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Best Airbnb Markets in Australia and New Zealand (2026)

Based on Airbtics data from September 2025 to August 2026, this page shows the top Airbnb locations to invest in Australia and New Zealand with key statistics and information, like short-term rental regulations, number of listings, occupancy rate, average daily rate, and annual revenue. This allows you to discover the most profitable cities to invest in, buy, and own Airbnb rental properties in Australia and New Zealand.

The Airbtics Market Score indicates how attractive a location is for investing in an Airbnb rental property. We determine this score based on the following criteria:

  1. Short-term rental yield: The ratio between annual revenue and property price, as a percentage. Locations with higher Airbnb rental yield score better.
  2. Short-term rental regulations: How STR-friendly the local Airbnb rules and laws are. Markets with more lenient regulations get a higher score.
  3. Market size: The number of Airbnb listings. Larger vacation rental markets get a higher score as it is easier for investors to buy and sell properties.
  4. Growth: How fast the market is becoming saturated. Priority is given to markets that are already developed but are not approaching saturation yet.
  5. Seasonality: To what degree Airbnb performance is affected by seasonality. Less seasonal impact is preferred as investors can enjoy a more stable short-term rental performance throughout the year.
Learn more about how we collect the data and accuracy

Last updated: 16th October, 2026

Australia and New Zealand Short-Term Rental Market Overview (September 2025 to August 2026)

National averages across all Australia and New Zealand markets
Average Occupancy Rate i
60.76%
Average Annual Revenue i
$47,911
Average Daily Rate (ADR) i
$212
YoY Supply Growth i
29.37%
YoY Revenue Change i
7.30%

Top 59 Australia and New Zealand Cities for Airbnb in 2026

Tick the markets you like to track their revenue, occupancy, and ADR in your Airbtics watchlist. Free to start, up to 10 markets.

Position Market Grade Market Name Regulation No of Listings Avg. Occupancy Rate Avg. Daily Rate Revenue Short-term Rental Yield Rent Gap
1CQueensland and northern nsw
Unknown
36,24469%$206$53,50112.3%34.5%
2BMelbourne
Lenient
19,18366%$170$42,48312.3%34.5%
3C+Sydney
Strict
13,17475%$198$55,77012.3%34.5%
4AOtago
Lenient
6,48273%$214$58,47212.3%34.5%
5BBrisbane
Lenient
5,98776%$164$47,05412.3%34.5%
6BGold coast
Lenient
5,83176%$229$65,38712.3%34.5%
7APerth
Strict
5,40978%$172$50,37212.3%34.5%
8C+Canterbury
Lenient
5,29368%$134$34,55512.3%34.5%
9C+Auckland
Lenient
4,84867%$112$28,30812.3%34.5%
10BSunshine coast
Lenient
4,58272%$254$68,67712.3%34.5%
11B+Adelaide
Lenient
3,85171%$182$48,86512.3%34.5%
12D+Shoalhaven
Strict
3,71850%$291$55,06812.3%34.5%
13D+Mornington peninsula
Lenient
3,64549%$308$57,30912.3%34.5%
14DBay of plenty
Lenient
3,34356%$152$32,20312.3%34.5%
15D+Great ocean road
Lenient
3,32449%$227$41,96412.3%34.5%
16D+Victoria's high country
Lenient
2,69248%$251$45,40512.3%34.5%
17E+Surf coast - bellarine peninsula
Lenient
2,60946%$268$46,66312.3%34.5%
18D+Northland
Lenient
2,58950%$143$27,06612.3%34.5%
19CGippsland - south west
Lenient
2,52147%$222$39,33812.3%34.5%
20B+Queenstown
Lenient
2,51281% 🚀$290$88,09212.3%34.5%
21B+Surfers paradise
Lenient
2,49980%$228$68,64412.3%34.5%
22AAugusta - margaret river - busselton
Strict
2,49068%$259$67,45912.3%34.5%
23AChirstchurch
Lenient
2,39273%$116$32,20412.3%34.5%
24BRichmond valley - coastal
Strict
2,34164%$262$62,93212.3%34.5%
25CCentral coast
Strict
2,23650%$303$57,44012.3%34.5%
26D+Phillip island
Lenient
1,98646%$225$39,26012.3%34.5%
27D+Bass coast
Lenient
1,92546%$225$39,26012.3%34.5%
28BAustralian capital territory
Lenient
1,84372%$147$40,12312.3%34.5%
29CSouth coast
Strict
1,82852%$222$43,25812.3%34.5%
30C+Cairns
Lenient
1,80174%$188$52,67912.3%34.5%
31D+Geelong and the bellarine
Lenient
1,78350%$221$42,06212.3%34.5%
32C+Hunter valley
Strict
1,77154%$249$50,91412.3%34.5%
33CFleurieu - kangaroo island
Lenient
1,59355%$216$45,36412.3%34.5%
34B+Greater hobart tas
Strict
1,51775%$176$49,73012.3%34.5%
35CSnowy mountains
Strict
1,44346%$348$59,99712.3%34.5%
36CTasman-nelson region
Lenient
1,42459%$131$28,96712.3%34.5%
37CSnowy river
Strict
1,37446%$357$61,60412.3%34.5%
38D+Lower hunter
Strict
1,35446%$290$51,07112.3%34.5%
39BGoldfields
Lenient
1,28457%$157$33,91212.3%34.5%
40C+Blue mountains nsw
Strict
1,26057%$228$49,77512.3%34.5%
41D+Phillip island
Lenient
1,25547%$230$41,07612.3%34.5%
42D+Hawkes bay
Lenient
1,22351%$138$26,52912.3%34.5%
43E+Nelson bay–fingal bay
Strict
1,17352%$288$57,11912.3%34.5%
44DMurray
Lenient
1,17252%$174$34,45512.3%34.5%
45BTweed heads nsw
Strict
1,14169%$258$66,91712.3%34.5%
46CWellington
Lenient
1,10568%$106$27,10112.3%34.5%
47C+Wanaka
Lenient
1,09468%$248$63,11412.3%34.5%
48D+Taupo
Lenient
1,07055%$171$35,67812.3%34.5%
49B+Tweed valley
Strict
1,06465%$260$63,70912.3%34.5%
50C+Newcastle nsw
Strict
1,00865%$212$51,79212.3%34.5%
51D+Great lakes
Strict
97747%$244$43,52212.3%34.5%
52ADarwin
Lenient
82276%$197$56,63712.3%34.5%
53B+Launceston
Strict
71070%$167$44,53212.3%34.5%
54CPort macquarie
Strict
65657%$174$37,56612.3%34.5%
55D+Grampians
Lenient
63153%$143$29,09312.3%34.5%
56C+Northern and yorke
Lenient
59152%$194$38,18612.3%34.5%
57E+Hervey bay
Lenient
54965%$170$41,41612.3%34.5%
58CDaylesford
Lenient
44853%$241$48,49112.3%34.5%
59BSouth brisbane
Lenient
41683% 🚀$180$56,63712.3%34.5%

