Most Profitable Airbnb Rental Arbitrage Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2025
Based on our data, this page shows the top markets to do Airbnb Rental Arbitrage in Sub-Saharan Africa
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 Sub-Saharan Africa.
Best Cities to start Rental Arbitrage in Sub-Saharan Africa
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 | Hermanus, South Africa | $8.10K | $33.33K | 311% | 800 |
Lenient
|
| 2 | Knysna, South Africa | $6.48K | $21.90K | 237% | 1,040 |
Lenient
|
| 3 | Cape town, South Africa | $9.72K | $31.28K | 221% | 19,552 |
Lenient
|
| 4 | Mpumalanga, South Africa | $4.86K | $15.60K | 220% | 2,544 |
Lenient
|
| 5 | Madagascar, Madagascar | $3.78K | $10.98K | 190% | 897 |
Lenient
|
| 6 | Johannesburg, South Africa | $7.02K | $19.89K | 183% | 1,423 |
Lenient
|
| 7 | Windhoek, Namibia | $5.94K | $16K | 169% | 520 |
Lenient
|
| 8 | Dolphin coast, South Africa | $8.10K | $20.62K | 154% | 1,827 |
Lenient
|
| 9 | Dar es salaam, Tanzania | $5.40K | $12.22K | 126% | 1,167 |
Lenient
|
| 10 | Durban, South Africa | $7.02K | $15.71K | 123% | 416 |
Lenient
|
| 11 | Pretoria, South Africa | $5.94K | $12.45K | 109% | 1,794 |
Lenient
|
| 12 | Zanzibar, Tanzania | $6.48K | $12.27K | 89% | 383 |
Lenient
|
| 13 | Nairobi, Kenya | $6.48K | $10.90K | 68% | 5,224 |
Lenient
|
| 14 | Sandton, South Africa | $9.72K | $15.13K | 55% | 2,293 |
Lenient
|
| 15 | Lagos, Nigeria | $8.64K | $12.41K | 43% | 1,394 |
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 Sub-Saharan Africa. 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.
Try Our Market Explorer