Costa Mesa, California Short-Term Rental Market
Costa Mesa STRs averaged $313/night at 67.8% occupancy in April 2026, with revenue up 12.8% year-over-year despite a citywide STR ban.
Quick Answer: Costa Mesa, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 78%. average monthly revenue is $8,143. average daily rate is $408. the top operator is Tower 17 Properties & Mgmt, LLC with 244 listings. market score is 69/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Anaheim regional market, which includes Costa Mesa. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Costa Mesa.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Costa Mesa is an Orange County city with a population of approximately 110,330, bordered by Newport Beach and positioned within one of Southern California’s most active leisure and shopping corridors. The city welcomed 7.6 million visitors in 2023 who generated $883 million in spending, anchored by South Coast Plaza, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the Orange County Museum of Art.
Critical regulatory notice: whole-home short-term rentals are prohibited in Costa Mesa under Ordinance 2021-17, adopted November 2, 2021. Renting any residential dwelling for fewer than 30 days is not permitted without the owner living on the property during the stay. The only legal exception is owner-occupied home-sharing. The market data below captures listing activity in the area and should not be interpreted as evidence that standalone STR operations are legally viable.
As of April 2026, the market area recorded an average daily rate of $313 and occupancy of 67.8%, producing RevPAR of $212.60 and average monthly revenue of $5,803. Year-over-year, occupancy grew 8.79 percentage points, ADR rose 2.76%, and revenue grew 12.77%, among the strongest growth rates in the dataset.
The listing base totals approximately 13,597 units: 11,242 entire-place (82.7%), 2,334 private rooms (17.2%), and 21 shared rooms. Bedroom distribution: 1-bedroom (4,822), 2-bedroom (3,315), 3-bedroom (2,686), 4-bedroom (1,785), and 5-bedroom (974). Platform distribution: 8,117 Airbnb-only, 716 VRBO-only, and 4,764 on both.
The 2025 annual average occupancy was 67.2% at an average ADR of $306, with mean monthly revenue of $5,632, the highest of the five areas in this batch.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58% | $212 | $3,390 |
| Feb | 65% | $225 | $3,672 |
| Mar | 69% | $258 | $4,836 |
| Apr | 62% | $248 | $4,252 |
| May | 66% | $259 | $4,505 |
| Jun | 75% | $309 | $5,783 |
| Jul | 78% | $303 | $6,033 |
| Aug | 68% | $284 | $5,190 |
| Sep | 63% | $247 | $4,121 |
| Oct | 65% | $243 | $4,307 |
| Nov | 60% | $235 | $3,750 |
| Dec | 62% | $242 | $4,043 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Costa Mesa
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tower 17 Properties & Mgmt, LLC | 244 | 11,217 | ★ 4.70 |
| 2 | Dream Resorts | 195 | 9,053 | ★ 4.68 |
| 3 | Newport Beach Vacation Properties | 137 | 5,374 | ★ 4.61 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 126 | 8,872 | ★ 4.49 |
| 5 | OC Rentals | 121 | 1,263 | ★ 3.85 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Costa Mesa?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 4,822 |
| 2 bed | 3,315 |
| 3 bed | 2,686 |
| 4 bed | 1,785 |
| 5 bed | 974 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $471 |
| Luxury | $937 |
| Professionally Managed | $788 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $6,154 |
| Entire Place | $9,349 |
| House | $9,039 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 59.7% |
| vrbo | 5.3% |
| both | 35% |
Investment Analysis
Costa Mesa’s STR prohibition makes traditional short-term rental investment not legally viable for whole-home operations. The exception is owner-occupied home-sharing, where the owner lives on the property and rents out a portion while present; this requires primary residence status and owner occupancy throughout the guest stay.
The market data provides context for what the Orange County coastal corridor can support in terms of rates and demand. Average monthly revenue of $5,803 in April 2026 and a revenue growth score of 97.4 out of 100 indicate a market with strong underlying demand. These figures, however, reflect listings that may be operating outside legal compliance, mislabeled mid-term rentals, or properties in adjacent unincorporated areas.
