Morehead City, North Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Morehead City STRs earned $354/night at 73.1% occupancy in June 2026 across roughly 5,260 tracked listings.
Quick Answer: Morehead City, North Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 73%. average monthly revenue is $6,589. average daily rate is $354. the top operator is Bluewater Vacation Rentals with 557 listings. market score is 56/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Morehead City/Emerald Isle regional market, which includes Morehead City. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Morehead City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Morehead City’s short-term rental market posted a $354 average daily rate and 73.1% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $6,589 per listing. Averages differ by property type: entire-place listings ran $6,709/month, apartments $6,008/month, and houses topped the group at $7,061/month. Year over year, occupancy is down 1.8 percentage points and ADR is down 2.2%, but average revenue is still up 1.2%, a signal that longer or higher-occupancy bookings are partly offsetting softer nightly rates.
The market carries roughly 5,260 active listings, tracked at a bedroom mix of 930 one-bedroom, 1,299 two-bedroom, 1,747 three-bedroom (the largest single bucket), 800 four-bedroom, and 479 five-bedroom units. By listing type, entire-place units dominate at 5,102 (97% of supply), with 157 private rooms and 1 shared room. Distribution channel splits show 2,905 listings on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 1,345 Airbnb-only, and 1,010 Vrbo-only, a sign that most operators list on multiple platforms to maximize exposure.
Morehead City is the gateway to North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, with Carteret County recording a record $743.38 million in visitor spending in 2024. The market’s investability score of 75.5 (out of 100) and rental demand score of 62.9 point to a market with solid fundamentals, though its total market score of 55.95 (regulation 66.71, seasonality 44.26) reflects the seasonal swing between summer peak and winter shoulder months. Typical booking lead time runs 84.5 days with an average 4.7-night length of stay, consistent with vacation-planning behavior rather than last-minute bookings.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36% | $152 | $1,615 |
| Feb | 46% | $150 | $1,632 |
| Mar | 54% | $179 | $2,192 |
| Apr | 54% | $197 | $2,626 |
| May | 60% | $237 | $3,377 |
| Jun | 75% | $292 | $5,458 |
| Jul | 78% | $276 | $5,649 |
| Aug | 65% | $261 | $4,534 |
| Sep | 51% | $220 | $2,974 |
| Oct | 48% | $192 | $2,504 |
| Nov | 41% | $176 | $1,973 |
| Dec | 38% | $159 | $1,761 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Morehead City
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bluewater Vacation Rentals | 557 | 504 | ★ 4.48 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 275 | 6,368 | ★ 4.37 |
| 3 | Evolve | 153 | 6,868 | ★ 4.69 |
| 4 | Casago | 149 | 2,066 | ★ 4.36 |
| 5 | Spectrum Rental Properties | 126 | 2,202 | ★ 4.77 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Morehead City?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 930 |
| 2 bed | 1,299 |
| 3 bed | 1,747 |
| 4 bed | 800 |
| 5 bed | 479 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $360 |
| Luxury | $510 |
| Professionally Managed | $429 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $6,008 |
| Entire Place | $6,709 |
| House | $7,061 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 25.6% |
| vrbo | 19.2% |
| both | 55.2% |
Investment Analysis
Morehead City’s typical home value is $414,155, with the median home selling for $499,583 (101.2% of list price) and a median 27 days to pending, both signs of a competitive seller’s market with 85 homes currently for sale. Using the average listing’s $6,589 monthly revenue, annualized to $79,070, that pencils out to a gross yield of roughly 19.1% against the typical home value, though STR-focused waterfront and Crystal Coast properties typically transact well above the town’s overall typical home value, so investors should underwrite against comparable coastal listings, not the citywide average.
