Yahoo Finance

DUBLIN, IRELAND--(Marketwired - Dec 29, 2014) - Following up on the first annual Homestay Index, Homestay.com released today the accommodation prices for its top 10 most and least expensive cities for homestays.

The comprehensive Homestay Index has documented the rapid growth of the emerging accommodation market segment. Despite this growth, prices even in the 10 most expensive Homestay cities are lower than hostel prices in many cities, not to mention more expensive options like Airbnb and hotels, as compared based on the recently released Accommodation Price Index.

While vacation rental pricing averages in cities like Boston reached a high of US$274 per room per day, the most expensive Homestay city (Glasgow) comes in at an average of $61, and Rome follows closely behind at $60. The full list is below.

There are a number of reasons for the pricing difference, according to Homestay CEO Alan Clarke, including:

1. Homestays are still a relatively young entrant in the accommodation space, and especially in the leisure travel space, so price pressure is still low.

2. Homestays are more evenly distributed inside and outside of major tourist zones where costs and prices can run dramatically higher.

3. Typical homestay guests are more focused on value for money, rather than the price.

4. The longer-term stays that many homestay visitors make for business and educational travel allow for length-of-stay discounts for homestays that bring the average down.

5. Homestay hosts aren't typically offering their homes as their primary source of income, but as an income supplement, giving them more flexibility in pricing.

6. Homestay.com introduced a new price negotiation feature last month that is seeing increased adoption.

"The sharing economy is allowing both hosts and guests to completely redefine the travel experience, and Homestay.com is one important result," said Clarke. "The homestay market segment is still relatively young, but homestays are not a new idea -- they may indeed be one of the oldest forms of lodging. Homestay.com offers the world's best marketplace for homestays, ideal not just for homeowners with extra space and adventurous travelers, but travelers of all ilk, and even event planners in need of pop-up lodging for major events expected to lead to accommodation demand surges."

Here are the top 10 most and least expensive homestay cities:

The top 10 least expensive homestay cities are: