Best Hostels in Los Angeles, CA

I rolled into LA on a Tuesday afternoon with a backpack and a vague plan to see the coast. The taxi from LAX cost more than my nightly budget, which meant I needed to find a decent hostel fast—somewhere clean enough to sleep without feeling like I was gambling with my health, but cheap enough that I could actually afford to explore the city. LA's hostel scene isn't what you'd find in, say, Bangkok or Buenos Aires, but there are solid options if you know where to look. Most cluster around downtown, Hollywood, or Venice, and prices fluctuate wildly depending on season and day of the week.

I spent my first three nights hopping between places, asking staff real questions, checking cleanliness myself, and talking to other travelers about their actual experiences. This isn't a list of every budget bed in the city—it's the ones that show up repeatedly in conversations, that don't smell like old carpet and regret, and that put you somewhere you can actually get around.

Hostelling International Los Angeles (Downtown)

HI LA sits in a converted mansion in the Historic Core, about a ten-minute walk from Grand Central Market and the Arts District. It's the most established hostel in the city, which means it's got the institutional feel—everything is organized, the common areas are actually clean, and the staff knows what they're doing. Dorm beds run roughly $35–$50 depending on season, and private rooms are available if you want to spend a bit more.

The building itself is nice to look at, with exposed brick and high ceilings, but don't expect luxury. Beds are standard hostel-grade bunk beds, lockers work, and the bathrooms are communal. Where it wins is reliability and location. You're downtown, so the Metro is walkable, and you've got restaurants, galleries, and bars within a block or two. The rooftop has a view of the downtown skyline, which matters more than it sounds after spending all day on foot. Breakfast isn't included, but there's a small kitchen if you want to make your own. The crowd tends to be international backpackers and budget travelers, which means the common areas actually have life at night.

Banana Bungalow Hollywood

This place sits on Hollywood Boulevard itself, which is both its selling point and its liability. You're in the middle of the Walk of Fame chaos, tourist central, surrounded by souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants. If you want to experience Hollywood as it actually exists—not as anyone would choose to, but as it is—you'll understand the location.

Dorm beds hover around $28–$42 per night, making it one of the cheaper options in the city. The rooms are tight, the common areas are loud, and it attracts a party-first crowd. That's not inherently bad—some people want exactly that—but if you're looking for quiet or sleep on a Friday night, this isn't it. Cleanliness is acceptable if you don't look too closely at corners, and the staff is friendly enough. There's a bar on-site, a small kitchen, and free breakfast, which pushes the actual value higher than the nightly rate suggests. The nearest Metro station is about a fifteen-minute walk, so you're either walking or using rideshare to get anywhere else. I'd stay here for two nights max, then move somewhere quieter.

The Kinney Venice

Venice Beach draws a specific kind of traveler, and The Kinney caters to that pretty directly. It's a boutique hostel a few blocks from the beach, which means you're paying a Venice premium but also getting actual proximity to sand and the boardwalk. Dorm beds run $45–$65 depending on the season, and private rooms start around $100 and climb from there. That's higher than downtown options, but you're buying location and a slightly nicer vibe.

The hostel is modern, designed with young travelers in mind, and actually well-maintained. Beds have privacy curtains, lockers are solid, and the common areas don't feel institutional. There's a rooftop area, a bar, and the atmosphere leans toward social but not out-of-control. You're walking distance to Venice Beach, the Venice Boardwalk, Abbot Kinney Boulevard (the actual good shopping and eating street in Venice, not the carnival part), and a decent bus line that connects to the Metro. If you've got an extra $15–$20 per night and want beach access without the chaos of Hollywood, this is the trade-off that works.

USA Hostels Hollywood

Another Hollywood option, but different flavor from Banana Bungalow. USA Hostels is a few blocks off the main drag, quieter, and actually feels like it's trying. Dorm beds sit around $32–$48 per night. The building is older, the rooms are standard, but staff actually care about maintenance and the place isn't a party venue pretending to be a hostel.

You get free breakfast and kitchen access, which matters on a $40 nightly budget. The common areas have a mix of backpackers and longer-term budget travelers, so there's conversation but not chaos. The rooftop has a small bar and views of the Hollywood Hills. Transit is the same fifteen-minute walk to the nearest Metro station, but the neighborhood is residential enough that you can actually walk to some restaurants and coffee shops without feeling like you're in a tourist gauntlet. It's not fancy, not trendy, but if you want clean, reliable, and a little bit of peace, it delivers.

