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Best Airbnb Markets in California (2026)

Based on Airbtics data from September 2025 to August 2026, this page shows the top Airbnb locations to invest in California 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 California.

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

California Short-Term Rental Market Overview (September 2025 to August 2026)

National averages across all California markets
Average Occupancy Rate i
62.59%
Average Annual Revenue i
$71,388
Average Daily Rate (ADR) i
$300
YoY Supply Growth i
31.41%
YoY Revenue Change i
10.09%

Top 32 California 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
1CBig los angeles
Unknown
39,69964%$254$61,96912.3%34.5%
2CLos angeles
Strict
10,34370%$230$61,01512.3%34.5%
3CSan diego
Strict
9,34374%$281$79,34812.3%34.5%
4D+San francisco
Strict
3,53678%$214$62,72612.3%34.5%
5DPalm springs
Lenient
3,31354%$435$89,48812.3%34.5%
6E+Big bear lake
Strict
2,33637%$306$45,04312.3%34.5%
7D+San jose
Lenient
2,04169%$146$37,87512.3%34.5%
8D+Palm desert
Lenient
1,55150%$289$55,14212.3%34.5%
9CLa quinta
Strict
1,48153%$344$70,54312.3%34.5%
10E+North lake tahoe
Lenient
1,42449%$426$81,41012.3%34.5%
11E+Bakersfield
Lenient
1,35549%$179$33,81412.3%34.5%
12COakland
Lenient
1,32172%$149$40,48712.3%34.5%
13B+Salinas
Lenient
1,30369%$370$97,08412.3%34.5%
14CLong beach
Strict
1,22669%$222$58,91112.3%34.5%
15BIndio
Strict
1,20950%$476$92,96012.3%34.5%
16D+Newport beach
Strict
1,20876%$560$161,62312.3%34.5%
17COceanside
Lenient
1,16075%$312$89,61012.3%34.5%
18DLake arrowhead
Strict
1,02839%$331$51,11812.3%34.5%
19C+Ukiah
Lenient
94556%$278$60,07312.3%34.5%
20E+Truckee
Lenient
91448%$420$78,53412.3%34.5%
21CEureka-arcata
Lenient
91364%$202$49,26712.3%34.5%
22DCalaveras
Lenient
84241%$306$49,53312.3%34.5%
23BJoshua tree
Strict
77859%$247$58,25712.3%34.5%
24D+Santa barbara
Lenient
77873%$334$93,36912.3%34.5%
25D+Santa monica
Strict
70477%$254$73,69712.3%34.5%
26DBerkeley
Lenient
59181% 🚀$150$45,44812.3%34.5%
27C+Anaheim
Strict
59180% 🚀$329$101,46812.3%34.5%
28D+Carlsbad
Lenient
58274%$362$101,27612.3%34.5%
29D+Santa cruz
Lenient
56765%$390$97,33812.3%34.5%
30E+Albany
Lenient
53656%$137$29,12312.3%34.5%
31BIdyllwild-pine cove
Lenient
47155%$263$56,76512.3%34.5%
32D+Encinitas
Lenient
46277%$416$120,11712.3%34.5%

Market Explorer

Filter markets by occupancy, price, and yield

Filter California 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 California. 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 California

Trends, supply, and year-over-year changes for California.

View 2025 Market Report

Why Invest in Airbnb California in 2026?

The short-term rental markets we track in California include Newport beach, Encinitas and Anaheim. 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: California

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

California 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.

Best Cities for Airbnb in California by Budget

Top 3 Affordable & Mid-Range Airbnb Markets: $500,000 & Below

Property prices in these markets are $500,000 or less.

  1. Albany
    • Property price: $230,000
    • STR revenue: $29,123/year
    • Yield: 15.7%
  2. Bakersfield
    • Property price: $300,000
    • STR revenue: $33,814/year
    • Yield: 11.2%
  3. Indio
    • Property price: $350,000
    • STR revenue: $92,960/year
    • Yield: 16.0%

Top 3 Premium & Luxury Airbnb Markets: $500,000 & Above

Property prices in these markets are over $500,000.

  1. Salinas
    • Property price: $550,000
    • STR revenue: $97,084/year
    • Yield: 21.4%
  2. Oakland
    • Property price: $600,000
    • STR revenue: $40,487/year
    • Yield: 8.8%
  3. Long beach
    • Property price: $600,000
    • STR revenue: $58,911/year
    • Yield: 11.7%

Top 3 Best Places for Airbnb Arbitrage in California

  1. Salinas
    • STR revenue: $97,084/year
    • Rent gap: $5,261
  2. Ukiah
    • STR revenue: $60,073/year
    • Rent gap: $3,984
  3. Anaheim
    • STR revenue: $101,468/year
    • Rent gap: $3,754

California Airbnb market FAQs

  • What are the best Airbnb markets in California?

    Airbtics ranks short-term rental markets in California using revenue, occupancy, regulation, yield, and growth. The top market in our latest dataset is Big los angeles. 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 California?

    We currently analyze 32 active short-term rental markets in California with listing supply, median occupancy, ADR, and revenue estimates.

  • What is the average Airbnb occupancy rate in California?

    The national average occupancy rate across tracked markets is 62.59% (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 California?

    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 California?

    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 California

Browse all 32 markets we track in California. Each link opens the market's Airbnb revenue and performance data page.




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