Have you searched for corporate housing or corporate apartments?
they might still charge nightly rates, but in smaller cities (at least in the US) they are likely to be less than $120/might for a fully furnished apartment.
i suppose you could try VRBO in the US as well; you might be able to get a good deal if you go someplace off-season.
another possibility - although this might require more work than you want to put into it - is to see if you can find a college or university professor who is going on a short (less than 6 month) research or writing sabbatical - maybe for a single semester - who is looking for a tenant during that time.
or maybe there's even some kind of long-ish-term housesitting service you could sign up with.
Last edited by Kamalaasaa; Jun 25, 2017 at 11:17 pm
Reason: Add college idea