Florence vs Rome: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Rome comes out slightly ahead on the composite of yield + regulation risk.

Head-to-head metrics

	Florence	Rome
Median occupancy	26.3%	26.3%
Median daily rate	£166	£159
Median RevPAR	£45	£41
Active listings	10,534	27,717
YoY occupancy	+0 pts	+3.3 pts
YoY daily rate	+42.3%	+45%
Regulation risk	—	medium
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Florence vs Rome

Scored on median occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk together, Rome finishes clearly ahead of Florence. Rome is the deeper market at 27,717 active listings against 10,534, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. The twelve-month direction favours Rome too: occupancy there moved +3.3 points while Florence moved +0 points. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

Florence takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £166 against £159 — and still fills more of the year, 26.3% against 26.3%. A market that leads on price and utilisation at once is normally one where demand has outrun supply, rather than one where hosts are discounting to keep the calendar busy. RevPAR reflects the double advantage at £45 against £41.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Florence is not simply the weaker market of the two. Florence turns its rate and occupancy into £45 per available night against £41 in Rome, a 9.5% edge on the only yield figure that nets the empty nights out. Across a full year the median Florence listing grosses £16,422 against £14,994 in Rome. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

We hold a verified regulation record for only one side of this pairing. Rome applies no annual night cap and requires registration but no licence, on a medium risk rating. Florence should be read as unverified rather than unregulated: check the local authority's own register before you underwrite anything there.

The two calendars also behave differently. Florence peaks in October at 64.8% and bottoms in December at 30.5%; Rome runs from 67.3% in October down to 28.9% in February. Florence is the steadier of the two at 34.3 points peak-to-trough against 38.4 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Rome 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. Florence suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. Rome 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 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 10,534 active Florence listings and 27,717 in Rome.

Frequently asked questions

Is Florence or Rome better for Airbnb investment?

Rome, on the data we track. It leads on a deeper market (27,717 vs 10,534 active listings), the better occupancy trend (+3.3 points vs +0 points year over year), and faster rate growth (+45% vs +42.3% year over year). Florence is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on stronger RevPAR (£45 vs £41).

Which has higher occupancy, Florence or Rome?

Effectively neither — they are level. Florence sits at 26.3% and Rome at 26.3%, a 0-point difference that is inside the noise of a median drawn from a listings snapshot. Over the last twelve months Florence was flat and Rome gained 3.3 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Florence or Rome?

Florence, at £166 a night against £159 in Rome — roughly 4.2% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £45 in Florence against £41, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Is Florence or Rome riskier for Airbnb regulation?

We hold a verified regulation record for Rome only, so we will not rank the two. Rome applies no annual night cap and requires registration but no licence, and it is rated medium risk. Treat Florence as unverified rather than unregulated, and check the local authority directly before committing.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Florence or Rome?

Rome, on occupancy: +3.3 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in Florence. Nightly rates rose 42.3% in Florence and rose 45% in Rome 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, Florence or Rome?

Rome, with 27,717 active listings against 10,534 in Florence. 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.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Florence →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Rome →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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