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 is 65%. average monthly revenue is $5,328. average daily rate is $299. the top operator is Evolve with 266 listings. market score is 65/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex 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 | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | $203 | $3,106 |
| Feb | 65% | $210 | $3,323 |
| Mar | 69% | $246 | $4,499 |
| Apr | 62% | $243 | $4,076 |
| May | 64% | $249 | $4,094 |
| Jun | 74% | $299 | $5,523 |
| Jul | 77% | $312 | $6,124 |
| Aug | 68% | $291 | $5,370 |
| Sep | 61% | $246 | $4,009 |
| Oct | 61% | $236 | $3,936 |
| Nov | 58% | $224 | $3,397 |
| Dec | 57% | $231 | $3,544 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in San Diego
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | 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 pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 11,274 |
| 2 bed | 6,946 |
| 3 bed | 4,599 |
| 4 bed | 2,457 |
| 5 bed | 1,667 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $320 |
| Luxury | $576 |
| Professionally Managed | $436 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,475 |
| Entire Place | $5,692 |
| House | $5,957 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 49.4% |
| vrbo | 6.2% |
| both | 44.3% |
Investment Analysis
San Diego presents a high-cost, moderate-yield STR investment profile. At a typical home value of $1,006,261 and an April 2026 monthly revenue average of $5,328, a straightforward annualized revenue estimate of $63,936 implies a gross STR yield of approximately 6.3% before operating costs, management fees, and the city’s licensing overhead.
Yield varies significantly by listing tier. Professionally managed entire-home units averaged $435.57/night in ADR versus the all-listings average of $299, and luxury-tier listings reached $575.72/night. Entire-place listings produced average monthly revenue of $5,692, compared to $4,475 for apartments and $5,957 for houses. Investors targeting houses in non-Mission Beach neighborhoods at the current all-listings ADR and occupancy stand to earn roughly $71,484 annualized, improving gross yield to approximately 7.1%.
The housing market remains competitive: the sale-to-list ratio was 1.054 as of April 2026, meaning properties are selling above ask on average, and the median days to pending was 16 days. For-sale inventory stood at 2,963 units. Revenue growth scored 71.5 out of 100 on the market dimension index, and the 2024-to-2025 annual revenue trend was modestly positive ($5,195 to $5,259). The Tier 3 STRO license cap (approximately 896 of 6,592 permits remaining citywide as of late 2025) adds meaningful supply-side risk for new entrants: a property purchased without an existing license may face a waitlist.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
San Diego guests book an average of 41 days in advance, and the average length of stay is 4.36 nights. The 41-day lead time gives operators a meaningful pricing window: rates set 6 to 8 weeks before arrival can be adjusted based on demand signals before the booking curve peaks. This lead time is consistent with leisure-driven urban coastal markets where guests plan ahead but are not as far out as destination resort visitors.
At 4.36 nights average stay, San Diego sits in a mid-length range that balances turnover costs against revenue per booking. Operators optimizing for fewer turnovers can impose 4-night minimums without significantly reducing booking likelihood, particularly during the June through August peak when demand is high and guests are more likely to commit to longer stays. During shoulder months (March through May, September through October), reducing minimum stays to 2 nights (the regulatory floor for Tier 3 and Tier 4 licenses) can capture weekend-driven demand that would otherwise bypass the listing.
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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