Monticello, Kentucky Short-Term Rental Market
Monticello short-term rentals averaged $219 per night at 56.9% occupancy in June 2026 across 8,451 listings.
Quick Answer: Monticello, Kentucky is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 57%. average monthly revenue is $3,402. average daily rate is $219. the top operator is Evolve with 344 listings. market score is 89/100 (grade A).
Market data reflects the Kentucky Area regional market, which includes Monticello. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Monticello.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Monticello’s short-term rental market includes 8,451 active listings tracked across Airbnb and Vrbo. In June 2026, the average daily rate was $219.40 with occupancy at 56.9%, producing average monthly revenue of $3,401.50 per listing. Occupancy is essentially flat year over year (up 0.08 points), ADR is down slightly (0.48%), and average revenue per listing is up 3.16% year over year, a modest but positive trend.
The market is dominated by entire-place rentals: 7,999 of the 8,451 total listings (94.7%) are entire-place, private rooms make up 449 (5.3%), and shared rooms are rare at just 3 listings. Bedroom count is fairly evenly spread among smaller units, with 2-bedroom the largest bucket at 2,493 listings, followed by 1-bedroom at 2,293, 3-bedroom at 2,234, 4-bedroom at 859, and 5-bedroom-plus the smallest segment at 566. By booking channel, 3,945 listings are Airbnb-only, 3,693 appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and 813 are Vrbo-only.
Monticello is the seat of Wayne County, Kentucky, population 5,726, and bills itself as the ‘Heart of Lake Cumberland’ and the ‘Houseboat Capital of the World.’ Tourism here is overwhelmingly outdoor and lake-driven: boating, houseboating, fishing, skiing, and camping on Lake Cumberland’s 1,200-plus miles of shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports roughly 4 million visitors per year to the broader Lake Cumberland region (spanning five counties, not Monticello alone), and no reliable city-specific visitor count was found. StaySTRA’s market scoring gives this area a very strong investability score of 97.75 and total score of 88.85.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | $123 | $1,328 |
| Feb | 44% | $124 | $1,370 |
| Mar | 53% | $144 | $1,926 |
| Apr | 51% | $154 | $2,093 |
| May | 51% | $167 | $2,231 |
| Jun | 60% | $191 | $3,023 |
| Jul | 63% | $190 | $3,314 |
| Aug | 52% | $179 | $2,618 |
| Sep | 47% | $166 | $2,150 |
| Oct | 51% | $161 | $2,335 |
| Nov | 45% | $150 | $1,903 |
| Dec | 41% | $143 | $1,732 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Monticello
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 344 | 14,456 | ★ 4.76 |
| 2 | Green Turtle Bay Resort | 85 | 274 | ★ 4.73 |
| 3 | Neat Suites | 41 | 1,165 | ★ 4.81 |
| 4 | Lyric | 39 | 3,002 | ★ 4.81 |
| 5 | Lake Cumberland Resort III | 30 | 902 | ★ 4.66 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Monticello?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,293 |
| 2 bed | 2,493 |
| 3 bed | 2,234 |
| 4 bed | 859 |
| 5 bed | 566 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $223 |
| Luxury | $371 |
| Professionally Managed | $274 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,372 |
| Entire Place | $3,493 |
| House | $3,797 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 46.7% |
| vrbo | 9.6% |
| both | 43.7% |
Investment Analysis
ADR varies by listing tier. All-listing average ADR is $219.40, entire-home listings average $223.43, and professionally managed listings command $273.54, a 24.7% premium over the all-listings average. The luxury tier tops out at $370.57 per night, about 1.7x the market average. Average revenue per listing is up 3.16% year over year despite occupancy and ADR both being roughly flat, a modest but stable trend for a lake-vacation market.
No current Zillow-sourced housing snapshot (typical home value, median sale price, or list price) is available for Monticello 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. Kentucky has no statewide STR licensing system, and Monticello/Wayne County has no dedicated STR-specific zoning or permitting ordinance beyond transient-tax registration, which keeps regulatory friction low, though operators should still register with the Monticello-Wayne County Tourist Commission and collect the applicable transient taxes before listing.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Average booking lead time in Monticello is 58.17 days, giving operators roughly two months to adjust pricing ahead of a stay, and typical length of stay is 3.74 nights. This combination is consistent with a planned lake-vacation destination where guests reserve weeks ahead for a multi-night houseboating, fishing, or boating trip. Operators should use the roughly two-month booking window to set advance-purchase pricing for peak summer weeks, particularly around the June-July occupancy and ADR peaks, while remaining more flexible with rates during the deep winter trough.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Kentucky has no statewide short-term rental licensing system; STR regulation is left to local governments, and Monticello/Wayne County has no dedicated STR-specific zoning or permitting ordinance on the books. The principal local requirement is tax-related: the Monticello-Wayne County Tourist Commission imposes a 3.00% local transient room tax on gross rent for transient accommodations, and anyone offering short-term rentals in Wayne County must register with the Commission and hold a transient tax permit before operating.
On top of the 3.00% local tax, Kentucky levies a 1% statewide transient room tax, and under 2022’s HB 8 the state’s 6% sales tax now applies to short-term rental stays as well, bringing the combined tax burden to roughly 10% when all three layers are counted. Enforcement is characterized as minimal in this rural, tourism-dependent market. No owner-occupancy requirement, primary-residence requirement, or maximum-nights-per-year cap was identified for this market. Investors should confirm current requirements directly with Monticello City Hall, the Wayne County planning/zoning office, and the Tourist Commission before listing, and watch for Kentucky’s 2025 STR bill (SB 110), which was introduced but whose current status should be verified.
Market Comparison
Monticello’s 56.9% occupancy is close to commonly cited US STR benchmarks (roughly 55% occupancy nationally), and its $219.40 ADR is close to but slightly below the roughly $220 national median, positioning this as a broadly average-performing market on both metrics despite its pronounced summer seasonality.
Property management here is led by Evolve with 344 listings (14,456 reviews, 4.76 average rating), about 4.1% of the 8,451 tracked listings. Green Turtle Bay Resort ranks second with 85 listings (274 reviews, 4.73 rating), followed by Neat Suites with 41 listings (4.81 rating), Lyric with 39 listings (the highest rating in the top five at 4.81), and Lake Cumberland Resort III with 30 listings. The top 5 PMs combined control about 6.4% of listings, leaving the large majority of inventory to individual hosts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Monticello, Kentucky
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