Providence, Rhode Island Short-Term Rental Market
The Providence, RI area STR market averaged $338 a night at 64.3% occupancy in June 2026.
Quick Answer: Providence, Rhode Island is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Providence market area is 64%. average monthly revenue in the Providence market area is $5,170. average daily rate in the Providence market area is $338. the top operator in the Providence market area is Narragansett Properties- List, Rent, Invest with 117 listings. market score is 51/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the wider Providence market, which covers 11 areas. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Providence.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Providence, Rhode Island’s capital and largest city, has its short-term rental performance tracked as part of a wider Rhode Island StaySTRA data series shared with Charlestown and Westerly, two South County coastal towns roughly 35 to 40 miles south of the city; this profile omits total listing counts, bedroom and channel mix, and property manager rankings since that dimension and property manager data is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Providence.
The Providence, RI area’s own STR performance averaged $338.29 a night (ADR) at 64.3% occupancy in June 2026, generating an average of $5,170 in monthly revenue per listing. Revenue is up 6.5% year over year even though both occupancy (down 1.7%) and ADR (down 4.4%) fell in the latest month, a pattern that likely reflects a stronger summer high season layered into the annual comparison rather than gains in the most recent month itself.
Revenue varies by property type across the area: apartment-style units average $4,008 a month, entire-place units average $5,633, and standalone houses average $5,856, the highest of the three.
Providence itself has a population of about 191,767 and is Rhode Island’s tourism hub, drawing visitors for the WaterFire installation, Federal Hill’s Italian-American restaurant district, and Brown University and RISD’s College Hill. Statewide, Rhode Island drew a record 29.4 million visitors in 2024 who spent $6.0 billion, though a Providence-specific visitor count is not separately published.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 45% |
| Feb | 55% |
| Mar | 57% |
| Apr | 59% |
| May | 60% |
| Jun | 65% |
| Jul | 75% |
| Aug | 74% |
| Sep | 55% |
| Oct | 53% |
| Nov | 49% |
| Dec | 49% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Providence are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Providence market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Providence market as a whole, which includes Providence, so these counts are not Providence-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narragansett Properties- List, Rent, Invest | 117 | 2,107 | ★ 4.66 |
| 2 | Ann Obrien Realty | 75 | 327 | ★ 4.54 |
| 3 | Haûte Hospitality LLC Vacation Rentals | 69 | 2,345 | ★ 4.36 |
| 4 | Evolve | 62 | 2,186 | ★ 4.56 |
| 5 | Lila Delman Real Estate International | 41 | 289 | ★ 4.56 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Providence?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Providence 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 | 54.6% |
| vrbo | 10.7% |
| both | 34.7% |
Home Value Trends (Providence)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Providence 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 Providence — 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
Providence permits short-term rentals but layers a city permit on top of mandatory state registration. Renting an entire dwelling unit for stays of 30 nights or fewer through a platform like Airbnb or Vrbo requires a temporary use permit from the city’s Department of Inspection and Standards, renewed annually, currently costing $50. Renting a single bedroom while the owner lives in the home is exempt from the city permit requirement.
Zoning is the key constraint: non-owner-occupied (investor) STRs are banned in the R1, R1A, R2, and R3 residential zones but allowed in other residential zones, while owner-occupied STRs are permitted citywide wherever homes are allowed. This makes owner-occupancy the deciding factor for where a pure investment STR can legally operate.
Every Rhode Island STR listed on a hosting platform must also register with the state Department of Business Regulation, a mandatory process with its own $50 fee. Basic life-safety measures are required, including posted exit diagrams and clearly marked fire extinguishers, and starting in 2026 operators must complete annual human-trafficking awareness training.
Taxes are significant: expect roughly 14% in combined lodging taxes for a whole-home rental, made up of a 7% state sales tax, a 5% whole-home STR tax, and a 2% local hotel tax; the STR tax and the higher local rate both took effect January 1, 2026. Enforcement is rated moderate, and there is no published annual night cap for Providence.
Market Comparison
The Providence, RI area’s 64.3% occupancy runs above the national short-term rental median of roughly 55%, about 9.3 percentage points higher, while its $338.29 ADR is roughly 53.8% above a national median ADR of about $220. This combination of solid occupancy and a strong rate premium reflects Providence’s position as a Northeast capital city with a dense mix of university, cultural, and event-driven demand.
Property manager data for this market area is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Providence, so no property manager breakdown is presented here. Buyers researching management options should verify any specific operator’s actual coverage of Providence versus the smaller South County coastal towns sharing this data series, since those are meaningfully different markets in character despite the shared performance numbers. Providence’s own housing and regulatory profile, covered elsewhere in this report, remain reliable at the city level regardless of this limitation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Providence, Rhode Island
What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in Providence, RI?
What is the average nightly rate for a vacation rental in Providence, RI?
Can I run a short-term rental in Providence if I don't live there?
What lodging tax applies to short-term rentals in Providence?
When is peak season for vacation rentals in Providence?
What is the gross rental yield on a typical Providence home used as a short-term rental?
Do I need to register with the state to run an Airbnb in Providence?
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