New Buffalo, Michigan Short-Term Rental Market
The New Buffalo area STR market earned $492 ADR at 66% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: New Buffalo, Michigan is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Michigan West Coastal market area is 66%. average monthly revenue in the Michigan West Coastal market area is $7,737. average daily rate in the Michigan West Coastal market area is $492. the top operator in the Michigan West Coastal market area is Jaqua Realtors with 251 listings. market score is 77/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Michigan West Coastal regional market, which includes New Buffalo. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to New Buffalo.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
New Buffalo is a Lake Michigan beach resort town in Berrien County, known as the gateway to Michigan’s Harbor Country and popular with Chicago-area visitors thanks to direct Amtrak service and a drive of about 70 to 90 minutes. Visitors come mainly for beaches, boating, the Four Winds Casino Resort, and the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, with tourism strongly concentrated in summer. The town anchors roughly 16 miles of accessible Lake Michigan shoreline with nine nearby public beaches.
Short-term rental performance data in this data set is tracked at a submarket level shared across a 7-city Lake Michigan west-coast Michigan cluster, so the figures below describe the wider New Buffalo area STR market rather than city-limits-only precision. In June 2026, the most recent month with complete data, the area’s average daily rate across all listings was $492.36 at 65.78% occupancy, generating average monthly revenue of $7,737.48 per listing, one of the highest revenue figures in recent batches. Occupancy is up 2.73% year over year, ADR is down 3.57%, and monthly revenue is up a strong 12.84% year over year.
Bedroom mix, listing-type mix, channel mix, and market-score data in this data set are tracked at a shared regional level rather than measured uniquely for New Buffalo, so this profile omits those figures rather than present regional numbers as if they were city-specific. Booking data for the area shows an average lead time of 96.72 days, one of the longest in this data set, and an average length of stay of 3.81 nights, consistent with well-planned lakeside vacations booked months ahead.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 30% |
| Feb | 36% |
| Mar | 41% |
| Apr | 40% |
| May | 49% |
| Jun | 64% |
| Jul | 77% |
| Aug | 69% |
| Sep | 42% |
| Oct | 38% |
| Nov | 30% |
| Dec | 35% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for New Buffalo are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Michigan West Coastal market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Michigan West Coastal market as a whole, which includes New Buffalo, so these counts are not New Buffalo-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaqua Realtors | 251 | 4,872 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | Evolve | 181 | 8,033 | ★ 4.66 |
| 3 | Vacasa | 146 | 6,781 | ★ 4.54 |
| 4 | Unsalted Vacations | 128 | 2,711 | ★ 4.75 |
| 5 | Bluefish Vacation Rentals | 112 | 2,875 | ★ 4.75 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in New Buffalo?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for New Buffalo 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 | 28.4% |
| vrbo | 15.1% |
| both | 56.5% |
Home Value Trends (New Buffalo)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo — 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
New Buffalo has a notably strict but nuanced short-term rental regime. In 2021, a Zoning Ordinance Amendment (Ordinance No. 253) banned new short-term rental licenses in the city’s residential districts (R-1, R-2, and R-3). New short-term rentals remain allowed, with no numeric cap, only in the Central Business, General Commercial, and Waterfront Marina districts. Pre-existing short-term rentals in residential zones are grandfathered as legal nonconforming uses and can continue operating.
Every dwelling used as a short-term rental in the City of New Buffalo must be registered and hold a City Short-Term Rental Unit permit. Total fees run about $1,525.00: a $75 registration fee, a $1,300 city service fee for non-homestead properties, and a $150 inspection fee, renewed annually. Units must pass an annual inspection for code and ordinance compliance; failing is grounds to withhold or void a permit. Each rental must designate a local agent, a natural person residing within 20 miles of the city (the owner may serve if they reside within 20 miles during the rental term), and owners or agents must document each occupant’s name and date of birth, the number of vehicles parked on site, and rental start and end dates.
Note that the City of New Buffalo is a distinct jurisdiction from the surrounding New Buffalo Township, which has its own separate license structure: a $500 fee valid for 36 months, limited to one rental unit per parcel.
Michigan levies a 6.00% state use tax on lodging stays under 30 days, typically collected and remitted by platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo; Michigan does not allow an additional local sales or lodging tax on top of that. No statutory cap on nights per year or owner-primary-residence requirement was found. Enforcement is rated strict, with a dedicated code enforcement officer and after-hours coverage.
Market Comparison
The New Buffalo area’s 65.78% occupancy in June 2026 runs well above the roughly 55% median occupancy typically seen across the broader U.S. short-term rental market, and its $492.36 average daily rate is more than double the roughly $220 national median ADR. This combination reflects New Buffalo’s position as a well-established Chicago-area Lake Michigan beach destination with strong drive- and rail-market demand.
Top property manager data in this data set is tracked at a shared regional level across a 7-city Lake Michigan west-coast Michigan cluster rather than uniquely for New Buffalo, so this profile does not present specific operator names, listing counts, or ratings as New Buffalo-specific. New Buffalo’s own regulatory environment is a more distinctive local factor: a 2021 ban on new residential-zone short-term rentals, combined with a separate rule structure in the surrounding Township, makes the specific parcel and its jurisdiction critical to any investment decision here.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Buffalo, Michigan
What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in the New Buffalo area?
What is the average nightly rate for a short-term rental in the New Buffalo area?
Can I open a new short-term rental in a residential neighborhood in New Buffalo, MI?
What does a short-term rental permit cost in the City of New Buffalo?
Is New Buffalo Township the same as the City of New Buffalo for short-term rental rules?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in New Buffalo?
What is the best time of year to own a short-term rental in the New Buffalo area?
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