Carlsbad, California Short-Term Rental Market
Carlsbad STRs averaged $299/night at 65.3% occupancy in April 2026, with annual revenue up 9.75% year over year.
Quick Answer: Carlsbad, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 76%. average monthly revenue is $7,597. average daily rate is $382. the top operator is Evolve with 265 listings. market score is 65/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the San Diego regional market, which includes Carlsbad. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Carlsbad.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Carlsbad’s short-term rental market covers a large coastal footprint with approximately 26,920 active listings tracked across channels. The market skews heavily toward entire-place rentals: 24,240 listings (90% of the total) are entire-place units, with 2,658 private rooms and just 22 shared rooms rounding out the mix. Bedroom distribution shows 1-bedroom units leading at 11,264 listings, followed by 2-bedroom (6,920), 3-bedroom (4,574), 4-bedroom (2,454), and 5-bedroom (1,666). The Airbnb platform dominates with 13,303 Airbnb-exclusive listings plus 11,943 dual-listed on both Airbnb and VRBO, while 1,674 list exclusively on VRBO.
In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $299, an occupancy rate of 65.3%, and RevPAR of $195.55. Average monthly revenue per active listing came in at $5,335. Year over year, occupancy climbed 8.43 percentage points while ADR dipped slightly (-0.71%), resulting in a net revenue gain of 9.75%. The market scores a total investability composite of 65.1 out of 100, with rental demand (79.3) and seasonality resilience (77.9) as the two strongest sub-scores.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56% | $202 | $3,104 |
| Feb | 65% | $210 | $3,322 |
| Mar | 69% | $246 | $4,493 |
| Apr | 62% | $243 | $4,073 |
| May | 64% | $257 | $4,258 |
| Jun | 74% | $308 | $5,752 |
| Jul | 77% | $312 | $6,119 |
| Aug | 68% | $291 | $5,367 |
| Sep | 61% | $245 | $4,006 |
| Oct | 61% | $236 | $3,935 |
| Nov | 58% | $224 | $3,397 |
| Dec | 57% | $230 | $3,543 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Carlsbad
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 265 | 10,436 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | Surf Style Vacation Homes | 223 | 10,070 | ★ 4.77 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 176 | 8,268 | ★ 4.62 |
| 4 | Nxt Vacation Rental Management | 164 | 3,008 | ★ 4.90 |
| 5 | San Diego Rentals | 162 | 153 | ★ 4.40 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Carlsbad?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 11,264 |
| 2 bed | 6,920 |
| 3 bed | 4,574 |
| 4 bed | 2,454 |
| 5 bed | 1,666 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $411 |
| Luxury | $722 |
| Professionally Managed | $580 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $6,253 |
| Entire Place | $8,166 |
| House | $8,599 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 49.4% |
| vrbo | 6.2% |
| both | 44.4% |
Investment Analysis
Carlsbad presents a high-entry-cost, moderate-yield STR opportunity. The typical home value is $1,354,818 (April 2026 Zillow estimate), with the median sale price recently tracking at $1,497,917 and median list price at $1,521,667. Homes are moving in roughly 14 days to pending, and the sale-to-list ratio sits at 98.4%, reflecting modest but not frenzied demand.
At an average monthly revenue of $5,335 across all active listings, the trailing annualized run rate is approximately $64,025 per property. Against the typical home value, that implies a gross yield of approximately 4.7% before expenses, taxes, and vacancy. Operators focused on entire-place listings average $5,700 per month, and houses specifically average $5,957. Luxury-tier properties command an ADR of $575, and professionally managed listings average $436 per night versus the $321 entire-home average, suggesting a meaningful premium for full-service management.
Revenue growth supports a constructive outlook: the 9.75% year-over-year gain in April 2026 follows a long-run trend of annual revenue rising from $2,803 (2017 average) to $5,257 (2025 average). Geographic restrictions on STR permits (Coastal Zone and La Costa Resort area only) effectively cap new supply, which is a structural tailwind for existing permit holders.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
In April 2026, Carlsbad STR guests booked an average of 41 days in advance and stayed an average of 4.4 nights per reservation. The 41-day lead time is a meaningful planning window: it means the majority of bookings are not last-minute, giving operators roughly six weeks of visibility ahead of most arrivals.
A 4.4-night average stay is consistent with a coastal vacation market where guests are booking extended weekend or week-long beach trips rather than business-travel overnights. From an operations standpoint, this length of stay reduces per-stay cleaning and turnover frequency relative to markets averaging 2-3 nights, which helps manage labor costs. For pricing strategy, the lead time suggests operators should have dynamic rates set at least 6 weeks out to capture early bookers at appropriate seasonal premiums.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Carlsbad permits short-term rentals (defined as stays under 30 consecutive nights) only within two specific geographic zones: the California Coastal Zone and the La Costa Resort and Spa Master Plan area. Properties outside these zones are prohibited from operating as STRs under CMC Chapter 5.60. There is no owner-occupancy or primary residence requirement, so investors can operate non-hosted, whole-home rentals.
Operators must obtain an annual Short-Term Vacation Rental permit ($225 per year, effective September 1, 2024, down from the prior $381) from the Community Development Department, plus a separate city business license. The permit number must be posted on the rental exterior and displayed in all listings. A 24/7 local contact responding within 45 minutes is required. A three-strike revocation rule applies to repeat violations.
The combined transient occupancy tax is 12% (10% base TOT plus a 2% Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District assessment), paid directly to the city. ADUs approved on or after January 1, 2020 are ineligible for STVR permits under California state law. Enforcement severity is rated strict. No maximum nights-per-year cap is published for this permit type.
Market Comparison
Carlsbad’s April 2026 occupancy of 65.3% sits roughly 10 percentage points above the U.S. STR median (approximately 55%), reflecting strong coastal demand. Its $299 ADR compares favorably to the national median of around $220, placing Carlsbad well above average on nightly rate. RevPAR of $195.55 reflects a high-performing coastal market.
The market scores 65.1 overall on the composite investability index, with particularly strong rental demand (79.3) and seasonality scores (77.9), but a below-average investability sub-score (53.4), likely weighted down by the high home values compressing yield. The regulation score of 64.4 reflects the geographic permit restriction, which limits supply but creates regulatory risk for operators outside the permitted zones.
Among the top operators, Evolve leads with 265 listings and 10,436 reviews at a 4.74 average rating. Surf Style Vacation Homes holds second place at 223 listings and 10,070 reviews at 4.77. Vacasa manages 176 listings (4.62 rating), Nxt Vacation Rental Management operates 164 listings (4.90 rating), and San Diego Rentals rounds out the top five with 162 listings. The top 5 operators account for approximately 990 listings, roughly 3.7% of the total market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carlsbad, California
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