Crystal Beach, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Crystal Beach STRs averaged $292/night at 67.2% occupancy in April 2026 across 19,312 active listings.
Quick Answer: Crystal Beach, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 67%. average monthly revenue is $5,338. average daily rate is $292. the top operator is Resort Rentals with 403 listings. market score is 56/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Crystal Beach is a small, unincorporated Gulf-front community in Pinellas County, Florida, situated within the broader St. Pete/Clearwater market. Despite a resident population of approximately 979, the area supports 19,312 active short-term rental listings, reflecting its position inside one of Florida’s top coastal tourism regions. In April 2026, the average daily rate was $292.37 and occupancy reached 67.2%, generating a RevPAR of $196.43. Year-over-year, ADR rose 3.6% while occupancy fell 5.4%, resulting in an overall revenue decline of 2.1%.
Entire-place rentals dominate supply at 18,488 listings (95.7% of the market), with 797 private rooms and 27 shared rooms accounting for the rest. Two-bedroom listings are the most common configuration (6,987 units), followed by one-bedroom (5,999), three-bedroom (4,214), four-bedroom (1,421), and five-bedroom (642). Cross-platform distribution is high: 11,621 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 5,508 are Airbnb-only, and 2,183 are VRBO-only. The market’s total score is 55.5 out of 100, with rental demand (77.6) and investability (74.4) as the strongest underlying indicators.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | $187 | $3,152 |
| Feb | 82% | $215 | $3,952 |
| Mar | 82% | $249 | $5,116 |
| Apr | 65% | $233 | $4,081 |
| May | 62% | $216 | $3,649 |
| Jun | 70% | $231 | $4,264 |
| Jul | 70% | $220 | $4,223 |
| Aug | 54% | $196 | $3,125 |
| Sep | 48% | $174 | $2,329 |
| Oct | 56% | $179 | $2,572 |
| Nov | 57% | $175 | $2,467 |
| Dec | 57% | $188 | $2,625 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Crystal Beach
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resort Rentals | 403 | 16,580 | ★ 4.58 |
| 2 | ITrip Vacations | 342 | 30,185 | ★ 4.65 |
| 3 | Travel Resort Services | 330 | 9,076 | ★ 4.65 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 302 | 15,079 | ★ 4.59 |
| 5 | Evolve | 299 | 12,477 | ★ 4.69 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Crystal Beach?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 5,999 |
| 2 bed | 6,987 |
| 3 bed | 4,214 |
| 4 bed | 1,421 |
| 5 bed | 642 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $299 |
| Luxury | $480 |
| Professionally Managed | $353 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $5,072 |
| Entire Place | $5,469 |
| House | $5,730 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 28.5% |
| vrbo | 11.3% |
| both | 60.2% |
Investment Analysis
Crystal Beach’s April 2026 average monthly revenue of $5,338 is among the higher figures for Florida Gulf Coast STR markets, driven by a strong ADR and occupancy combination. The spread between performance tiers is substantial: houses averaged $5,730/month, entire-place listings $5,469, and apartments $5,072.
Rate premiums by tier are notable. Luxury listings averaged $480.04/night in ADR, professionally managed properties averaged $353.00, and the all-listings average was $292.37. The professionally managed premium over the market average is approximately 21%, suggesting that management infrastructure provides a meaningful but less extreme lift than in smaller, less-mature markets.
No Zillow housing valuation data was available for Crystal Beach at the time of this report. Pinellas County home prices in coastal communities generally trade at a significant premium to inland Florida, so prospective investors should verify entry costs directly through current MLS data before underwriting. The regulation score of 61.7 reflects the county’s newly enacted Ordinance 25-15 (March 2025), which added a Certificate of Use requirement, safety inspections, and occupancy caps. This creates a modest compliance layer but does not restrict the number of STRs or impose ownership requirements.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Crystal Beach guests booked an average of 62.3 days in advance in April 2026, with an average length of stay of 5.1 nights. The 62-day lead window is notably longer than many Florida STR markets, indicating that guests plan ahead and book early for Gulf Coast stays. This gives operators a longer runway for yield management.
At 5.1 nights average, stays are longer than the typical weekend-trip profile. This reduces turnover costs per booking and suggests guests are arriving for multi-day vacations rather than quick getaways. Operators can reasonably set 4-to-5-night minimum stays without significantly constricting demand in peak periods, while offering 3-night minimums in shoulder months to maintain fill rates.
The 62-day advance booking window means pricing adjustments made 60-90 days out will capture the bulk of advance bookers. Revenue management tools set to raise rates 8-10 weeks before peak dates (particularly late February through early April) are well-aligned with this market’s booking behavior.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Crystal Beach is unincorporated Pinellas County, so it falls under the county’s short-term rental ordinance (Ordinance 25-15), adopted in March 2025. This was Pinellas County’s first countywide STR regulatory framework. Under this ordinance, STRs are properties rented for stays under 30 days more than three times per year.
Operators must obtain a county-issued Certificate of Use at $450 per year, renewable annually and non-transferable (one per property). A safety inspection is required before the certificate is issued, at $150 for the initial inspection and $100 for reinspection, with re-inspections every two years.
Operational rules include: maximum occupancy of two guests per bedroom plus two in common areas (capped at 10 total); one off-street parking space per three guests (front-lawn parking excluded); and quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. Emergency contact and occupancy information must be posted inside the unit.
On the tax side, the county charges a 6% Tourist Development Tax (bed tax), and Florida state and local sales taxes add approximately 7%, for a combined transient tax rate of roughly 13%. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement and no annual night cap. Applications opened March 31, 2025 with zip-code-based deadlines through July 2025. Enforcement by county Code Enforcement is rated moderate.
Market Comparison
Crystal Beach’s April 2026 ADR of $292.37 significantly exceeds the U.S. STR median ADR of approximately $220, placing it in the upper tier of coastal Florida markets. Occupancy at 67.2% is also well above the national median of roughly 55%, reflecting strong demand fundamentals in the Pinellas County Gulf Coast corridor.
The market’s rental demand score of 77.6 and investability score of 74.4 indicate above-average market quality. However, the total score of 55.5 reflects ongoing adjustments from occupancy compression and the new regulatory layer from Ordinance 25-15.
Among operators, Resort Rentals leads with 403 listings and 16,580 reviews at a 4.58 rating. ITrip Vacations follows with 342 listings and the highest review count among the top five at 30,185 (rating 4.65). Travel Resort Services holds 330 listings at a 4.65 rating, Vacasa 302 listings at 4.59, and Evolve 299 listings at 4.69. The top five operators collectively manage 1,676 listings, representing approximately 8.7% of the 19,312-listing market.
Frequently Asked Questions About Crystal Beach, Florida
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