By tier: the all-listings ADR was $313. Entire-home listings averaged $361 per night. Professionally managed properties averaged $567 per night, an 81% premium over the market average. The luxury tier reached $724 per night. Entire-place listings generated $6,579 per month on average and house-type properties averaged $6,348.
For investors seeking to participate in the Orange County coastal market legally, options include: (1) owner-occupied home-sharing within Costa Mesa under the Ordinance 2021-17 exception; (2) 30-plus-day furnished medium-term rentals, which are not subject to the ban; or (3) properties in Newport Beach or unincorporated Orange County areas, which have their own STR rules that differ from Costa Mesa’s.
No housing price data was available for this area at the time of this analysis.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
In April 2026, Costa Mesa guests booked an average of 43.1 days in advance and stayed an average of 5.25 nights per booking.
The 43-day lead time indicates guests are planning trips approximately six weeks out. This is consistent with leisure and event-driven travel to the Orange County area, where visitors book around the OC Fair, South Coast Plaza events, concerts at Segerstrom Center, and summer coastal stays. For operators (in legally compliant home-sharing arrangements), setting pricing well in advance of the summer season and key event dates can capture this planning window.
The 5.25-night average length of stay is notably long for a Southern California coastal market and suggests a mix of week-long leisure stays, extended event attendees, and some medium-term guests. Longer stays reduce housekeeping frequency and management overhead per booking. Minimum stay requirements of 5 to 7 nights during peak summer weeks can improve per-stay revenue without reducing occupancy given the prevailing booking patterns.
The combination of strong occupancy (67.8%), high ADR ($313), and a long average stay makes Costa Mesa one of the higher revenue-per-booking markets in the state when operating within a compliant structure.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are prohibited in Costa Mesa under Ordinance 2021-17, adopted November 2, 2021. The ordinance bans renting any residential dwelling for fewer than 30 days in all residential zones throughout the city. There is no STR permit or licensing program for standalone whole-home operations.
The only legal exception is owner-occupied home-sharing: an owner who lives on the property as a primary residence may rent out a portion of the home while physically present during guest stays. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) cannot be operated as short-term rentals; a land-use restriction limits ADU rentals to stays of 31 days or more.
Enforcement is strict. Verified violations carry fines of up to $1,000 per day. The city may also pursue criminal charges or nuisance-abatement actions against the responsible party.
Costa Mesa’s 8% Transient Occupancy Tax applies to hotel and motel stays but does not create a legal pathway for residential STR operations.
The City Council has indicated it may revisit STR regulation in the future, but as of mid-2026 no new permitting framework or timeline has been adopted. Investors interested in whole-home operations in this area should monitor city council proceedings closely. In the interim, 30-plus-day furnished medium-term rentals are not covered by the ban and represent a legally compliant strategy for capturing the extended-stay demand present in this market.
Market Comparison
Costa Mesa’s 67.8% occupancy in April 2026 is well above the US STR median of approximately 55%. Its $313 ADR is 42% above the US STR median of approximately $220, reflecting the Orange County coastal premium.
The 12.77% year-over-year revenue growth is among the strongest in this cohort and signals accelerating demand in the area. The 2025 annual average monthly revenue of $5,632 represents 5.4% growth over 2024 ($5,344), continuing a multi-year upward trend despite the STR prohibition.
The top five operators by listing count are Tower 17 Properties and Management (244 listings, 4.70 rating, 11,217 reviews), Dream Resorts (195 listings, 4.68 rating, 9,053 reviews), Newport Beach Vacation Properties (137 listings, 4.61 rating, 5,374 reviews), Vacasa (126 listings, 4.49 rating, 8,872 reviews), and OC Rentals (121 listings, 3.85 rating, 1,263 reviews). Combined, these five operators account for 823 listings. The high review counts and consistently strong ratings for the top four operators reflect an established professional management sector in the Orange County coastal corridor.
The market’s total score of 68.9 and revenue growth score of 97.4 indicate that the data model sees strong underlying momentum, though the investability score of 50.7 reflects the regulatory constraints on new entrants.
Frequently Asked Questions About Costa Mesa, California
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