Ocean City, Maryland Short-Term Rental Market
Ocean City, MD short-term rentals averaged $409/night at 67.9% occupancy in June 2026, with a roughly 17.3% gross rental yield.
Quick Answer: Ocean City, Maryland is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 68%. average monthly revenue is $6,346. average daily rate is $409. the top operator is Vacasa with 2,346 listings. market score is 49/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Delaware/Maryland Beaches regional market, which includes Ocean City. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Ocean City.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Ocean City is a premier Mid-Atlantic beach resort drawing up to eight million visitors annually, with peak summer weekends swelling the town to 320,000-345,000 vacationers against a year-round population of just 6,844. In June 2026, the latest month with data, short-term rentals in this market averaged $408.63 per night at 67.9% occupancy, generating $6,346 in average monthly revenue per listing. Revenue was down 1.3% year over year and ADR fell 2.4%, while occupancy held essentially flat, consistent with recent reporting on softening per-visitor spending and a more budget-conscious traveler mix. By property type, apartments averaged $5,845/month, entire homes $6,380/month, and houses $7,296/month. Regionally, entire-place listings account for roughly 99% of inventory, with condo/hotel-style 2- and 3-bedroom units making up the largest bedroom-size shares (31% and 29% respectively).
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25% | $272 | $2,025 |
| Feb | 35% | $257 | $2,007 |
| Mar | 39% | $250 | $2,030 |
| Apr | 39% | $262 | $2,331 |
| May | 46% | $308 | $2,789 |
| Jun | 70% | $356 | $5,448 |
| Jul | 79% | $345 | $6,714 |
| Aug | 78% | $342 | $6,700 |
| Sep | 45% | $282 | $3,325 |
| Oct | 26% | $250 | $2,036 |
| Nov | 25% | $256 | $1,897 |
| Dec | 31% | $277 | $2,116 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Ocean City
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 2,346 | 60,626 | ★ 4.36 |
| 2 | Coastal Resort Rentals | 355 | 1,646 | ★ 4.39 |
| 3 | Shoreline Properties | 349 | 1,861 | ★ 4.28 |
| 4 | Central Reservations | 328 | 4,890 | ★ 4.53 |
| 5 | VacayHome Connect | 312 | 593 | ★ 4.18 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Ocean City?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,126 |
| 2 bed | 4,712 |
| 3 bed | 4,397 |
| 4 bed | 2,232 |
| 5 bed | 1,628 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $411 |
| Luxury | $606 |
| Professionally Managed | $424 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $5,845 |
| Entire Place | $6,380 |
| House | $7,296 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 17.3% |
| vrbo | 25.9% |
| both | 56.8% |
Investment Analysis
Ocean City’s market-wide ADR of $408.63 sits close to the professionally-managed tier average of $424.40, a tight spread that suggests most listings already compete near the top of the local market, while the luxury tier averages $606.27, a roughly $198 premium. The typical home value here is $440,846, and homes are selling above list price on average (a 1.046 sale-to-list ratio) with a median 39 days to pending, signs of a competitive buyer’s market. Average monthly revenue of $6,346 annualizes to about $76,149, working out to a gross rental yield of roughly 17.3% before expenses, a strong figure among the markets in this batch. For-sale inventory of 558 homes is by far the deepest in this dataset, giving buyers more room to shop for value. On regulation, Ocean City’s R-1 Single-Family and Mobile Home districts have been a genuine battleground: voters narrowly rejected a phased STR restriction in a July 2025 referendum, a new-permit moratorium in those zones was imposed in December 2025 and then repealed in March 2026. Investors should target the many condo, hotel, and boardwalk-zoned areas where STRs are well established rather than assume R-1/MH rules are fully settled.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Guests book Ocean City listings an average of 85.2 days ahead and stay 4.6 nights per trip, one of the longer average stays in this batch. That combination of a long lead time and multi-night stays is typical of a family beach-vacation market where trips are planned months ahead around the summer season, giving operators significant runway to set weekly-stay pricing ahead of the July-August peak.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Ocean City allows short-term rentals but requires licensing. Any rental needs an annual rental license (roughly $196, including a noise-control permit), and stays of 30 consecutive days or fewer additionally require a supplemental Short-Term Rental license (about $50 extra, roughly $246/year total), renewed annually May 1 through April 30. Operators must register with the Maryland Comptroller and collect lodging tax: the Worcester County room tax on stays of four months or less rose to 6% effective January 1, 2026, on top of Maryland’s 6% state sales tax, for about 12% combined. Owner-occupancy and primary-residence status are not required. Occupancy in R-1/MH districts is capped at 2 persons per bedroom plus 2 (excluding children 10 and under), and owners must provide a local contact able to respond within about 60 minutes. The R-1 Single-Family and Mobile Home districts have been a regulatory battleground: voters narrowly rejected a phased ban/5-night-minimum plan in a July 2025 referendum, a new-permit moratorium in those zones was imposed in December 2025 and repealed in March 2026 after a citizen petition. Enforcement is rated moderate.
Market Comparison
Ocean City’s 67.9% occupancy in June 2026 runs well above the roughly 55% U.S. median often cited for short-term rentals, and its $408.63 ADR is nearly double the roughly $220 national median, reflecting its status as a top-tier Mid-Atlantic beach destination. No property manager snapshot data is currently published for this market, so a top-operator comparison is not available here; based on available data, Ocean City’s dense condo inventory suggests ownership may be more fragmented among individual unit owners than in single-family-home markets dominated by large management companies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ocean City, Maryland
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Can you still get a new short-term rental permit in Ocean City's R-1 residential zones?
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