Kansas City, Kansas Short-Term Rental Market
Kansas City, KS STRs hit $213/night at 63.7% occupancy in April 2026, with a 94.2 market score and World Cup demand.
Quick Answer: Kansas City, Kansas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Kansas City market area is 60%. average monthly revenue in the Kansas City market area is $3,600. average daily rate in the Kansas City market area is $204. the top operator in the Kansas City market area is Karat Vacation Rental Management with 102 listings. market score is 94/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the wider Kansas City market, which covers 16 areas. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Kansas City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Kansas City, Kansas (Wyandotte County) is part of the greater Kansas City metro, which drew more than 28 million visitors in 2024. KCK is anchored by the Village West and Legends entertainment district, including Kansas Speedway (major NASCAR races), Legends Outlets, Hollywood Casino, and Children’s Mercy Park (home of MLS club Sporting KC). The city is also a co-host region for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in adjacent Kansas City, MO, driving exceptional lodging demand from June through July 2026.
As of April 2026, the short-term rental market recorded an average daily rate of $213, occupancy of 63.7%, and RevPAR of $135. Average monthly revenue across all listing types reached $3,609. Year-over-year, occupancy rose 1.4 percentage points, ADR jumped 8.0%, and revenue surged 39.1%, the largest year-over-year revenue gain of the five markets covered in this batch, reflecting World Cup-adjacent demand and event-driven pricing.
The listing mix is primarily entire-place units (4,000 listings) with 674 private rooms and 5 shared rooms, out of approximately 4,679 total tracked listings. Airbnb dominates distribution with 2,589 Airbnb-only listings, 1,863 dual-platform listings (both Airbnb and VRBO), and 227 VRBO-only. Bedroom composition skews toward 1-bedroom (1,586) and 2-bedroom (1,111) properties, with 3-bedroom (1,073), 4-bedroom (561), and 5-bedroom (344) rounding out the inventory.
The market scores a 94.2 total rating, the highest of the five markets covered, driven by a 95.1 rental demand score and 91.6 seasonality score.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 50% |
| Feb | 56% |
| Mar | 63% |
| Apr | 60% |
| May | 65% |
| Jun | 69% |
| Jul | 69% |
| Aug | 61% |
| Sep | 61% |
| Oct | 62% |
| Nov | 57% |
| Dec | 58% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Kansas City are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Kansas City market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Kansas City market as a whole, which includes Kansas City, so these counts are not Kansas City-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karat Vacation Rental Management | 102 | 9,506 | ★ 4.73 |
| 2 | Cozy in KC | 93 | 10,766 | ★ 4.84 |
| 3 | OwlStays | 86 | 3,487 | ★ 4.57 |
| 4 | Short Term Rental Manager | 76 | 1,272 | ★ 4.84 |
| 5 | Evolve | 59 | 2,054 | ★ 4.63 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Kansas City?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Kansas City 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 | 55.3% |
| vrbo | 4.9% |
| both | 39.8% |
Home Value Trends (Kansas City)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Kansas City 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 Kansas City — 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
Short-term rentals are legal in Kansas City, KS (the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS), but require authorization from the Planning and Urban Design Department. Standard non-owner-occupied STRs must obtain a Special Use Permit, and under Ordinance O-49-23, only one non-owner-occupied STR is allowed per block face. Owner-occupied STRs have no per-block density cap.
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup period (major-event period May 4 through July 31, 2026), the Unified Government adopted a streamlined administrative license process: a $50 fee, a 3-business-day decision target, and a temporary suspension of the one-per-block density cap for non-owner-occupied units. This temporary pathway allowed new operators to enter the market for the event period specifically.
Guests pay a 10% Wyandotte County transient guest (hotel) tax, effective April 1, 2026 per the Kansas Department of Revenue rate schedule, up from an 8% baseline considered in mid-2025. Standard state and local sales taxes also apply to lodging.
Enforcement is moderate. The enforcement team had historically been limited in staffing, but fines were strengthened in early 2026: operating without a valid license carries penalties of roughly $1,000 to $15,000 per violation, with each day potentially constituting a separate violation per KCTV5 reporting. No owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement exists for owner-occupied units, and there is no published annual night cap.
Market Comparison
Kansas City, KS’s April 2026 occupancy of 63.7% exceeds the U.S. STR median of approximately 55% by a meaningful margin, placing it in the top tier of urban STR markets nationally by occupancy. The ADR of $213 is near the national median of roughly $220, but the combination of above-median occupancy and near-median rate produces a RevPAR of $135, substantially above the national norm.
The operator landscape is differentiated from most markets by the absence of Evolve or Vacasa in the top two positions. Karat Vacation Rental Management leads with 102 listings and a 4.73-star average across 9,506 reviews. Cozy in KC is second with 93 listings and a 4.84-star average across 10,800 reviews, the highest-rated operator in the market. OwlStays holds 86 listings at a 4.57-star average, Short Term Rental Manager has 76 listings at a 4.84-star average, and Evolve rounds out the top five with 59 listings at a 4.63 average. The top five collectively manage 416 listings, approximately 9% of the 4,679-plus tracked inventory.
The 94.2 total market score, 95.1 rental demand score, and 91.6 seasonality score position Kansas City, KS as one of the stronger urban STR markets in the Midwest. Affordable entry prices below $230,000 median combined with occupancy above 63% create a favorable revenue-to-cost ratio relative to coastal and high-appreciation markets.
Frequently Asked Questions About Kansas City, Kansas
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