee, afternoon drinks: €156

Food total: €1,244 ($1,360 USD)

I also spent €67 on laundry services because hotel sinks are not designed for washing clothes, no matter what travel bloggers tell you. And €34 on bottled water because I didn't trust the hotel bathroom tap situation.

Grand total for the hotel trip: €4,452 ($4,870 USD)

Infographic showing hotel cost breakdown for 14 nights in Provenceaccommodation 3,107, food 1,244, e

The Home Swap Stay: A Completely Different Experience

Six months later, I returned. Same villages, same season, same lavender-obsessed agenda. But this time, I'd arranged home exchanges through SwappaHome for each stop.

The credit system is straightforward: you earn credits by hosting guests in your home, then spend those credits to stay in others' homes. One night hosted equals one credit earned. One night staying somewhere equals one credit spent. No money changes hands between members.

I'd built up credits over the previous year by hosting travelers in my San Francisco apartment—mostly Europeans excited to explore California. By June, I had more than enough for two weeks in France.

What Home Swapping in Provence Actually Looks Like

My Aix-en-Provence swap was a two-bedroom apartment on Rue Espariat, a five-minute walk from the famous fountain. The owner, Mathilde, was spending those weeks in Barcelona. Her apartment had a kitchen stocked with basics—olive oil, salt, coffee—and a balcony where I ate breakfast every morning watching the street wake up.

Narrow cobblestone street in Aix-en-Provence at golden hour, shuttered windows with flower boxes, a

In the Luberon, I stayed in a converted farmhouse outside Bonnieux. Not Gordes—I couldn't find a swap there—but Bonnieux is ten minutes away and arguably more charming because fewer tourists know about it. The house had a pool. A private pool. The kind of thing that would cost €400+ per night at a rental property.

The Saint-Rémy swap was my favorite: a stone cottage on the edge of town with a garden full of tomatoes and herbs. The owner left a note saying I was welcome to harvest anything ripe. I made ratatouille three times that week.

The Var stay was a modern house near Cotignac with a terrace overlooking vineyards. The owners had left wine from the local cooperative in the fridge.

The Real Cost of Home Swapping in Provence

Accommodation cost for 14 nights: €0

I'm not being cute. That's the actual number. The credits I spent had been earned by hosting—which I would have done anyway because I genuinely enjoy meeting travelers. The only accommodation-related expense was a €45 gift I left for one host (a nice bottle of local rosé and some chocolates) because her home was exceptionally well-stocked.

But the real savings came from having kitchens.

How Kitchen Access Transforms Your Provence Budget

This is where the home swap vs hotel cost comparison gets interesting.

Provence has some of the best markets in France. The Tuesday market in Vaison-la-Romaine. The Saturday market in Apt. The daily market in Aix. These aren't tourist traps—they're where locals buy their weekly groceries, and the prices reflect that.

During my home swap trip, my food spending looked radically different:

• Market groceries (vegetables, cheese, bread, meat, wine): €287 for two weeks
• Restaurant lunches (I still ate out 4-5 times): €98
• Restaurant dinners (treated myself twice): €112
• Coffee and snacks: €67

Food total: €564 ($617 USD)

That's less than half what I spent on the hotel trip. And honestly? I ate better. A breakfast of fresh bread from the village boulangerie, local goat cheese, and market strawberries beats a hotel buffet every single time.

Overhead shot of a rustic wooden table covered with Provenal market findspurple figs, golden tomatoe

The Intangible Savings That Don't Show Up in Spreadsheets

Here's something I didn't expect: having a home base changed how I traveled.

During the hotel stay, I felt pressure to maximize every moment outside the room. I'd paid for the room whether I used it or not, so sitting on a hotel bed reading felt wasteful. I was constantly moving, constantly spending, constantly tired.

With home swaps, I'd spend mornings slowly. Coffee on the terrace. A chapter of my book. Maybe a load of laundry. I'd head out around 10 or 11, explore until late afternoon, then come back to make dinner and watch the sunset from someone's garden.

I visited fewer "attractions" and had more actual experiences. I spent an entire afternoon at a single vineyard because I didn't feel rushed. I had a three-hour conversation with a neighbor who brought over tomatoes from her garden. I took a nap when I was tired instead of pushing through.

The Complete Home Swap vs Hotel Provence Cost Breakdown

Let me put the numbers side by side.

Hotel Trip (14 nights):

• Accommodation: €3,107
• Food: €1,244
• Extras (laundry, water, tips): €101
• Total: €4,452 ($4,870 USD)

Home Swap Trip (14 nights):

• Accommodation: €0
• Host gifts: €45
• Food: €564
• Extras: €23
• Total: €632 ($691 USD)

Savings: €3,820 ($4,179 USD)

That's an 86% reduction in trip costs. Not a typo. Eighty-six percent.

Split-screen comparison showing the same woman from behind looking at a viewleft side from a small h

What You Need to Know Before Home Swapping in Provence

I'd be doing you a disservice if I made this sound effortless. Home swapping requires more planning than booking a hotel. Here's what I learned:

Start Planning 3-4 Months Ahead

Provence is popular. Really popular. The best home swap listings get snapped up early, especially for peak lavender season (mid-June to mid-July). I started reaching out to potential hosts in March for my June trip.

