Cedar Rapids, Iowa Short-Term Rental Market
Cedar Rapids STRs averaged $137/night at 51.4% occupancy in April 2026, with revenue up 8.5% year-over-year.
Quick Answer: Cedar Rapids, Iowa is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Iowa Area market area is 61%. average monthly revenue in the Iowa Area market area is $3,283. average daily rate in the Iowa Area market area is $200. the top operator in the Iowa Area market area is Evolve with 93 listings. market score is 76/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Iowa Area regional market, which includes Cedar Rapids. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Cedar Rapids.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city with a population of 137,904, supports a short-term rental market of approximately 6,200 active listings. Entire-place rentals dominate the mix at 5,621 listings (90.6% of all units), with private rooms accounting for 579 additional options. In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $137 and occupancy of 51.4%, producing a RevPAR of $70. Year-over-year performance has been positive across all three key metrics: occupancy gained 7.1 percentage points, ADR rose 2.8%, and average monthly revenue grew 8.5%.
The bedroom mix spans all size tiers, with 1-bedroom units leading at 1,959 listings, followed by 2-bedrooms (1,706), 3-bedrooms (1,427), 4-bedrooms (705), and 5-bedroom-plus properties (399). Distribution skews heavily toward Airbnb, which accounts for 3,641 single-channel listings; another 2,086 properties are listed on both Airbnb and VRBO, while 475 list exclusively on VRBO. The market’s overall investment score is 76.2 out of 100, with investability scoring particularly high at 84.4 and rental demand at 78.5.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 41% |
| Feb | 45% |
| Mar | 50% |
| Apr | 50% |
| May | 54% |
| Jun | 61% |
| Jul | 64% |
| Aug | 57% |
| Sep | 50% |
| Oct | 50% |
| Nov | 48% |
| Dec | 46% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Cedar Rapids are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Iowa Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Iowa Area market as a whole, which includes Cedar Rapids, so these counts are not Cedar Rapids-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 93 | 2,760 | ★ 4.64 |
| 2 | Okoboji Vacation Co. | 59 | 975 | ★ 4.69 |
| 3 | 228 Spaces | 36 | 1,026 | ★ 4.76 |
| 4 | CR Short Stays | 30 | 2,429 | ★ 4.86 |
| 5 | Iowa Cabin Rentals | 23 | 378 | ★ 4.20 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Cedar Rapids?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Cedar Rapids 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 | 58.7% |
| vrbo | 7.7% |
| both | 33.6% |
Home Value Trends (Cedar Rapids)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids — 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
Cedar Rapids operates under Iowa’s statewide short-term rental preemption law (House File 2641, enacted 2020, codified at Iowa Code 414.1). Under this law, cities and counties must treat any dwelling rented for 30 days or less as a residential land use and may not prohibit STRs, require an STR-specific permit or license, or impose STR-specific fees. Cedar Rapids has no standalone STR ordinance, no permit requirement, no owner-occupancy or primary-residence mandate, and no annual night cap.
The primary compliance obligations are tax and housing code. Stays of 30 days or less are subject to Iowa’s 5% state hotel/motel excise tax plus Cedar Rapids’ 7% local hotel/motel tax, for a combined 12% occupancy tax rate. Hosts must register with the Iowa Department of Revenue to collect and remit these taxes. Cedar Rapids’ general rental housing code also requires rental properties to be registered and to pass Housing Quality Standards safety inspections (Certificate of Compliance); these requirements apply equally to STRs and traditional rentals.
Enforcement is classified as minimal. Standard nuisance, noise, and parking rules remain in effect but are applied the same way as for any residential property. No zoning overlay or density cap specific to STRs was found. Investors should confirm current rental-registration and inspection requirements directly with Cedar Rapids Code Enforcement, as local administrative procedures can change independently of state preemption.
Market Comparison
Cedar Rapids’ April 2026 occupancy of 51.4% sits near the U.S. STR market median of approximately 55%, while its ADR of $137 is well below the national median of roughly $220. This places Cedar Rapids in the affordable-market segment, where lower nightly rates are offset by consistent demand from a regional business and convention economy. The market’s investability score of 84.4 compares favorably to the national benchmark.
The operator landscape is led by Evolve, which manages 93 listings with 2,760 reviews and a 4.64 average rating — representing approximately 1.5% of total market listings. Okoboji Vacation Co. holds 59 listings (4.69 rating, 975 reviews), 228 Spaces operates 36 listings (4.76 rating, 1,026 reviews), and CR Short Stays runs 30 listings with the highest local rating at 4.86 across 2,429 reviews. Iowa Cabin Rentals rounds out the top five with 23 listings. Combined, the top 5 operators hold 241 listings, or roughly 3.9% of total market supply, indicating a fragmented market where independent hosts remain dominant.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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