Market Explorer

Filter markets by occupancy, price, and yield

Filter Australia and New Zealand by occupancy, ADR, yield, rent gap, and property price, then compare markets side by side.

Open Explorer

Find the Best Airbnb Markets with Our Interactive Tool

Use our interactive Market Explorer to find the best places to start an Airbnb in Australia and New Zealand. Compare multiple markets side by side, apply filters like regulations, budget (property or rent prices), and market size, and even export the results to Excel.

Explore Interactive Tool

2025 short-term rental report for Australia and New Zealand

Trends, supply, and year-over-year changes for Australia and New Zealand.

View 2025 Market Report

Why Invest in Airbnb Australia and New Zealand in 2026?

The short-term rental markets we track in Australia and New Zealand include Queenstown, Sunshine coast and Surfers paradise. The tables on this page list occupancy, average daily rate, and annual revenue for each city.

Property prices and rental rules differ by city. The budget sections below group markets by purchase price.

Market Rankboard: Australia and New Zealand

Each dot is a vacation rental market in Australia and New Zealand, plotted by occupancy rate (x-axis) and average daily rate (ADR) (y-axis). Dashed lines mark the national median.

Australia and New Zealand Airbnb markets rankboard scatter chart showing occupancy rate versus average daily rate (ADR)

Compare property prices, short-term rental yield, rent gap, annual revenue, and supply growth in the Airbtics Market Explorer watchlist.

Top 3 Premium Airbnb Markets: $500,000-$1,000,000

Property prices in these markets are $500,000 to $1,000,000.

  1. Auckland
    • Property price: $550,000
    • STR revenue: $28,308/year
    • Yield: 7.2%
  2. Wanaka
    • Property price: $550,000
    • STR revenue: $63,114/year
    • Yield: 10.7%
  3. Queenstown
    • Property price: $650,000
    • STR revenue: $88,092/year
    • Yield: 12.9%

Top 3 Best Places for Airbnb Arbitrage in Australia and New Zealand

  1. Richmond valley - coastal
    • STR revenue: $62,932/year
    • Rent gap: $5,564
  2. Darwin
    • STR revenue: $56,637/year
    • Rent gap: $5,388
  3. Tweed valley
    • STR revenue: $63,709/year
    • Rent gap: $5,208

Australia and New Zealand Airbnb market FAQs

  • What are the best Airbnb markets in Australia and New Zealand?

    Airbtics ranks short-term rental markets in Australia and New Zealand using revenue, occupancy, regulation, yield, and growth. The top market in our latest dataset is Queensland and northern nsw. The main table on this page lists the highest-scoring markets; use the Market Explorer to filter by budget, regulations, and more.

  • How many Airbnb markets does Airbtics track in Australia and New Zealand?

    We currently analyze 59 active short-term rental markets in Australia and New Zealand with listing supply, median occupancy, ADR, and revenue estimates.

  • What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in Australia and New Zealand?

    The national average occupancy rate across tracked markets is 60.76% (LTM). Rates differ by city. Use the rankboard on this page, or open a market page for that city's numbers.

  • How do I compare Airbnb markets in Australia and New Zealand?

    Use the occupancy vs ADR rankboard on this page for a quick view, or open the Market Explorer to compare markets side by side, change chart axes, export to Excel, and save markets to a watchlist.

  • How can I estimate Airbnb income in Australia and New Zealand?

    Use our Airbnb income calculator to estimate revenue for a specific address, or open any market link below for median revenue and occupancy benchmarks.

See all Airbnb markets in Australia and New Zealand

Browse all 59 markets we track in Australia and New Zealand. Each link opens the market's Airbnb revenue and performance data page.




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