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Airbnb Profit Calculator

A nightly rate tells you almost nothing about what a short-term rental earns. The calendar is not full, every booking brings a cleaning that has to be paid for, the platform takes a commission, the city takes a lodging tax, and the mortgage and insurance are due whether or not anyone books.

$

Take off the nights you block for yourself.

The share of those nights that actually get booked.

What counts the cleanings.

$
$

The commission your listing agreement charges on revenue.

Charged on rental revenue in most cities and counties.

$
$
$

Used only to express revenue as a yield.

Results update as you type. Nothing leaves your device.

Net income a year

$14,699

$1,225 a month on 219 booked nights, against $49,275 of revenue. Break-even occupancy is 35.7%.

Gross revenue
$49,275
Profit per booked night
$67.12
Net margin
29.8%
Revenue as a yield on value
12.3%

Where the guest money goes

  • Platform fee and lodging tax$6,406
  • Cleaning costs$6,570
  • Property costs and mortgage$21,600
  • Net income$14,699

Short-term letting moves a large share of the money through the platform and the housekeeper before the owner sees any of it, which is why occupancy matters as much as the nightly rate.

The year in numbers

LineAmount
Rental revenue, 219 nights at $200$43,800.00
Cleaning fees on 73 stays$5,475.00
Gross revenue$49,275.00
Platform fee at 3%−$1,478.25
Lodging tax at 10%−$4,927.50
Cleaning costs on 73 stays−$6,570.00
Property tax, insurance, utilities and supplies−$9,600.00
Mortgage or rent on the property−$12,000.00
Net income$14,699.25

Cleaning is a revenue line and a cost line: if the fee charged is below the cost, the nightly rate has to absorb the difference.

What occupancy does to the answer

OccupancyBooked nightsGross revenueNet incomeProfit per night
30%109.5$24,638-$3,450-$32
40%146$32,850$2,600$18
50%182.5$41,063$8,649$47
60%219$49,275$14,699$67
70%255.5$57,488$20,749$81
80%292$65,700$26,799$92
90%328.5$73,913$32,849$100

The fixed costs of the property are what make low occupancy so expensive: they are paid whether the calendar is full or empty.

The listing breaks even at 35.7% occupancy, which is 130 nights a year. Every extra point of occupancy adds about $605 of income before tax.
Platform fee models differ: a single host fee can be several times the small commission charged under a split arrangement, and some hosts add the fee to the guest price instead. Use the rate on your own dashboard, and check local rules on night caps, licensing and inspections before counting a full year of bookings.

This calculator starts with the rate and the occupancy you can realistically expect, counts the stays rather than the nights so the cleanings are right, subtracts the fees, the tax and the running costs, and reports net income, profit per booked night and the occupancy at which the listing breaks even. That last figure is the one to compare against the local market, because it is the point below which the property costs you money to hold.

How this airbnb profit calculator works

Nights, stays and the two revenue lines

Booked nights are the available nights times the occupancy rate. Divide those nights by the average stay and you have the number of stays, which is what determines the cleanings. A three-night average stay means 73 cleanings in 219 booked nights, and each of them is charged to the guest and paid to the cleaner.

The cleaning fee is therefore a revenue line and a cost line at the same time. Where the fee exceeds the cost it contributes a margin; where it does not, the nightly rate has to absorb the difference, and a long-average-stay listing feels that far less than one that turns over every weekend.

Fees, tax and where the money lands

The platform takes a commission on revenue. Split-fee arrangements charge a low single-digit percentage to the host and add a service fee to the guest, while a host-only fee arrangement charges the host a mid-teen percentage and shows the guest a cleaner price. Which model applies changes the answer, so the field is yours to set from your own dashboard.

Lodging or occupancy tax is set by the local jurisdiction and commonly runs from about eight to fifteen percent of what the guest pays. Some platforms collect and remit it, others leave the host responsible. The host is liable either way, and registration is required in most places that charge it.

Fixed costs and the break-even occupancy

The property costs money whether it is booked or not: property tax, insurance written for short-term letting rather than a resident, utilities, internet, supplies, and the mortgage or rent on the property. These fixed costs are what make low occupancy so damaging, and they are why the break-even occupancy figure matters more than any other number on this page.

Because both revenue and the cleaning costs scale with occupancy, the break-even is a straight line and this calculator solves it exactly. Compare it with the occupancy a well-run listing achieves in the same area: if the break-even is 35% and the market runs at 55%, the listing has room. If the break-even is 70%, the property is only viable in a very strong market, and a single bad season turns it into a cost centre.

Worked examples

Each example below was run through the calculator on this page when the site was built, so the numbers match what you see when you enter the same inputs.

