Which FIFA 2026 Host Cities Have the Best STR Investment Fundamentals. A StaySTRA Data Breakdown

Kansas City and Philadelphia share almost nothing in common as real estate markets. But StaySTRA data shows they share one distinction that matters to investors right now: they are the only two FIFA 2026 host cities where median STR revenue clears the 1.25 DSCR ratio that most lenders want to see. Dallas and Houston clear the 1.0 floor. The other seven cities, including Miami (which surprises people), fall somewhere between tight and impossible at today’s prices.

I have been running these numbers at my desk in Santa Fe for the past week, with more black coffee than usual, because I kept wanting to recheck what the data was telling me about some of America’s most expensive real estate markets. The short version: World Cup hype is real, but the math does not always support the sticker price.

Think of the DSCR ratio like a report card for a rental property. If the grade is above 1.0, the property’s income covers its debt payments. Above 1.25, most lenders will shake your hand. Below 1.0, you are writing a check every month to keep the lights on. By that standard, seven of these eleven host cities are earning a D or worse.

Let me walk you through all eleven.

How I Ran These Numbers

Before we look at the table, a quick note on methodology so you know exactly what you are comparing. I pulled last-twelve-month (LTM) average monthly STR revenue from StaySTRA data for each city. For Dallas and Houston, where our most current data snapshot falls in a seasonally weak period (February), I estimated annual averages using historical occupancy and ADR trends to avoid penalizing them for one slow month.

The DSCR calculation uses: monthly STR revenue divided by monthly PITIA (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance) at 75% loan-to-value, 7.5% interest rate on a 30-year fixed DSCR loan, with property taxes estimated at local effective rates and insurance at $200 per month ($400 in Florida for hurricane coverage). If you want the full breakdown of how DSCR loans work for STR investors, our STR Financing Guide walks through every detail.

The 11-City Scorecard

*Estimated LTM average based on historical occupancy and ADR. All other revenue figures are LTM averages from StaySTRA data.

Invest Tier: The Four That Pencil Out

Kansas City (DSCR: 1.39)

Kansas City is the quiet winner of this entire group. The typical home value sits at $245,199, which is the lowest entry point among all eleven host cities by a comfortable margin. LTM average revenue of $2,493 per month against a PITIA of roughly $1,793 produces the group’s strongest DSCR at 1.39.

Don’t let the modest ADR of $195 fool you. Think of it like buying a sedan that gets 40 miles per gallon versus a sports car that gets 15. Kansas City is not flashy, but the cost-to-income ratio is better than any other market on this list. Occupancy holds at 60% on a last-twelve-month basis with 1,892 active listings, which means the market is not oversaturated the way some Sun Belt cities have become.

Kansas City is hosting matches at Arrowhead Stadium, and the World Cup will bring a short-term demand spike. But the investment case here does not depend on that spike. This market works on its own fundamentals.

Dallas (DSCR: 1.36, with a caveat)

Dallas puts up strong numbers on paper: a 1.36 DSCR using 2025 annual averages of $222 ADR and 46.7% occupancy. But there is a yellow flag worth watching. The Dallas STR market saw a 36% increase in active listings from 2024 to 2025 (3,513 to 4,768), and that supply surge compressed occupancy by more than two percentage points. The most recent February 2026 snapshot shows occupancy at 35% and revenue at $2,136, which would drop the DSCR below 1.0.

February is the weakest month for Dallas, so that snapshot alone does not tell the whole story. But the supply growth trend is real, and investors should underwrite conservatively. If you are looking at Dallas, run your numbers on current-month performance, not the annual average. Dallas hosts nine World Cup matches at AT&T Stadium (the most of any venue), so event-driven demand in June and July will be significant. Just don’t build a 30-year business plan around a 5-week tournament.

Philadelphia (DSCR: 1.28)

Philadelphia is the market that keeps surprising me every time I pull the data. The typical home value of $229,410 is the lowest in the entire group, even below Kansas City. LTM occupancy of 57.1% is moderate, and the $171 ADR is nothing to write home about. But when you divide $2,132 in average monthly revenue by a PITIA of roughly $1,671, you get a clean 1.28 DSCR. That clears the threshold most lenders want to see.

Stay with me here, because this is important: Philadelphia’s investment case is about the denominator, not the numerator. The city does not produce the highest revenue. It produces the best ratio of revenue to cost. For a DSCR borrower, that distinction is everything. Philadelphia is also the host city where STR regulations are relatively straightforward compared to places like New York or San Francisco.

Houston (DSCR: 1.19)

Houston clears the 1.0 threshold at an estimated 1.19 DSCR, though it sits below the 1.25 that some lenders prefer. The $218 ADR and roughly 40% annual occupancy are not going to win any beauty contests. Houston is a city where STR performance is driven by medical center travelers, energy sector business trips, and event-driven demand (rodeo season in March is the annual peak at 52% occupancy and $2,804 monthly revenue).

The typical home value of $261,975 keeps the entry cost reasonable. Houston STR permits began enforcement on April 1, 2026, which means the regulatory landscape is settling into a clearer framework. For investors willing to target specific neighborhoods and manage actively, Houston clears the basic DSCR math. It is not a passive income play, though. This is a market that rewards operators who pay attention to seasonal pricing.

