Cathedral City, California Short-Term Rental Market
Cathedral City STRs averaged $621/night at 57.0% occupancy in April 2026 across roughly 16,982 active listings.
Quick Answer: Cathedral City, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Coachella Valley market area is 41%. average monthly revenue in the Coachella Valley market area is $4,764. average daily rate in the Coachella Valley market area is $403. the top operator in the Coachella Valley market area is Vacasa with 593 listings. market score is 44/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Coachella Valley regional market, which includes Cathedral City. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Cathedral City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Cathedral City sits in the heart of the Coachella Valley resort corridor, and its short-term rental market reflects that position. In April 2026, the market recorded an average daily rate of $620.51 and occupancy of 57.0%, producing a RevPAR of $353.65. Average monthly revenue per listing reached $9,008.
The market is large: roughly 16,982 listings span the five bedroom tiers tracked, with 3-bedroom properties the most common (5,201 listings), followed by 2-bedroom (4,213) and 1-bedroom (3,320). Larger properties are well represented, with 2,727 4-bedroom and 1,521 5-bedroom listings.
Entire-place rentals dominate overwhelmingly, accounting for 16,320 of the roughly 16,999 listings tracked by listing type; private rooms (658) and shared rooms (21) are a marginal slice. On the channel side, 9,530 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 5,374 are Airbnb-only, and 2,095 are VRBO-only, indicating broad multi-platform distribution.
Year-over-year, occupancy dipped 1.08 percentage points while ADR rose 1.88%, and total revenue grew 7.82% — suggesting that rate increases and possibly higher listing counts are driving revenue gains even as per-listing occupancy softens slightly.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 56% |
| Feb | 70% |
| Mar | 72% |
| Apr | 57% |
| May | 39% |
| Jun | 45% |
| Jul | 47% |
| Aug | 44% |
| Sep | 40% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 55% |
| Dec | 49% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Cathedral City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Coachella Valley market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Coachella Valley market as a whole, which includes Cathedral City, so these counts are not Cathedral City-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 593 | 14,029 | ★ 4.49 |
| 2 | Evolve | 340 | 9,820 | ★ 4.71 |
| 3 | AvantStay | 252 | 5,366 | ★ 4.80 |
| 4 | Acme House | 188 | 6,138 | ★ 4.78 |
| 5 | Park Royal Indian Palms Intervals | 170 | 0 | ★ 0.00 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Cathedral City?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Cathedral City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 31.6% |
| vrbo | 12.3% |
| both | 56.1% |
Home Value Trends (Cathedral City)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Cathedral City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Cathedral City — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Cathedral City has among the most restrictive STR regulations in the Coachella Valley. New whole-home non-owner-occupied STVR permits in standard residential zones (R-1/R-2) are effectively prohibited. All pre-existing residential whole-home STVR permits terminated on January 1, 2023 under a phase-out established by Ordinance 842 (effective October 9, 2020).
Two paths remain for legal operation. First, a Home Share permit allows rentals where the property is the owner’s primary residence and at least one owner occupies the home during the rental. Second, whole-unit STVRs are permitted within common-interest developments (HOA properties) located in the Resort Residential (RR) zone whose CC&Rs allow short-term rentals.
Permit cost is approximately $525 annually, plus an $78 inspection fee; a Health and Safety inspection is required, as is proof of commercial liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence. Permits renew annually. The listing permit number must appear in the first line of every advertisement.
Operators collect a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on stays of 30 days or fewer, remitted monthly, plus a 1% Tourism Business Improvement District assessment on stays under 28 days.
Enforcement is classified as strict. Permit renewals are blocked for any unresolved liens, code cases, fines, or fees. Buyers considering a standard residential parcel solely for non-owner-occupied STR operation should understand that this use is not currently permitted.
Market Comparison
Against national benchmarks, Cathedral City’s ADR of $621 in April 2026 is nearly three times the US STR median of approximately $220, reflecting its desert resort positioning and high concentration of larger, pool-equipped entire-home properties. Occupancy of 57.0% is slightly above the US STR median of approximately 55%, suggesting demand is solid but not extreme in absolute terms.
The market’s investability score of 73.6 out of 100 is notably strong, while rental demand (48.9) and the total score (44.4) are moderate, pointing to a market where high per-night rates compensate for seasonal softness rather than consistent year-round demand.
Professional management is substantial. Vacasa leads with 593 listings and 14,029 reviews (rating 4.49). Evolve follows with 340 listings and 9,820 reviews (rating 4.71). AvantStay manages 252 listings with 5,366 reviews (rating 4.80). Together, these three operators account for a significant share of the professionally managed tier. The presence of large national operators underscores that Cathedral City attracts institutional-scale STR investment, though new entrants face the same permitting restrictions as individual owners.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cathedral City, California
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