Hawaii vs Jersey City: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Jersey City edges ahead of Hawaii on higher occupancy (37.8% vs 15.9%), stronger RevPAR (£57 vs £46).

Head-to-head metrics

	Hawaii	Jersey City
Median occupancy	15.9%	37.8%
Median daily rate	£284	£190
Median RevPAR	£46	£57
Active listings	23,915	1,628
YoY occupancy	-0.5 pts	-12.6 pts
YoY daily rate	+72.6%	+70.9%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Hawaii vs Jersey City

Jersey City finishes decisively ahead of Hawaii 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. Jersey City sells 21.9 more points of its calendar — 37.8% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 25.3% higher in Jersey City: £57 against £46. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

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 £190, some 49% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 15.9% occupancy. Jersey City is the volume market, filling 37.8% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £57 in Jersey City against £46. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Hawaii is not simply the weaker market of the two. Hawaii commands 49% more per night, £284 against £190. The twelve-month direction favours Hawaii too: occupancy there moved −0.5 points while Jersey City moved −12.6 points. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Hawaii nor Jersey City 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. Hawaii peaks in October at 49.4% and bottoms in May at 28.6%; Jersey City runs from 55.1% in September down to 24.3% in February. Hawaii is the steadier of the two at 20.8 points peak-to-trough against 30.8 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Jersey City 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. Hawaii 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. Jersey City 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 the contrarian side: buying it means buying a market that has cooled. 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 23,915 active Hawaii listings and 1,628 in Jersey City.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hawaii or Jersey City better for Airbnb investment?

Jersey City, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (37.8% vs 15.9%), stronger RevPAR (£57 vs £46), and higher median annual revenue (£20,951 vs £16,727). Hawaii is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£284 vs £190).

Which has higher occupancy, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Jersey City, at 37.8% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii — a gap of 21.9 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 Hawaii shed 0.5 points and Jersey City shed 12.6 points, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Hawaii, at £284 a night against £190 in Jersey City — roughly 49% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — Jersey City comes out ahead at £57 against £46, so Jersey City's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Neither is growing on occupancy — both cooled over the last year. Hawaii gave up 0.5 points and Jersey City 12.6, so Hawaii is the shallower decline rather than the winner. Nightly rates rose 72.6% in Hawaii and rose 70.9% in Jersey City over the same window.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Hawaii, with 23,915 active listings against 1,628 in Jersey City. 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 Hawaii vs Jersey City?

Jersey City earns more: roughly £20,951 a year for a median listing against £16,727 in Hawaii. 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 Hawaii →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Jersey City →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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