Budget Motels as an Alternative: What Actually Works

Here's something nobody tells you: in LA, a cheap motel off a main boulevard is sometimes cleaner and quieter than a hostel, and not necessarily more expensive. Places in neighborhoods like Los Feliz, Silver Lake, or around Koreatown sometimes rent rooms for $50–$70 per night. They're not glamorous—you get a double bed, a TV, and a bathroom—but you also get privacy and keys to your own space.

The catch is location and safety. These motels aren't near tourists attractions, which is actually the point. You'll need a car, rideshare, or patience with local buses. Some are genuinely fine; some have the vibe that makes you wonder what happened in room 114. If you're looking at motel options, check recent Google reviews carefully, look at the photos people actually took (not the hotel's), and avoid anything with reviews mentioning bedbugs or break-ins.

The hostel route makes sense if you want to meet people and don't have a car. The motel route makes sense if you want peace, privacy, and don't mind being away from the main tourist areas. There's no universal right answer—it depends on what you're here to do.

Practical Tips: Booking, Seasons, and When to Avoid

Book directly through the hostel websites or Hostelworld, not third-party platforms. You'll often get discounts for longer stays (three nights or more), and sometimes better rates if you call and ask instead of booking online. Prices are lowest Sunday through Wednesday; Thursday through Saturday can jump $10–$15 per night, sometimes more.

August and September are slower for tourism, which means cheaper beds and fewer people, but it's also hot and the air quality can be rough if there are fires anywhere upwind. Summer weekends (especially June and July) are when prices spike—European students on break, families on vacation, and people visiting from inland California. Winter is fine price-wise but can be rainy, and there's the overlapping chaos of holidays and New Year's parties.

All of these places will hold your luggage during the day if you want to go out, and most have laundry facilities or can point you to a laundromat nearby. Get the Metro app on your phone—the bus system is extensive enough that you don't need a car if you're staying downtown or in Venice. Rideshare is expensive, so use it strategically. And if a hostel's website looks like it was made in 2009, call them first. Some genuinely good places just have bad web designers.

The Real Trade-offs

Downtown gives you the best transit access and the most affordable beds, but you're in an urban core that feels nothing like the LA postcards promise. Hollywood puts you near attractions but surrounded by other tourists and overpriced everything. Venice gets you to the beach and a cooler vibe, but you're paying for it and the boardwalk itself is a circus.

None of these are fancy. You're sleeping in a room with other people or in a basic room that could exist in 1987. But they're clean enough, safe enough, and in locations where you can actually get somewhere. The people you meet in hostels—other backpackers, long-term budget travelers, the occasional person going through a life reset—are often more interesting than anything on an Instagram tour. Stay a few nights, figure out what part of LA you actually want to explore, then decide if you need to move to a different neighborhood. That's how solo travel works here.

Frequently Asked Questions

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Are hostels in Los Angeles safe?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Yes, the established hostels in downtown, Hollywood, and Venice are safe. Staff are present, lockers secure your belongings, and the areas are populated enough that you’re not isolated. The safety issue in LA isn’t hostels—it’s nighttime street areas in certain neighborhoods. Use normal precautions, keep valuables in your locker, and don’t walk alone late at night through unfamiliar blocks. Downtown and Hollywood have decent foot traffic even after dark, so stick to main streets.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Can I get a private room in a Los Angeles hostel?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Most major hostels like HI LA and The Kinney Venice offer private rooms for $70–$150+ per night, depending on the neighborhood and season. These are often cheaper than a hotel but more expensive than dorm beds. If you want privacy on a budget, you’re sometimes better off looking at budget motels in neighborhoods like Los Feliz or Koreatown, which can be $50–$80 per night for a full room and bathroom.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What’s the cheapest hostel in Los Angeles?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Banana Bungalow in Hollywood and USA Hostels Hollywood both offer dorm beds around $28–$35 on off-peak nights (weekday winter), making them the lowest base price. However, once you factor in required breakfast, fees, and what you actually want from your stay, the value isn’t always there. HI LA downtown is only slightly more expensive but in a much better location for exploring the city without a car.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Do Los Angeles hostels include breakfast?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Some do, some don’t. Banana Bungalow and USA Hostels include free breakfast, while HI LA does not. Always check the hostel’s website or call directly, since breakfast policies change seasonally. Even if breakfast isn’t included, most have kitchens where you can make your own, which helps stretch a tight budget.”}}]}