Edisto Island, South Carolina Short-Term Rental Market
Edisto Island STRs averaged $454/night at 70.0% occupancy in April 2026 across roughly 11,850 active listings.
Quick Answer: Edisto Island, South Carolina is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 79%. average monthly revenue is $11,567. average daily rate is $549. the top operator is Vacasa with 440 listings. market score is 75/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Charleston regional market, which includes Edisto Island. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Edisto Island.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Edisto Island, South Carolina is one of the Southeast coast’s most established vacation rental markets, anchored by a deliberately undeveloped barrier island roughly 45 miles south of Charleston. The market carries approximately 11,850 active listings as of the latest snapshot, making it a large-scale STR destination despite a permanent population of only 1,613 residents.
In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $454 and occupancy of 70.0%, generating a RevPAR of $318. Year-over-year, occupancy slipped 3.9% and ADR dipped 0.7%, with overall revenue down 0.5% compared to April 2025. The longer-term trend shows steady growth from a 2025 annual average occupancy of 62.5% and ADR of $401, both up substantially from 2017 levels of 47.1% occupancy and $261 ADR.
The listing mix skews heavily toward entire-place accommodations, which account for 11,253 of the roughly 11,850 active listings (95%). Private rooms represent 596 listings. By bedroom count, 3-bedroom properties lead with 3,253 listings, followed closely by 2-bedroom (2,761) and 1-bedroom (2,652) units. Larger properties are also well represented, with 1,898 four-bedroom and 1,283 five-bedroom listings. Channel distribution shows strong multi-platform presence: 7,510 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 3,153 are Airbnb-only, and 1,187 are VRBO-only, indicating a market where cross-listing is the norm rather than the exception.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39% | $239 | $2,725 |
| Feb | 57% | $261 | $3,435 |
| Mar | 68% | $321 | $5,488 |
| Apr | 66% | $365 | $6,278 |
| May | 66% | $394 | $6,939 |
| Jun | 75% | $438 | $8,489 |
| Jul | 73% | $403 | $7,747 |
| Aug | 62% | $382 | $6,444 |
| Sep | 56% | $329 | $4,927 |
| Oct | 59% | $315 | $5,064 |
| Nov | 49% | $291 | $3,798 |
| Dec | 44% | $281 | $3,431 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Edisto Island
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 440 | 27,869 | ★ 4.57 |
| 2 | Stay Duvet | 368 | 42,749 | ★ 4.84 |
| 3 | Casago | 291 | 9,129 | ★ 4.56 |
| 4 | Sweetgrass Vacation Rentals | 274 | 9,186 | ★ 4.74 |
| 5 | Akers Ellis Real Estate & Rentals | 268 | 8,693 | ★ 4.73 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Edisto Island?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,652 |
| 2 bed | 2,761 |
| 3 bed | 3,253 |
| 4 bed | 1,898 |
| 5 bed | 1,283 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $565 |
| Luxury | $917 |
| Professionally Managed | $703 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $8,829 |
| Entire Place | $11,937 |
| House | $13,008 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 26.6% |
| vrbo | 10% |
| both | 63.4% |
Investment Analysis
Edisto Island scores 85.35 out of 100 on investability and 91.16 on rental demand per the latest market scoring data, placing it among the stronger coastal STR investment candidates in South Carolina. Revenue data points to meaningful differences across property tiers.
At the market-wide average, listings generated $8,422 in revenue during April 2026. Entire-place listings averaged $8,697, while houses specifically averaged $9,144. Apartment-type units trailed at $7,141. At the professionally managed tier, average daily rates reached $585 per night versus the overall market average of $454, a premium of roughly 29%. Luxury-tier properties averaged $758 per night.
Annualized from the April 2026 monthly figure, average listings project to approximately $101,000 in gross annual revenue. The 2025 full-year annual average revenue across all months was $7,039 per month, implying roughly $84,500 annualized for a typical listing on a calendar-year basis. No housing price data was available for this area in the current snapshot, so a gross yield calculation cannot be computed.
The market’s investability score of 85.35 reflects strong demand fundamentals offset by a revenue growth score of 66.63, consistent with the slight year-over-year softening seen in April 2026 data. The regulation score of 67.02 reflects moderate, manageable STR licensing requirements rather than restrictive local policy.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Guests at Edisto Island book an average of 70.56 days in advance, roughly 10 weeks out. This is a relatively long lead time consistent with a beach destination where guests plan summer and holiday stays well ahead, particularly for larger homes that book up early in the calendar year for peak summer weeks.
Average length of stay is 4.03 nights. At just over four nights, stays are slightly longer than a standard weekend but shorter than a full week, suggesting a mix of long-weekend escapes and mid-week visits alongside the traditional Saturday-to-Saturday weekly rentals that characterize many coastal markets.
For operators, the 70-day booking window means pricing should be set and actively managed at least two to three months ahead of target stay dates, particularly for June and July. Properties that remain unbooked inside 30 days should expect discounting pressure. The 4-night average also means turnover management matters, as shorter average stays produce more cleaning cycles per month than full-week bookings.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are permitted on Edisto Island, though the regulatory framework differs depending on which jurisdiction a property falls under. The built-up beachfront area constitutes the incorporated Town of Edisto Beach, while the larger remainder of the island is unincorporated land governed by Charleston County.
Within the Town of Edisto Beach, operators must obtain a business license classified as Class 9.1 for rental properties. Licenses run annually from May 1 to April 30. The fee is calculated on gross rental receipts rather than a flat amount, and non-resident owners (those with a business address outside the 29438 ZIP code) pay double the standard rate. There is no owner-occupancy requirement, no primary-residence requirement, and no cap on rental nights per year.
Operators must collect and remit a combined 12.0% tax on stays of 30 days or less. This breaks down as 9.0% in state-level taxes (5% sales tax, 1% local option, 2% state accommodations, 1% capital projects), plus 2.0% Town of Edisto Beach local accommodations tax and 1.0% Colleton County local accommodations tax. Beachfront properties are subject to seasonal sea-turtle-friendly lighting requirements from May 1 through October 31. Enforcement is characterized as moderate and license-compliance based.
Properties in the unincorporated Charleston County portion of the island follow county zoning rules rather than town rules. Investors should verify which jurisdiction applies before purchase. No new island-wide STR bans or licensing overhauls were confirmed in current data.
Market Comparison
Edisto Island’s April 2026 ADR of $454 sits well above the national STR median of approximately $220, reflecting the premium coastal beach positioning and the dominance of larger entire-home properties. Occupancy of 70.0% also exceeds the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, indicating strong demand relative to the national baseline.
The professional management segment is active and competitive. Vacasa leads with 440 listings and 27,869 reviews at a 4.57 average rating. Stay Duvet holds second with 368 listings and 42,749 reviews at a notably higher 4.84 rating. Casago manages 291 listings (4.56 rating), Sweetgrass Vacation Rentals manages 274 listings (4.74 rating), and Akers Ellis Real Estate and Rentals rounds out the top five with 268 listings at 4.73. Together these five operators manage roughly 1,641 listings, representing approximately 14% of the roughly 11,850-listing market.
Compared to busier South Carolina coastal destinations like Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach, Edisto Island is smaller in absolute listing volume but trades at higher nightly rates per listing, consistent with its positioning as a quieter, premium alternative. The rental demand score of 91.16 puts it in the top tier of coastal STR markets by this measure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Edisto Island, South Carolina
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