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

Bottom line

Jersey City edges ahead of Hawaii on higher occupancy (56% vs 30%), stronger RevPAR (£45 vs £29).

Head-to-head metrics

	Hawaii	Jersey City
Median occupancy	30%	56%
Median daily rate	£164	£111
Median RevPAR	£29	£45
Active listings	22,154	1,353
YoY occupancy	+11.9 pts	—
YoY daily rate	+1.5%	—
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Hawaii vs Jersey City

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — Jersey City finishes decisively ahead of Hawaii. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 56.8% higher in Jersey City: £45 against £29. Jersey City sells 26 more points of its calendar — 56% median occupancy against 30% in Hawaii. 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: £164 a night against £111, some 47.5% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 30% occupancy. Jersey City is the volume market, filling 56% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £45 in Jersey City against £29. 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 47.5% more per night, £164 against £111. Hawaii is the deeper market at 22,154 active listings against 1,353, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. 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 48% and bottoms in May at 26.5%; Jersey City runs from 56.6% in October down to 24% in February. Hawaii is the steadier of the two at 21.5 points peak-to-trough against 32.6 — 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. 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 14,266 active Hawaii listings and 362 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 stronger RevPAR (£45 vs £29), higher occupancy (56% vs 30%), and higher median annual revenue (£16,457 vs £10,485). Hawaii is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£164 vs £111).

Which has higher occupancy, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Jersey City, at 56% median occupancy against 30% in Hawaii — a gap of 26 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting.

Which has higher nightly rates, Hawaii or Jersey City?

Hawaii, at £164 a night against £111 in Jersey City — roughly 47.5% 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 £45 against £29, 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?

We can only measure one side, so this comparison stays open. Hawaii moved +11.9 points on occupancy year over year. Jersey City lacks a comparable snapshot from roughly twelve months earlier, and we would rather leave the cell empty than compare against a mismatched date.

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

Hawaii, with 22,154 active listings against 1,353 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 £16,457 a year for a median listing against £10,485 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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