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

Bottom line

Broward County and Hawaii score similarly on the metrics that matter most for short-term rental returns. The right pick depends on whether you optimise for yield (lower regulation risk, higher RevPAR) or capital growth.

Head-to-head metrics

	Broward County	Hawaii
Median occupancy	18.1%	15.9%
Median daily rate	£180	£284
Median RevPAR	£35	£46
Active listings	12,088	23,915
YoY occupancy	-1.1 pts	-0.5 pts
YoY daily rate	+76.4%	+72.6%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Broward County vs Hawaii

There is no clean winner between Broward County and Hawaii. Broward County posts 18.1% occupancy and £35 RevPAR; Hawaii posts 15.9% occupancy and £46 RevPAR. Weighted together with regulation risk the two finish inside the margin we are willing to call, which is the honest answer rather than an evasive one — a scoring gap this small would flip on the next data refresh. When markets are this close the decision stops being about the market and starts being about the deal: what you pay, what it costs to run, and how quickly you could exit.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Hawaii is the rate market: £284 a night against £180, some 57.8% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 15.9% occupancy. Broward County is the volume market, filling 18.1% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £46 in Hawaii against £35. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

A tie does not mean the two are interchangeable — it means each holds something the other does not. Broward County's calendar is the flatter of the two — 12.4 points between its best and worst month against 20.8 in Hawaii — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. Across a full year the median Hawaii listing grosses £16,727 against £12,691 in Broward County. Pick the one whose advantage matches how you intend to operate, because the composite score will not do that job for you.

Neither Broward County nor Hawaii 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. Broward County peaks in February at 38.5% and bottoms in May at 26.1%; Hawaii runs from 49.4% in October down to 28.6% in May. Broward County is the steadier of the two at 12.4 points peak-to-trough against 20.8 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Hawaii 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. Broward County suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. It is the contrarian side: buying it means buying a market that has cooled. Hawaii answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 12,088 active Broward County listings and 23,915 in Hawaii.

Frequently asked questions

Is Broward County or Hawaii better for Airbnb investment?

Neither pulls clearly ahead. Broward County runs 18.1% occupancy and £180 a night; Hawaii runs 15.9% occupancy and £284 a night. Once occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk are weighted together the two finish within a couple of points of each other, so the decision turns on purchase price, how far you are willing to travel, and which rulebook you would rather work under.

Which has higher occupancy, Broward County or Hawaii?

Broward County, at 18.1% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii — a gap of 2.2 points. That is a real but modest edge; a well-run listing in Hawaii can close most of it. Over the last twelve months Broward County shed 1.1 points and Hawaii shed 0.5 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Broward County or Hawaii?

Hawaii, at £284 a night against £180 in Broward County — roughly 57.8% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £46 in Hawaii against £35, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

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

Neither is growing on occupancy — both cooled over the last year. Broward County gave up 1.1 points and Hawaii 0.5, so Hawaii is the shallower decline rather than the winner. Nightly rates rose 76.4% in Broward County and rose 72.6% in Hawaii over the same window.

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

Hawaii, with 23,915 active listings against 12,088 in Broward County. 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 Broward County vs Hawaii?

Hawaii earns more: roughly £16,727 a year for a median listing against £12,691 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 Broward County →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Hawaii →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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