Country guide

Airbnb investment in Australia

11 Australia short-term rental markets ranked by median annual revenue per listing. Data refreshes weekly from the latest Inside Airbnb snapshot.

The Australia market at a glance

Medians across the 11 Australia markets we hold live listing data for. Figures are converted to GBP so cities compare like for like.

Median occupancy
16.4%
Median daily rate
£181
Active listings
75,180
Markets covered
11

The spread matters more than the average: a median listing in Tasmania grosses £14,780 a year, against £8,675 in Melbourne. Which end of that range a property lands on depends on the street, not the country.

Short-let rules in Australia

Sydney is the one Australia market we hold verified regulation records for. It does not require a licence or registration to let short-term. Letting is capped at 180 nights a year. Planning consent for a change of use is not required. Rules move faster than market data, so check the city page before you offer on anything.

Sydney rules

Australia cities ranked

#CityOccupancyDaily rateAnnual revenueActive listings
1Tasmania26.3%£148£14.8K5,498
2Sunshine Coast16.4%£220£14.1K5,381
3Western Australia21.4%£176£14.1K11,558
4Barossa Valley16.4%£201£13.3K292
5Northern Rivers13.2%£216£12.8K4,513
6Mornington Peninsula11.5%£260£12.5K3,104
7Sydney18.1%£173£11.6K15,034
8Brisbane21.4%£148£11.3K5,198
9Barwon South West Vic13.2%£194£9.6K5,106
10Mid North Coast13.2%£181£9.5K3,901
11Melbourne16.4%£138£8.7K15,595

Australia short-let questions

Which Australia city earns the most on Airbnb?

Tasmania. A median listing there grosses £14,780 a year, the highest of the 11 Australia markets we track.

What occupancy should I expect in Australia?

The median across Australia markets with live data is 16.4%. Individual cities vary widely, and occupancy within a city varies more than between cities — the street matters more than the market.

Do I need a licence to run an Airbnb in Australia?

Sydney is the only Australia market we hold verified rules for, and it does not require a licence or registration to let short-term. The rule is set locally, so it tells you nothing about the rest of the country — check the city page for wherever you're buying.

How many Airbnb listings are there in Australia?

75,180 active listings across the 11 Australia markets we track — counting only listings with at least one booking in the last 12 months, so dormant listings don't inflate the figure.

Methodology: per-city medians are computed from the latest Inside Airbnb snapshot, filtered to active listings (≥1 booking in the last 12 months). Annual revenue is the median per-listing gross.

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