Bandera, Texas Short-Term Rental Market
Bandera, Texas STRs averaged $179/night at 54.4% occupancy in April 2026 across a 14,892-listing market in the Texas Hill Country.
Quick Answer: Bandera, Texas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the San Antonio market area is 65%. average monthly revenue in the San Antonio market area is $3,955. average daily rate in the San Antonio market area is $222. the top operator in the San Antonio market area is Evolve with 312 listings. market score is 59/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the San Antonio regional market, which includes Bandera. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Bandera.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Bandera, the self-styled Cowboy Capital of the World, sits about 50 miles northwest of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. The town of roughly 829 residents draws visitors for dude ranch experiences, horseback riding, river tubing on the Medina River, rodeos, and honky-tonks. The 11th Street Cowboy Mardi Gras alone draws 15,000-plus visitors to this small community. The market also captures overflow demand from the broader Hill Country corridor including New Braunfels and Fredericksburg.
As of April 2026, the STR market recorded an average daily rate of $179, occupancy of 54.4%, and RevPAR of $98. Average monthly revenue per active listing was $2,752. Year-over-year, occupancy edged up 1.0% while ADR fell 3.3% and revenue declined 2.8%, reflecting pricing pressure on operators in a competitive Hill Country environment.
Entire-place listings dominate the market at 13,539 of 14,892 tracked units (90.9%). Private rooms account for 1,342 listings. By bedroom count, 1-bedroom properties are the most common segment (4,646 units), with 3-bedroom (4,055), 2-bedroom (3,072), 4-bedroom (2,160), and 5-bedroom (939) listings rounding out the mix. Airbnb and VRBO dual-platform listings are the norm, with 7,131 properties listed on both channels.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 45% |
| Feb | 55% |
| Mar | 62% |
| Apr | 53% |
| May | 54% |
| Jun | 62% |
| Jul | 65% |
| Aug | 52% |
| Sep | 47% |
| Oct | 53% |
| Nov | 51% |
| Dec | 52% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Bandera are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in San Antonio market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the San Antonio market as a whole, which includes Bandera, so these counts are not Bandera-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 312 | 13,836 | ★ 4.68 |
| 2 | Feliz Stays SA | 194 | 13,450 | ★ 4.72 |
| 3 | Landing, Inc. | 180 | 408 | ★ 4.31 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 160 | 5,325 | ★ 4.56 |
| 5 | New Braunfels Escapes | 157 | 5,662 | ★ 4.67 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Bandera?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Bandera 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 | 45.3% |
| vrbo | 6.8% |
| both | 47.9% |
Home Value Trends (Bandera)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Bandera 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 Bandera — 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
Bandera is a low-friction STR market. The City of Bandera has no identified standalone STR permit, registration requirement, owner-occupancy rule, primary-residence restriction, or annual night cap. STRs are permitted and operate under standard city zoning and building codes.
The primary compliance obligation is hotel occupancy tax. The city’s HOT ordinance (Code of Ordinances Ch. 11, Art. 11.04, effective since January 1, 1984) levies a 3% city hotel occupancy tax on vacation rentals, tourist homes, and similar short-term lodging. That 3% city rate stacks on top of Texas’s 6% state HOT, for a combined obligation of approximately 9% on room revenue within the city limits. Bandera County may levy its own HOT for properties outside city boundaries. Operators must file quarterly HOT reports with the tax assessor-collector. Major booking platforms typically collect and remit the state 6% portion; hosts must separately verify city remittance.
Enforcement is rated minimal. Operators should confirm current requirements directly with the City of Bandera (830-796-3765) and Bandera County, as small-city ordinance updates are not always published online. No recent STR-specific ordinance changes were identified.
Market Comparison
Bandera’s April 2026 occupancy of 54.4% is near the US STR median of approximately 55%, and its full-year 2025 average of 53.7% closely tracks that benchmark. ADR at $179 is below the national median of approximately $220, but consistent with a rural Texas market where property acquisition costs are lower and the competition is dense (14,892 tracked listings across the broader market area).
The Hill Country corridor is a crowded market. Evolve leads with 312 listings and 13,836 reviews (4.68 average rating). Feliz Stays SA operates 194 listings with 13,450 reviews and a 4.72 rating. Vacasa holds 160 listings with a 4.56 rating. New Braunfels Escapes manages 157 listings with a 4.67 rating and 5,662 reviews. The top five operators collectively represent approximately 6.9% of market listings, indicating a predominantly independent-host market.
Bandera’s seasonality score of 79.1 is notably higher than Baldwin, Michigan’s 60.1 and many comparable rural markets, reflecting the sharp summer concentration and spring festival demand spikes that characterize Hill Country STR performance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bandera, Texas
What is the average daily rate for short-term rentals in Bandera, Texas?
What occupancy rate can I expect for a Bandera STR?
When is peak STR season in Bandera, Texas?
Do I need a permit to operate a short-term rental in Bandera?
How much monthly revenue do Bandera STRs generate on average?
Who are the top property managers in the Bandera STR market?
What property types perform best for STRs in Bandera?
Analyze Bandera Rentals
Use our free calculator to estimate Airbnb revenue for any property in Bandera.
Free Bandera STR Calculator →