A one-bedroom let 60% of the year at $200 a night

Average nightly rate
$200.00
Nights available to book
365
Occupancy
60%
Average stay
3 nights
Cleaning fee charged
$75.00
Cost of each cleaning
$90.00
Platform fee
3%
Lodging or occupancy tax
10%
Property tax, insurance, utilities and supplies
$9,600.00
Mortgage or rent paid
$12,000.00
Property value
$400,000.00

Net income a year

$14,699

$1,225 a month on 219 booked nights, against $49,275 of revenue. Break-even occupancy is 35.7%.

Gross revenue
$49,275
Profit per booked night
$67.12
Net margin
29.8%
Revenue as a yield on value
12.3%

The listing earns about $14,700 a year, or $67 for every booked night, and breaks even at 35.7% occupancy, which leaves a real cushion against a slow season.

The same listing at 40% occupancy

Average nightly rate
$200.00
Nights available to book
365
Occupancy
40%
Average stay
3 nights
Cleaning fee charged
$75.00
Cost of each cleaning
$90.00
Platform fee
3%
Lodging or occupancy tax
10%
Property tax, insurance, utilities and supplies
$9,600.00
Mortgage or rent paid
$12,000.00
Property value
$400,000.00

Net income a year

$2,600

$217 a month on 146 booked nights, against $32,850 of revenue. Break-even occupancy is 35.7%.

Gross revenue
$32,850
Profit per booked night
$17.80
Net margin
7.9%
Revenue as a yield on value
8.2%

About $2,600 of income survives, because the $21,600 of fixed costs does not move with the calendar. That spread is what makes occupancy the risk to manage.

A listing whose cleaning fee is below cost

Average nightly rate
$200.00
Nights available to book
365
Occupancy
70%
Average stay
3 nights
Cleaning fee charged
$50.00
Cost of each cleaning
$110.00
Platform fee
3%
Lodging or occupancy tax
10%
Property tax, insurance, utilities and supplies
$9,600.00
Mortgage or rent paid
$12,000.00
Property value
$400,000.00

Net income a year

$17,193

$1,433 a month on 255.5 booked nights, against $55,358 of revenue. Break-even occupancy is 39%.

Gross revenue
$55,358
Profit per booked night
$67.29
Net margin
31.1%
Revenue as a yield on value
13.8%

Every stay loses $60 on cleaning, and with 85 stays a year that is over $5,000 quietly paid out of the nightly rate.

Frequently asked questions

How much can I make letting a property short term?

It depends on the rate, the occupancy your market actually supports and the fixed costs of the specific property. The number worth comparing is profit per booked night, because it lets you test a rate change or a season without guessing: a listing earning $67 a night is a business, and one earning $10 a night is a hobby with a mortgage.

What does the platform charge hosts?

Fee models differ. Under a split-fee arrangement the host pays a small commission, often around 3%, and the guest pays a separate service fee on top of the price. Under a host-only fee arrangement the host pays a larger percentage, commonly in the mid teens, and guests see a cleaner total. Enter the rate from your own dashboard rather than assuming the smaller figure applies.

Do I have to collect lodging tax?

In most jurisdictions, yes, and the host is the party liable even where the platform collects it. Short-term rental tax commonly runs from about eight to fifteen percent of what the guest pays, and registration, licensing and sometimes inspections are required alongside it. Check the rules for the specific address before the first booking rather than after.

What occupancy should I assume?

Use the figure a comparable listing in the same area achieves across a full year, not the peak-summer figure, then test a bad year at ten points below it. The break-even occupancy on this page is the floor: anything above it earns money, and anything below it is paid for out of your own pocket.

Is short-term letting more profitable than a long-term tenancy?

Usually more revenue per night, sometimes far more, at the cost of far more work, higher insurance, licensing risk and a much wider range of outcomes. Run both through these pages: the rental property calculator gives the long-let version, and the difference is what the extra effort and volatility are being paid for.

Which costs do hosts underestimate?

Cleaning that costs more than the fee charged, supplies and restocking, higher utilities in a furnished unit, damage and wear that arrive faster than in a long let, insurance written specifically for short-term letting, and the management fee if a co-host handles the turnovers, which is commonly a fifth to a quarter of revenue.

Assumptions and sources

  • Method: booked nights are the available nights times occupancy; stays are booked nights divided by the average stay; revenue is nights at the rate plus stays at the cleaning fee; the platform fee and the lodging tax are charged on that revenue, and variable costs are separated from fixed ones.
  • Fee and tax rates are inputs. Platform commissions differ between split-fee and host-only arrangements, and occupancy tax is set by the local jurisdiction, so your own dashboard and the rules for the address are the authority.
  • The break-even occupancy is solved from the linear revenue and cost lines rather than searched numerically. Night caps, licensing, zoning and the tax treatment of the income sit outside this model. This is not tax or investment advice.

Last reviewed 2026-09-14. This page is an estimate tool, not financial, tax or legal advice.Read the full disclaimer.

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