Best Airbnb Markets in The United Kingdom (2026)

Based on Airbtics data from January 2025 to December 2025, this page shows the top Airbnb locations to invest in The United Kingdom 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 The United Kingdom.

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: February, 2026

The United Kingdom Short-Term Rental Market Overview (Full-Year 2025 Analysis)

National averages across all The United Kingdom markets
Average Occupancy Rate i
63.24%
Average Annual Revenue i
£31,604
Average Daily Rate (ADR) i
£133
YoY Supply Growth i
19.35%
YoY Revenue Change i
9.64%

Top 71 The United Kingdom Cities for Airbnb in 2026

Position Market Grade Market Name Regulation No of Listings Avg. Occupancy Rate Avg. Daily Rate Revenue Short-term Rental Yield Rent Gap
1DLondon
Lenient
49,16674%£152£41,55912.3%34.5%
2BCornwall
Lenient
12,88362%£140£32,13612.3%34.5%
3B+Scottish highlands
Lenient
6,03575%£151£41,74412.3%34.5%
4ACity of edinburgh
Lenient
4,80984%£180£56,01412.3%34.5%
5D+Dorset
Lenient
3,94763%£142£33,23412.3%34.5%
6BGwynedd
Lenient
3,69664%£140£33,43812.3%34.5%
7B+Pembrokeshire
Lenient
3,40063%£136£31,91212.3%34.5%
8C+South lakeland
Lenient
3,17563%£168£39,42012.3%34.5%
9D+Brighton and hove
Lenient
3,03664%£132£31,62712.3%34.5%
10BNorthumberland
Lenient
2,83469%£140£35,95012.3%34.5%
11D+Liverpool
Lenient
2,68455%£106£21,92012.3%34.5%
12CBirmingham
Lenient
2,60559%£105£23,23312.3%34.5%
13CManchester
Lenient
2,45361%£115£26,44312.3%34.5%
14DEast suffolk
Lenient
2,35062%£162£37,52412.3%34.5%
15B+Powys
Lenient
2,31462%£135£31,02112.3%34.5%
16C+Scarborough
Lenient
2,27862%£140£32,46812.3%34.5%
17C+Bournemouth
Lenient
2,26861%£131£29,81612.3%34.5%
18BNorth norfolk
Lenient
2,25766%£162£39,67612.3%34.5%
19C+Wiltshire
Lenient
2,16363%£128£29,88912.3%34.5%
20C+North devon
Lenient
2,06962%£164£37,79812.3%34.5%
21BArgyll and bute
Lenient
1,98469%£151£38,48012.3%34.5%
22B+Cotswold
Lenient
1,94765%£214£51,42012.3%34.5%
23D+Bristol
Lenient
1,88970%£114£29,82812.3%34.5%
24CSouth hams
Lenient
1,84858%£151£32,46212.3%34.5%
25C+Isle of wight
Lenient
1,79658%£145£31,27612.3%34.5%
26CYork
Lenient
1,78468%£148£37,37212.3%34.5%
27C+Shropshire
Lenient
1,77263%£124£29,07612.3%34.5%
28B+Causeway coast and glens
Lenient
1,74854%£152£30,44812.3%34.5%
29C+Cardiff
Lenient
1,74759%£120£26,62612.3%34.5%
30C+Bath and north east somerset
Lenient
1,72970%£155£40,33712.3%34.5%
31C+Derbyshire dales
Lenient
1,72468%£146£36,85612.3%34.5%
32CBelfast
Lenient
1,71064%£118£28,18612.3%34.5%
33D+Leeds
Lenient
1,70658%£102£22,16412.3%34.5%
34CEast riding of yorkshire
Lenient
1,66259%£124£27,43612.3%34.5%
35BConwy
Lenient
1,65865%£131£31,64712.3%34.5%
36C+Fife
Lenient
1,63464%£163£38,68312.3%34.5%
37CChichester
Lenient
1,56357%£151£32,00412.3%34.5%
38B+East lindsey
Lenient
1,56062%£109£25,17212.3%34.5%
39B+Glasgow
Lenient
1,49575%£128£35,63212.3%34.5%
40D+South cambridgeshire
Lenient
1,44470%£112£29,40212.3%34.5%
41CHerefordshire
Lenient
1,44161%£123£27,88612.3%34.5%
42BCeredigion
Lenient
1,42760%£128£28,55212.3%34.5%
43CEast devon
Lenient
1,41564%£133£31,64812.3%34.5%
44BIsle of anglesey
Lenient
1,36858%£152£32,85212.3%34.5%
45C+Perth and kinross
Lenient
1,36669%£162£41,39312.3%34.5%
46BSwansea
Lenient
1,36565%£125£30,45312.3%34.5%
47C+New forest
Lenient
1,36265%£148£35,84912.3%34.5%
48C+Torridge
Lenient
1,24760%£140£31,28412.3%34.5%
49DOxford
Lenient
1,24073%£120£32,73412.3%34.5%
50BKings lynn and west norfolk
Lenient
1,23665%£152£36,66712.3%34.5%
51BDumfries and galloway
Lenient
1,23462%£126£29,06112.3%34.5%
52C+Mendip
Lenient
1,20565%£124£30,10112.3%34.5%
53B+Carmarthenshire
Lenient
1,20557%£119£25,29212.3%34.5%
54C+Torbay
Lenient
1,20357%£125£26,63512.3%34.5%
55BAllerdale
Lenient
1,19271%£142£37,38312.3%34.5%
56E+Sheffield
Lenient
1,18554%£92£18,81912.3%34.5%
57D+Harrogate
Lenient
1,17866%£136£33,25512.3%34.5%
58BWest northamptonshire
Lenient
1,16056%£108£22,66412.3%34.5%
59CCounty durham
Lenient
1,15860%£113£25,37112.3%34.5%
60DNottingham
Lenient
1,14756%£94£19,89512.3%34.5%
61E+Buckinghamshire
Lenient
1,11260%£112£25,19612.3%34.5%
62DSalford
Lenient
1,10960%£101£22,95612.3%34.5%
63C+Eden
Lenient
1,09762%£135£31,11612.3%34.5%
64CRother
Lenient
1,04060%£148£33,10512.3%34.5%
65BNewquay
Lenient
1,01963%£145£33,96012.3%34.5%
66BCheshire west and chester
Lenient
98069%£130£33,48112.3%34.5%
67C+Blackpool
Lenient
94545%£103£17,60512.3%34.5%
68D+Cambridge
Lenient
93772%£118£31,76012.3%34.5%
69D+Newcastle upon tyne
Lenient
81957%£111£23,83112.3%34.5%
70CPlymouth
Lenient
61161%£106£24,28912.3%34.5%
71D+Norwich
Lenient
59767%£109£27,44212.3%34.5%

