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 is 54%. average monthly revenue is $2,752. average daily rate is $179. the top operator is Evolve with 312 listings. market score is 59/100 (grade C).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex 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 | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45% | $135 | $1,793 |
| Feb | 55% | $140 | $1,927 |
| Mar | 62% | $168 | $2,801 |
| Apr | 53% | $164 | $2,407 |
| May | 54% | $173 | $2,457 |
| Jun | 62% | $212 | $3,393 |
| Jul | 65% | $216 | $3,850 |
| Aug | 52% | $187 | $2,787 |
| Sep | 47% | $161 | $2,078 |
| Oct | 53% | $157 | $2,280 |
| Nov | 51% | $157 | $2,169 |
| Dec | 52% | $155 | $2,274 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Bandera
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | 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 pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 4,646 |
| 2 bed | 3,072 |
| 3 bed | 4,055 |
| 4 bed | 2,160 |
| 5 bed | 939 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $190 |
| Luxury | $388 |
| Professionally Managed | $208 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,242 |
| Entire Place | $2,897 |
| House | $2,960 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 45.3% |
| vrbo | 6.8% |
| both | 47.9% |
Investment Analysis
Bandera’s composite market score of 59.3 out of 100 reflects a competitive market with moderate investability (76.1) and a seasonality score of 79.1 that signals strong summer concentration. Revenue growth scores at 51.3, indicating that returns have stabilized rather than accelerated in recent years.
April 2026 average revenue was $2,752 per active listing, annualizing to roughly $33,025. Entire-place properties averaged $2,897/month, houses averaged $2,960/month, and apartments averaged $2,242/month. The professionally managed tier achieved $208 ADR versus the market average of $179, a 16% premium, while the luxury tier reached $388 ADR, pointing to meaningful upside for premium Hill Country properties with distinctive amenities.
Housing price data for the Bandera market was not available in the current dataset, so a gross yield estimate cannot be calculated here. Prospective buyers should obtain local comps before projecting returns. Looking at the annual trend, 2024 was the strongest year on record at $2,874/month average, and 2025 came in at $2,815/month. The market has held revenue above $2,800/month in each of the last two full calendar years despite ADR compression, supported by occupancy stability.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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April 2026 data shows an average booking lead time of 33 days and an average length of stay of 4.0 nights. A 33-day lead window is shorter than many comparable rural leisure markets, suggesting Bandera guests include a meaningful share of spontaneous or regional same-month planners. Dynamic pricing tools should hold rates through the 35-40 day mark and offer modest last-minute discounts within 14 days to maximize fill.
A 4.0-night average stay is consistent with a long-weekend or short-week pattern, common for Texas Hill Country destinations serving San Antonio and Austin metro guests who drive two hours or less. This balances cleaning cost against per-stay revenue reasonably well, though minimum-night policies of 2-3 nights during festival weekends and holiday weekends will protect against low-value single-night bookings.
The high dual-channel presence (7,131 listings on both Airbnb and VRBO) reflects the market’s mix of leisure travelers who compare prices across platforms. Operators limiting themselves to one channel miss a meaningful share of VRBO’s ranch and outdoor-vacation audience.
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
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