Best Cities for Airbnb Investment 2025

Updated Mar’25
In the past decade, short-term rentals have become a more profitable strategy for most markets worldwide than renting property long term. But not all markets are created equal, so it’s crucial to study the property’s location to ensure it’s optimal for vacation rental investment.
If you plan to buy a short-term rental property in the US to make money from real estate this year, you will want to know where the best cities for Airbnb investment in 2025 are located.
Any effective investment strategy should be based on reliable data to help you make an informed decision, so you need actionable insights from a reliable source.
Mashvisor, a company that helps real estate investors find lucrative investment properties through an online AI analytics platform, has analyzed Airbnb data from the top US markets.
They have selected the best locations for Airbnb investment based on certain criteria using key Airbnb metrics, such as occupancy rate, daily rate, monthly rental income, and cash-on-cash return.
Let’s examine their findings to discover the best places to buy vacation rental property in the US in 2025.
Top 25 Cities by Airbnb Rental Income
Below is a table that provides data about the top 25 vacation rental investment locations in the US based on monthly rental income (as of March 2025).
Table1. Top 25 Cities by Airbnb Income
State | City | County | Median Property Price | Monthly Rental Income | Cash on Cash Return (%) | Daily Rate ($) | Occupancy Rate (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HI | Kapolei | Honolulu | 1 357 784 | 12 590 | 6.71 | 632 | 56 |
CA | Napa | Napa | 3 024 967 | 11 531 | 3.68 | 493 | 70 |
CA | Sunset Beach | Orange | 3 653 000 | 10 983 | 1.54 | 319 | 70 |
CA | Villa Park | Orange | 2 969 600 | 10 713 | 2.07 | 230 | 84 |
CA | West Hills | Los Angeles | 1 159 479 | 10 088 | 5.93 | 305 | 80 |
FL | Key West | Monroe | 2 072 283 | 9 869 | 3.72 | 512 | 58 |
CA | Valley Village | Los Angeles | 1 922 990 | 9 800 | 4.56 | 343 | 82 |
HI | KOLOA | Kauai | 2 789 593 | 9 724 | 3.73 | 431 | 66 |
CA | Topanga | Los Angeles | 2 114 571 | 9 647 | 3.15 | 305 | 65 |
CA | Westlake Village | Ventura | 1 861 665 | 9 363 | 3.65 | 316 | 78 |
CA | Woodland Hills | Los Angeles | 1 221 986 | 8 837 | 5.09 | 301 | 80 |
CA | Winnetka | Los Angeles | 1 176 575 | 8 780 | 6.27 | 322 | 81 |
FL | St. George Island | Franklin | 2 072 800 | 8 758 | 3.6 | 426 | 61 |
CA | Sonoma | Sonoma | 2 942 500 | 8 719 | 2.71 | 606 | 53 |
CA | Windsor Hills | Los Angeles | 1 646 244 | 8 438 | 2.97 | 232 | 81 |
CA | Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | 2 049 741 | 8 398 | 2.89 | 399 | 63 |
CA | San Rafael | Marin | 1 653 632 | 8 334 | 3.31 | 213 | 69 |
CA | Ventura | Ventura | 1 384 457 | 8 208 | 4.95 | 261 | 84 |
CO | Mt. Crested Butte | Gunnison | 3 359 889 | 8 159 | 2.05 | 349 | 42 |
FL | Big Coppitt | Monroe | 930 571 | 8 125 | 6.56 | 399 | 72 |
CA | Encinitas | San Diego | 1 668 019 | 8 115 | 3.38 | 430 | 57 |
CA | Van Nuys | Los Angeles | 1 050 157 | 8 058 | 5.89 | 340 | 83 |
CA | Dana Point | Orange | 3 789 445 | 8 041 | 1.57 | 383 | 57 |
CA | Redondo Beach | Los Angeles | 1 788 388 | 8 021 | 2.76 | 523 | 55 |
FL | Anna Maria | Manatee | 2 965 857 | 8 005 | 1.32 | 517 | 51 |
Note that most cities with the highest monthly Airbnb income included on this list are in California. There are also seven cities in Hawaii and one city in Florida. There is a high demand for short-term rentals in these states.