Rate tiers show clear upside from entire-home to premium positioning: the all-listings ADR of $354 rises to $360 for entire-home rentals, $429 for professionally managed listings, and $510 for the luxury tier, a 44% premium over the market average. Revenue growth score sits at 83.15 (out of 100), among the stronger readings in this batch, even as the most recent year-over-year print shows occupancy and ADR both softening slightly. No STR permit or registration is required in Morehead City (NC state law bars local registration mandates), which keeps entry friction low, though operators still need to confirm zoning compatibility under Morehead City’s Unified Development Ordinance before purchasing, since the town’s UDO use table, not a citywide STR ordinance, is the binding constraint on which parcels qualify.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
Run a Free Address Analysis
Skip the market averages. Get revenue projections, comp analysis, and ROI for your specific property address. Free, instant, no signup required.
Analyze My Property →Home Value Trends (Morehead City)
Booking Insights
Guests book Morehead City stays an average of 84.5 days (about 12 weeks) ahead of arrival, a long lead time typical of planned beach vacations rather than spontaneous trips. That gives owners a wide pricing window: rates can be adjusted well in advance of peak summer dates as demand signals firm up, and dynamic pricing tools have meaningful runway to capture early bookers at a premium before discounting unsold late-arriving inventory.
Average length of stay is 4.7 nights, close to a full week minus a weekend, which is typical for beach destinations where guests plan a single extended trip rather than a series of short weekend stays. Combined with the 84.5-day lead time, this points to lower turnover-driven costs (cleaning, guest communication) per dollar of revenue compared with markets that see 2-3 night average stays, though it also means occupancy is more sensitive to a handful of large blocks of unsold summer weeks rather than many small gaps.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Morehead City, and regulation is light. North Carolina state law (GS 160D-1207), reinforced by the 2022 Schroeder v. City of Wilmington ruling, bars cities and counties from requiring STR-specific registration or rental permits, so Morehead City has no mandatory STR permit or license program (permit_required is false, and no permit type, cost, or renewal period apply). There is no owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement, meaning both resident and non-resident investors can operate whole-home rentals.
Where an STR is allowed still depends on the property’s zoning district under Morehead City’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) permitted-use table, which classifies uses as permitted, special use, or not allowed, along with standard development standards for setbacks, parking, and lot coverage. Investors should confirm a specific parcel’s zoning with Morehead City Planning & Inspections before purchasing, since the UDO use table, not a blanket ordinance, is the binding constraint.
The primary financial obligation is the Carteret County occupancy tax of 6% on gross rental receipts, due by the 20th of the following month, on top of NC state and local sales tax. Rentals to the same guest for 90 or more consecutive days are exempt from the occupancy tax. Enforcement is rated minimal, and no maximum-nights-per-year cap was found. No recent Morehead City-specific ordinance change has been identified; the operative legal backdrop remains the 2022 Schroeder ruling.
Market Comparison
At 73.1% occupancy and a $354 average daily rate, Morehead City runs well above typical US short-term rental benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy and $220 ADR nationally), reflecting its position as an established Crystal Coast beach destination with strong seasonal demand. The market’s investability score of 75.5 out of 100 supports that read, though its total market score of 55.95 is held down by a below-average seasonality score of 44.26, meaning the market leans more heavily on summer months than a year-round destination would.
Property management is fragmented at the top: the leading operator, Bluewater Vacation Rentals, manages 557 listings but only 504 reviews, well below competitors like Evolve (153 listings, 6,868 reviews) and Vacasa (275 listings, 6,368 reviews), suggesting Bluewater’s portfolio skews toward newer or lower-turnover listings. Combined, the top 5 property managers (Bluewater, Vacasa, Evolve, Casago, and Spectrum Rental Properties) account for 1,260 of the market’s roughly 5,260 listings, or about 24% of total supply, meaning the majority of Morehead City hosts are independent or smaller operators rather than large national platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Morehead City, North Carolina
What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in Morehead City, NC?
What is the average nightly rate for a Morehead City vacation rental?
Do I need a permit to operate an Airbnb in Morehead City?
What is the busiest month for Airbnb rentals in Morehead City?
How much does a typical home cost in Morehead City?
How many short-term rental listings are active in Morehead City?
What is the average booking lead time in Morehead City?
Analyze Morehead City Rentals
Use our free calculator to estimate Airbnb revenue for any property in Morehead City.
Free Morehead City STR Calculator →
