Side-by-side comparison

Florence vs Venice: which is better for Airbnb investment?

We compare the Italy short-term rental markets across occupancy, daily rate, RevPAR, year-over-year trend, and regulation.

Bottom line

Venice edges ahead of Florence on higher occupancy (36% vs 30%), stronger RevPAR (£34 vs £32).

Head-to-head metrics

 FlorenceVenice
Median occupancy30%36%
Median daily rate£116£131
Median RevPAR£32£34
Active listings10,3056,967
YoY occupancy+0.4 pts+6.4 pts
YoY daily rate-8.7%-13.2%
Regulation risk
Annual night capNoneNone
License requiredNoNo

Full analysis: Florence vs Venice

Venice finishes clearly ahead of Florence 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. Venice's listings run at 36% occupancy against 30% in Florence, worth 6 extra points of booked calendar every year. The twelve-month direction favours Venice too: occupancy there moved +6.4 points while Florence moved +0.4 points. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

Venice takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £131 against £116 — and still fills more of the year, 36% 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 £34 against £32.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Florence is not simply the weaker market of the two. Florence is the deeper market at 10,305 active listings against 6,967, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. Florence sits at the cheaper end at £116 a night against £131, which lowers the bar for filling shoulder-season dates and usually tracks a lower purchase price too. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Florence nor Venice 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. Florence peaks in October at 65% and bottoms in December at 31.2%; Venice runs from 62.8% in September down to 28.1% in November. 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. Venice 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 5,209 active Florence listings and 3,599 in Venice.

Frequently asked questions

Is Florence or Venice better for Airbnb investment?
Venice, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (36% vs 30%), the better occupancy trend (+6.4 points vs +0.4 points year over year), and a higher nightly rate (£131 vs £116). Florence is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a deeper market (10,305 vs 6,967 active listings).
Which has higher occupancy, Florence or Venice?
Venice, at 36% median occupancy against 30% in Florence — a gap of 6 points. That is a real but modest edge; a well-run listing in Florence can close most of it. Over the last twelve months Florence was flat and Venice gained 6.4 points, so the gap is widening.
Which has higher nightly rates, Florence or Venice?
Venice, at £131 a night against £116 in Florence — roughly 12.8% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £34 in Venice against £32, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.
Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Florence or Venice?
Venice, on occupancy: +6.4 points over the last twelve months against +0.4 points in Florence. Nightly rates fell 8.7% in Florence and fell 13.2% in Venice 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 Venice?
Florence, with 10,305 active listings against 6,967 in Venice. 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 Florence vs Venice?
Venice earns more: roughly £12,342 a year for a median listing against £11,735 in Florence. 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 Florence
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
Market guide
Airbnb in Venice
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
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