Best hostels in Los Angeles

Los Angeles sprawls across dozens of neighborhoods connected by freeways more than footpaths, and that geography makes where you sleep the first real decision of any budget trip. The hostel and budget inventory clusters in three distinct pockets: Hollywood, where the Metro B Line and dense sidewalk life give backpackers rare car-free access to nightlife and landmarks; the LAX corridor through Inglewood, where proximity to the terminals matters more than the address; and the broader Los Angeles basin, where homestays and independent guesthouses fill residential blocks far from any tourist strip. Each pocket attracts a different traveler — the social-hostel crowd, the layover pragmatist, the long-stay visitor — and price tiers stay firmly budget across all three. There is no luxury anchor in this hostel-focused set, so the choice is really about location discipline: book near the thing you came to do, because a crosstown Uber at rush hour can cost more than the room.

1. 1

   Hollywood

   Hollywood Boulevard corridor, central Los Angeles

   Car-free hostel base on the Metro B Line with late-night sidewalk life along Sunset.

   At $41 a night, Samesun Hollywood holds an 8.9 on the grid between Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset, where the Metro B Line station at Hollywood/Highland puts downtown within reach without a car. Skip the overpriced celebrity-tour kiosks lining the boulevard and use the station instead. The dorm beds draw a social backpacker crowd that keeps the common areas loud past midnight, and the late-night taco trucks along Sunset are where the locals head after the tourist-facing bars close. Hollywood east of Vine turns residential fast; the hostel sits in the walkable commercial core where the noise and the transit access concentrate. Stay here if you want a social floor and a Metro ride over quiet sleep.

   1. Budget

      Samesun Hollywood

      This was my second time staying in the dormitory here! The location is excellent, with both the subway and bus stops within a 5-minute walk. I stayed in a female-only quad room. The room has bunk beds

      8.9 rating ~$41/night
      Check rates
2. 2

   LAX International Airport, Inglewood

   Century Boulevard corridor near LAX, Inglewood

   No-frills layover beds nearest the LAX terminals.

   The stretch of Century Boulevard east of LAX hums with shuttle traffic and chain signs, and that is exactly the point — this corridor exists for the traveler who needs a bed near a terminal, not a neighborhood to explore. Motel 6 Los Angeles - LAX holds a 7.5 at $80 a night, clean and no-frills, which is all this address needs to be. Don't bother with the pricier airport hotels when the room is a layover between flights. Inglewood proper, south toward SoFi Stadium, has more sidewalk life and food options, but the walk from the motel strip is not practical without a car. Book here for the red-eye connection; book anywhere else for the trip itself.

   1. Budget

      Motel 6 Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles - LAX

      No slippers or hairdryer, so keep that in mind. The deposit was $75 and it was returned quite quickly, within two or three days. Check-in was very simple; basic English is sufficient. The room was qui

      7.5 rating ~$80/night
      Check rates
3. 3

   Los Angeles

   Greater Los Angeles residential neighborhoods

   Residential homestays at budget rates across LA's sprawl.

   At about $70 a night, LA Homestay holds an 8.5 in the residential spread beyond the tourist corridors, and that spread is the trade-off budget travelers accept for the rate. The broader Los Angeles area collects homestays and independent guesthouses in neighborhoods without a concentrated hotel strip — residential blocks where the sidewalk is quiet and the nearest landmark is a grocery store. Skip the generic chain motels along the freeway exits; a homestay at this price tier trades lobby polish for a kitchen and a host who actually knows the block. The address will not be walkable to Hollywood or the beach, and that is the honest reality of budget accommodation in a city built around freeways. Stay here for the longer visit where a car and a home base matter more than a central address.

   1. Budget

      LA Homestay

      The environment and facilities can't compare to a typical hotel, but I still feel very lucky to have found this place. I booked another hotel in Los Angeles for a long weekend (not through **********

      8.5 rating ~$70/night
      Check rates

This is an early version of the Los Angeles list. We add picks as we test more places.