Columbus vs Santa Cruz County: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Columbus edges ahead of Santa Cruz County on higher occupancy (54% vs 42%).

Head-to-head metrics

	Columbus	Santa Cruz County
Median occupancy	54%	42%
Median daily rate	£88	£210
Median RevPAR	£28	£56
Active listings	2,366	1,368
YoY occupancy	+19.5 pts	+12.4 pts
YoY daily rate	-1.8%	-0.7%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Columbus vs Santa Cruz County

Columbus finishes clearly ahead of Santa Cruz 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. Columbus sells 12 more points of its calendar — 54% median occupancy against 42% in Santa Cruz County. The twelve-month direction favours Columbus too: occupancy there moved +19.5 points while Santa Cruz County moved +12.4 points. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Santa Cruz County is the rate market: £210 a night against £88, some 139.6% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 42% occupancy. Columbus is the volume market, filling 54% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £56 in Santa Cruz County against £28. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Santa Cruz County is not simply the weaker market of the two. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 97% higher in Santa Cruz County: £56 against £28. Across a full year the median Santa Cruz County listing grosses £20,320 against £10,324 in Columbus. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Columbus nor Santa Cruz 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. Columbus peaks in September at 49.9% and bottoms in February at 22.7%; Santa Cruz County runs from 56.3% in July down to 29.4% in January. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. Columbus 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 also the momentum side of this pair. Santa Cruz County 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 2025-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 1,065 active Columbus listings and 714 in Santa Cruz County.

Frequently asked questions

Is Columbus or Santa Cruz County better for Airbnb investment?

Columbus, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (54% vs 42%), the better occupancy trend (+19.5 points vs +12.4 points year over year), and a deeper market (2,366 vs 1,368 active listings). Santa Cruz County is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on stronger RevPAR (£56 vs £28).

Which has higher occupancy, Columbus or Santa Cruz County?

Columbus, at 54% median occupancy against 42% in Santa Cruz County — a gap of 12 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting. Over the last twelve months Columbus gained 19.5 points and Santa Cruz County gained 12.4 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Columbus or Santa Cruz County?

Santa Cruz County, at £210 a night against £88 in Columbus — roughly 139.6% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £56 in Santa Cruz County against £28, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Columbus or Santa Cruz County?

Columbus, on occupancy: +19.5 points over the last twelve months against +12.4 points in Santa Cruz County. Nightly rates fell 1.8% in Columbus and fell 0.7% in Santa Cruz 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, Columbus or Santa Cruz County?

Columbus, with 2,366 active listings against 1,368 in Santa Cruz 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 Columbus vs Santa Cruz County?

Santa Cruz County earns more: roughly £20,320 a year for a median listing against £10,324 in Columbus. 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 Columbus →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Santa Cruz County →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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