Marathon, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Marathon requires 7-night minimum licensed stays, with Florida Keys September 2026 ADR $426, occupancy 39.5%, monthly revenue $4,942.
Quick Answer: Marathon, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Key West market area is 40%. average monthly revenue in the Key West market area is $4,942. average daily rate in the Key West market area is $426. the top operator in the Key West market area is Vacasa with 337 listings. market score is 57/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Key West regional market, which includes Marathon. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Marathon.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Marathon requires a City of Marathon Vacation Rental Property License and limits vacation rentals to stays of 7 to 28 consecutive nights, so any investment case starts with that rule. Performance figures on this page describe the Florida Keys STR market, a regional series, rather than Marathon alone. In September 2026, the Florida Keys STR market recorded an average daily rate of $426, occupancy of 39.5%, and average monthly revenue of $4,942 per listing. Compared with a year earlier, occupancy is up 7.0%, ADR is up 6.7%, and revenue is up 10.1%. September is the seasonal low point for the region, so these figures sit well below the year to date picture. Through the first nine months of 2026, the yearly average shows occupancy of 62.5%, ADR of $493, and monthly revenue of $8,193. That compares with 60.9% occupancy, a $469 ADR, and $7,511 monthly revenue for full year 2025. Marathon has a population of 9,914 and sits in the Middle Keys in Monroe County, which draws roughly 5.5 million total visitors and about 4.45 million overnight trips a year (2023). Visitors spend about $3.5 billion annually across the Keys. Marathon’s own draws include Sombrero Beach, the Turtle Hospital, the Dolphin Research Center, and the Seven Mile Bridge and Pigeon Key, and its visitors skew toward boaters, anglers, and divers. A Marathon-specific annual visitor count is not published. Bedroom, channel, and listing-type counts are tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Marathon, so this profile omits them. By property type, entire places average $4,991 in monthly revenue, houses average $5,988, and apartments average $3,906.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 65% |
| Feb | 80% |
| Mar | 78% |
| Apr | 59% |
| May | 59% |
| Jun | 68% |
| Jul | 68% |
| Aug | 50% |
| Sep | 40% |
| Oct | 52% |
| Nov | 58% |
| Dec | 61% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Marathon are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Key West market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Key West market as a whole, which includes Marathon, so these counts are not Marathon-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 337 | 21,234 | ★ 4.55 |
| 2 | Vacation Rentals of the Florida Keys LLC. | 232 | 4,472 | ★ 4.68 |
| 3 | Brightwild | 208 | 14,851 | ★ 4.62 |
| 4 | Last Key | 156 | 8,230 | ★ 4.89 |
| 5 | Wendy Zintsmaster and Team | 133 | 5,749 | ★ 4.81 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Marathon?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Marathon 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 | 16.8% |
| vrbo | 24.6% |
| both | 58.6% |
Home Value Trends (Marathon)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Marathon 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 Marathon — 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
Marathon allows short-term vacation rentals but regulates them tightly, and enforcement is rated strict. Any dwelling rented for 7 to 28 consecutive nights needs a City of Marathon Vacation Rental Property License. Rentals of fewer than 7 nights are prohibited, and the maximum stay is 28 consecutive nights. The license is also tied to a Vacation Rental Agent License, a Florida DBPR license, a Florida sales tax certificate, and a Monroe County Business Tax Receipt with a Tourist Development Tax account. The license runs about $1,200 for a new one-bedroom unit and about $1,100 to renew, scaling up with bedroom count, and it renews annually with the application due 30 days before expiration. The council raised these fees in 2024, with $100 increases for units of two or fewer bedrooms and $200 for larger units. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement. If the owner lives more than an hour from Marathon, a local contact person must be designated, and the license number must appear on all advertising. Lodging taxes are 5% local Tourist Development Tax plus 7.5% state sales and use tax, about 12.5% in total. Violations carry fines of up to $500 per day, per unit, per violation. Three violations within 12 months suspend the license for a year, and repeat offenders face revocation. The city runs a public license lookup portal, so guests and code officers can verify any address.
Market Comparison
The Florida Keys STR market is a high-rate, seasonally uneven market. The September 2026 ADR of $426 is led by professionally managed listings at $518 and luxury listings at $854, roughly double the all-listings figure. Occupancy tells a different story. The latest month’s 39.5% is low, though September is the weakest month of the year. The seasonal average of about 61.6% is much higher, and the 2026 year to date figure of 62.5% is higher still. February at 80.2% and March at 77.6% are the strongest months. The trade is clear: investors give up some consistency for high rates and strong winter demand. Average monthly revenue of $4,942 in September and $8,193 year to date reflects that premium. Marathon adds regulatory friction, namely a 7 night minimum, a 28 night maximum, annual licensing, and about 12.5% in lodging taxes. Top operator rankings are tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Marathon, so this profile omits them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marathon, Florida
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