Austin vs Broward County: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Austin edges ahead of Broward County on higher occupancy (42% vs 36%), stronger RevPAR (£25 vs £23).

Head-to-head metrics

	Austin	Broward County
Median occupancy	42%	36%
Median daily rate	£100	£102
Median RevPAR	£25	£23
Active listings	7,933	11,860
YoY occupancy	+14.1 pts	+16.8 pts
YoY daily rate	-7.4%	-0.8%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Austin vs Broward County

Austin finishes clearly ahead of Broward County on our composite of occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk — and it is the calendar rather than the price tag doing the work. Austin's listings run at 42% occupancy against 36% in Broward County, worth 6 extra points of booked calendar every year. On revenue per available night Austin is ahead by 6.1% — £25 to £23 — real, but inside the range a better-run listing could cover. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

On the mechanics of the yield the two are hard to separate. Austin runs 42% occupancy at £100 a night; Broward County runs 36% at £102. That leaves RevPAR almost level too — £25 against £23 — so operating quality, not market selection, is what will decide your return between these two.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Broward County is not simply the weaker market of the two. Broward County is the deeper market at 11,860 active listings against 7,933, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. Broward County's calendar is the flatter of the two — 13.2 points between its best and worst month against 24.3 in Austin — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Austin nor Broward County currently has a verified short-term rental regulation record in our register, so the comparison above is a yield comparison only. Regulation is the single largest source of downside in this asset class — an unverified market is an unpriced risk, not an absent one.

The two calendars also behave differently. Austin peaks in September at 49% and bottoms in December at 24.7%; Broward County runs from 40.4% in September down to 27.2% in November. Broward County is the steadier of the two at 13.2 points peak-to-trough against 24.3 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Austin concentrates its return into a shorter window and rewards operators who price the peak aggressively instead of holding a flat rate all year.

Who each suits, then. Austin suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. Broward County answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal. It is also the momentum side of this pair. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2025-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 4,251 active Austin listings and 7,350 in Broward County.

Frequently asked questions

Is Austin or Broward County better for Airbnb investment?

Austin, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (42% vs 36%), stronger RevPAR (£25 vs £23), and a thinner competitive field (7,933 vs 11,860 active listings). Broward County is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a deeper market (11,860 vs 7,933 active listings).

Which has higher occupancy, Austin or Broward County?

Austin, at 42% median occupancy against 36% in Broward County — a gap of 6 points. That is a real but modest edge; a well-run listing in Broward County can close most of it. Over the last twelve months Austin gained 14.1 points and Broward County gained 16.8 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Austin or Broward County?

Broward County, at £102 a night against £100 in Austin — roughly 2.4% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — Austin comes out ahead at £25 against £23, so Austin's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Austin or Broward County?

Broward County, on occupancy: +16.8 points over the last twelve months against +14.1 points in Austin. Nightly rates fell 7.4% in Austin and fell 0.8% in Broward County over the same window. One year of movement is a direction, not a trend — weigh it against the regulation picture before treating it as momentum.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Austin or Broward County?

Broward County, with 11,860 active listings against 7,933 in Austin. Size cuts both ways: a deep market gives you comparables, contractors and an exit, while a thinner one means fewer near-identical rivals competing for the same search results.

How much can you earn from an Airbnb in Austin vs Broward County?

Austin earns more: roughly £9,062 a year for a median listing against £8,532 in Broward County. Those are gross booking revenues before cleaning, management, platform fees, furnishing amortisation and tax — budget for a meaningful share of them, and note that a median listing is a median operator, not a good one.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Austin →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Broward County →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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