Caution Tier: Close, But Watch the Red Flags

Miami (DSCR: 1.14)

Miami technically clears a 1.0 DSCR at 1.14, but I am putting it in the Caution tier for two reasons. First, occupancy has been declining steadily, dropping from 70.6% in 2021 to roughly 49% by early 2026. That is a market where supply has outpaced demand growth, even as ADR climbed from $243 to $325. Second, Florida insurance costs are elevated. I used $400 per month for hurricane coverage in my calculation, and many investors report actual costs well above that.

Miami produces the highest raw monthly revenue in the group at $4,461, and the World Cup final is at Hard Rock Stadium in the metro area. The event premium will be massive for June and July. But if you are buying at today’s median price of $576,666 and counting on current revenue trends to cover a DSCR loan, the margins are thinner than they look. Think of it like a restaurant with high revenue but razor-thin margins. Impressive on the top line, nervous-making on the bottom line.

Atlanta (DSCR: 0.88)

Atlanta falls short of 1.0 at an estimated 0.88 DSCR. The $183 ADR and 51.7% LTM occupancy produce $2,218 in average monthly revenue, which sounds reasonable until you look at the $381,548 typical home value. The price-to-revenue gap is where the math breaks down. Atlanta also has the largest active listing count in the group at 13,156, which signals a competitive market where new operators face pricing pressure from day one.

Atlanta hosts matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will see strong World Cup demand. But at current prices, a median-performing STR in Atlanta does not cover DSCR loan payments without additional equity or a below-market purchase price.

Boston (DSCR: 0.86)

Boston produces excellent STR fundamentals in isolation: a $263 LTM ADR, 73.3% occupancy, and $4,354 in average monthly revenue. Those are the second-highest revenue numbers in the group behind Miami. But the typical home value of roughly $780,000 pushes monthly PITIA to around $5,070, and the DSCR lands at 0.86.

Boston also has among the strictest STR regulations of any host city, with limited licensing and strong enforcement. For investors who can find below-market deals or bring larger down payments (reducing the loan amount and improving the ratio), Boston’s high-revenue fundamentals become much more attractive. At median prices with standard leverage, though, the numbers do not work for DSCR qualification.

Pass Tier: The Math Does Not Work at Current Prices

The remaining four cities all post DSCR ratios below 0.70. That means median STR revenue covers less than 70 cents of every dollar of monthly carrying cost. Don’t let that discourage you entirely, because some of these are excellent STR markets for investors who buy differently (cash, partnerships, value-add renovations). They just do not work for standard DSCR financing at current median prices.

For context on how these markets compare to non-event-driven STR investment destinations, our STR Revenue Benchmarks by Market Type analysis breaks down what ski, beach, urban, and rural markets actually earn on a per-type basis.

The World Cup Timing Premium: How Much Does It Actually Add?

The FIFA World Cup runs June 11 through July 19, 2026. That is five weeks and three days of matches across all eleven U.S. host cities. For STR revenue projections, the event lands squarely in what is already peak summer season for most of these markets.

Dallas, for example, already posts its highest revenue months in June ($3,598) and July ($3,409). Kansas City and Philadelphia follow similar summer peak patterns. The World Cup will add demand on top of an already strong seasonal base, but separating World Cup revenue from normal summer revenue is difficult to do with precision.

What the data does tell us: markets like Dallas (hosting 9 matches) and the NY/NJ area (hosting the final on July 19) will see the strongest event-driven spikes. Single-match cities will see a shorter, more concentrated boost. The key question for investors is whether you are buying for a 5-week event or a 12-month income stream. If you are financing with a DSCR loan, the lender is underwriting the 12-month number. The World Cup premium is a bonus, not a business plan.

What This Means for DSCR Borrowers

If you are planning to finance an STR purchase in a FIFA host city using a DSCR loan, these numbers should inform which markets you target. DSCR lenders evaluate whether the property’s rental income covers the debt service, and they typically want to see a ratio of 1.0 at minimum, with most preferring 1.25 or higher.

At the 1.25 threshold, only Kansas City (1.39), Dallas (1.36 on annual averages), and Philadelphia (1.28) qualify among the eleven host cities. Houston clears 1.0 but sits at 1.19. Every other host city falls short at 75% LTV and 7.5% interest.

That does not mean you cannot buy in Miami or Boston. It means you may need a larger down payment (reducing LTV from 75% to 65% improves the ratio significantly), a below-market purchase price, or demonstrated above-average STR performance. For a detailed walkthrough of how DSCR loans work, rate ranges, and which lenders are active in the STR space, see our STR Financing Guide 2026.

We do our best to keep our data accurate and up to date, but markets move fast and we are only human. Always verify current figures directly with local sources before making investment decisions.

Run Your Own Numbers

The data in this article uses market-wide averages, but individual properties can outperform or underperform those averages significantly depending on location, property type, and management quality. The best next step is to run the numbers on a specific property in the market you are considering.

Use the StaySTRA Analyzer to pull revenue projections, occupancy data, and competitive analysis for any address in any of these eleven cities. You can also explore our individual location pages for deeper market-level data: Kansas City, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.