Find the Best Airbnb Markets with Our Interactive Tool

Use our interactive Market Explorer to find the best places to start an Airbnb in The United Kingdom. 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

📊 Want a deeper dive into The United Kingdom's STR market?

Explore our comprehensive 2025 Short-Term Rental Market Report for The United Kingdom, featuring detailed market trends, supply analysis, and year-over-year insights.

View 2025 Market Report

Why Invest in Airbnb The United Kingdom in 2026?

In recent years, The United Kingdom has emerged as one of the best locations for investing in short-term rentals thanks to its popular tourist attractions, thriving business activities, growing digital nomad presence, and vibrant cities like City of edinburgh, Cotswold and Scottish highlands. With millions of international visitors coming each year, the demand for vacation rental accommodations is growing, making Airbnb The United Kingdom a lucrative option for both local and foreign investors.

Due to strong demand from travelers, The United Kingdom offers competitive average daily rates (ADR), healthy occupancy rates, and attractive revenue potential in the best Airbnb markets. Whether you're looking to start your first Airbnb business with a modest budget or to add a luxury short-term rental property to your portfolio, The United Kingdom has a profitable location to meet your budget and aspirations as an investor.

Market Saturation Analysis: The United Kingdom

Benchmark: Markets are categorized relative to The United Kingdom's national averages (Supply: +19.4%, Revenue: +9.6%). Markets above the national average are marked with ↑, while those below are marked with ↓.

