Panama City Beach, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Panama City Beach STRs averaged $297/night at 54.8% occupancy in April 2026 across 18,700+ active listings.
Quick Answer: Panama City Beach, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Panama City market area is 84%. average monthly revenue in the Panama City market area is $9,621. average daily rate in the Panama City market area is $411. the top operator in the Panama City market area is Vacasa with 1,336 listings. market score is 61/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Panama City regional market, which includes Panama City Beach. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Panama City Beach.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Panama City Beach is one of Florida’s largest short-term rental markets, with more than 18,700 active listings as of April 2026. The market posted a $297 average daily rate and 54.8% occupancy in April 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $4,454 per listing. RevPAR stood at $162.69.
Year-over-year, April 2026 showed occupancy up 7.1% and revenue up 9.7%, while ADR edged down 1.4%, suggesting demand growth is driving performance more than rate increases.
The listing mix is heavily concentrated in entire-place rentals, which account for 18,570 of 18,713 total listings (99.2%). Private rooms represent 139 listings and shared rooms just 4. By bedroom count, two-bedroom units are the most common (6,940 listings), followed by one-bedrooms (5,390), three-bedrooms (4,365), four-bedrooms (1,242), and five-bedrooms (746).
Channel distribution shows 12,846 listings active on both Airbnb and VRBO, with 3,053 VRBO-only and 2,814 Airbnb-only listings. This broad multi-channel presence reflects the market’s established professional management infrastructure and high booking volumes across both platforms.
Panama City Beach draws approximately 4.5 million visitors annually to its 27 miles of Gulf shoreline, supporting a rental market that operates year-round despite pronounced seasonal swings. The market’s investability score of 87.52 and rental demand score of 77.32 rank it among the higher-performing coastal STR markets in the Southeast.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 38% |
| Feb | 62% |
| Mar | 67% |
| Apr | 51% |
| May | 64% |
| Jun | 82% |
| Jul | 81% |
| Aug | 53% |
| Sep | 52% |
| Oct | 50% |
| Nov | 33% |
| Dec | 35% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Panama City Beach are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Panama City market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Panama City market as a whole, which includes Panama City Beach, so these counts are not Panama City Beach-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 1,336 | 40,035 | ★ 4.32 |
| 2 | Panhandle Getaways | 857 | 9,658 | ★ 4.48 |
| 3 | RealJoy | 683 | 23,579 | ★ 4.48 |
| 4 | Southern Vacation Rentals by Vtrips | 594 | 6,292 | ★ 4.24 |
| 5 | Emerald Coast Destinations | 427 | 22,602 | ★ 4.29 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Panama City Beach?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Panama City Beach 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 | 15% |
| vrbo | 16.3% |
| both | 68.6% |
Home Value Trends (Panama City Beach)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Panama City Beach 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 Panama City Beach — 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
Panama City Beach has one of the more complex STR licensing frameworks in Florida. Operators must hold four separate permits simultaneously to be legal: (1) a City Vacation Rental Certificate under Ordinance 1632 (effective February 1, 2024), (2) a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental License under Florida Statute Chapter 509, (3) Bay County Tourist Development Council registration, and (4) a Local Business Tax Receipt. Missing any one of these renders the operation unlicensed regardless of the others.
The city certificate costs $250 for initial registration and $150 for annual renewals. A mandatory fire safety inspection (fee $75) must be passed before the certificate is issued. Certificates must appear in all rental listings and advertisements. Occupancy is capped at one person per 150 square feet of habitable space, stricter than Florida’s default of one per 200 square feet for condos. This can reduce the advertised capacity of smaller units.
Fines for operating without a certificate: $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second, and $1,000 plus one-year certificate revocation for a third or subsequent violation.
Florida’s state preemption law (FS 509.032(7)(b)) prevents Panama City Beach from capping annual rental nights or prohibiting STRs outright. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement and no cap on nights per year.
STRs are permitted in High-Intensity, Medium-Intensity, and Low-Intensity Commercial districts, as well as Limited and Unlimited Multi-family districts and Townhouse districts. Single-family residential zones within city limits face restrictions or outright prohibition for STR use. Properties outside city limits fall under Bay County rules, not Ordinance 1632.
Guest-facing taxes total 11%: 6% Florida state sales tax plus 5% Bay County Tourist Development Tax. Enforcement is rated strict. The most recent significant change was the February 1, 2024 implementation of Ordinance 1632.
Market Comparison
Panama City Beach’s 54.8% occupancy in April 2026 sits near the national STR median of approximately 55%, but its $297 ADR is well above the national median of approximately $220, reflecting its premium beach positioning. The combination produces a RevPAR of $162.69 that outpaces many inland markets but is typical for major Gulf Coast beach destinations.
The revenue growth score of 74.25 and investability score of 87.52 place Panama City Beach in the upper tier of coastal vacation markets tracked by this dataset. Its seasonality score of 42.76 reflects the significant peak/trough swing and is a key risk differentiator versus markets with flatter demand curves.
The professional management landscape is concentrated at the top. Vacasa leads with 1,336 listings and 40,035 reviews (rating 4.323). Panhandle Getaways holds 857 listings with a 4.478 rating. RealJoy manages 683 listings at a 4.484 rating. Southern Vacation Rentals by Vtrips has 594 listings (4.235 rating). Emerald Coast Destinations rounds out the top five with 427 listings and 22,602 reviews (4.290 rating). These five operators collectively manage approximately 3,897 listings, representing about 20.8% of the total market. The remaining 79% of listings are independently managed or with smaller operators, which is typical for a market this large.
The market’s regulation score of 59.01 reflects the multi-layered permit requirements introduced in 2024, which create compliance overhead for new entrants but do not restrict the volume or duration of rentals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Panama City Beach, Florida
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