SwappaHome's messaging system made this easier than I expected—I could filter by location and dates, then send personalized requests explaining my itinerary and why their home appealed to me. About 60% of hosts responded, and maybe half of those worked out timing-wise.

Flexibility Is Your Secret Weapon

I mentioned staying in Bonnieux instead of Gordes. That wasn't my first choice, but it ended up being better. The farmhouse had more space, more character, and that pool situation I'm still not over.

If you're rigid about specific villages, you'll struggle. If you're open to "the Luberon region" rather than "only Gordes," you'll find incredible options.

Communication Matters More Than Amenities

The best swaps I've done weren't necessarily the fanciest homes—they were with hosts who communicated clearly, left helpful notes, and made me feel genuinely welcome.

Before confirming any swap, I always have a video call or at least a detailed message exchange. I want to know: What's the parking situation? Are there any quirks with the house? What's the WiFi actually like? Which local restaurants do they love?

Have a Backup Plan

One of my Provence swaps fell through two weeks before departure—the host had a family emergency. I scrambled and found another listing nearby, but it was stressful. Now I always identify backup options before I leave, just in case.

Is Home Swapping in Provence Right for You?

I'll be honest: it's not for everyone.

If you want turndown service, daily housekeeping, and someone to call when the WiFi glitches, hotels exist for good reasons. If you're traveling for a special occasion and want to be pampered, home swapping might not deliver that energy.

But if you want to live somewhere rather than visit it? If you want to shop at markets and cook with local ingredients? If you want to sit in someone's garden and feel, for a moment, like you actually belong there?

Home swapping in Provence offers something hotels simply can't: the experience of being a temporary local rather than a permanent tourist.

The €3,800 I saved on that trip? I used it to extend my travels by another three weeks. I went to the Basque Country, then up to Brittany, then to Normandy. All home swaps, all essentially free beyond food and transport.

That's the real cost comparison that matters. It's not just about spending less—it's about what that savings makes possible.

How to Start Your First Provence Home Swap

So you're convinced—or at least curious. Here's my practical advice for getting started.

First, get your own home listed. Even if you live in a place you think nobody would want to visit, you'd be surprised. French travelers are obsessed with American suburbs. Germans love English countryside cottages. Someone wants to see your neighborhood.

On SwappaHome, new members start with 10 free credits, which gives you enough for a solid week somewhere while you build up more through hosting. The verification process adds credibility to your profile, and I'd recommend completing it before reaching out to Provence hosts—they're more likely to accept verified members.

Then, start browsing. Look at the Luberon, the Alpilles, the Var, the Vaucluse. Read the listings carefully—not just the photos but the descriptions. The hosts who write detailed, personality-filled listings tend to be the best communicators.

Send thoughtful requests. Mention specific things about their home that appeal to you. Explain your travel style. Ask questions. Treat it like the beginning of a friendship, because in a way, it is.

And then—this is the part I love most—start planning what you'll do with all the money you're not spending on hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is home swapping in Provence safe for first-time exchangers?

Home swapping in Provence is generally very safe, especially through platforms with verification and review systems. I'd recommend starting with hosts who have multiple positive reviews, completing your own verification, and having a video call before confirming. Most home swap hosts are experienced travelers themselves who treat your space with the same respect they'd want for their own. Consider getting travel insurance that covers personal belongings for extra peace of mind.

How much can I really save with home swap vs hotel in Provence?

Based on my detailed tracking, home swapping in Provence saved me approximately €3,800 ($4,179 USD) over 14 nights compared to mid-range hotels. That's roughly 86% savings. Even accounting for food costs, which dropped by over 50% thanks to kitchen access, the total trip cost was under €650 versus nearly €4,500 for the hotel version. Your exact savings depend on travel dates and hotel choices, but expect to save at least 70-80%.

When should I book a home swap in Provence for lavender season?

Start planning your Provence home swap 3-4 months before your desired dates, especially for lavender season (mid-June through mid-July). The most desirable listings—properties with pools, village locations, or stunning views—get requested early. I began reaching out in March for a late June trip and had good options, though some first-choice properties were already committed.

Do I need to speak French for home swapping in Provence?

While French language skills help, they're not essential for home swapping in Provence. Most hosts on international platforms communicate in English, and detailed house guides are typically provided in both languages. I speak basic French and found that hosts appreciated even small efforts. Translation apps handle any gaps. The bigger communication challenge is cultural—French hosts appreciate formal, polite initial messages rather than casual American-style requests.

What if something goes wrong during a Provence home swap?

Home swap issues are rare but possible. If something breaks or goes wrong, communicate immediately with your host—most problems have simple solutions. For your own protection, document the home's condition when you arrive, keep receipts for any emergency purchases, and consider travel insurance that covers accommodation issues. SwappaHome's review system encourages accountability, and hosts with good reputations want to maintain them. In my 40+ swaps, I've had exactly two minor issues, both resolved with a quick message.