Most Profitable Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Markets in East Asia in 2025

Based on our data, this page shows the top markets to do Airbnb Rental Arbitrage in East Asia with key statistics and information, like average long-term rental revenue for 2-bedroom, short-term rental revenue, and average rent gap. This allows you to discover the most profitable cities to start Airbnb Arbitrage in East Asia.

Best Cities to start Rental Arbitrage in East Asia


Rent Gap: It indicates the average revenue differences between long-term and short-term rental revenues. The bigger the gap, the easier it is for you to make profits by doing rental arbitrage. The table is sorted by the rent gap. All data presented in this report is based on 2-bedroom properties.

STR (Short-Term Rental): Refers to short-term rental data, which is tracked and verified by Airbtics.

STR Revenue: Represents the average annual revenue generated by short-term rentals, as captured by Airbtics' dataset.

LTR (Long-Term Rental): Refers to traditional rental markets.

LTR Revenue: Represents the average annual rental income collected by landlords. For comparability, we assume a 90% occupancy rate for long-term rentals. The data is currently sourced through ChatGPT. However, Airbtics is in the process of collecting and standardizing this data internally. By November 2025, these external sources will be fully replaced with Airbtics' proprietary datasets.

Sorting Basis: The tables are ranked by the Rent Gap between short-term and long-term rental revenues for an average 2-bedroom property.

Last updated: September, 2025

Position Market Name LTR revenue STR revenue Rent Gap Number of Airbnb Listings Regulation
1 Hengchun, Taiwan $4.32K $34.16K 690% 311
Lenient
2 Andong, South Korea $4.32K $29.09K 573% 272
Lenient
3 Fukuoka, Japan $8.64K $51.39K 494% 1,416
Strict
4 Sapporo, Japan $8.10K $45.06K 456% 1,726
Strict
5 Chungju, South Korea $5.40K $28.28K 423% 154
Lenient
6 Gyeongju, South Korea $5.40K $27.64K 411% 2,640
Lenient
7 Kyoto, Japan $12.96K $63.03K 386% 4,232
Strict
8 Gangneung, South Korea $6.48K $27.95K 331% 3,216
Lenient
9 Hiroshima, Japan $7.56K $31.14K 311% 648
Strict
10 Naha, Japan $9.72K $34.62K 256% 724
Strict
11 Jeonju, South Korea $5.40K $18.61K 244% 2,008
Lenient
12 Ulsan, South Korea $6.48K $22.25K 243% 616
Lenient
13 Taichung, Taiwan $6.48K $20.23K 212% 1,286
Lenient
14 Tokyo, Japan $19.44K $58.72K 202% 19,185
Strict
15 Tongyeong, South Korea $5.40K $15.73K 191% 633
Lenient
16 Sokcho, South Korea $6.48K $18.71K 188% 2,108
Lenient
17 Yeosu, South Korea $6.48K $18.36K 183% 2,451
Lenient
18 Jeju island, South Korea $9.18K $25.92K 182% 14,612
Lenient
19 Busan station, South Korea $8.10K $22.41K 176% 8,758
Lenient
20 Hualien city, Taiwan $4.86K $13.28K 173% 964
Lenient
21 Osaka, Japan $12.96K $35.30K 172% 11,521
Strict
22 Daegu, South Korea $5.40K $14.67K 171% 1,521
Lenient
23 Geoje, South Korea $6.48K $17.18K 165% 1,317
Lenient
24 Taipei, Taiwan $12.96K $32.01K 146% 5,006
Lenient
25 Daejeon, South Korea $7.02K $17.07K 143% 1,144
Lenient
26 Incheon, South Korea $8.64K $19.38K 124% 3,215
Lenient
27 Hakodate, Japan $6.48K $14.37K 121% 166
Strict
28 Suwon, South Korea $8.64K $18.45K 113% 766
Lenient
29 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia $6.48K $13.35K 105% 538
Lenient
30 Seongnam, South Korea $12.96K $26.12K 101% 477
Lenient
31 Pyeongtaek, South Korea $8.64K $16.63K 92% 242
Lenient
32 Hwaseong, South Korea $8.64K $15.22K 76% 387
Lenient
33 Seoul, South Korea $16.20K $28.29K 74% 23,591
Lenient
34 Hong kong, Hong Kong $37.80K $46.58K 23% 3,477
Lenient

Find the best Rental Markets with our interactive tool (Short-term rental focus currently)

Use our interactive Market Explorer to find the best places to start an Airbnb in East Asia. 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.

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