But the thousands of golf enthusiasts here for the British Open this week are finding that St. Andrews, population 18,000, is a small town after all.

With 260,000 to 280,000 visitors expected to descend on the town for the 150th Open that starts Thursday, the three main streets and surrounding estates are struggling to accommodate everyone. As hotels and bed and breakfasts declare no more vacancies, the remaining options fall to vacation apartment rentals from real estate agencies, Web sites and homemade signs in windows.

Every year, 6,000 to 8,000 students clear out after classes end in May and vacationers arrive to fill the seaside town's accommodations. With an increasing number of visitors, the locals reap the added seasonal revenue. But the years when the Open is played here are the most lucrative.

Yvonne Moffat, the owner of a bed and breakfast near the famous Old Course, Six Murray Park, said bookings were already filled for this year's Open only days after the 2009 Open in Turnberry had finished. Like many bed and breakfasts in the area, she has imposed a minimum seven-day stay, with an overall price of £1,200, or $1,800, for bed, breakfast and a light dinner. The ordinary rate is £70 for one night in a double room.

On North Street, one of the town's three main streets, a hotel that advertises itself as a boutique hotel is among the many establishments that more than doubled their rates during the Open. For seven days, including breakfast, the rate ranges from £2,500 to £3,000.

For many hotels, the added revenue during the Open makes up for the three weeks before it starts, when the golf courses are closed to the public for maintenance and preparation. During that time, revenue can drop 20 percent to 30 percent, owners say.

Those hoping to find a cheaper option by renting private apartments rather than a hotel room are out of luck, though.

Pagan Osbourne, the official rental agency to the Open in St. Andrews for 25 years, estimated that the average price for a property rented out during the week of the Open is £4,500. The highest price for a one-week rental stands at £20,000.

"We market the properties at rates we know are in line with market conditions," said Matthew Gray, property sales director at Pagan Osborne.

The pain from the high prices has been lessened recently for foreigners visiting the town. While the prices remain high by British standards, foreign visitors are buoyed by a weakening British pound.

During last year's Open in Turnberry, a pound was worth $1.65, but this year it has fallen to about $1.50, a drop of about 10 percent. For a £2,000 accommodation bill, that means an American golf tourist can save about $300 compared to last year.

But, after paying for airline fares, a car rental and tickets to the event itself, "What's a few more dollars for lodging?" said Lex Page, an American golf enthusiast from Oregon who attended the last Open at St. Andrews, in 2005.

The overwhelming demand for accommodation during the Open means that bills often reach four or five figures, although that price does not always bring five-star accommodations. Luxury, comfort and style are not guaranteed, as many of the golf rentals are the same apartments in which students of the University of St. Andrews stay. Houses with dated kitchens and party-stained carpets can still garner high prices.

What counts to many tourists is the proximity to the golf courses. One two-bedroom apartment that is a five-minute walk from the one of the courses was rented for £1,700 for the duration of the Open, about double what it would cost students during the rest of the year.

"The bargain pricing of the house is due to the fact that for most of the year it is let out to university students and as a result is not furnished to luxury standards," said one advertisement for housing on Standrewsopen.com.

Some tourists have booked accommodation within the town's basic university residence halls in the town center. At £700 for the Open, it is one of the cheapest options, but is definitely without luxuries: The ratio of bathrooms to bedrooms in some halls is approximately one to six.

But in a town where the average home price is 8.63 times the local salary and houses sell on average for £431,585 — compared to the national average of £147,854 — many home owners are happy to rent their property for one week during the Open. One local resident said she would be able to rent out her home, take a vacation during the week, and come back having made a profit.