Topeka, Kansas Short-Term Rental Market
Topeka short-term rentals averaged $148 per night at 53.2% occupancy in June 2026 across 4,308 listings.
Quick Answer: Topeka, Kansas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Kansas Area market area is 53%. average monthly revenue in the Kansas Area market area is $2,228. average daily rate in the Kansas Area market area is $148. the top operator in the Kansas Area market area is Evolve with 60 listings. market score is 86/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Kansas Area regional market, which includes Topeka. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Topeka.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Topeka’s short-term rental market includes 4,308 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo. In June 2026, the average daily rate was $147.81 with occupancy at 53.2%, producing average monthly revenue of $2,227.73 per listing. Occupancy is down slightly (1.12 percentage points) year over year, while ADR is up 4.20% and average revenue per listing is up 2.72% year over year, a modest but positive revenue trend.
The market skews heavily toward entire-place rentals: 3,839 of the 4,308 total listings (89.1%) are entire-place, private rooms make up 466 (10.8%), and shared rooms are rare at just 3 listings. Bedroom count skews smaller, with 1-bedroom units the largest bucket at 1,408 listings, followed by 2-bedroom at 1,317, 3-bedroom at 936, 4-bedroom at 419, and 5-bedroom-plus the smallest segment at 223. By booking channel, 2,863 listings are Airbnb-only, 1,244 appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 201 are Vrbo-only.
Topeka is the capital of Kansas and seat of Shawnee County, population 125,786. It draws visitors primarily for government and civic business, history and civil-rights heritage tourism (the Kansas State Capitol and Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park), family attractions, sports tournaments, and meetings and conventions rather than as a major leisure destination. A Topeka-specific annual visitor count is not published by Visit Topeka, so no visitor total is cited here. StaySTRA’s market scoring gives this area a strong investability score of 94.85 and total score of 85.93.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40% | $100 | $1,206 |
| Feb | 45% | $99 | $1,135 |
| Mar | 49% | $105 | $1,394 |
| Apr | 50% | $109 | $1,459 |
| May | 52% | $119 | $1,665 |
| Jun | 54% | $122 | $1,827 |
| Jul | 56% | $114 | $1,795 |
| Aug | 52% | $112 | $1,652 |
| Sep | 51% | $118 | $1,634 |
| Oct | 49% | $118 | $1,628 |
| Nov | 53% | $116 | $1,691 |
| Dec | 47% | $115 | $1,556 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Kansas Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Kansas Area market as a whole, which includes Topeka, so these counts are not Topeka-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 60 | 2,098 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | Stay Awhile | 18 | 2,494 | ★ 4.96 |
| 3 | OwlStays | 11 | 447 | ★ 4.56 |
| 4 | Equi-Venture Farm | 10 | 2,667 | ★ 4.85 |
| 5 | Swin Housing | 8 | 454 | ★ 4.84 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Topeka?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,408 |
| 2 bed | 1,317 |
| 3 bed | 936 |
| 4 bed | 419 |
| 5 bed | 223 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $153 |
| Luxury | $256 |
| Professionally Managed | $181 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,890 |
| Entire Place | $2,360 |
| House | $2,443 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 66.5% |
| vrbo | 4.7% |
| both | 28.9% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies by listing tier. All-listing average ADR is $147.81, entire-home listings average $152.50, and professionally managed listings command $180.83, a 22.3% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $255.65 per night, about 1.7x the market average. Average revenue per listing is up 2.72% year over year, a moderate gain driven mostly by the 4.20% ADR increase rather than occupancy, which slipped slightly.
No current Zillow-sourced housing snapshot (typical home value, median sale price, or list price) is available for Topeka in this data set, so a home-price-to-revenue yield comparison cannot be calculated here honestly; that figure should be sourced separately before underwriting an acquisition. On the regulatory side, Topeka requires a special use permit plus a business license to operate an STR, with the permit fee reported around $125.00 on a two-year renewal cycle, and the city’s transient guest tax is scheduled to rise from 7.00% to 8.5% on January 1, 2027, both of which should be built into any pro forma for this market.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Topeka is 45.58 days, shorter than many markets in this batch, and typical length of stay is 3.87 nights. Together these point to a market driven more by government business, civic events, sports tournaments, and shorter-notice trips than by planned vacation travel. Operators should expect a narrower advance-pricing window than in destination markets and may want to hold more flexible last-minute pricing given the shorter typical booking horizon, while still watching the Kansas State Capitol and Brown v. Board National Historical Park event calendars for predictable demand spikes.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in Topeka but require a city special use permit plus a business license, and operators must collect and remit the transient guest (lodging) tax. Topeka’s zoning code (Title 18) sorts STRs into three types: Type I is owner-occupied with up to 5 bedrooms, Type II is non-owner-occupied with up to 5 bedrooms, and Type III covers properties with 6 or more bedrooms, which require a conditional use permit and must be located within a single-family dwelling. Because non-owner-occupied Type II rentals are allowed, there is no universal owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement.
Permits are valid for two years (biennial) and reportedly cost around $125.00. Key operating rules include a 500-foot separation requirement between Type II/III STRs in residential (R, M-1, M-1a) districts, one parking space per resident plus one per two guests, exteriors that must remain residential in appearance, and no cooking facilities allowed in individual guestrooms. The city’s transient guest tax is currently 7.00% and is scheduled to rise to 8.5% effective January 1, 2027, following a May 2026 City Council vote, with no sunset date. Enforcement is characterized as moderate and permit-based: permits can be denied, revoked, or suspended for violations. Investors should verify current fees, zoning eligibility, and the 500-foot spacing rule with the City of Topeka before acquiring or listing a property.
Market Comparison
Topeka’s 53.2% occupancy is close to but slightly below commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy nationally), and its $147.81 ADR is well below the roughly $220 national median, consistent with a secondary Midwest capital-city market rather than a major metro or leisure destination.
Property management here is quite fragmented. Evolve leads with 60 listings (2,098 reviews, 4.74 average rating), about 1.4% of the 4,308 tracked listings. Stay Awhile ranks second with 18 listings (2,494 reviews, the highest rating in the top five at 4.96), followed by OwlStays with 11 listings, Equi-Venture Farm with 10 listings (4.85 rating), and Swin Housing with 8 listings. The top 5 PMs combined control under 2.5% of listings, meaning this market is overwhelmingly self-managed, leaving substantial room for a professional operator to build share.
Frequently Asked Questions About Topeka, Kansas
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