Chincoteague Island, Virginia Short-Term Rental Market
Chincoteague Island STRs averaged $249/night at 42.3% occupancy in April 2026 across approximately 2,258 active listings.
Quick Answer: Chincoteague Island, Virginia is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 64%. average monthly revenue is $5,574. average daily rate is $345. the top operator is Seaside vacation rentals with 210 listings. market score is 65/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Cambridge/Salisbury regional market, which includes Chincoteague Island. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Chincoteague Island.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Chincoteague Island, Virginia is a small barrier-island market of approximately 2,258 active short-term rental listings, built almost entirely around access to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island. The market reported an average daily rate of $248.50 and occupancy of 42.3% in April 2026, a shoulder month, producing monthly revenue of $2,563 per listing and a RevPAR of $105.10.
Year over year, occupancy declined 6.2 percentage points while ADR rose 5.0%, resulting in a modest revenue decline of 1.7%. This occupancy softening in early 2026 reflects April’s position as a pre-season month and should be read alongside the full seasonal picture rather than treated as a trend signal on its own.
The listing mix is overwhelmingly entire-place units: 2,130 of the approximately 2,258 active listings (94.3%) are entire-place rentals. Private rooms account for 127 listings and shared rooms just 1. By bedroom count, three-bedroom properties are the largest segment at 810, followed by two-bedrooms (495), one-bedrooms (399), four-bedrooms (352), and five-bedroom-plus (198). The dual-listed segment is notable: 1,250 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, compared to 748 Airbnb-only and 260 VRBO-only properties, reflecting the market’s appeal to both urban short-trip and extended beach-vacation bookers.
The market score of 64.65 out of 100 is anchored by an outstanding investability score of 93.42 and a strong revenue growth score of 81.92, offset by a low seasonality score of 46.76 that reflects the market’s pronounced summer concentration.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30% | $192 | $1,710 |
| Feb | 38% | $186 | $1,619 |
| Mar | 44% | $198 | $1,964 |
| Apr | 47% | $214 | $2,363 |
| May | 51% | $250 | $2,915 |
| Jun | 65% | $290 | $4,605 |
| Jul | 73% | $271 | $5,168 |
| Aug | 69% | $271 | $5,013 |
| Sep | 48% | $248 | $3,150 |
| Oct | 37% | $229 | $2,447 |
| Nov | 33% | $213 | $1,949 |
| Dec | 33% | $207 | $1,955 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Chincoteague Island
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seaside vacation rentals | 210 | 6,224 | ★ 4.73 |
| 2 | Coastal Shore Vacations | 201 | 2,204 | ★ 4.60 |
| 3 | Island Getaways | 123 | 3,129 | ★ 4.80 |
| 4 | Harbour Rentals | 84 | 1,764 | ★ 4.52 |
| 5 | Evolve | 72 | 2,082 | ★ 4.76 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Chincoteague Island?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 399 |
| 2 bed | 495 |
| 3 bed | 810 |
| 4 bed | 352 |
| 5 bed | 198 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $352 |
| Luxury | $544 |
| Professionally Managed | $361 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $4,773 |
| Entire Place | $5,785 |
| House | $5,948 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 33.1% |
| vrbo | 11.5% |
| both | 55.4% |
Investment Analysis
Chincoteague Island presents a high-revenue-concentration investment profile, with income heavily weighted toward a 10-week summer window. Monthly revenue averaged $2,563 across all listing types in April 2026, but the annualized picture is dominated by summer peaks: July averages $5,169 per month and June $4,484, while the four winter months (November through February) average roughly $1,808. An annualized revenue estimate of approximately $30,756 (based on the April 2026 monthly average times 12) understates summer and overstates winter; investors should model each month individually using the seasonal averages rather than applying a flat monthly figure.
Tier data shows meaningful upside for larger or better-positioned properties. Luxury-tier listings average $418.39 per night versus $248.50 for all listings, and professionally managed properties average $281.21 per night, a $32.71 premium over the market average. House listings outperform apartments in this market, averaging $2,716 per month versus $2,069 for apartments, a $647 monthly gap that reflects the demand for larger vacation properties suitable for groups.
