Lodging is the most expensive part of Coachella. As I was coming from New York, I didn't want to deal with buying or bringing camping gear, so car camping was not an option — and because I was booking so last minute, the pickings on Airbnb were expensive and very slim. I decided to look at hotel options. Even budget hotels like Holiday Inn Express or Motel 6 were charging $350 or more a night.
After searching Hotel Tonight and other last-minute deals sites for a week, I found a room at a boutique hotel called the Hideaway Hotel in Palm Springs for $379 a night. I booked it for three nights. The hotel costs closer to $200 per night if you book a stay outside of Coachella weekend.
A friend in Burbank agreed to let me crash in her home office for the nights before and after Coachella, saving me more than a few bucks there.