Melbourne, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Melbourne FL STRs averaged $239/night at 60.2% occupancy in April 2026, with a 4.9-night average stay on Florida's Space Coast.
Quick Answer: Melbourne, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 67%. average monthly revenue is $4,433. average daily rate is $246. the top operator is Happy Palm Stays with 408 listings. market score is 62/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Melbourne/Titusville regional market, which includes Melbourne. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Melbourne.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Melbourne is a city of approximately 86,576 residents in Brevard County on Florida’s Space Coast, situated along the Indian River Lagoon about one hour from Orlando and 30 minutes from Kennedy Space Center. STR demand is driven by 72 miles of Atlantic beaches, rocket launch viewing, watersports on the lagoon, Brevard Zoo, and the aerospace and defense industry (L3Harris, Northrop Grumman) that brings both leisure and business travelers.
In April 2026, listings averaged $239/night with occupancy of 60.2%, generating average monthly revenue of $3,956. RevPAR was $144. Year-over-year, April occupancy declined 3.5 percentage points, ADR edged up 0.5%, and revenue fell 4.0%. Melbourne’s seasonal pattern differs from typical Florida beach markets: the historical peak occupancy month is March (81.3% average over the data series), driven by winter visitors and spring break.
Entire-place properties dominate the supply mix (5,976 in the regional dataset). The bedroom distribution is widest in the 2-bedroom (2,328) and 1-bedroom (1,718) sizes. Airbnb is the primary channel, with VRBO as a secondary platform. The market’s rental demand score is 88.96 out of 100, one of the stronger demand signals in this dataset.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | $173 | $3,059 |
| Feb | 81% | $187 | $3,587 |
| Mar | 81% | $213 | $4,524 |
| Apr | 63% | $200 | $3,427 |
| May | 61% | $191 | $3,212 |
| Jun | 71% | $213 | $4,011 |
| Jul | 72% | $201 | $3,985 |
| Aug | 56% | $179 | $2,916 |
| Sep | 49% | $161 | $2,254 |
| Oct | 56% | $163 | $2,531 |
| Nov | 57% | $166 | $2,434 |
| Dec | 59% | $176 | $2,697 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Melbourne
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Happy Palm Stays | 408 | 13,709 | ★ 4.82 |
| 2 | Beachside Vacation Rentals | 284 | 8,885 | ★ 4.70 |
| 3 | Evolve | 111 | 5,255 | ★ 4.69 |
| 4 | Beachside VR | 65 | 1,862 | ★ 4.49 |
| 5 | Vacasa | 63 | 1,562 | ★ 4.32 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Melbourne?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,718 |
| 2 bed | 2,328 |
| 3 bed | 1,529 |
| 4 bed | 602 |
| 5 bed | 347 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $257 |
| Luxury | $407 |
| Professionally Managed | $277 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,883 |
| Entire Place | $4,654 |
| House | $5,078 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 34.6% |
| vrbo | 11.1% |
| both | 54.3% |
Investment Analysis
Monthly revenue averaged $3,956 in April 2026. Houses generated $4,364/month, the strongest segment. Entire-place listings averaged $4,157. Apartments averaged $3,627/month, relatively close to the overall average and reflecting the urban coastal character of the market.
ADR tiers show a moderate premium for professional management: listings managed professionally reached $272/night versus $239 market average, a 14% premium. Luxury-tier properties averaged $410/night.
Typical home value in Melbourne is $357,544 (Zillow, April 2026 snapshot). Median sale price was $352,667 and median list price was $369,933. With 900 active for-sale listings and a sale-to-list ratio of 0.953, the market offers more negotiating room than peak years. Median days to pending was 34.
At $3,956 average monthly revenue, annualized gross revenue is approximately $47,500, representing a gross yield of roughly 13.3% against the $357,544 typical home value. Using the 2025 annual average of $3,707/month, annualized gross is approximately $44,500 and the implied yield is 12.4%. Both figures are pre-expense, before Florida state sales tax, Brevard County Tourist Development Tax, management fees, and maintenance.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time is 54 days, among the longer lead times in this group of markets. Average length of stay is 4.9 nights, approaching a full week. This combination indicates guests plan ahead and stay longer than average, consistent with Space Coast tourism where visitors build multi-day itineraries around scheduled rocket launches, Kennedy Space Center tours, beach stays, and lagoon activities.
The longer average stay reduces turnover frequency and cleaning costs relative to markets with 2-3 night stays. Operators can price with less last-minute pressure given the 7-8 week advance booking window. Minimum-stay policies of 3-5 nights are feasible and common given the near-5-night average. Rocket launch schedules, published by NASA and SpaceX, create identifiable demand spikes that operators can price around when booking windows open.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
The City of Melbourne currently has no dedicated short-term rental ordinance. STRs are neither explicitly allowed nor prohibited by city code. The city does not impose an STR-specific permit, registration, owner-occupancy requirement, primary-residence requirement, or annual night cap. A general City of Melbourne Business Tax Receipt may apply to a rental business.
Florida requires operators of whole-unit transient rentals to hold a state DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) vacation rental license. Florida sales tax of 6% applies to short-term rentals. Brevard County’s 5% Tourist Development Tax applies to stays of six months or less; as of October 1, 2025, the Brevard County Clerk of Court (not the Tax Collector) administers TDT collection under an ordinance adopted July 22, 2025.
Critical note: Melbourne FL (the city) is NOT the same jurisdiction as Melbourne Beach, West Melbourne, or other Brevard County municipalities. Melbourne Beach restricts vacation rentals by zoning and requires town registration (Ordinance 2024-05). West Melbourne prohibits rentals shorter than one week in all residential zoning districts. Always confirm the specific municipality of a property before assuming Melbourne’s permissive environment applies. Enforcement within the City of Melbourne is minimal.
Market Comparison
The US STR median occupancy is approximately 55% and median ADR approximately $220. Melbourne’s April 2026 occupancy of 60.2% exceeds the national median by about 5 points, and its $239 ADR exceeds the national median as well. RevPAR of $144 reflects above-median performance.
Happy Palm Stays leads the market with 408 listings and 13,709 reviews at a 4.821 average rating, one of the highest operator ratings in the dataset. Beachside Vacation Rentals follows with 284 listings and 8,885 reviews (rating 4.701). Evolve operates 111 listings with 5,255 reviews (rating 4.687). Beachside VR holds 65 listings (rating 4.486, 1,862 reviews). Vacasa has 63 listings (rating 4.324, 1,562 reviews).
Melbourne’s rental demand score of 88.96 indicates strong underlying demand relative to supply, even as year-over-year revenue declined 4.0% in April. The revenue growth score of 48.29 reflects a market that has plateaued since the 2020-2022 peak: 2024 annual average revenue ($3,702) and 2025 ($3,707) were nearly flat. The long-run occupancy trend, however, shows improvement from 53.4% in 2017 to 62.3% in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions About Melbourne, Florida
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