Suffolk County occupancy tax: 5.5 percent of the rental rate
Suffolk County levies a hotel and motel occupancy tax of 5.5 percent on stays under 30 days, in effect since June 2023, and the county has since stepped up collection on short-term rentals including private houses. On a $120,000 high-summer week the line is $6,600. The tax applies to the accommodation charge, and a compliant managed villa itemizes it; a house let informally that omits it entirely is a registration risk for the owner and a gap to flag. Children and length of stay do not change the rate; a stay of 30 consecutive days or more is treated as a residence and the tax does not apply.
New York sales tax: 8.625 percent, now applied to short stays
This is the line that changed. As of 2025, New York State sales tax, at the 8.625 percent Suffolk County combined rate, applies to short-term rental occupancy of under 30 days, collected by the booking platform or the operator. On the same $120,000 week the sales-tax line is about $10,350. Stacked with the 5.5 percent occupancy tax, the two charges add roughly 14 percent to the accommodation before any other line. Confirm in writing that both are itemized, because a quote that omits the sales tax is understating the all-in by a meaningful margin.
East Hampton rental registry and cleaning: $1,500 to $6,000
Montauk is a hamlet of the Town of East Hampton, which requires a rental registry number for short-term lets, and a compliant house carries one. The end-of-stay cleaning fee runs $1,500 to $6,000 depending on the size of the house and whether the pool, the linens, and the outdoor furniture are included. Some houses add a refundable security deposit of $10,000 to $50,000 and a non-refundable damage waiver. Read the cleaning and deposit terms before signing, because they vary more between Montauk houses than the headline rate does.
Staff: house manager and daytime cook on most editorial-list houses
The standard Montauk luxury house is let with weekly housekeeping and pool and grounds maintenance, and the larger oceanfront houses add a house manager and a daytime cook on request. A live-in house manager runs $1,500 to $3,000 a week, a daytime cook $600 to $1,200 a day. Few Montauk houses come fully staffed in the European villa sense; the team is hired in for the week. Verify the staff bench and hours in writing, because inclusions vary widely here.
Evening chef: $1,200 to $3,000 per service plus food at cost
An independent evening chef runs $1,200 to $3,000 per service plus food at cost for ten, higher over the Fourth of July and the August weekends. Food cost lands at $90 to $200 per person depending on protein, the Montauk fluke, striped bass, and lobster off the local boats, and the wine. The strongest chefs come off the local restaurant benches and book out four to eight weeks ahead for a peak August weekend. A long lunch at one of the beach clubs or the Surf Lodge runs separately.
Transfers: $500 to $900 by road, $1,200 to $3,500 by air
Montauk sits about 120 miles from Manhattan at the far tip of Long Island. A private car runs $500 to $900 each way and three to five hours depending on the Friday Long Island Expressway and Montauk Highway traffic. The faster option is the seaplane or helicopter to East Hampton Airport (JPX), 40 to 50 minutes from Manhattan at $1,200 to $3,500 per seat or charter, then a 25-minute car to Montauk. The Long Island Rail Road runs to Montauk station for groups skipping the road. East Hampton Airport operates under use restrictions and curfews, so confirm the current rules with your operator.
Gratuities: $200 to $500 per staff member per week
Montauk house staff are typically paid through the owner or manager. A cash gratuity on departure of $200 to $500 per staff member per week is the practice at this tier. For a three-staff house on a seven-night stay (house manager, cook, housekeeper), plan for $600 to $1,500 in cash gratuities. The chef is tipped separately at 15 to 20 percent, and the seaplane and car services include the tip in the charter price or add it at booking.