Where to stay outside of Venice

Not ideal but doable.
You could stay at Venezia Mestre (directly on the mainland across the bridge) and commute by train.
Another option is to stay in Padua, which is however farther.

Be aware that on certain (high tourist inflow) days of the year the City of Venice imposes at 5 euro fee per day to day trippers.
If you can, see if you can find something more affordable by lowering your expectations in terms of hotel amenities. Maybe you can do without a 4 star hotel and stay in a 3 star or 2 star hotel. You won't spend a lot of time in the hotel, so as long as you have a clean bed and a bathroom, you will survive. A/C is generally not necessary in October, especially in the latter month of the month.

There are also areas within the historical center where hotels are a bit cheaper. For example the Sestiere (district) of San Marco is very expensive, but the Sestieri of Castello or San Polo are less so.

It would help if you could share what you consider reasonable. The magic of Venice is the mornings and evenings, the quiet times, without the crowds. Staying in Venice is wonderful. It's nice to return to the lodging midday, put your feet up for awhile, then venture back out. Hopefully this Forum can help you. Good luck!

You might consider staying in accommodations run by a religious order if you want more reasonable prices. I haven't used the organization in the link below, but they have a few choices in some good locations in central Venice which are reasonably priced and seem to be highly rated. The website states that they welcome anyone including families, so it sounds like they would welcome married couples. https://www.monasterystays.com/?utm_source=article&utm_medium=MS&utm_campaign=Venice

Always ask the Man in Seat 61, he knows all:

"Some people try to save money by staying on the mainland at Mestre, where hotels are naturally cheaper. It's an option, but don't do that if you can help it. You want to be a resident in Venice, not a serial day-tripper, so it's worth trying to find an affordable place in Venice itself. Given that the station is walking distance from everywhere in central Venice including San Marco, a hotel near the station where you can easily walk with your bags makes quite a lot of sense (if you have the financial backing for a water taxi, then fine, stay near San Marco or wherever you like!).

Relatively inexpensive places with good reviews near Santa Lucia station include Albergo Marin, Hotel Marte, La Loggia della Luna, Albergo ai Tolentini.

An excellent upmarket choice just 5 minutes walk from the station is the small and intimate Hotel Canal Grande - I've stayed there myself. You could also try the Abazzia De Luxe.

For the least expensive places in central Venice check www.hostelworld.com. Use the map view to see places in Venice itself.

If you do decide to stay in Mestre to save money, travelling in & out of Venice by train every day, try the Hotel Cris which has great reviews 200m from Venezia Mestre station, or the Best Western Plus Hotel Bologna."

If money is tight, I would advise to stay four nights in central Venice on the islands rather than five nights outside of Venice. You want to be in the midst of the beauty & atmosphere instead of wasting your time going back & forth on the ferries (which are not inexpensive).

On my first visit to Venice, I stayed in Mestre. I learned my lesson. On my subsequent visits, I stayed in Venice proper.

Venice changes when the daytrippers and cruise passengers leave. The locals come out and the vibe changes. You get to see the real Venice.

In Mestre, you get to see an industrial town.

Also read what Imboden has to say: https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/venice-warning.htm

Thank you all so much for all the helpful info! Biting the bullet and staying in Venice. I truly appreciate the kind comments and your help in making this decision!

hey hey suzannebrown325
so happy you guys staying in venice, you won't regret it. it's fabulous and magical
while daytrippers around take a train out to smaller towns, boat ride on the brenta river. need help with things to do ask.
places are so expensive nowdays everywhere, just to save stay outside cities because of "budget", look within your means without extra amenities (1* to 5* means amenities and "fancier" not the hotel itself, or more to be on canal which can be really noisey with all the boast on this "main hiway" plus add the costs of trains back & forth from outside city.
did you find a place? we've stayed in canareggio, san polo, across train station and enjoyed all. look at booking.com check your filters, rate, where, nice to have a kitchenette, in suite shower (not down the hallway), elevator/lift if mobility issues, what floor with stairs/steps to carry luggage (pack light), cancellation policies.
if you find something, come back and ask posters here for good/bad/ugly.
aloha

By all means stay in Venice proper, it’s a magical place! Like nothing else on earth. Plus, train tickets daily and the visitor tax need to be added to Mestre hotel cost. A budget lodging in Venice could compare favorably to the Mestre hotel with those items added on. To save money, may I suggest a stay at Hotel Dalla Mora? Not knowing your budget of course, but I stayed at the hotel on my first visit, and it was very good. Old, yes, creaky, yes, but also very clean and reasonable for price. I picked random dates in October and saw double rooms with private bath for about $110 E per night. The hotel is quiet, on a CANAL (We had a view room) and has a terrace for guests that is fabulous for enjoying a bottle of wine after a day of site seeing. They offer breakfast, not sure if that’s included in the price. It’s about a ten minute walk from piazzale Roma as I recall. If interested I would suggest booking off their official site for best availability

Thank you, thank you ALL. I wholeheartedly agree. We aren't staying that long and we don't want to spend precious time back and forth to the suburbs. We reserved the Centauro Hotel, Campo Manin 4297/a, San Marco, We booked a room with a small terrace. Booking.com has a 10% discount if you join their Genius program. So, being a genius, ok course I will! I'm so glad for this suggestion. There are times to be frugal. Venice isn't one.

Many times one receives a discount when booking directly with the hotel. So do your research on booking.com, but use the hotels websites and contact them directly. Good luck!

Save on lodging costs by staying near the main rail station in Venice. Lots of BNBs and small hotels.

We stayed once in Mestre and I don't recommend it. We wasted a lot of time going to Venice proper.