As you can see, all the cities with the highest monthly Airbnb income have median property prices of a few million dollars. Such prices might be too high for aspiring Airbnb hosts.
That’s why Mashvisor also created a list of the cities based on the Airbnb cash-on-cash return. This metric is used to evaluate an investment property’s current or future profitability. It’s calculated by taking the total rental income generated by a property and dividing it by the initial cash investment made to buy that property.
Best Cities for Airbnb Investment in the US
Here is a list of the top 25 US cities with the highest Airbnb cash-on-cash return rate, according to Mashvisor’s data.
Table2. Top 25 Cities by Airbnb COC Return
State | City | County | Median Property Price ($) | Monthly Rental Income | Cash on Cash Return (%) | Daily Rate ($) | Occupancy Rate (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PA | Brighton Heights | Allegheny | 240 883 | 2 825 | 7.45 | 162 | 49 |
LA | Marrero | Jefferson | 356 738 | 3 860 | 7.43 | 239 | 56 |
MO | Columbia | Boone | 412 065 | 2 615 | 7.34 | 167 | 52 |
NV | Silver Springs | Lyon | 321 745 | 3 394 | 7.3 | 187 | 60 |
FL | Zephyrhills | Pasco | 339 905 | 3 861 | 7.26 | 132 | 68 |
WI | Wisconsin Dells | Adams | 426 908 | 4 602 | 7.24 | 311 | 45 |
FL | Sweetwater | Miami-Dade | 515 129 | 5 418 | 7.21 | 194 | 70 |
NC | Almond | Graham | 326 880 | 3 537 | 7.19 | 238 | 49 |
OH | Geneva | Ashtabula | 364 800 | 3 920 | 7.17 | 239 | 41 |
MI | Hazel Park | Oakland | 258 644 | 3 088 | 7.16 | 172 | 53 |
OK | Warr Acres | Oklahoma | 225 880 | 2 645 | 7.1 | 154 | 45 |
SC | Cayce | Lexington | 309 522 | 3 105 | 7.05 | 144 | 52 |
FL | Bonifay | Holmes | 461 765 | 4 469 | 7.01 | 265 | 49 |
VA | Madison Heights | Amherst | 292 644 | 2 768 | 6.99 | 141 | 53 |
KY | Bowling Green | Warren | 467 020 | 4 110 | 6.93 | 132 | 45 |
CA | Visalia | Tulare | 443 544 | 4 523 | 6.9 | 164 | 86 |
FL | Winter Haven | Polk | 395 815 | 4 019 | 6.86 | 162 | 77 |
FL | Destin | Okaloosa | 339 241 | 3 362 | 6.82 | 279 | 52 |
FL | Hialeah Gardens | Miami-Dade | 541 000 | 5 039 | 6.8 | 166 | 67 |
LA | Gretna | Jefferson | 350 993 | 3 631 | 6.79 | 263 | 45 |
TX | River Oaks | Tarrant | 307 009 | 3 411 | 6.78 | 204 | 58 |
SC | West Columbia | Lexington | 310 604 | 3 123 | 6.76 | 163 | 53 |
WV | Fayetteville | Fayette | 386 338 | 3 556 | 6.74 | 209 | 47 |
HI | Kapolei | Honolulu | 1 357 784 | 12 590 | 6.71 | 632 | 56 |
FL | Sun City Center | Hillsborough | 300 281 | 3 235 | 6.67 | 246 | 56 |
Mashvisor emphasizes that although these cities have a lower rental income range than those included in the previous list, they have low median property prices. That makes vacation rental properties in these cities accessible for beginner investors.
Moreover, the high cash-on-cash returns (or the cash flow divided by the amount of cash initially invested) mean the investors can recoup their investments faster.
The higher the cash-on-cash return, the healthier the property investment. That’s why the top 25 cities by Airbnb COC return can be considered the best cities for Airbnb investment in the US.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Markets to Invest in Airbnb Rental Property
Of course, these lists provide only a broad view based on average values. So it’s essential to consider more specific factors when deciding whether you should buy property in any of the top vacation rental investment locations in the US.
Essential factors to consider are supply and demand and competition. Let’s look at this table that showcases the ten states with the highest number of active Airbnb listings.
