Port Isabel, Texas Short-Term Rental Market
Port Isabel, TX's STR performance feed is part of a shared, ~41-city statewide Texas series, not town-specific data.
Quick Answer: Port Isabel, Texas is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Texas East Area market area is 53%. average monthly revenue in the Texas East Area market area is $3,860. average daily rate in the Texas East Area market area is $271. the top operator in the Texas East Area market area is Evolve with 774 listings. market score is 63/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Texas East Area regional market, which includes Port Isabel. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Port Isabel.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Port Isabel is a small Gulf Coast town in the South Padre Island area of Texas, at the mainland foot of the Queen Isabella Causeway, serving as the gateway to South Padre Island itself, with a population of 5,118. Many visitors choose Port Isabel lodging as a lower-cost, less-congested alternative to staying on the island. Peak demand runs spring break and summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day), plus a winter Texans snowbird season in the cooler months; key draws include the historic Port Isabel Lighthouse, deep-sea and bay fishing charters, and dolphin-watch and pirate-ship cruises.
Important data note: the STR performance figures StaySTRA has for this area (ADR, occupancy, revenue, seasonal pattern, and revenue by tier) are not Port Isabel-specific. StaySTRA tracks them as a single shared series spanning a roughly 41-area cluster across the entire state of Texas, stretching from Texarkana to Laredo. That is a statewide dataset, not a coherent regional submarket, so the numbers below should be read as a broad Texas STR benchmark rather than a measurement of Port Isabel’s own market.
With that caveat, the shared series posted an average daily rate of $271.39 and 52.57% occupancy in June 2026, with average revenue per listing of about $3,859.60. Year over year, the tracked series is roughly flat: revenue up 0.81% and occupancy up 2.80%, even as ADR is down 6.67%.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 33% |
| Feb | 41% |
| Mar | 50% |
| Apr | 41% |
| May | 44% |
| Jun | 53% |
| Jul | 53% |
| Aug | 42% |
| Sep | 39% |
| Oct | 42% |
| Nov | 41% |
| Dec | 37% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Port Isabel are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Texas East Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Texas East Area market as a whole, which includes Port Isabel, so these counts are not Port Isabel-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 774 | 27,617 | ★ 4.71 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 238 | 8,722 | ★ 4.67 |
| 3 | FCR Partners, LP | 103 | 172 | ★ 4.68 |
| 4 | Neal’s Lodges | 97 | 170 | ★ 4.79 |
| 5 | 979 Vacation Property Services | 96 | 3,231 | ★ 4.62 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Port Isabel?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Port Isabel 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 | 46.4% |
| vrbo | 10.1% |
| both | 43.5% |
Home Value Trends (Port Isabel)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Port Isabel 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 Port Isabel — 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
Port Isabel permits short-term rentals, defined as any rental of under 30 consecutive days. Before advertising or renting, owners must register the property with the City Finance Department through the city’s online MuniRevs portal, obtain a Texas Taxpayer ID from the State Comptroller, and designate a local contact person who is available 24/7 and can respond in person within one hour to any complaint. Hotel Occupancy Tax must be collected from guests and filed monthly.
The combined occupancy tax runs about 15%: 7.0% to the City of Port Isabel, plus a 2% Cameron County venue tax, on top of the 6% Texas state hotel occupancy tax. No published cap on rental nights, no owner-occupancy requirement, and no primary-residence requirement apply, and no permit fee is publicly posted; investors should contact the Finance Department directly to confirm current fees and renewal cadence. An important distinction: the neighboring City of South Padre Island runs a stricter, separate STR regime with noise districts and parking limits, and Port Isabel’s rules apply only within Port Isabel city limits, not on the island itself. Across the wider South Padre Island area, STR rules tightened in 2025 with stepped-up registration and tax-collection enforcement; South Padre Island added noise-district curfews and banned overnight STR parking in city lots, while Port Isabel’s own core requirements, registration, the 24/7 local contact rule, and monthly tax filing, remained in place. Enforcement is rated moderate: entry barriers are low, but the local-contact and filing requirements are actively enforced, and non-compliance can bring fines.
Market Comparison
The $271.39 ADR and 52.57% occupancy cited for this market come from the same shared, ~41-area statewide Texas series described above, not from Port Isabel specifically. Within that broader dataset, the ADR runs above the roughly $220 national median ADR (about 23% higher), while occupancy sits slightly below the commonly cited US short-term rental median of about 55%.
That combination, above-median rate paired with slightly below-median occupancy, is a pattern seen broadly across this statewide Texas dataset rather than a signal specific to Port Isabel’s own demand, so it should be read as a regional benchmark rather than a competitive read on Port Isabel against South Padre Island or other individual markets. Port Isabel’s genuinely local differentiators, its lighter-touch STR registration rules, lower cost relative to the island, and gateway location, are better indicators of the town’s own investment case than the shared performance numbers above.
Property-manager-level data for this market is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Port Isabel, so this profile omits it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port Isabel, Texas
What is the average daily rate for short-term rentals in Port Isabel, TX?
What is the short-term rental occupancy rate in Port Isabel?
Are short-term rentals legal in Port Isabel, Texas?
Do South Padre Island's short-term rental rules apply in Port Isabel?
What is the best month to operate a short-term rental in Port Isabel?
What does a typical home cost in the Port Isabel short-term rental market?
Why does Port Isabel's STR performance data look identical to other Texas markets?
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