What "cheap" really costs in Las Vegas
The headline rate is only the start. A cheap Las Vegas room has four cost lines: the nightly rate, the daily resort fee (typically $25 to $45 plus tax at budget resorts, sometimes zero off-Strip), parking ($15 to $25 a night at most Strip resorts, free at many others) and the hidden cost of location, meaning the rideshares you take because you are far from what you came for. A $45 room at a budget Strip resort with a $40 fee, tax and parking is around $110 a night. A $75 room off-Strip with no fee and free parking is $85.
So this guide, and its three area pages, rank by the all-in figure and by whether the room is somewhere you would actually want to sleep. As a rule, cheap Strip rooms are best midweek, cheap Downtown rooms are good value all week, and cheap off-Strip rooms are cheapest of all but cost you time. Our resort fees explainer covers the fee mechanics, and Las Vegas on a budget covers the rest of the trip.
Cheap on the Strip
Yes, you can stay on the Boulevard for under $60 a night before fees on many midweek dates. The candidates are the older or smaller resorts: Excalibur, Luxor, Circus Circus, the Strat, Sahara, the Flamingo, Harrah's, the LINQ Hotel, Horseshoe (the former Bally's) and Treasure Island. Several have been renovated in the last few years and are perfectly good; a few still have unrenovated towers you want to avoid. Resort fees at these properties are lower than at the luxury end but still meaningful.
Best for: people who want to be able to walk to the Strip from their room and will take a smaller, plainer room to do it. Full details, tower by tower, in cheap hotels on the Strip.
Cheap Downtown
Downtown is the natural home of the bargain. Four Queens, El Cortez, the Fremont, the Plaza, Golden Gate, The D, Downtown Grand and Golden Nugget cover a range from under $40 midweek to $150-plus at weekends, resort fees run lower than the Strip and everything is walkable under the Fremont Street canopy. Drinks and food are cheaper too. El Cortez and Four Queens charge among the lowest fees in town; Golden Nugget is the most polished; Circa is the modern splurge.
Best for: repeat visitors, groups who want bars and casinos within a block, anyone whose Strip plans are one or two outings. Details in cheap Downtown hotels.
Cheap off-Strip
A mile or more from the Boulevard, the locals' casinos and the chain hotels take over. The Orleans, Gold Coast, Palace Station, Silverton, South Point, Ellis Island, Tuscany Suites and a long list of Hampton Inns, Hiltons and extended-stay properties offer clean rooms at $50 to $120, mostly with free parking and low or no resort fees. Some run free shuttles to the Strip; all are a $10 to $20 rideshare from it.
Best for: drivers, families, people in town for something other than the Strip, and anyone who values a quiet, well-priced room over glamour. Details in cheap off-Strip hotels.
When cheap rooms are cheapest
The lowest rates of the year cluster in three windows: the weeks after New Year through early February (excluding CES week), the second half of summer when daytime highs exceed 105°F, and the stretch between Thanksgiving and mid-December. Sunday to Thursday nights inside those windows are when budget Strip resorts drop to the $30s and $40s. Conversely, avoid big convention weeks, major fights, Formula 1 in November, New Year's Eve and March Madness weekends, when even Circus Circus can cost three figures.
Two-night midweek stays are often the easiest to book cheaply; single Saturdays are the hardest. See best time to visit for the full calendar.
The traps to avoid
- Non-refundable third-party rates $10 cheaper than direct. The saving evaporates if anything changes, and loyalty perks often will not apply.
- Unrenovated towers sold as the "same hotel". Ask which tower and search for recent photos of that specific room type.
- Motels on the Boulevard far south or north of the casinos. Some are fine; some are not. Read recent reviews carefully and prefer casino hotels or recognised chains.
- "Free" rooms from a booking engine promo that require a timeshare presentation. Only worth it if you enjoy two hours of sales pitch.
- Forgetting the deposit. Most hotels hold $50 to $150 a night on your card for incidentals; use a credit card, not a debit card.
How to make a cheap hotel feel less cheap
Join the loyalty program before you arrive; even at the bottom tier, members' rates and the occasional free upgrade are common. Ask at check-in for a high floor and a renovated room. Buy a case of water and some breakfast at the nearest supermarket or drugstore (there is a large one within walking distance of almost every part of the Strip) rather than the hotel shop. Use the free trams and the Deuce bus to cover distance instead of paying for rides; the transportation hub explains the routes. And spend the money you saved on one great dinner from the dining hub; that is what the room was for.