🟢

Healthy Growth

Supply > avg, Revenue > avg
Expansion with demand keeping up

  • Newquay Supply: +22.2% | Revenue: +23.4%
  • City of edinburgh Supply: +19.7% | Revenue: +22.1%
  • East lindsey Supply: +32.9% | Revenue: +18.6%
  • Brighton and hove Supply: +25.4% | Revenue: +18.1%
  • Bournemouth Supply: +20.3% | Revenue: +16.5%
  • Conwy Supply: +20.1% | Revenue: +14.3%
  • Cardiff Supply: +30.4% | Revenue: +11.8%
  • Kings lynn and west norfolk Supply: +21.0% | Revenue: +10.7%
  • Causeway coast and glens Supply: +21.3% | Revenue: +10.4%
🟡

Early Saturation

Supply > avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Competition rising

  • Leeds Supply: +40.0% | Revenue: +1.4%
  • Birmingham Supply: +40.0% | Revenue: +6.2%
  • West northamptonshire Supply: +36.9% | Revenue: +7.9%
  • Manchester Supply: +36.0% | Revenue: +3.9%
  • Salford Supply: +34.2% | Revenue: +0.1%
  • London Supply: +33.8% | Revenue: +3.8%
  • Newcastle upon tyne Supply: +33.5% | Revenue: -1.0%
  • Liverpool Supply: +32.1% | Revenue: +4.5%
  • Nottingham Supply: +27.8% | Revenue: +2.6%
  • Sheffield Supply: +26.4% | Revenue: -0.8%
  • +7 more markets
🔵

Under-the-Radar

Supply ≤ avg, Revenue > avg
Hidden opportunities

  • South hams Supply: +16.9% | Revenue: +20.7%
  • Torbay Supply: +12.7% | Revenue: +19.5%
  • Cotswold Supply: +15.5% | Revenue: +18.9%
  • Isle of wight Supply: +14.4% | Revenue: +18.4%
  • Cornwall Supply: +15.6% | Revenue: +17.6%
  • Cheshire west and chester Supply: +13.2% | Revenue: +17.0%
  • Ceredigion Supply: +14.2% | Revenue: +16.7%
  • Chichester Supply: +14.1% | Revenue: +16.3%
  • Blackpool Supply: +19.3% | Revenue: +15.8%
  • New forest Supply: +15.2% | Revenue: +15.1%
  • +12 more markets
🔴

Declining

Supply ≤ avg, Revenue ≤ avg
Risky markets

  • East suffolk Supply: +18.0% | Revenue: -2.1%
  • Belfast Supply: +17.8% | Revenue: +0.3%
  • York Supply: +13.6% | Revenue: +1.7%
  • Perth and kinross Supply: +11.0% | Revenue: +2.7%
  • East riding of yorkshire Supply: +17.9% | Revenue: +3.0%
  • South cambridgeshire Supply: +15.9% | Revenue: +5.6%
  • Cambridge Supply: +15.4% | Revenue: +5.6%
  • Derbyshire dales Supply: +12.0% | Revenue: +6.0%
  • Bath and north east somerset Supply: +13.3% | Revenue: +6.0%
  • Dumfries and galloway Supply: +12.6% | Revenue: +6.2%
  • +13 more markets

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

These markets represent mid-to-high-end investment opportunities with strong potential for steady returns and property appreciation.

  1. Brighton and hove
    • Property price: £400,000
    • STR revenue: £31,627/year
    • Yield: 10.4%
  2. Oxford
    • Property price: £440,000
    • STR revenue: £32,734/year
    • Yield: 11.6%
  3. Cambridge
    • Property price: £440,000
    • STR revenue: £31,760/year
    • Yield: 11.1%

Top 3 Best Places for Airbnb Arbitrage in The United Kingdom

  1. City of edinburgh
    • STR revenue: £56,014/year
    • Rent gap: £4,401
  2. Powys
    • STR revenue: £31,021/year
    • Rent gap: £3,688
  3. Allerdale
    • STR revenue: £37,383/year
    • Rent gap: £3,688



Estimate Your Airbnb Income in The United Kingdom



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