El Cajon, California Short-Term Rental Market
El Cajon STRs averaged $208/night at 67.5% occupancy in April 2026, with average monthly revenue of $3,822.
Quick Answer: El Cajon, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 73%. average monthly revenue is $4,987. average daily rate is $262. the top operator is Blueground with 584 listings. market score is 46/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Los Angeles regional market, which includes El Cajon. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to El Cajon.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
El Cajon is an inland San Diego County city of approximately 104,659 residents in East County, positioned primarily as a spillover destination for greater San Diego tourism rather than a standalone national destination. The short-term rental market is large by volume: 49,328 total listings, of which 39,545 (80.2%) are entire-place rentals, 9,453 (19.2%) are private rooms, and 330 are shared rooms.
In April 2026, the all-listings average daily rate was $208.40 and occupancy reached 67.5%, yielding a RevPAR of $140.65 and average monthly revenue of $3,822. Year over year, occupancy grew 1.2 percentage points while ADR declined 5.5%, resulting in net revenue growth of 1.5%. The ADR compression reflects continued normalization from the 2022 peak when ADR averaged $221 annually.
Airbnb accounts for 35,537 listings on that platform alone, VRBO covers 1,683 exclusively, and 12,108 listings appear on both. By bedroom count, the market is dominated by 1-bedroom units (26,463), followed by 2-bedroom (10,942), 3-bedroom (6,505), 4-bedroom (3,357), and 5-bedroom or larger (1,949). The market’s overall StaySTRA score is 45.8 out of 100, with a notably high seasonality sub-score of 96.6 and regulation score of 59.3.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61% | $167 | $2,828 |
| Feb | 70% | $177 | $3,049 |
| Mar | 69% | $188 | $3,596 |
| Apr | 66% | $185 | $3,327 |
| May | 68% | $191 | $3,475 |
| Jun | 73% | $215 | $4,019 |
| Jul | 74% | $210 | $4,131 |
| Aug | 70% | $211 | $3,989 |
| Sep | 65% | $184 | $3,253 |
| Oct | 68% | $181 | $3,344 |
| Nov | 63% | $180 | $3,065 |
| Dec | 63% | $188 | $3,209 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in El Cajon
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blueground | 584 | 738 | ★ 4.30 |
| 2 | The Maimon Group | 216 | 996 | ★ 4.67 |
| 3 | Evolve | 177 | 5,293 | ★ 4.43 |
| 4 | Zuma Housing | 150 | 30 | ★ 4.77 |
| 5 | Catalina Vacations | 143 | 5,161 | ★ 4.49 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in El Cajon?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 26,463 |
| 2 bed | 10,942 |
| 3 bed | 6,505 |
| 4 bed | 3,357 |
| 5 bed | 1,949 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $308 |
| Luxury | $585 |
| Professionally Managed | $411 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,283 |
| Entire Place | $5,796 |
| House | $5,514 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 72% |
| vrbo | 3.4% |
| both | 24.5% |
Investment Analysis
El Cajon’s STR investment fundamentals show strong occupancy (67.5% in April 2026, well above the US median of approximately 55%) offset by ADR that has declined 5.5% year over year from a 2022-2023 peak. The all-listings ADR of $208.40 in April 2026 compares to an entire-home ADR of $242.38, a professionally managed ADR of $314.19, and a luxury-tier ADR of $466.19.
The tier gap is material: professionally managed properties averaged $105.79 more per night than the all-listings average in April 2026, a 50.8% premium. Investors who place properties under professional management or position them in the luxury segment may significantly outperform the market average.
Average monthly revenue was $3,822 in April 2026. Entire-place listings averaged $4,401 per month, houses averaged $4,127, and apartments averaged $3,410. On an annualized basis, all-listings average performance projects to approximately $45,860 in gross revenue. Housing price data for El Cajon is not available in the current dataset, so a gross yield calculation cannot be made. The investability sub-score of 46.5 and revenue growth sub-score of 57.2 suggest moderate but not exceptional investment conditions.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
El Cajon guests book an average of 32.2 days in advance, a shorter planning horizon than many California mountain or coastal markets. This compressed lead time reflects the market’s urban-adjacent character and the prevalence of regional visitors from the greater San Diego metro area who may make more spontaneous travel decisions.
Average length of stay is 5.82 nights, notably longer than the national STR average of approximately 3-4 nights. A nearly 6-night average suggests that a meaningful portion of El Cajon STR demand comes from travelers seeking week-long stays, potentially including workers on temporary assignments, relocating residents, and extended-stay visitors rather than pure weekend tourists.
For pricing strategy, the 32-day average booking window means operators have approximately 4-5 weeks to adjust pricing before the arrival date. The long average stay (5.82 nights) suggests that minimum-stay policies of 4-5 nights may capture the dominant booking pattern without significantly reducing occupancy, while also reducing turnover costs.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
El Cajon permits short-term rentals and is generally considered more investor-accessible than the City of San Diego. Operators must obtain an active city business license, register the rental property, and collect and remit the city’s 10% Transient Occupancy Tax. TOT is filed quarterly and administered by HdL Companies on the city’s behalf. There is no published cap on annual rental nights, and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement has been identified in available sources.
A key restriction is that accessory dwelling units may not be used for rentals shorter than 30 days. No other specific zoning exclusions or cap on the number of STR permits were found in available data, but the city does not appear to publish a consolidated STR ordinance. Investors should confirm current zoning eligibility and permit fee amounts directly with the City of El Cajon Planning and Building division or Business License division before acquiring a property for STR use.
Permit cost data is not available in the current dataset and has been omitted rather than estimated. Enforcement is rated moderate, with compliance monitored primarily through TOT registration and business-license standing. No recent regulatory changes were identified in the profile data.
Market Comparison
El Cajon’s April 2026 occupancy of 67.5% is well above the US STR median of approximately 55%, placing it in the top tier of urban-adjacent California markets by occupancy rate. Its ADR of $208.40, while below the US median of approximately $220, reflects the market’s position as an inland East County location rather than a coastal or resort destination.
The market’s high seasonality sub-score of 96.6 out of 100 stands out. Despite the relatively narrow occupancy swing (61% to 74%), the sub-score reflects high booking consistency across seasons relative to comparable markets. The total score of 45.8 is weighed down by investability (46.5) and rental demand (50.2) sub-scores that signal moderate rather than strong investment conditions.
Among professional operators, Blueground leads with 584 listings and 738 reviews (4.30 average rating). The Maimon Group manages 216 listings (4.67 rating), and Evolve operates 177 listings (4.43 rating). Zuma Housing holds 150 listings (4.77 rating) and Catalina Vacations operates 143 listings (4.49 rating). Combined, the top 5 operators manage approximately 1,270 of the market’s 49,328 listings, representing about 2.6% of total inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions About El Cajon, California
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