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	30%	30%
Median daily rate	£116	£110
Median RevPAR	£32	£25
Active listings	10,305	27,668
YoY occupancy	+0.4 pts	+5.3 pts
YoY daily rate	-8.7%	-7.9%
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 27,668 active listings against 10,305, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. The twelve-month direction favours Rome too: occupancy there moved +5.3 points while Florence moved +0.4 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 — £116 against £110 — and still fills more of the year, 30% against 30%. 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 £32 against £25.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Florence 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 26.4% higher in Florence: £32 against £25. Across a full year the median Florence listing grosses £11,735 against £9,282 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 65% and bottoms in December at 31.2%; Rome runs from 62.9% in September down to 28.2% in December. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. Florence suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Rome answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner 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. 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 5,209 active Florence listings and 15,125 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 (27,668 vs 10,305 active listings), the better occupancy trend (+5.3 points vs +0.4 points year over year), and a standout submarket in I Centro Storico. Florence is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on stronger RevPAR (£32 vs £25).

Which has higher occupancy, Florence or Rome?

Effectively neither — they are level. Florence sits at 30% and Rome at 30%, 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 5.3 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Florence or Rome?

Florence, at £116 a night against £110 in Rome — roughly 6.2% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £32 in Florence against £25, 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: +5.3 points over the last twelve months against +0.4 points in Florence. Nightly rates fell 8.7% in Florence and fell 7.9% 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 27,668 active listings against 10,305 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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