How much does an Airbnb make per month?

Short answer

A whole-home short-term rental grosses $2,000–$6,000 a month in an average US market and $6,000–$15,000 in high-demand destinations. Hosts typically keep 45–65% after cleaning, platform fees, supplies, utilities and mortgage costs.

Whole-home short-term rental monthly economics

Market	Monthly gross	Owner net
Suburban, 2-bed	$1,800–$3,500	$800–$1,700
Urban, 2-bed	$3,000–$6,500	$1,300–$3,000
Beach / mountain seasonal	$4,000–$14,000	Concentrated in season
Large group home (6+ beds)	$6,000–$18,000	$2,500–$8,000
Same property long-term let	$1,400–$3,200	Far lower effort

How to read this table

Large group home (6+ beds) sits at the top of the table ($6,000–$18,000) — $2,500–$8,000. If your situation looks like this row, plan against the upper half of the range rather than the midpoint.
Same property long-term let anchors the bottom ($1,400–$3,200) — far lower effort. Treat this as the conservative case you should still be profitable at.
The gap between the top and bottom row is roughly 13×. That spread is why a single blended average is close to useless here — pick the row that matches your setup instead of averaging the column.
Most rows are ranges, not single figures. The low end usually reflects a weaker month, a softer audience geography, or an unoptimised setup; the high end reflects a well-run, well-targeted operation of the same size.
With 5 reference points in the "whole-home short-term rental monthly economics" table, the fastest way to use this page is to find the closest row, take its monthly gross, then stress-test it ±30% before you build a plan on it.

Context

Short-term rental income is seasonal and the annual average hides it: a mountain cabin can earn 60% of its year in twelve weeks, so a monthly figure from peak season badly misleads. Compare against the long-term rent the same property would command — the STR premium is often 40–90% gross, but it can vanish once cleaning, dynamic-pricing tools, higher utilities and management fees are counted. Regulation is the other live variable, with more cities adding registration caps and night limits each year.

What moves this number

Financing terms

Rate, down payment and amortisation drive cash-on-cash return more than purchase price does. The same building can cash-flow or bleed depending on the loan.

True operating expense ratio

Management, insurance, tax, maintenance, vacancy and capital reserve typically consume 35–50% of gross rent. Models that skip reserves overstate returns badly.

Vacancy and turnover

One 45-day vacancy plus a turn can erase a year of thin cash flow. Underwrite 5–8% vacancy even in tight markets.

Local regulation

Rent rules, short-term rental caps and licensing requirements change the achievable revenue of an identical property between neighbouring cities.

Methodology

Average daily rate multiplied by market occupancy, netted for cleaning cost per stay, host platform fee, consumables, utilities and optional management commission.

Assumptions and caveats

Returns exclude appreciation and principal paydown unless a row states otherwise.
Local tax, insurance and regulation can move these figures by several points in either direction.
This page was last reviewed on 2026-08-12. Ranges are updated as new data lands, so re-check before using them in a contract or a plan.
Use these numbers as a starting range, not a guarantee — your own historical data always beats a benchmark.

Frequently asked questions