Hawaii vs Los Angeles: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Los Angeles edges ahead of Hawaii on higher occupancy (29.6% vs 15.9%), stronger RevPAR (£48 vs £46).

Head-to-head metrics

	Hawaii	Los Angeles
Median occupancy	15.9%	29.6%
Median daily rate	£284	£182
Median RevPAR	£46	£48
Active listings	23,915	24,491
YoY occupancy	-0.5 pts	+1.7 pts
YoY daily rate	+72.6%	+51.8%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Hawaii vs Los Angeles

Los Angeles 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. Los Angeles sells 13.7 more points of its calendar — 29.6% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii. On revenue per available night Los Angeles is ahead by 4.5% — £48 to £46 — real, but inside the range a better-run listing could cover. 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 £182, some 55.6% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 15.9% occupancy. Los Angeles is the volume market, filling 29.6% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £48 in Los Angeles 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 55.6% more per night, £284 against £182. Nightly rates are also climbing faster in Hawaii, +72.6% over the last year against +51.8% in Los Angeles. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Hawaii nor Los Angeles 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%; Los Angeles runs from 51% in September down to 29.1% in February. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

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. Los Angeles 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 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 24,491 in Los Angeles.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hawaii or Los Angeles better for Airbnb investment?

Los Angeles, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (29.6% vs 15.9%), stronger RevPAR (£48 vs £46), and the better occupancy trend (+1.7 points vs −0.5 points year over year). Hawaii is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£284 vs £182).

Which has higher occupancy, Hawaii or Los Angeles?

Los Angeles, at 29.6% median occupancy against 15.9% in Hawaii — a gap of 13.7 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 Los Angeles gained 1.7 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Hawaii or Los Angeles?

Hawaii, at £284 a night against £182 in Los Angeles — roughly 55.6% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — Los Angeles comes out ahead at £48 against £46, so Los Angeles's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Hawaii or Los Angeles?

Los Angeles, on occupancy: +1.7 points over the last twelve months against −0.5 points in Hawaii. Nightly rates rose 72.6% in Hawaii and rose 51.8% in Los Angeles 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, Hawaii or Los Angeles?

Los Angeles, with 24,491 active listings against 23,915 in Hawaii. 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 Los Angeles?

Los Angeles earns more: roughly £17,472 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 Los Angeles →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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