Table 3. 10 States with the Highest Airbnb Saturation
State | Median Property Price | Number of Listings | Monthly Rental Income ($) | Cash on Cash Return (%) | Cap Rate (%) | Daily Rate ($) | Occupancy Rate (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FL | 752 903 | 104 308 | 3 553 | 3.26 | 3.31 | 220 | 58 |
CA | 1 207 812 | 55 441 | 5 008 | 3.06 | 3.08 | 263 | 61 |
TX | 482 978 | 47 749 | 2 866 | 3.49 | 3.56 | 193 | 51 |
NC | 533 967 | 35 634 | 3 152 | 4.07 | 4.13 | 181 | 56 |
NY | 884 144 | 27 319 | 4 418 | 3.12 | 3.16 | 290 | 47 |
CO | 972 920 | 22 542 | 3 627 | 3.36 | 3.4 | 299 | 54 |
AZ | 719 091 | 20 912 | 3 234 | 3.39 | 3.44 | 192 | 56 |
SC | 503 392 | 20 382 | 3 000 | 3.85 | 3.91 | 263 | 48 |
WA | 690 383 | 18 763 | 3 484 | 3.15 | 3.19 | 195 | 62 |
TN | 523 783 | 17 559 | 2 853 | 3.87 | 3.93 | 266 | 51 |
The interesting thing to note here is that these US states have lower cash-on-cash returns. Mashvisor explains that it’s because their markets are oversaturated. So it’s always important to analyze the market data before making an investment decision instead of just looking at whether an area gets a lot of tourists.
Finding a location that is not too saturated with vacation rentals is crucial. Before you buy a rental property for your STR business, you should study recent Airbnb data and analytics and research the Airbnb regulations regarding licensing and taxing in the city of your choice. Make sure that it’s legal to rent out on Airbnb in this city.
Then you need to perform a neighborhood comparison to determine areas that have the potential to generate high income monthly. You should look for neighborhoods that fit your budget and consider such statistical data as Airbnb rental income, occupancy rate, and cash-on-cash return.
When you find the area where Airbnb is most profitable in the city, you can start searching for an investment property that offers high ROI when rented on a short-term basis.
What’s Next?
Making money on Airbnb starts with buying a property in a market profitable for short-term rentals. If you want to join the millions of successful Airbnb hosts, we hope our article will help you better understand where to look for a top-performing rental property to maximize your ROI.
But no matter which of the best cities for Airbnb investment 2025 you choose for buying your next STR property, it’s critical to prepare it for the rental business. Our free guide will give you hands-on advice and save you from unnecessary operational expenses.
As a host, you’ll have a lot of responsibilities, so you’ll need powerful vacation rental software to automate your processes and increase the efficiency of your business.
Hospitable does everything you would expect from vacation rental management software and can help you automate almost every aspect of your STR business. We’ll protect you from double bookings, keep your pricing in sync between multiple platforms, schedule messages based on triggers and events, streamline team management, and help you create your own direct booking website in minutes.
Still, we have a few unique features to surprise you:
Automatically upsell late check-outs and extra nights based on the calendar.
Respond to early check-in and late check-out requests automatically based on the calendar.
Detect guests’ common questions on 20+ topics and respond automatically on your behalf.
Use the ChatGPT integration to automatically generate draft responses to guest messages.
Tailor automated communication to the guests’ personas. For example, send sofa instructions only if three adults visit your one-bedroom property.
Not a Hospitable user yet?
All guest communication in one window, team tasking, calendars sync, and much more.
Sign up today with a 14-day free trial!
With Hospitable, you can simplify your hosting routine, streamline your operations, manage all your listings in one place hassle-free, and save tons of time. It’ll be easier to become a successful Airbnb host, provide guests an excellent experience, and scale your short-term rental business faster than your competitors.
Final Thought
The United States offers many opportunities for aspiring real estate investors, although not all locations are optimal for investing in short-term rentals. That’s why it’s essential to do thorough research to find areas that are best for investing in Airbnb.
Hopefully, the list of the best cities for Airbnb investment in the US will help you find the right property in the right location. When doing your research, you should also ensure that your preferred city is a popular tourist destination and check the other metrics, such as monthly rental income, occupancy rate, and cash-on-cash return.
9 Solutions to Reduce Operational Costs
