San Diego, California Short-Term Rental Market
San Diego STRs averaged $299/night at 65.2% occupancy in April 2026, with revenue up 9.6% year over year.
Quick Answer: San Diego, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the San Diego market area is 76%. average monthly revenue in the San Diego market area is $7,597. average daily rate in the San Diego market area is $382. the top operator in the San Diego market area is Evolve with 266 listings. market score is 65/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the wider San Diego market, which covers 22 areas. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to San Diego.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
San Diego operates one of the largest short-term rental markets in the country, with approximately 26,943 active listings across the city’s bedroom mix and a market total score of 65.4 out of 100. In April 2026, the average daily rate across all listing types was $299, and occupancy reached 65.2%, producing an average monthly revenue of $5,328 per listing.
The listing supply skews heavily toward entire-place rentals, which account for 24,307 of the approximately 26,985 categorized units (90%), with private rooms making up another 2,656 listings and shared rooms a negligible 22. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom units are the most common at 11,274 listings, followed by 2-bedroom (6,946), 3-bedroom (4,599), 4-bedroom (2,457), and 5-bedroom-plus (1,667).
On the channel side, 13,340 listings appear on Airbnb only, 1,685 on VRBO only, and 11,960 are cross-listed on both platforms, reflecting broad distribution across the two dominant booking channels.
Year-over-year as of April 2026, occupancy improved 8.3 percentage points and revenue rose 9.6%, while ADR dipped slightly by 0.7% compared to the same month last year. The 2025 annual average ADR was $305, with occupancy averaging 62.75% and revenue averaging $5,259 per month across all listing types. Rental demand scores 79.3 out of 100 and revenue growth scores 71.5, both well above the market’s blended total score.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 56% |
| Feb | 65% |
| Mar | 69% |
| Apr | 62% |
| May | 64% |
| Jun | 74% |
| Jul | 77% |
| Aug | 68% |
| Sep | 61% |
| Oct | 61% |
| Nov | 58% |
| Dec | 57% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for San Diego are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in San Diego market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the San Diego market as a whole, which includes San Diego, so these counts are not San Diego-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 266 | 10,486 | ★ 4.73 |
| 2 | Surf Style Vacation Homes | 225 | 10,113 | ★ 4.77 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 179 | 8,447 | ★ 4.62 |
| 4 | Nxt Vacation Rental Management | 165 | 3,059 | ★ 4.90 |
| 5 | San Diego Rentals | 162 | 153 | ★ 4.40 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in San Diego?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for San Diego 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 | 49.4% |
| vrbo | 6.2% |
| both | 44.3% |
Home Value Trends (San Diego)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for San Diego 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 San Diego — 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
San Diego requires a Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) license for any rental under 30 days, under rules effective May 2023. The ordinance uses four tiers based on use type and location.
Tier 1 covers part-time operators renting 20 or fewer nights per year; the biennial license costs $226. Tier 2 covers home-sharing (host on-site, 20 or more nights per year) at $317 biennial; hosts may be absent up to 90 days per year. Tier 3 covers whole-home rentals outside Mission Beach (20 or more nights per year) at $1,170 biennial; no owner-occupancy required, but citywide supply is capped at approximately 6,592 licenses, of which roughly 5,800 had been issued as of late 2025, leaving an estimated 896 permits available. Tier 4 covers whole-home Mission Beach rentals at the same $1,170 biennial fee; the neighborhood cap (30% of housing units) was exhausted and the waitlist is closed.
As of May 1, 2025, voter-approved Measure C replaced the prior flat 10.5% transient occupancy tax with a zone-based structure: Zone 1 = 11.75%, Zone 2 = 12.75%, Zone 3 = 13.75%, based on proximity to the Convention Center. Airbnb and VRBO collect and remit this tax on operators’ behalf. Tier 3 and Tier 4 licenses require a minimum 2-night guest stay and at least 90 rental nights per year to retain the license. The city’s BLUE enforcement team cross-references platform listings against license records; penalties include fines and license revocation. Enforcement is classified as strict.
Market Comparison
Against US STR benchmarks, San Diego sits well above median on both rate and occupancy. The national STR median ADR is approximately $220 and median occupancy roughly 55%; San Diego’s April 2026 figures of $299 ADR and 65.2% occupancy exceed both benchmarks by a substantial margin. The market’s rental demand score of 79.3 out of 100 and seasonality score of 77.9 confirm consistent year-round demand relative to comparable coastal markets.
The investability score of 53.5 is the market’s weakest dimension, reflecting the high acquisition cost (typical home value $1,006,261) and the Tier 3 license scarcity constraint, which caps supply-side expansion. The regulation score of 64.6 reflects a functioning but constrained regulatory environment.
Among professional operators, Evolve leads the market with 266 listings and 10,486 reviews at a 4.73 rating. Surf Style Vacation Homes manages 225 listings with 10,113 reviews and a 4.77 rating. Vacasa holds 179 listings with 8,447 reviews at 4.62. Nxt Vacation Rental Management has 165 listings and the highest rating among the top five at 4.90. San Diego Rentals rounds out the top five with 162 listings. The top five operators collectively manage 997 listings, representing approximately 3.7% of the estimated 26,943-listing market, indicating a highly fragmented competitive landscape dominated by independent operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About San Diego, California
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