Rental Math
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Short-Term Rental (Airbnb) Calculator

Estimate short-term rental revenue, operating expenses, NOI, and cap rate from nightly rate and occupancy — before you buy, not after.

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Quick Answer

Short-Term Rental (Airbnb) Calculator estimates net operating income (annual) of $21,585 and noi per month of $1,799 for this scenario.

Key Takeaways

  • Short-Term Rental (Airbnb) Calculator estimates net operating income (annual) of $21,585 and noi per month of $1,799 for this scenario.
  • At $125 a night and 85% occupancy, the property books about 310 nights across roughly 103 stays a year. Nightly revenue contributes $38,781 and cleaning fees add $10,342, for gross booking revenue of $49,123 — a RevPAR of $106 per available night.
  • About 25.0% occupancy covers the operating costs at this nightly rate — roughly 91 booked nights a year. Note what that break-even excludes: the mortgage payment. Debt service needs a separate check, which is what DSCR and cash-flow calculators are for.

Calculation Output

Net Operating Income (annual)

$21,585

NOI per Month

$1,799

Cap Rate (before financing)

5.40%

Revenue per Available Night (RevPAR)

$106

Gross Booking Revenue

$49,123

Total Operating Expenses

$27,537

Booked Nights per Year

310

Break-Even Occupancy

25.0%

Result Chart

Net Operating Income (annual)

$21,585

NOI per Month

$1,799

Cap Rate (before financing)

5.40%

Revenue per Available Night (RevPAR)

$106

Gross Booking Revenue

$49,123

Key Facts

Net Operating Income (annual)$21,585
NOI per Month$1,799
Cap Rate (before financing)5.40%
Revenue per Available Night (RevPAR)$106
Gross Booking Revenue$49,123
Total Operating Expenses$27,537

How This Estimate Works

  • At $125 a night and 85% occupancy, the property books about 310 nights across roughly 103 stays a year. Nightly revenue contributes $38,781 and cleaning fees add $10,342, for gross booking revenue of $49,123 — a RevPAR of $106 per available night.
  • Expenses are where STR underwriting usually goes wrong. Here they total $27,537: platform fees $1,474, turnover cleaning $9,308, management $7,756, and fixed taxes, insurance, utilities, and HOA of $9,000. That leaves NOI of $21,585 a year, or $1,799 a month, before any mortgage payment.
  • On a $400,000 purchase price that is a 5.40% cap rate — between 4% and 6% — workable, but not obviously better than a long-term rental on the same property once you count your time and the vacancy risk. The definition matches a long-term rental's cap rate exactly (NOI before debt service), so the two uses of the same property can be compared head-to-head; what differs is the work, the variance, and how much of the revenue survives a slow season.
  • 85% occupancy is an aggressive, near-saturation assumption — near year-round occupancy that few listings sustain; the numbers below should be read as a best case, not a baseline. The occupancy ladder makes the sensitivity concrete at this nightly rate — annual NOI by occupancy: 55% → $10,791; 65% → $14,389; 75% → $17,987; 85% → $21,585. A $125 rate is only as good as the occupancy behind it, and this ladder shows how fast the answer moves when the calendar fills or empties.
  • Every 10 points of occupancy is worth about $3,598 of NOI a year at this nightly rate — so the gap between a 55% year and a 65% year is roughly $3,598, before any rate changes.
  • The cleaning line is nearly a wash in this scenario: $10,342 collected against $9,308 of cleaning cost, a spread of about $1,034 a year. Hosts who price the fee below their true turnover cost quietly donate the difference on every stay.
  • Break-even occupancy is 25.0% — below the 85% assumed here, leaving 60.0% of cushion before operations stop covering themselves. Note what break-even excludes: the mortgage payment. Debt service needs a separate check, which is what DSCR and cash-flow calculators are for.
  • One warning the annual average hides: short-term demand is seasonal almost everywhere. A property that averages these numbers might run 20 points higher in peak months and 20 points lower in the trough, and the mortgage, taxes, and insurance arrive in the trough too. Underwrite the slow months honestly, treat the peak as upside, and sanity-check your occupancy against the market rather than your hopes.

FAQ

What occupancy do I need to break even?

About 25.0% occupancy covers the operating costs at this nightly rate — roughly 91 booked nights a year. Note what that break-even excludes: the mortgage payment. Debt service needs a separate check, which is what DSCR and cash-flow calculators are for.

How does an STR cap rate compare to a long-term rental's?

It is the same formula — NOI divided by price, before financing — so a 5.40% STR cap rate here is directly comparable to a long-term cap rate on the same $400,000. The real differences sit underneath: STR revenue swings with seasons and reviews, and its expense load (turnover cleaning, platform fees, management, utilities, restocking) is far heavier than a long-term lease's.

Does the nightly rate include the cleaning fee?

No. Platforms quote the nightly rate and the cleaning fee separately, and this calculator keeps them separate for a reason: the fee is per stay, not per night, so short stays make cleaning a much bigger share of revenue. Compare the fee you charge against your true turnover cost — here that spread is about $1,034 a year.

What expenses do new hosts most often undercount?

Turnover cleaning (priced per stay, incurred every stay), platform service fees on the full booking total, management if you will not self-manage forever, utilities that spike with guests, and restocking/consumables. This scenario's expense stack — $27,537 against $49,123 of gross bookings — is a realistic shape: roughly half of gross revenue gone before the mortgage.

Is $125/night at 85% occupancy realistic?

At 85% occupancy you are assuming performance well above the national average (AirDNA put average US occupancy near 57% in its 2026 outlook), so the listing has to earn it — a proven location, strong reviews, standout amenities, or disciplined pricing. Cross-check $125 a night against actual nearby listings before trusting the $106 RevPAR this combination implies.

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