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.
The spread matters more than the average: a median listing in Sunshine Coast grosses £10,704 a year, against £5,386 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.
Australia cities ranked
| # | City | Occupancy | Daily rate | Annual revenue | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunshine Coast | 30% | £166 | £10.7K | 5,416 |
| 2 | Barossa Valley | 36% | £153 | £10.5K | 266 |
| 3 | Tasmania | 42% | £99 | £9.8K | 5,396 |
| 4 | Western Australia | 42% | £110 | £9.2K | 10,674 |
| 5 | Northern Rivers | 24% | £160 | £8.8K | 4,358 |
| 6 | Mornington Peninsula | 30% | £178 | £8.7K | 3,223 |
| 7 | Sydney | 32% | £106 | £8.1K | 13,211 |
| 8 | Brisbane | 36% | £97 | £8.0K | 4,968 |
| 9 | Barwon South West Vic | 30% | £140 | £7.3K | 5,348 |
| 10 | Mid North Coast | 24% | £123 | £6.6K | 3,828 |
| 11 | Melbourne | 30% | £80 | £5.4K | 15,424 |
Australia short-let questions
Which Australia city earns the most on Airbnb?
Sunshine Coast. A median listing there grosses £10,704 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 30%. 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?
72,112 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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