Housing price data is not available in the current snapshot for Chincoteague Island, so gross yield calculations cannot be computed here. The investability score of 93.42 and revenue growth score of 81.92 suggest the market has been producing improving returns on an annual basis, supported by the 2025 annual average revenue of $3,459 compared to $3,272 in 2024 and $3,060 in 2023. Revenue has grown steadily from the post-peak trough, though the 2021 peak of $3,326 was first re-exceeded in 2024.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Analyze My Property →Booking Insights
Chincoteague Island guests book an average of 45.8 days in advance and stay an average of 3.88 nights per booking. The 46-day lead time is longer than many urban markets, consistent with a destination that requires travel planning for peak summer weeks, particularly around the late-July Pony Swim when the most desirable weeks are often booked months in advance.
The 3.88-night average stay is slightly shorter than typical beach resort markets, where 6 to 7-night Saturday-to-Saturday stays are common. This likely reflects a mix of weekend getaways from the Mid-Atlantic drive market and some full-week summer stays. For operators, shorter average stays mean higher turnover, with guests checking in and out roughly 7 to 8 times per month at full occupancy.
For pricing strategy, the 46-day booking window means most confirmed revenue arrives 4 to 7 weeks out during shoulder season, but the Pony Swim window in late July requires early rate setting and early minimum-night policies to capture the demand surge. Hosts who hold rates or apply multi-night minimums during Pony Swim week have the strongest leverage for premium pricing.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Chincoteague Island explicitly permits short-term rentals and recognizes them as integral to the tourism economy. Approximately 800 of the island’s roughly 3,500 residences operate as STRs, representing about 23% of the housing stock. Operators must obtain a Town of Chincoteague business license, with each rental property registered separately. The initial business license fee is $50, and the annual renewal tax is $0.13 per $100 of prior-year gross receipts, with a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $500. Renewal notices are mailed in January, gross receipts are due by March 1, and licenses must be purchased by April 30 annually.
The combined lodging tax rate is approximately 12% of gross rental receipts, composed of a 5% Town of Chincoteague transient occupancy tax, a 5% Virginia state transient occupancy tax, and a 2% Accomack County transient occupancy tax. There is no owner-occupancy, primary-residence, or maximum-nights requirement under current rules.
A significant regulatory development is pending: a proposed ordinance with a public hearing scheduled for June 1, 2026, would remove short-term rentals from the list of uses permitted by right in the R-1 low-density residential district. Affected neighborhoods include Sunnywood Manor, Oyster Bay 1 and 2, Piney Island, Wildcat, Richardson’s Landing, Highland Park Drive, Chester Park Drive, Demarco Lane, and Smuggler’s Cove. Existing licensed STRs in R-1 zones would be grandfathered and would remain transferable to new owners as long as the license is maintained without lapse. Investors targeting R-1 properties should verify the current licensing status of any property before closing. Enforcement is rated moderate.
Market Comparison
Chincoteague Island’s April 2026 occupancy of 42.3% falls below the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, but April is a shoulder month in a market that peaks sharply in summer. The 2025 full-year average occupancy of 46.7% is more representative, and even that figure is pulled down by the extended off-season. The ADR of $248.50 is above the approximate U.S. median of $220, reflecting the premium pricing that beach and wildlife destination markets command even in shoulder periods.
The market’s standout metric is its investability score of 93.42 out of 100, the highest of the five markets in this batch. Revenue growth at 81.92 is also strong, consistent with the annual revenue trend from $3,060 in 2023 to $3,272 in 2024 to $3,459 in 2025.
Professional management is well-established for a market of this size. Seaside Vacation Rentals leads with 210 listings, 6,224 reviews, and a 4.726 rating. Coastal Shore Vacations operates 201 listings (rating 4.595), and Island Getaways manages 123 listings with the highest rating of the top five at 4.800. The top five operators collectively manage 690 listings, representing approximately 30.6% of the market, a notably high consolidation rate that reflects the maturity of vacation rental management on the island.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chincoteague Island, Virginia
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