Word Distinction: Living in a Place

Formal words: dwell, reside and inhabit

* When talking about the place where people live, dwell and reside are used like live:
I live in London.
We visited the wise man who dwelt in the mountains.
People resding abroad not subject to tax.

* Inhabit means "to live in" and is usually used in formal descriptions of animal or human populations:
These monkeys inhabit the tropical forests.
Nomadic tribes inhabit the Northern deserts.

* Short periods of time

When talking about short periods of time, stay and not live is used. To stay generally means to remain as a guest or lodger:
Which hotel are you staying at?
I'm staying with friends.

To sojourn is to reside temporarily in a place:
He was sojourning at [a] hotel in Charlotte Street.